Dumbledore

Wu's Orphanage.

In the corridor.

Dumbledore looked around.

His gaze carried complicated memories—over the years, the decor here seemed not to have changed much.

"Ms. Elena, I have come for Ian Prince."

Under the Orphanage director's reception, Dumbledore stepped into the office. His arrival seemed to dispel any lingering chill in the room.

"He needs to complete his education."

Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass window, falling upon Dumbledore's silver hair and beard, draping the aged wizard in a gentle, mysterious glow.

"Oh! That is wonderful news!"

The director, Elena, was a fifty-year-old woman with gray hair and a kindly smile.

She warmly invited Dumbledore to sit and brewed him a cup of black tea—the cheap kind, with a stale taste.

"Ian Prince is a good child, and a very mature one. He cannot really play with the Children at the Orphanage. He always has his own ideas and goes off to do his own things."

Faced with Elena's introduction.

Dumbledore appeared thoughtful.

He set down the black tea Elena had poured for him.

"Ms. Elena, are you saying that Ian Prince is a rather solitary child?"

Dumbledore's stare.

Made Elena, the Orphanage director, freeze for a moment.

Then.

She hurriedly shook her head and explained.

"No, no, you have misunderstood me. Perhaps I should put it this way: Ian is simply a very mature child. The other Children want to play with him, but Ian just does not like playing with them."

Elena paused before saying, "Ian once said that playing house with the other Children was too Bored and childish. Rather than waste time on that, he would rather go play with birds."

"Playing with birds? A fine hobby. It seems Mr. Ian Prince is the sort of child who gets along well with animals."

Dumbledore seemed to let out a breath of relief.

He smiled and joked.

"Looks like he will raise an owl in the future."

At that.

Elena froze for a moment.

However.

She maintained her smile and continued speaking well of Ian.

"Although Ian thinks the other Children are childish, he still takes very good care of his younger brothers and sisters."

"He is only eleven, yet he has already been secretly going out to earn money, then buying flour and vegetables to stuff into the kitchen... He remembers every child's birthday."

"He even buys candy for his younger brothers and sisters."

Elena spoke with considerable comfort, but then suddenly seemed somewhat saddened and let out a self-reproachful sigh.

"It is also because the current social environment is so poor. It is difficult for the Orphanage to receive donations. Of course, that is also because I am not capable enough, forcing a child to go out and earn money..."

Elena looked deeply upset.

"You need not blame yourself. You have already done more than enough. This place has changed greatly—I can feel it." Dumbledore even used an honorific for Elena, who was probably more than half a century younger than him.

He was sincerely comforting her.

"Have you been here before?"

Elena was somewhat surprised.

"This is not my first visit."

Dumbledore smiled faintly.

Elena did not press further.

She Care About the matter of adoption more.

"Sir, if you wish to take Ian away from the Orphanage, please believe me—he is certainly a wonderful child." Elena sincerely hoped such a sensible child could find a good home.

"Then may I meet him?"

Dumbledore asked with a smile.

Under the effects of the Confundus Charm.

Some of Elena's perceptions would diverge from reality.

There was no need to correct them.

"Of course! Of course, sir!" Ms. Elena was overjoyed. She first rose and said to Dumbledore, "Please wait a moment."

The moment Elena stepped outside, she saw Ian, who had returned to the yard not long ago.

An eager smile immediately appeared on her face. She waved at him while calling out.

"Ian, come here for a moment!"

Ian was pushing a cart.

A child immediately ran over and hugged him. "Ian, looks like your big moment has come! Hurry over. Do not keep Ms. Elena waiting."

At the Orphanage, everyone called being adopted a big moment.

After all, for these homeless Children, nothing was more important than being adopted.

Of course.

Ian was different.

He knew this was not an adoption.

With an uneasy heart.

Ian was led toward the office.

It really is him!

He had secretly glanced at him before, and now it was confirmed. The man in the office was Dumbledore, Hogwarts's headmaster and the greatest wizard of the century.

"Do not be nervous."

Before Ian could speak.

He saw Dumbledore observing him.

"Child, I need to tell you a fact: you are a wizard."

As Ian put on a surprised expression.

Dumbledore's eyes were deep.

"I imagine you discovered long ago that you were different from other people." His eyes did not look cloudy at all. Instead, they held the purity of a child's.

"Uh."

Ian did not answer immediately. He first looked up at Ms. Elena and found that her expression had not changed, as though she had not heard what the old man was saying.

Is this the Confundus Charm?

Forcing himself to remain calm.

He avoided Dumbledore's gaze.

"That is true. I realized it long ago. Sometimes, when I stare at a cup of water, I can make the water inside tremble a little. So, is this the power of a wizard?"

Ian did not dare pretend to be completely ignorant.

His answer made Dumbledore smile and nod.

"Yes. That is the magic within you at work. Sometimes, when you are angry at certain people, those magical fluctuations become even more intense."

Dumbledore's tone was gentle.

But to Ian, those words sounded far too much like fishing. What did he mean, the fluctuations became stronger when he got angry? It is not like I am that Tom Riddle!

"Sir, I rarely get angry at others, because being ruled by emotion cannot solve problems." On the surface, Ian continued responding in a calm, gentle voice.

