About the East

"Dumbledore?" Loren tugged at Dumbledore's hand.

Dumbledore lowered his head. "What are your thoughts on what just happened?"

Loren hesitated for a moment, "I think Harry doesn't need to forgive them, nor does he have to treat them as family."

"Loren, I have always believed that family ties are beautiful, and that this beautiful emotion contains immense power." Dumbledore's smile was very gentle.

"But," Loren said, "The wounds inflicted by loved ones are also the most profound, aren't they?"

After hearing Loren's words, Dumbledore fell silent.

Many years ago, his parents left Dumbledore and his two siblings one after the other, and his sister Ariana was seriously ill and needed constant care.

Despite his extraordinary talent, he was bound to Godric's Hollow by family ties. He always found that life there dull, tedious, and boring, and felt he shouldn't be locked up in that little place.

Was Ariana also hurt by him at that time? And how much harm did Aberforth suffer because he caused Ariana's death?

"We only realize the preciousness of family after we have caused harm."

Dumbledore's voice seemed to be suppressed, "I sincerely hope that Harry can find true family affection."

Loren found it hard to agree, "But Harry has lived a life worse than that of cats and dogs ever since he had any memories."

He looked intently at Dumbledore. "This injury will stay with him for the rest of his life."

"Sleeping in a big bed at Hogwarts will remind him that he always slept in the storage room at the Dursley house. Seeing Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration create a fat pig will make him want to turn Dudley into a fat pig. Seeing the cream cake on the table will Dudley the leftover cream cake from Dudley's birthday party, which he would throw away instead of letting him eat."

"This has been going on for ten years, from the time he can remember. Whenever he sees a cream cake, a game console, or any of the countless things he sees, he may recall the pain, sadness, and resentment of those ten years."

"Why should Harry have to endure all the abuse just Harry they adopted him? There's no reason for that. Harry owes them, but he also has the right to hate them."

Dumbledore gripped Loren's hand even tighter.

"But if they really become a loving family, then all the good things they do will become a medium to trigger painful memories. But then he can't hate them, wouldn't that be even more painful?"

After Loren finished speaking, he felt Dumbledore's little finger twitch slightly twice.

Dumbledore said, "You're right, I should respect Harry's choice."

That concludes the discussion. Loren wasn't directly involved; he was merely offering his opinion and quickly put the matter behind him.

After Harry learned magic, the Dursley found it much harder to bully others, especially now that Sirius Black was backing him up, so there wasn't much to worry about.

The dark Privet Drive Road was completely silent.

An old man and a young girl walked out of the street of Privet Drive, and beams of firefly-like lights returned to the streetlights, illuminating the dim road.

He looked at the Deluminator with curiosity; as an alchemy apprentice, he was extremely interested in such Sickle.

"Deluminator? I read about that in the book that introduced you."

Are there any restrictions on the light sources that can be absorbed?

What would happen if we didn't put them back?

The chattering questions pulled Dumbledore out of his past memories and reflections on Harry's upbringing, allowing his suppressed heart to relax a little.

He replied, "It's just a trivial little invention; I didn't know that books these days describe it in such detail."

"Ha!"

Loren had long wanted to complain about the books about wizards in the Wizarding World. "Speaking of which, the book about Nicol even wrote down where he lived in seclusion."

Dumbledore chuckled twice, suppressing all his negative emotions in front of the children.

Loren continued, "If the place of seclusion is written down, can it still be called seclusion?"

Dumbledore didn't answer the question. He led Loren forward and asked, "Your Grandpa Bates hasn't come back yet. Where are you planning to go next? Hogwarts doesn't allow students to stay during the summer vacation. Except for Minerva and Filch, all the other professors will be leaving the Castle one after another."

"I thought all the professors lived in Castle."

"Professors have their own lives."

"Where's Professor McGonagall? Doesn't she have one?"

Dumbledore acted as if he hadn't heard this, and continued walking forward with Loren in his hand.

Minerva enjoys life at Hogwarts.

"We've already left the Muggle community, why don't we teleport back to Hogwarts?" Loren realized something was wrong as he walked.

