The Black Tea Suddenly Wasn't Sweet Anymore

Finite Incantatem?

The old man who Walked Over along the cobblestone street had not cast a spell.

Naturally, Ian had no way to make an accurate judgment based on that.

He could only sense that an invisible hand had halted the runaway magic.

The instant the blazing firelight vanished, it was as if the whole world had gone dark. A faint scent of smoke still lingered in the air.

That was perhaps the only proof that a great fire had ever existed.

Moonlight pierced through the clouds.

Beneath the Night Curtain.

Everything seemed as though it had never happened.

Even the burned and collapsed fence had been restored to its original state.

"Headmaster Dumbledore..."

Ian recognized the old man slowly approaching and lowered his head awkwardly.

While feeling worried and uneasy, he was also somewhat puzzled. Why had Dumbledore come to Hogsmeade Village in the middle of the night?

"I prefer you Young Wizards to call me Professor. It makes me seem less stodgy than I look." Dumbledore quickly arrived before Ian.

He did not reprimand Ian for his recklessness.

Instead, he teased himself in a joking tone.

"Alright, Professor Dumbledore."

Ian immediately changed how he addressed him.

"Won't you invite me inside for a seat?"

Dumbledore looked toward the door of the wooden house.

"Sorry, I must have been scared senseless."

Ian hurriedly pushed open the door and gestured for him to enter.

He was rather uneasy as well.

He had no idea what Dumbledore meant by this—Mind Perception could sense Snape's emotions, but it did not work so well before the headmaster of Hogwarts.

"I truly never expected to encounter such a bold wizard on my way back to the castle, daring to try creating a new spell right outside his own home."

Dumbledore walked inside as he spoke. He surveyed the tidy living room, then glanced in the direction of Ian's bedroom before finally choosing to sit at the desk by the window.

"That was far from creation. It could only be called a disaster." Ian hurried to the tea table and poured Dumbledore a cup of black tea.

"You have at least set foot upon this path, and that is no small thing." Dumbledore pulled out a bag of brown sugar from somewhere and began dumping it into the black tea.

It was straightforward praise.

Yet Ian could not bring himself to feel happy.

"If not for your help, Professor, I'm afraid I would have caused a terrible catastrophe." Without waiting for Dumbledore to reproach him, he began criticizing himself first.

"I never should have attempted something so dangerous. I nearly burned down the entire village. I really am an idiot!" Thinking back on it now, Ian truly felt lingering fear.

His remorseful self-reflection made Dumbledore pause slightly.

Then.

The old man shook his head with a helpless laugh.

"We cannot be too harsh on a Young Wizard like you." Dumbledore did not look up at Ian, as though he were focused entirely on mixing his tea.

"I only hope this dangerous experience will teach you to remember deeply that on the path of exploring magic, 'caution' is far more important than any other quality."

Within the quiet wooden house.

Dumbledore's earnest words were calm, yet filled with strength.

"I will remember your teaching."

Ian nodded with utmost seriousness.

"Relax a little. Perhaps... you should put on some clothes and trousers first." Dumbledore suddenly smiled. Only then did Ian realize he was wearing nothing but a pair of underpants.

"It's fine. I'm just letting the bird breathe."

Ian's face reddened slightly, though he still tried to sound casual.

"????"

Dumbledore looked rather baffled.

"Professor, did you come here specifically to find me?"

Ian took the chance to ask.

He did not think Dumbledore normally lived in Hogsmeade Village.

"No."

Sure enough.

Old Bee shook his head and took a sip of black tea with a "lethal dose" of sugar. "I merely came to deliver an admission letter. On my way back, I happened to see the firelight over here."

"Actually, I observed you from nearby for quite some time. I must say..." A complicated glint flashed through Dumbledore's Eyes as he continued in a deeply impressed tone.

"Your way of understanding magic differs from that of most wizards." He was clearly referring to Ian's research into magical circuits, something many wizards would never delve into deeply in their entire lives.

"Ah?"

Ian put on a bewildered expression.

With a hint of unease as well.

"Don't worry. This is not a bad thing. It is a... talent possessed by only a small number of people." Behind Dumbledore's thick spectacles were a pair of profound Eyes.

"I heard you learned Snape's Sectumsempra?"

He suddenly asked as though merely curious.

"Ah?"

Ian froze for a moment.

Then.

He nodded.

Snape had warned him not to tell anyone, but since Dumbledore had already asked, trying to conceal it would perhaps be refusing to give a Legilimency master his due respect.

No matter what.

Ian did not dare take that gamble.

"It wasn't that I wanted to learn it. Professor Snape held my head down and told me that if I failed to learn it, he'd lock me in an incredibly evil place."

Ian still adhered to his principle of telling the truth, but not the whole truth. He vividly described Snape's coercion and how weak and pitiful he himself had been.

However.

Dumbledore clearly did not Care About his story.

"How long did it take you to learn it?"

Old Bee sipped his tea as if casually.

"An hour?"

Ian lied.

He had no choice.

If he did not lie.

Who knew what unnecessary misunderstandings would arise from his ability to instantly learn Dark Magic?

"Mainly because Professor Snape taught so well!"

After saying that, he even remembered to patch up his story.

"..."

Dumbledore did not respond.

He continuously stirred the black tea with a conjured stick.

He did not take another sip.

"I think I understand..."

Dumbledore turned to gaze at the starry sky outside the window. "You will certainly achieve great things, child. Do not squander your astonishing, peerless..."

Before he could finish.

Suddenly.

Fine, strange ripples spread through the air.

Then.

A dazzling red glow appeared, and a red Phoenix beat its wings as it flew out. Its feathers shone like brilliant radiance in the dim room, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Mr. Prince, it seems tonight's tea gathering must end here." Dumbledore set down his cup and stood, straightening his slightly wrinkled white robes.

He seemed to suddenly think of something.

"One small tip: the circuits formed by magical power are not the direct cause of magic's creation. Perhaps you should shift the direction of your focus on the path of seeking magic."

Dumbledore spoke concisely.

"Shift the direction of my focus?"

Ian fell into thought.

At that moment.

Dumbledore had already raised his arm.

Waiting for the Phoenix to land.

However.

Neither he nor Ian, who was deep in thought, had expected that after circling the room several times, the Phoenix would dive down from the ceiling.

Its two claws.

Landed directly on Ian's head.

Thanks to Maomao Yu for the donation! Much appreciated!