Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 507 Love

"Oh..." Harry replied somewhat dejectedly, "Then I'll wait until after the ceremony to send it over... maybe Tyella will be free then."

Seemingly noticing Harry's unhappiness, Dumbledore reached out and patted Harry's shoulder reassuringly.

“Professor Dumbledore?” Harry looked up at Dumbledore with suspicion.

“You’ve all grown up so much,” Dumbledore said sadly.

Dumbledore smiled and looked at Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Finally, his gaze drifted into the distance, to the bustling crowd, to Cornelius Fudge, who was moving among the crowd, and to the huge shadow looming over Cornelius Fudge.

“I’m old,” Dumbledore sighed again. “It’s an old story, and many times I forget how quickly time flies. I remember when you first entered Hogwarts, you were all so small, so lovely, so innocent…”

It was also said that Dumbledore gestured with his hand to indicate a height.

"Please allow me, an old man, to be sentimental. For me, the passing of these years has only added a few more gray hairs, or a few less meals. Apart from death, time has hardly exerted any effect on me. But you are different." Dumbledore patted Harry's shoulder sadly again. "You are no longer the boy who lived in the closet, and Tyrell is no longer the somewhat clever boy he was when he first entered school. Look at him, he has grown to this point, becoming the youngest de facto ruler in the history of British wizarding."

"Hmm," Harry nodded awkwardly.

Harry always felt that Dumbledore's words were both reasonable and inexplicable—

Although Harry didn't want to admit it, deep down he did feel that he had fallen far behind Tyrell.

This sense of alienation stemming from their power imbalance was what Harry found most devastating.

“Tierra is very strong,” Harry said with difficulty. “He could easily defeat the Dark Lord, while I’m still worrying about my Owls exams. He has become the de facto ruler of the Ministry of Magic, and I…”

“No, Harry,” Dumbledore interrupted gently, “strength is secondary; the most crucial thing is Tyella’s wisdom.”

"Wisdom?" Harry asked, puzzled.

“I apologize, it was my oversight. Perhaps the word ‘wisdom’ is too broad. To be precise,” Dumbledore stroked his beard, put his hand on Harry’s shoulder, and said as they walked, “Tierra became who he is today because of his extraordinary understanding of magic, his remarkable insight into human relationships and conspiracies, and his incredible ability to seize opportunities.”

“Hmm,” Harry replied, “Tierra is indeed very strong in these aspects.”

"But why is he so strong?" Dumbledore feigned a puzzled expression. "Perhaps I'm getting senile, but there's one thing I've never understood—"

Dumbledore stopped, placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, looked down into Harry's eyes, and asked, "Why is he so strong?" "Wh-what do you mean?" Harry was bewildered by Dumbledore's question.

“A person’s extraordinary understanding of magic can be explained as a unique talent,” Dumbledore said, “but what about insight into human nature and intrigue, and the ability to seize opportunities?”

“These things cannot be explained by talent,” Dumbledore said. “They cannot even be explained by my childhood experience of wandering the streets and by luck.”

"Headmaster Dumbledore, you, you, what, what do you mean?" Harry didn't want to understand the deeper meaning behind Dumbledore's words, but subconsciously, Harry could still sense some terrible truth hidden behind this phenomenon.

“Sigh, never mind. Like I said, I’m old,” Dumbledore said, releasing Harry’s shoulder with a sigh. “I’m too old, too tired. I don’t want to, and I’m too lazy to, investigate the reasons behind all this. I crave freedom too much, I crave liberation too much. In this respect, I need to thank Tyrell for taking the burden on my shoulders. Although his purpose and starting point may not be righteous, from now on, he will be the one protecting the wizarding world from Voldemort, the one suppressing those crazy proponents of the pure-blood theory, the one arguing with those parasitic and ignorant officials in the Ministry of Magic, and the one wasting so much time and energy on meaningless trifles.”

"Hmm," Harry nodded in agreement.

“Power is a chain, Harry,” Dumbledore said. “Teara is too young to understand the weight of that chain.”

"Power is a thing that can easily become addictive. Once you grasp it, it's hard to let go. Some people hold power as if they hold the whole world in their hands. Soon, their passion, their life, and everything they love will give way to power. All their brilliance and vitality will eventually be worn away by the shackles of power, and power will become the only and most important thing in their lives," Dumbledore said.

“No, no, Tyella won’t—” Harry said in a panic.

“That’s hard to say,” Dumbledore interrupted. “There was once a boy, just like Tyrell, exceptionally intelligent and gifted, but now people are more used to calling him by another name—”

“Voldemort,” Dumbledore said in a low voice.

Harry silently lowered his head.

"Fortunately, however, Tyrell understands love better than Voldemort, and has more love," Dumbledore said. "The love of your good friends, the love of our teachers, the love of his classmates, and the love of the Weasley family."

"Love?" Harry looked at Dumbledore with a mixture of confusion and surprise. "Does Tyrell need love?"

“Yes, everyone needs love. It is a sad thing to live without loving, to live without being loved.” Dumbledore looked at Harry kindly, then slowly recited, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not do things for others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

“I’m tired,” Dumbledore said to Harry. “I’ve given so much love in my life, and so much of it has gone unrequited. I’m too old and too tired. So please keep an eye on Tyrell for me, so that he doesn’t let power corrupt his will and lose himself in power, okay?”

(There might be another chapter in a bit, or there might not be. I'm too tired today; I did a big lab cleaning.)
(End of this chapter)