He looked at Dumbledore warily and asked, "Are you trying to buy Muggle candy again?"

Dumbledore nodded calmly. "When you're in a bad mood, you should eat something sweet."

Loren shook Dumbledore's arm. "Then your plans are going to fall through."

He had an expression on his face that you didn't understand. "You're a wizard, you don't know, Muggle shops rarely stay open until late at night, you can't buy candy now."

"In fact, I know more about Muggle than you think."

Dumbledore said in a boastful tone, "I have a scar on my knee that is the shape of London Underground map."

Loren didn't react for a moment; his mind was a little blank.

What is it?

A subway map etched on his knee?

There are so many things to complain about about this, he doesn't know where to begin.

Loren looked at Dumbledore as if he were an idiot.

You don't understand Muggle.

You also came into contact with something as modern and industrial as the subway.

You say you know Muggle?

You had the London Underground map etched onto your knee.

Isn't this something that every station has?

Loren thought that the subway might be quite awe-inspiring for wizards as well.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Is there a story behind this?"

"There's no story. I just wanted to show that I know a lot about Muggle." Dumbledore winked mischievously. "So I know where to buy candy late at night."

Their figures flickered in the darkness of the London night, disappearing down the street only to reappear at the other end. A few steps further, and their figures began to flicker again.

One second, Loren saw a cricket field on his right; the next second, it had turned into a medical school.

Loren was once again amazed by Dumbledore's power as an old wizard. His short-range Apparition was as easy as drinking water, and he even took into account the passenger's physical sensations, so the passenger did not feel any discomfort at all.

The Dumbledore Express Train recommended.

"I feel that the way you're looking at me is rather impolite." Dumbledore stopped on a street corner.

Loren was about to retort with a few stubborn words when he noticed the strange building in front of him out of the corner of his eye and froze.

A strangely shaped building stands in front, with two pillars supporting a two-tiered arched structure, and various strange and exotic animals carved in wood on it.

This is Chinatown.

Dumbledore led Loren to a small shop with red lanterns hanging at the entrance, inside which were light bulbs. They bought some shortbread, toffee, and small twisted dough sticks with syrup in fluent London English.

Loren remained silent the entire way, gazing at this strangely styled place, so different from the typical London paintings. Yet, it was precisely this incongruous style that stirred within him a profound, indescribable feeling.

Even after Dumbledore out, Loren remained immersed in the street scene he had just witnessed.

"These people who came from the far East, their shops always stay open until late at night, even later in the night." Dumbledore crunched on a small twisted dough stick, his teeth not at all like those of a man over a hundred years old.

Seeing that Loren seemed distracted and hadn't even noticed the twisted dough stick Dumbledore offered, he asked, "Are you alright?"

Loren then snapped out of his daze and feigned a yawn, saying, "I'm a little sleepy."

He picked up a twisted dough stick, crunching away as he felt a certain part of his soul being filled little by little.

Dumbledore continued the conversation, saying, "What a diligent bunch."

Loren glanced back; Chinatown was much brighter at night than other places.

Yes, they are a very hardworking group.

Accompanied by the unique sensation of long-distance Apparition and an itch in their navels, Dumbledore and Loren returned to Hogwarts once again. Since it wasn't Fawkes ' teleportation, they still had to walk a bit further.

There was no light in the wilderness, but the bright sunlight gently shone down, and footsteps rustled on the grass. The path was not difficult to walk.

Dumbledore strolled around leisurely, munching on snacks. He was clearly enjoying the night; the cool, quiet summer night had a calming effect on him, dispelling his anxieties.

Loren was preoccupied with something and couldn't wait any longer. After saying that, he ran towards the dormitory, "Goodbye, Principal, I'm going back to sleep now."

After washing up as quickly as possible, Loren jumped onto the bed, projecting himself onto it. Without looking at anything, he touched the Fantasy Book under the pillow with his finger, guided by instinct.

A flash of silver light, and Loren's consciousness faded. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a brightly lit Library.

"Flamel!" Loren shouted at the top of his lungs.

