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

When he heard Professor 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 run 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.

"It is an extremely complex spell. Put simply, it uses magic to conceal 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."

"All I need to do is make the address of where you live the secret to be concealed. Then Grindelwald will never be able to find you."

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

"As for the Secret-Keeper... I shall take on that role. I believe there is no one in this world who can make me reveal a secret I wish to keep hidden."

After hearing Dumbledore's explanation, Tom's face immediately turned ashen.

It's over. His dream of freedom had 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's no need to trouble yourself. I truly don't want to become part of any family again. As for a guardian, you can find one for Tom. Toby takes care of me, so there's absolutely no need to worry about me," Li Weide said in a subdued voice.

Tom's eyes widened. Didn't we agree to stick together?! Dumbledore asked in confusion, "But why? In my view, family is the most precious thing in this world. If you could become part of a new family..."

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

After saying that, Li Weide returned to sit on the bed, wrapped his arms around his knees, and stared silently out the window. His face was 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 asked about Li Weide.

Mrs. Cole had said that she had found Li Weide on the street.

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

Now, Dumbledore understood. Li Weide's resistance to joining a new family was likely related to a past he was unwilling to tell anyone about.

If he was not mistaken, it must have been an extremely sorrowful memory... one that had left an enormous shadow in Li Weide's heart.

And that shadow was so great that Li Weide no longer dared to have any family at all! "...As long as you never had it, you'll never lose it..."

Those words tore at Dumbledore's heart.

Of course, he understood what it felt like to lose one's dearest family... it was nothing less than heartbreak! Dumbledore glanced once more into Li Weide's eyes and, out of habit, gave him a quick sweep with Legilimency.

The result he received was nothing but sorrow... and more sorrow! Dumbledore was finally moved. If this child was allowed to remain so sad, he might end up completely broken...

Thus, he no longer dared to press the matter. Even if his magic was immensely powerful, he had no way to heal such psychological wounds.

"If that is the case, then... very well. As for Tom..."

Tom was too clever. 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.

"Very well... then you may stay with him. I will not find guardians for either of you..."

In Dumbledore's eyes, Li Weide had no family and did not wish to be adopted.

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

So Dumbledore simply allowed Tom to stay 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 can't accept your kindness... It's just... it's just that I..."

By now, Tom admired Li Weide beyond all measure.

He had never expected that, even when the situation was completely against them, Li Weide could play the emotional card, land a critical hit on Dumbledore, and turn the tables!

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

And as long as Li Weide himself refused to say, it would not be right for him to ask too much.

After all, merely reminding him a little of his 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 agree not to find guardians for you, but the Fidelius Charm must be cast, and I must be the one to find the place where you will live."

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

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

However, for Tom, this outcome was perfectly acceptable.

He still hadn't managed to escape Li Weide directly, but at the very least, he wouldn't have to find a guardian! He couldn't even stand Mrs. Cole's control, let alone anyone else's...

After Dumbledore and Professor Hicks left, the sorrowful expression on Li Weide's face vanished in an instant.

Tom saw it from the side and wasn't surprised in the least.

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

At that moment, Tom truly admired Li Weide more and more. With just a few words, he had managed to deal with someone as troublesome as Dumbledore! Li Weide rubbed his face. Fortunately, he had learned Occlumency earlier—otherwise, he might have given himself away just now.

He hadn't expected Dumbledore to use Legilimency to probe his emotions even under those circumstances...

Luckily, thanks to Occlumency, he had disguised his emotions very well.

At the very least, there was no way Dumbledore, who had only used Legilimency to take a cursory look at Li Weide's emotions, could see through him.

In fact, Li Weide hadn't told a single lie just now.

He had never actively claimed that his past was tragic. Dumbledore had simply filled in the blanks himself!

All Li Weide had done was cleverly leave things unsaid through his acting and his words...

"Alright... don't get too carried away, or it'll be bad if we're exposed!"

"Got it!"