The three people left in the third-floor corridor fell into complete silence.
Sirius wasn't shameless enough to say, "See? Snape himself admitted it."
After a moment of silence, he quickly explained, "That was James before fifth grade. He changed for the better after that. Later, Snape was the one who started causing trouble for us, not the other way around. Lily only agreed to date James because he had reformed."
"As for me, I've always been an arrogant and conceited fool."
"But James is not."
"He's not as bad as you think, Harry."
"In fact, he thwarted many of my overly cruel plans to torment Snape and even saved Snape's life."
"I'm the bad guy."
Then, he slunk away from Harry and Ron.
Perhaps subconsciously, he also felt that he had gone a little too far in treating Snape.
But that would be too harsh on Snape before he sided with the Death Eater and now that Snape has reformed.
He didn't feel he had anything to apologize for.
But he didn't say anything to argue with Harry.
Ron: "Looks like your dad wasn't a bad guy after all. He saved Snape's life!"
Harry's expression finally improved. "That's the only good news tonight. Hmm, I'm a little hungry. Shall we go back for dinner?"
Ron nodded heavily.
And the people in the Chat Group who read these things.
Beatrix looked disgusted. "Do all you guys go this far when you form cliques?"
"Our school is still the best; we can stay together even if we're hopeless."
Beatrix, who at most resorts to American-style bullying, like the 'Everyone was invited to the ball except one, guess who wasn't invited' trope, is starting to empathize with Harry's anger. If she were Snape, she probably would have succumbed to despair.
Madison: "I don't understand how Sirius got the audacity to say that James Potter saved Snape's life."
"If James Potter hadn't saved Snape, all four of them would have been fired!"
"If Snape were still here, he would definitely give Sirius the Cruciatus Curse."
Sophie: "Does this Ron have no sense of propriety? If I had his mouth, I probably wouldn't have lived to adulthood."
"It seems the movie version isn't entirely without merit; at least it captured this side of Ron."
Zoe lay sprawled, her pale ankles exposed beneath her black robe. She offered no comment, simply perusing the books. After all, she cared only for Basil.
"How many times do you think Sirius mentioned James?" Basil felt a chill. Too gay.
"Who cares?" Sophie yawned. "But how's the discussion going about my suggestion to have Agatha join the club?"
Madison waved his hand. "I don't think so. Agatha has a boyfriend. And she's not pretty enough."
"You know what we do after every club activity. Is she really the right person to show up? I don't want my sweetheart to get taken advantage of."
Zoe nodded.
Beatrix also said in a critical tone, "I've seen the movie. She may indeed be forever, but she doesn't deserve to be a member of the Witch Club."
Madison continued, "And she and Tedros are inseparable right now, not wanting to be apart for even a second."
"Even if you worry that she will die of old age a hundred years from now, don't forget that Sweetheart has the Philosopher's Stone."
Sophie: "That's fine then."
Madison: "Speaking of the Philosopher's Stone, Sweetheart, how many doses of your Elixir of Life have you made?"
Basil: "Ten doses have already been produced."
Madison patted his chest. "It might be useful if our Supreme Witch doesn't just die peacefully like in the original storyline, or if we make Zoe and me the next Supreme Witch."
Zoe nodded. "I looked at my stats. If it weren't for Cordelia, I'd probably really be the next Supreme Witch."
Madison: "And I redeemed three legendary cards before. Luckily, they were all summons. But I can't always rely on summons, can I? If I'm exposed, I'm in trouble. I don't want to be identified as the next Supreme Witch. Unless it's Cordelia, Fiona will kill anyone else in that position. Although Fiona doesn't have a constant mind-reading spell like Nan, what if—"
Zoe: "Wait, Madison. Didn't you notice? Nan really enjoys being with us. Because we're quiet. She can't hear our thoughts. Clearly, the Chat Group protects our brains."
Madison: "That baby face with Down syndrome? I won't pay attention to people who aren't worth my attention."