Flamel's fleeting figure emerged from behind Loren. "You look excited."

"Are there magic schools in China?" Loren asked eagerly.

He was reminded of some deep-seated memories by Chinatown, and he kept thinking about it on the way back.

Maybe after graduation I can go there and become a foreign language teacher or something, and even learn some traditional magic.

The Imperial Feathered Gadim Sword Leviosa Technique—just thinking about it is exciting.

"Why are you asking this?" Flamel, intrigued.

Loren tried to suppress his smile, appearing less excited. "Just, just asking, just asking."

Flamel looked at him suspiciously for a few moments. "High Mountain, there's an ancient magic school, but it's almost completely cut off from the outside world. There's another school called the ' Mahoutokoro,' which is currently applying to join the International Confederation of Wizards. But that doesn't mean there are only two schools; the situation is quite complicated."

Loren's interested and attentive listening pleased Flamel greatly.

He slowly recounted, "In the 16th century, Nicol traveled to the East and came into contact with some Eastern Wizards."

"There are no schools like Hogwarts in the East. Their teaching model is more like that of traditional wizards. Teachers teach apprentices, and teachers teach their apprentices whatever they know."

As Loren listened, he couldn't help but grin again.

Master and disciple.

He then recalled the drawbacks of the traditional master-apprentice system and asked worriedly, "Won't this lead to incomplete development and a potential break in the lineage?"

"Not entirely. They don't have schools, but they have a different model, divided into different factions." Flamel said somewhat hesitantly, "It's hard for me to explain to you what that model is, but their teaching quality is also very good."

Loren's smile widened.

I understand, I understand.

Flamel stopped talking about the school and instead spoke about what impressed him most, "Unlike us, they handle their relationship with Muggle very well. There are no conflicts between Pure-blood, Half-blood and Muggle."

Loren felt a surge of pride and joy.

"After entering the new era, Eastern Wizards seem to have reached an agreement with their government on a law similar to Statute of Secrecy, just like us."

Loren believes this is true, "Muggle have their own civilization and their own path."

"What is Eastern magic like?" Loren asked immediately. Was it what he thought?

Spells correspond to incantations.

Magical artifacts correspond to Alchemy.

Elixirs correspond to Potions.

Flamel said, "Just as Africa magic is very different from ours, Eastern magic is also completely different from ours. They are used to using their fingers as wands."

"Hahahaha!" Upon hearing the first sentence, Loren couldn't help but laugh.

Those are Finger Seals, Hand Seals.

What do you mean by using your fingers as a magic wand?

Flamel stopped talking and looked at Loren indifferently.

Under that gaze, Loren's laughter gradually subsided, and finally stopped completely.

"There are some travelogues compiled by Nicol in the Library. Go and take a look yourself." With that, Flamel turned and drifted away.

From afar, Loren heard a faint muttering.

"Why don't you listen properly when people ask you questions? What's so funny? Just like those Easterners, they laugh whenever they hear 'finger wand'."

"I haven't been studying much lately. Hogwarts is on holiday, but the Fantasy Book is still on holiday."

Loren kept his eyes straight ahead, pretending not to hear anything.

Recently, since Grandpa Bates ' Werewolf Disease has been resolved, he has had much less time to study with Flamel.

What's wrong with that?

Why can't the Fantasy Book be on summer vacation?

The Hogwarts Headmaster's office.

It was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering in through the window. A creaking sound echoed in the room, the noise making the silence all the more pronounced.

That's the sound of teeth crushing a twisted dough stick, and there's also the sound of crumbly candy; all the candies from the East are so special.

Dumbledore was having trouble sleeping again. He sat behind the table, talking nonstop.

Harry's ordeal and Loren's words kept replaying in Dumbledore's mind when he was alone, even more vividly than the Pensieve.

Dumbledore was somewhat confused, not only about Harry's family, but also about his own self-reflection.

With Tom's example before him, and his own experience, he naturally believed that letting Harry feel family affection and love was the right way.

This consideration was also involved in placing Harry in the care of his aunt and uncle, but he underestimated the complexity of human nature...