As Long as You Never Had It, You'll Never Lose It!

When he heard Dumbledore say that there was a way to solve this problem.

Tom panicked too. He quickly looked at Li Weide, hoping he could still come up with a good solution.

Otherwise, once this was settled, their plan to rush toward freedom would be completely ruined.

At the very least, there would be many things they could not do before graduation.

"What is the Fidelius Charm?" Li Weide asked calmly.

Seeing that Li Weide's expression remained calm, Tom felt much more at ease.

Maybe this guy still had a way!

Dumbledore's expression turned serious.

"This is an extremely complex spell. Simply put, it uses magic to hide a secret forever in the depths of a living person's soul."

"Because the secret is hidden within the soul of the chosen person... the Secret-Keeper, it can never be discovered unless the Secret-Keeper voluntarily reveals it."

"I only need to treat the address of where you live as the secret that must be hidden. Then Grindelwald will never be able to find you."

"That way, the safety of you and your guardians can be guaranteed."

"As for the choice of Secret-Keeper... I shall take the role myself. I do not think there is anyone in this world who can make me reveal a secret I wish to keep hidden."

After hearing Dumbledore's explanation, Tom's face instantly went deathly pale.

It's over. The dream of freedom has flown away...

Dumbledore's method could be said to be flawless.

Tom could no longer think of any way to refuse.

"Thank you for your kindness, Professor. But... there is no need to trouble yourself. I truly do not want to become part of any family again. As for guardians, you can find one for Tom. Toby takes care of me, so there is absolutely no need to worry about me," Li Weide said in a low voice.

Tom's eyes widened. Didn't we agree that you'd take me with you?!

Dumbledore asked in confusion, "But why? In my view, family is the most precious thing in the world. If you could become part of a new family..."

"Some things, as long as you never had them, you will never lose them..."

After saying that, Li Weide sat back down on the bed, wrapped his arms around his knees, and stared silently out the window, his face filled with deep sorrow.

It was the first time Dumbledore had seen such an expression on Li Weide's face.

In his impression, Li Weide had always seemed sunny and cheerful, brimming with confidence...

Dumbledore could not help recalling his earlier conversation with Mrs. Cole.

When he had asked about Tom, he had also inquired about Li Weide.

Mrs. Cole had said that she found Li Weide on the street and brought him back.

At the time, the child's face had been filled with confusion. He had only said that his name was Li Weide and that he had no family, then refused to say anything else...

At that moment, Dumbledore understood. Li Weide's resistance to joining a new family was probably connected to a past he was unwilling to tell anyone about.

If he was not mistaken, it must have been an extremely sad memory... one that had cast a huge shadow over Li Weide's heart.

And that shadow was so immense that Li Weide did not dare to have a family again!

"...As long as you never had it, you will never lose it..."

Those words tore at Dumbledore's heart.

Of course, he understood what it felt like to lose one's closest family... it was simply heartbreaking!

Dumbledore looked into Li Weide's eyes again and habitually swept them with Legilimency.

What he found was nothing but sorrow—only sorrow!

Dumbledore was finally moved. If this child was allowed to remain so sad, he might be ruined entirely...

Therefore, he did not dare force the issue any further. Even with all his magical power, he could not heal a psychological wound like this.

"If that is the case, then... all right. As for Tom..."

Tom was quick-witted. The moment he saw Dumbledore look at him, he immediately shouted, "I'm his only friend! I have to stay with him!"

Dumbledore looked at Tom, then at Li Weide, and finally relented.

"All right... then you can stay with him. I will not find guardians for either of you..."

In Dumbledore's view, Li Weide had no family and was unwilling to be adopted.

If he took away his only friend as well, Li Weide would truly be too lonely.

So Dumbledore simply decided to leave Tom behind too. In any case, Tom was equally unwilling to be adopted.

Only then did Li Weide turn back around, a faint and seemingly forced smile appearing on his face.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I'm... I'm truly sorry that I cannot accept your kindness... It's just... it's just that I..."

At this point, Tom admired Li Weide beyond all measure.

He had not expected that, even when the situation was completely against them, Li Weide could play the emotional card, land a critical blow on Dumbledore, and turn the tables!

Dumbledore sighed. He had no way of knowing what Li Weide had experienced in the past.

And unless Li Weide was willing to speak of it himself, it would not be right for him to ask too much.

After all, merely making him think a little about the past had left him like this. Let alone making him recount it in person...

That would truly be too cruel to Li Weide!

"I can promise not to find guardians for you, but the Fidelius Charm must be cast, and I must be the one to find where you will live."

Although Li Weide was still not entirely satisfied with this outcome, getting this far was acceptable enough.

At worst, he could find another secret base for his experiments.

But for Tom, this result was completely acceptable.

Though he still had not managed to get away from Li Weide directly, at least they would not have guardians!

He could not even stand Mrs. Cole's restrictions, much less those of anyone else...

After Dumbledore and Professor Hicks left.

The sorrowful expression on Li Weide's face vanished in an instant.

Tom saw it from beside him and was not surprised in the slightest.

So it really was an act! Just as expected of you!

At this moment, Tom truly admired Li Weide more and more. With just a few words, he had managed to handle someone as difficult as Dumbledore!

Li Weide rubbed his face. Fortunately, he had learned Occlumency earlier. Otherwise, he would almost have been exposed just now.

He had not expected Dumbledore to use Legilimency to probe his emotions even in that situation...

But fortunately, thanks to Occlumency, he had disguised his emotions well.

At the very least, Dumbledore, who had only used Legilimency to take a cursory look at Li Weide's emotions, would never be able to see through him.

In fact, Li Weide had not told a single lie just now.

He had never actively claimed that his past was tragic. Dumbledore had merely imagined everything himself!

All Li Weide had done was cleverly leave some blank space through his acting and his words...

"All right... don't get too carried away, or it won't be good if you give yourself away!"

"Got it!"