About Li Wei

Time returned to before Dumbledore departed.

"Dumbledore, I must speak with you!"

Professor McGonagall stopped Dumbledore with a stern expression.

"Minerva, I have an urgent matter to attend to--"

"I know." Professor McGonagall, disregarding etiquette, unusually interrupted Dumbledore. "It's about Li Wei, isn't it?"

"Minerva, I must say I am a little surprised." Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged, but the atmosphere clearly grew heavy.

"I didn't expect even you knew about his affairs. It seems the impact he's had is more serious than I imagined!"

"Of course I know him, he's my student--no--no! What are you talking about!"

Professor McGonagall's eyes widened, realizing Dumbledore had misunderstood her meaning.

"I've been corresponding with Li Wei for years, and my exchanges with him are far more frequent than yours. Of course, I know him!

Not in the notorious sense you're thinking! It's an exchange between two scholars!"

Professor McGonagall was clearly getting anxious, her tone rather indignant.

"..."

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly, then immediately lowered again.

"Oh, I apologize. I didn't expect that was what you meant."

Professor McGonagall was not one to hold grudges.

She kept a straight face, staring intently at Dumbledore.

"The Ministry wants you to personally apprehend him?"

"That's right. Although his actions have no immediate harmful effects, both Fudge and I see a dangerous trend.

He will likely be sent to Azkaban."

Professor McGonagall blinked, not speaking immediately.

Afterward, there was a heavy sigh.

"Oh, no."

But she didn't say much more.

No one understood Li Wei's thoughts better than she did.

This student believed magic was a miracle of wish fulfillment, a mystery containing the profound principles of heaven and earth, but at the same time, it was also a science that could be deconstructed.

Whether it was spells, Transfiguration, or Dark Arts, everything had a traceable origin. The reason for not understanding was simply insufficient research.

During his low-key twenty-one years, Li Wei had mastered all spells and Transfiguration from stages one to five. He then combined spells and Transfiguration, inventing many incantations that earned Professor McGonagall's applause.

What made Professor McGonagall even happier was his generosity in sharing—Li Wei believed that merely understanding and mastering knowledge was not enough; only when you could teach it to others did it mean you truly grasped it.

Although he had never held a professorship at any magical school, he had traveled the wizarding world for many years, taking on over a dozen students, including two assistants whom Professor McGonagall greatly admired.

She had also tried to persuade Li Wei to stop researching Dark Arts, but in the end, it was Professor McGonagall who was convinced.

In fact, every powerful wizard had studied Dark Arts, including Dumbledore and herself.

What Li Wei was doing was essentially similar to what they had done in the past, only the times had changed. Professor McGonagall desperately thought of any way to save Li Wei from disaster.

Dumbledore sensed Professor McGonagall's complex emotions, feeling somewhat surprised. He rarely saw Minerva exhibit such complex emotional changes.

Did she have an entirely different perspective on that low-key student compared to his own?

"Minerva, I fully respect your thoughts."

Dumbledore's expression was gentle as he looked at Professor McGonagall, who had hastily looked up.

"Regarding Li Wei, if you have any thoughts or opinions, please tell me. I promise, I will certainly, carefully, and thoughtfully consider your ideas."

Professor McGonagall hesitated for a moment. Although she knew her words would influence Dumbledore's judgment, she still spoke.

"Dumbledore, besides sending Li Wei to Azkaban, are there any other possibilities?"

"Of course--as long as he gives up continuing to research and spread Dark Arts."

Professor McGonagall's heart, which had just settled, rose again, and she finally sighed in dejection.

"That's impossible."

"He's already descended into such madness?"

Dumbledore's eyebrows slightly raised, his inclination shifting to another side.

"Madness...? Perhaps, but it's definitely not an obsession with Dark Arts, but an obsession with magic."

Professor McGonagall sighed again, her mind racing, wondering if there was any other possibility.

Li Wei was not only her former student but also a close friend with whom she had corresponded for over a decade, and a like-minded companion in teaching and magic.

Even with differences in ideology, Professor McGonagall genuinely respected and was grateful for Li Wei's existence.

"I thought magic wasn't just the branch of Dark Arts, was it?"

Dumbledore offered a lukewarm, sarcastic remark.

"According to him, he's hit a dead end in spells and Transfiguration unless he gains new perspectives—such as through Dark Arts and Ancient Runes.

But Ancient Runes, in his opinion, is an underdeveloped subject. Forcing him to abandon the Dark Arts to study Ancient Runes would be like ignoring a gold mine right in front of him to dig for ore underground—and those were his exact words."

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose imperceptibly.

He was intrigued.

Although he didn't believe Ancient Runes were as worthless as Li Wei claimed, he found the latter's views on the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes quite interesting.

Of course, Dumbledore would never admit that he secretly felt the same way.

Otherwise, why would he have delved into the Dark Arts in the first place?

"Hit a dead end? That's quite a broad statement."

Even Dumbledore wouldn't claim he could no longer improve his magic, but he had indeed seen some individuals who, after reaching a certain stage, could make no further progress.

"At the very least, are you sure he has mastered all spells and Transfiguration? Or is this merely an excuse?"

"As far as I know, he only achieved eight 'Outstanding' marks in his O.W.L.s.

Of course, that's already an excellent achievement, and he didn't even use a Time-Turner, but it's far from his goal."

Hogwarts' library contained the vast majority of knowledge on spells and Transfiguration. Even books like Moste Potente Potions, which dealt with Dark Arts and Unforgivable Curses, were kept in the Restricted Section.

However, it was impossible for a student to master all this knowledge during their time at school. After graduation, acquiring such knowledge wouldn't be as easy.

Not to mention, Li Wei hadn't joined the Ministry of Magic or the Death Eaters. How had he obtained that knowledge?

Or was Minerva simply deceived by him?

"When I first heard about this, I was also surprised for a long time, and I even verified it—I must admit, in terms of the sheer number of spells mastered, I am indeed inferior to him."

As if recalling something amusing, Professor McGonagall's face lit up with a smile again. She even had the mood to tease him—just moments ago, she had thought of another solution to this matter.

Even though the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor changed every year, Professor McGonagall would rather let Li Wei take a gamble than send him to Azkaban.

Moreover, she believed Li Wei might be able to resolve this trouble.

"What method did he use?"

Seeing Professor McGonagall smiling without speaking, Dumbledore asked, half-supportively and half-curiously.

"He memorized all the knowledge required from the entire library and the Restricted Section."