Dumbledore stood by the shore, sunlight spilling over his silvery-white hair as the breeze gently stirred it. Fawkes perched quietly on his shoulder. His gaze rested on the two children before him.
One was a girl named Xiaoya, the other a boy named Odin. When he heard the name "Odin," a flicker of barely perceptible realization passed through his eyes.
No one knew what Dumbledore was thinking.
Even fewer knew what, exactly, he had come to understand.
Of course.
At that moment, Albus Dumbledore—the greatest white wizard of later generations—seemed to have suddenly changed his previous judgment after figuring something out. Dumbledore's blue eyes glinted behind his half-moon spectacles, and a thoughtful smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Do you want to learn magic?"
He looked down at the boy named Odin, and his voice suddenly became lighthearted.
"Really? I can really learn magic and become a wizard like Brother Ian?" Odin's eyes widened, his face filling with irrepressible delight.
At that.
Dumbledore nodded, his signature kind yet mysterious smile on his lips. "Yes. I think... there may be some differences, but perhaps you truly can become a wizard."
There was much to ponder in his tone. Little boy Odin's silver-gray eyes immediately lit up, and he completely forgot that the old man had just told him he possessed no magic.
Xiaoya eagerly tugged at the hem of Dumbledore's robe.
"What about me? What about me?"
Naturally, she was also curious about the mysterious power Ian had displayed earlier. But unlike Odin, she simply wanted to be able to fly straight into the sky like Ian.
"Of course. You may try as well." The old man spoke gently, a trace of nostalgia flashing through his eyes. "I have been a teacher for half a century, and I have always