Dumbledore seemed very satisfied with his answer.

Dumbledore smiled.

As he nodded, his beard trembled as well.

"You are a very intelligent child. Ms. Elena was not wrong—you truly are mature beyond your years." As he spoke, Dumbledore's aged eyes looked at Ian, and he slowly continued.

"Hogwarts is a Magic Academy that wizards all over the world wish to attend. There, you can learn every kind of magic in the world, as well as all sorts of wondrous Magical Creatures..."

"Do not be nervous, Mr. Ian Prince. As the headmaster of Hogwarts, I formally invite you to study at Hogwarts."

It is here!

It finally came!

Ian Prince was very nervous. Although in his previous life, he had only watched a few Hogwarts films and read a few Hermione fanfics, he had also heard of Hogwarts's reputation as Professor X.

Ian truly worried that Dumbledore would act as dishonorably as he did in those conspiracy-theory fanfics.

"Is there something worrying you?"

Dumbledore noticed Ian's emotions. Thinking Ian had concerns about Hogwarts, he gently reassured him, "At Hogwarts, there are flying Hippogriffs, Trees that hit people, and most importantly, a group of Children your own age. You will learn magic together."

"Do not worry about learning magic, Ian. In fact, a very remarkable wizard once came from this Orphanage."

Dumbledore suddenly seemed lost in memory, his tone filled with emotion.

The moment he heard that.

Ian became even more nervous.

Why was he nervous?

Was it not because he knew exactly how "remarkable" the man who came from this Orphanage had been?

"Is that wizard still at Hogwarts?"

Ian forced himself to sound curious.

Ian's voice interrupted Dumbledore's thoughts. Dumbledore emerged from his memories and shook his head.

"In fact, he left Hogwarts a very long time ago and lost his way."

Dumbledore finished in an earnest tone.

Ian thought he would go on to say something condemnatory, but unexpectedly, the old man merely changed the subject and slowly said with regret and a hint of remorse, "However, that does not diminish his extraordinary accomplishments. It is only that he could have gone much further."

Ian looked at Dumbledore with apparent confusion, but all sorts of thoughts surfaced in his heart.

Dumbledore's seemingly sorrowful words.

Were they a warning?

Or a test?

Damn it! My cursed Persecutory Delusions. It is all those Harry Potter fanfics' fault— Ian restrained his wild thoughts and tried not to overthink.

"Child, have you made your decision?"

Dumbledore's voice Sounded beside his ear.

"Uh... Then I will give it a try?"

Ian had been waiting for this day, so of course he would not refuse.

"A wise choice. Half a month from now, Hogwarts will send you an acceptance letter. At that time, someone will take you to purchase the things you need for school."

Dumbledore smiled at Ian.

Ian shrugged and tactfully refused. "Sorry, sir, but no matter how much I want to enroll, it is useless, because I have no money. I cannot afford the tuition."

Dumbledore had already risen to his feet and taken his hat from the hat rack.

At that moment, Elena suddenly stood up and said to Dumbledore, "Thank you. Half a month from now, Ian will certainly go."

Ian froze, then understood.

This was the power of the Confundus Charm. He did not know what scene Elena was seeing, but clearly, she could not see the real conversation between Ian and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore did not speak to Elena. Instead, he smiled at Ian and said.

"You need not worry about money. First, the school has a financial aid fund. Second, the person coming to collect you will not make you pay. He... feels that he owes you a great deal."

As he spoke.

Dumbledore started walking.

Ian froze again and could not help standing up, looking at Dumbledore as he headed toward the door.

"Who? My parents?"

Am I actually pure-blooded?

That caught Ian somewhat off guard.

"This is not an answer for me to reveal." Dumbledore merely blinked, made a goodbye gesture to Ian, and spoke in a meaningful tone.

"Child, you will know when the time comes."

With that.

He left without looking back.

Elena happily went out to see him off.

Ian opened his mouth but said nothing. He turned and left as well, returning to his room.

That night.

Ian lay in bed, constantly wondering whether Dumbledore had come early because of Wu's Orphanage, or because his surname should originally have been Ian Riddle.

Or perhaps.

It was because of this Prince surname of his?

Did the original story have a pure-blood surname like that?

As he thought.

Ian felt his eyelids grow heavy.

The next moment.

He slowly shifted from unconsciousness to wakefulness, as though crossing some boundary—the glow on the horizon wrapped around the gradient blue sky like a soft ribbon. The distant woods resembled a fairy-tale wonderland, the Trees lush and emerald, while a little bird skimmed past the Treetops, its song clear and pleasant.

Beneath that picturesque sky, everything was painted in dreamlike colors, making one feel as though they had stepped into an exquisitely beautiful painting. His soul found an unprecedented calm and cleansing.

Ian opened his eyes and looked at the breathtaking scenery before him.

"You are here again."

A gentle voice sounded by his ear.

"I almost forgot, today is Saturday."

Ian turned to look at the girl walking out of the woods.

She wore a blue dress, her long golden hair draped over her shoulders, and looked at Ian with an innocent expression.

"Ariana, I ran into a terrifying old man today and forgot to bring you candy," he said to the girl.