"By the way, what is Snape holding in his hand?"
"He came down from the fourth floor or above, well, it must be the Headmaster's Office. Dumbledore told him to get it."
"I dare say that thing will definitely be very useful."
Basil's perspective shifted to the silverware in Snape's hands.
Its structure is peculiar, like a globe with a mirror instead of a sphere.
And so the mirror passed through the long table, attracting the attention of the surrounding crowd, and ended up in Dumbledore's hands.
The person who brought it— Snape —immediately went through the small door on the left and headed towards the basement.
They didn't linger for a moment, nor did they exchange any words with Dumbledore.
Dumbledore turned the Silver Mirror under the expectant gazes of everyone, but nothing happened.
He smiled thoughtfully and continued eating the chocolates and mints on his plate. He seemed quite pleased and even hummed an unknown tune.
Inside the club space, Sophie sneered, "You guessed wrong, a third-rate celebrity. It's just an ordinary mirror."
——
It was late at night, 10:30 p. m.
He returned to his dormitory early to rest and separated his consciousness from the club space.
Not only did Madison complain of a dry mouth, Beatrix also suffered from body aches, and Sophie and Zoe withdrew early on.
Or perhaps it was because Dumbledore had been fiddling with that mirror ever since he returned to the Headmaster's Office. Meanwhile, another Silver Mirror lay to the side—the one that allowed communication with Nick Flume.
And now, the voice coming from that Silver Mirror.
"Albus, I'm planning our burial ceremony with Pernelle, you'd better have a good reason to bother me."
Dumbledore smiled gently and said, "You have a full century to plan it."
"You still remember this mirror in my hand, don't you?"
Nick Flume hesitated for a moment. "This is a work from when you were 78 and still young? I remember now! You were very curious about Dementor and Boggart, those non-beings. They feed on emotions, transcend life and death, and cannot be truly destroyed."
"And truly masterful spells cannot be separated from emotions, whether positive or negative."
"So you had an idea. Invent a tool to observe, to observe emotions themselves."
Dumbledore nodded. "I used it today."
"A young Archmage, suspected of possessing the blood of King Arthur, suddenly found himself wielding a sword engraved with the name Excalibur (Caliburn)."
"He was so handsome today that he made me lose my composure, but he didn't cause any commotion among the students."
"I'm not bragging, but my self-control is unmatched, and my aesthetic sense is not outdated."
Nick Flume's disdainful voice came from the Silver Mirror, "So that's why you thought of using this prop? Can you please correct yourself? Your voyeuristic tendencies are too strong. You don't actually like him, do you?"
"The last one you monitored, I remember, was Scamander, who was very popular with the Beast."
Dumbledore adjusted his Half-moon Spectacles. "Surveillance? That's an overstatement. I'm just showing concern for the students."
"The power to control people's hearts, whether good or evil, is something I should be wary of."
Nick Flume snorted, indicating his disagreement with Dumbledore's view. But he still asked curiously, "So, what's your conclusion after observing?"
Dumbledore stood up and began to excitedly circle around him. "That sword is a sun! The sun from which all good visions are realized!"
"We can now conclude definitively that the legend of King Arthur is true!"
"There really was such a legendary king on this land!"
"His bloodline's descendants are in my school!"
He is hope! The hope to make this country great again!
Nicolas Flamel: "You're going to play the role of Merlin? And don't forget, the Ministry of Magic doesn't need a king."
Dumbledore stopped in his tracks. "I will make them need what they need."
Nicolas Flamel was somewhat puzzled. "How can you trust him so much? You've never trusted anyone like this before."
Dumbledore's blue eyes gleamed with recollection. "If you had seen that sword, you would understand. Its chosen master must represent the will of all good people, not just itself."
That night, Basil slept very poorly.
In his sleep, a white-bearded old man with a face Dumbledore, who called himself Merlin, kept coming closer to him.
So, the next morning.
"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
Startled, Basil, who had a face Bu Jingyun, suddenly woke up from his sleep.
