Hogwarts: The Witch Education Handbook

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was talking to Harry in the school infirmary.

"Good morning, Harry. How's your recovery?" Dumbledore greeted him with a smile.

"I'm fine, Professor Dumbledore." Harry sat up from the hospital bed covered with clean white linen sheets upon seeing Dumbledore.

Since the battle last night, Dumbledore had taken him to the school infirmary. Although he said he was fine, Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping him there for a day of observation after examining him.

"I'm relieved to see that you're recovering well. You've done a lot to protect the Philosopher's Stone, child. As for the Philosopher's Stone, I've already destroyed it."

"Destroyed?" Harry asked, utterly bewildered. "But your friend—Nico Flamel—"

"Oh?" Dumbledore interrupted him, his voice tinged with delight. "You understand Nico, don't you? It seems you've gained a deep understanding of this matter. Indeed, Nico and I have discussed it, and we both believe this is the best solution."

"But doesn't that mean he and his wife will die?" Harry pressed.

"They still have some elixir of immortality left, enough for them to arrange everything," Dumbledore replied calmly. "And then, yes, they will pass away."

Seeing Harry's astonished expression, Dumbledore couldn't help but smile.

"I understand, it might be a little hard for someone as young as you to comprehend," he said gently. "But for Nico and Perenaar, death is like going to bed peacefully after a long day."

"Moreover, for a mature person, death is just another grand adventure."

Harry lay there, unsure of what to say.

Dumbledore, meanwhile, hummed a little tune and looked at the ceiling with a smile.

"Sir," Harry said, "Professor Dumbledore, there are some things I don't quite understand, and I wonder if you could tell me... I want to know the truth about these things..."

"The truth," Dumbledore sighed, "is a beautiful and terrible thing, and must be treated with utmost care. However, I will try my best to answer your questions, unless I have a very good reason to keep quiet, in which case I hope you will forgive me. Of course, I cannot lie to you."

"It's like this... Voldemort said he killed my mother because she desperately tried to stop him from killing me. But then again, why did he want to kill me in the first place?"

Harry's first question stumped Dumbledore.

He didn't know how to tell Harry, or rather, Harry shouldn't know the answer right now, so after a long pause, he slowly said, "Well, the first thing you asked me, I can't tell you."

"You'll find out someday... Don't think about it for now, Harry. When you're older... I know you don't want to hear this... You'll find out when you're ready."

Harry nodded helplessly: "There's one more thing..."

"Go ahead and ask..." Dumbledore seemed a little insecure at this point. He didn't know what to do if Harry kept asking questions he couldn't answer.

Quirrell said Snape—

"It's Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected.

"Yes, it was him—Quirk said Professor Snape hated me because he hated my father. Is that true?"

"Is that so? They..."

......

After wandering around Hogwarts Castle, Dumbledore returned to his office, only to find an "uninvited guest" standing at his door.

"Phillips, you've arrived." Dumbledore greeted Sean while giving the correct command to the gargoyle beside him, "Toffee."

With a loud bang, the stairs to the principal's office swung open in their direction.

Dumbledore went in first, followed closely by Sean.

After they were both seated, before Dumbledore could speak, Sean said, "A cup of honey lemon tea, please."

When two steaming cups of black tea appeared on the table, Sean handed one to Dumbledore, then took the other and took a small sip.

"You've changed since you first arrived, Phillips," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, accepting the tea with a smile.

As he said this, he deliberately pushed up his glasses, as if he wanted to get a better look at Sean's appearance.

Sean gently set down his teacup, meeting Dumbledore's gaze. "Is that so? Perhaps it's because of some things that have happened. People always change."

Admittedly, Sean has changed dramatically since a year ago.

Both his abilities and his mindset have undergone a complete transformation.

Previously, his strength was equivalent to that of an ordinary Auror. Compared to his beloved senior, Mr. Lockhart, he was not much stronger... But now, he was "evenly matched" with Snape in the previous duel club.

After using the kryptonite potion for a while, he even felt that the two quotation marks above "neither superior nor inferior" could be removed.

Let's talk about mindset.

Last year, he was filled with anxiety and uncertainty because the system was the only way for him to defy fate, and now his system has been officially activated.

Even if—and I mean even if—Dumbledore were to expel him now, and he were to run away with his heroine, Tonks, and through educating Tonks, he could still take a completely different path.

Therefore, having a backup plan gave him more confidence.

With sufficient confidence, a person's temperament will naturally change.

Now, the balance of power has shifted.

Seeing Sean's composed gaze, Dumbledore said, "Phillips, thank you for your contribution to Hogwarts last night."

His tone abruptly shifted, "However, you know, there was news about Voldemort last night..."

The rising steam from the teacups gradually blurred Dumbledore and Sean's faces, making them appear and disappear in the mist.

The whole world seemed to be muted by the fog, with only the constantly changing mouth shapes of the two sides visible.

After an unknown amount of time, the fog finally dissipated. Sean slowly got up, and just as he turned to leave, he suddenly seemed to remember something and said to Dumbledore.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts class next semester..."

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