Harry Potter: This senior is pretty strong

As headmaster, Dumbledore always attached great importance to the opening day of Hogwarts each year.

He would prepare a speech for the start of the school year, and when he was in a good mood, he would even tell a joke that he had been thinking about for several days.

Most people would find his jokes baffling because he prepares them for so long that they are overly profound and fantastical.

The same thing happened this year. He did tell a joke on stage, but it seems like nobody noticed that it was a joke.

Of course, none of that mattered. Just seeing those energetic children sitting in the Great Hall, full of anticipation and hope, gave Dumbledore an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

It was this sense of satisfaction that sustained him through so many years.

Because, from a very long time ago, Dumbledore saw himself as an educator, not a great wizard, an ambitious man, or a power holder, even though those things were readily available to him if he wanted them.

—So easily attainable, such a tempting trap.

He lost more precisely because he wanted what was readily available.

Later, he realized that his mission was to do things that seemed very difficult, such as nurturing innocent children into kind and brave wizards, enabling them to face this perhaps imperfect world with composure.

This is not easy, it is even very difficult, because many children, after being tempted by power, easily succumb to ambition and lose themselves...

……

After the password was given, the door to the principal's office, which also served as his living quarters, was opened.

Dumbledore walked in, carrying the Sorting Hat.

At this moment, there was only one person, one bird, and one hat in the room.

Phoenix Fawkes was quite old; he squatted there motionless, as if dozing, and didn't react much to Dumbledore's return.

"Oh, dear Professor Dumbledore, congratulations on having a new group of students!" the talking hat couldn't help but speak first.

"Tell me, which of this year's children is particularly special?" Dumbledore, with his long gray hair and beard, said to the Sorting Hat on the table after sitting down in his chair.

"Haha, of course it's Harry Potter, he's really special," the Sorting Hat said with a shrill laugh that was hardly pleasant.

“You know, I’m not asking about this child.” Dumbledore’s aged eyes glanced at the hat through his half-moon spectacles.

"Then it must be Neville Longbottom! He's a somewhat confused but very promising kid who will become a brave Gryffindor wizard!" the Sorting Hat exclaimed, his voice rising in fervor, almost like an operatic aria.

“Old friend, it seems you have some concerns. Shall I remind you?” Dumbledore said quietly to the hat.

"...Dumbledore, please don't say so much... You know, we beings are different from you wizards... We are also beings of a higher order who deserve our reverence..." The Sorting Hat became hesitant, and then dared not continue.

"Don't worry, this room has been enchanted to prevent detection," Dumbledore reassured him.

"Not enough..." the Sorting Hat said timidly, its tall crown twisting nervously as if searching for something suspicious.

"Then, I'll reinforce it again."

As Dumbledore spoke, he waved his ancient, multi-jointed wand, and a powerful yet quiet spell instantly enveloped the headmaster's office area.

Then, neither the people in this world, nor even those outside of it, could know what happened inside or what was discussed.

……

……

After parting ways with Hermione, Qin Yu returned to his dorm and spent a long time trying to stop himself from having the illusion that he could still smell that scent.

Then his thoughts began to settle, reflecting on the day's events—especially what happened in the auditorium.

At the end of the banquet, Dumbledore unsurprisingly mentioned something: students were forbidden from going to the right-hand corridor on the fourth floor.

Qin Yu knew that there were obstacles set up by Dumbledore to protect the Philosopher's Stone, and the first obstacle was Hagrid's three-headed dog, Fluffy.

Well, he was involved in this matter to some extent, after all, he paid for Hagrid's Cerberus out of his own pocket.

As is widely known, the Philosopher's Stone is the ultimate alchemical product that can turn lead into gold and create elixirs of immortality.

Most importantly, it was something Voldemort coveted, and it was the key to Voldemort's resurrection.

Qin Yu really wanted to have a good talk with Dumbledore and warn him to be careful of a certain suspicious professor who would try every means to steal the Philosopher's Stone.

However, he had already made that choice during the summer vacation, something he simply couldn't do.

"I feel like I've been completely fooled by the system!" Qin Yu couldn't help but curse inwardly.

……

Besides the Philosopher's Stone, Qin Yu was also thinking about something else: Professor Swinton.

After the banquet, Qin Yu caught up with Snape, who was leisurely leaving, and asked him if he had any news of Professor Swinton.

“I only received one letter from him a while ago. In it, he said he was going to Egypt to visit an ancient site. After that, I haven’t heard from him again.” After saying this, Snape seemed to remember something and continued to Qin Yu, “Oh, by the way, he asked me to tell you that he wishes you a happy new semester!”

When Professor Snape said the last sentence, his lips twitched slightly.

What Qin Yu didn't know was that Professor Swinton's original words in the letter were: "...Severus, I won't write to Qin separately. Just let him know about my recent situation and wish our little brother a happy new semester!"

Clearly, Swinton deliberately wrote the word "brother," since they were so far apart, he didn't need to worry about being humanely killed by Professor Snape.

Having not seen Professor Swinton for so long, and having received little news from him, and recalling his behavior before leaving, such as the occasional flash of melancholy in his eyes, Qin Yu felt inexplicably worried.

Since Professor Swinton was traveling around at the time, it was difficult for him to have a fixed address, so Qin Yu could not write to him proactively and could only wait for his next letter to arrive.

With his mind preoccupied with the possible situations Professor Swinton might encounter, and his unspoken secrets, Qin Yu gradually fell asleep. (Hermione: Huh???)

……

On Qin Yu's first night back at Hogwarts, in a mysterious neighborhood in Paris, a tall man was sitting in a bar drinking.

He was none other than Professor Swinton, whom Qin Yu had been thinking about before going to sleep.

To be precise, his face is Professor Swinton's face, and his body is Professor Swinton's body.

But he was not Swinton.

“Ian, won’t you buy me a drink?” A blonde woman sat down next to the man.

"It's my pleasure!" The man gave a bright smile, but his eyes were fixed on the woman's revealing upper body.

His gaze was bold and playful.

The woman showed no displeasure, but instead gave a charming smile and said in a sweet voice, "I've already asked about your situation, and they'd be happy for you to join. However, you'll have to go to North America yourself; that man named Gellert Abernathy is in New York right now."

“Thank you, Camille,” the man said to the woman with a smile.

"Is it really that simple to just say thank you?" the woman pouted, feigning dissatisfaction.

"So what do you want?" The man stared intently at the woman again.

"Of course... I'll listen to you~" The woman reached out and gently stroked the man's face with her scarlet-painted fingers.

Soon, the man and the woman left the bar together.

—This bar is a place only wizards are allowed to enter.

And this man is Ian Stanley.

He has the appearance of Stephen Swinton, but a different personality; at least, he doesn't mind indulging his desires.

Tonight in Paris, the night is as still as water, enchanting and captivating.