Just as he thought it was all a dream, through the full view of the map, he saw Dumbledore walking into the Gryffindor Common Room and heading towards the dormitory.
Awakened by Basil's scream, Harry poked his head out with concern. "Basil, what's wrong? Why aren't you coming any closer?"
Basil shrugged. "I had a nightmare that Dumbledore walked into our dorm and invited me to his private lessons over the summer."
"Well, it seems you've awakened your Heavenly Eye." At the same time, Dumbledore strode into the dormitory and exclaimed in surprise.
"Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, then suddenly seemed to remember something. "Can I come along? Take your private lessons! I don't want to go back to my aunt and uncle's! Goodbye Dudley's big face!"
He had originally planned to go to Sirius's house, but after last night, he gave up on the idea.
Dumbledore put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Of course. But—"
"But what?" Harry seemed about to jump onto the ceiling.
Dumbledore said gently, "Ten days. You must stay at the Dursley family for ten days. The protective charm of your mother still flows in your blood, maintained by your mother's blood relatives. So, every summer you must go back there for a period of time."
After discovering that there was a third party opposing Voldemort and who had taken the Philosopher's Stone, he felt that Harry's upbringing could no longer focus solely on cultivating Harry's character and personality, as originally planned.
Basil also needed a younger 'Merlin' to assist him. Due to his gay mindset, he didn't think of Hermione, but rather Harry.
"My mother?" Harry touched the exposed blue veins on the back of his hand. "Mom."
He suddenly realized that being tortured at the Dursley family wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Even for a moment, he had the urge to take back his words about attending Dumbledore's private lessons.
Dumbledore shifted his gaze, his eyes burning as he looked directly into Basil's deep blue eyes. "And you? Are you willing?"
Basil was speechless.
He suddenly thought, "Family members, who understands?"
But coincidentally, he wasn't too keen on leaving Hogwarts. He wanted to stay there openly and honestly.
After all, today is the day everyone takes the train home.
Last Thursday, their first-grade results were also released.
A notice warning against using magic off-campus was also sent to them for signature, Trace was now in effect. Except for Basil, of course, who was already an adult.
Last night, the House-elf emptied their wardrobes and packed them into suitcases.
All the pets returned to their owners, including Neville, Trevor had been hiding in the girls' restroom for almost two weeks.
Clearly, today is the day they leave the castle.
So Basil said, "May I stay at Hogwarts? I mean, I mean, the classes are held at the school."
"As you know, I am an orphan now. And the elders in my family don't have the habit of keeping Enchanted Painting."
"Besides, the Basilisk skin you promised me has too much left over after Professor Snape's processing. I need your help to deal with it and get a fair price. The largest underground trading market in the entire British Wizarding World is in the Hog's Hog's Head Inn in Hogsmeade."
"After all things considered, it's best for us to stay at Hogwarts."
Dumbledore fell into deep thought. But he wasn't thinking about Basil and the others staying at the school.
Instead, they were thinking about how to get Mundungus to give Basil a fair price.
Mundungus was actually an underling of his brother Aberforth before Mundungus Fletcher Fletcher was banned for life from the Hog's Head Inn.
Afterwards, Mundungus served as a detached member of the Order of the Phoenix, doing intelligence work and acting as a middleman.
He is trustworthy and will not betray his partners, but this only refers to their lives. As for his partners' money, he is still willing to find ways to steal or cheat them.
After much deliberation, Dumbledore decided to buy Basil's Basilisk skin himself.
Of course, outwardly he said, "Alright, I'll take care of the Basilisk skin for you. You can stay at school. But for you, Harry, as I just said, you go home as usual. I'll pick you up from the Dursley family next Thursday at 8 p. m.
"Whoopi!" Harry raised his hands.
"Ouch!" Ron covered his eyes. His bed was right next to Harry's, and he was groggily looking up to see what was happening when his left eye bumped into Harry's right hand.
"What are you guys up to?"
"Dumbledore!"