Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts?

Within the Knowledge Society in London, England.

Li Wei and Dumbledore sat facing each other, both having lowered the wands in their hands.

All around them lay ruins utterly ravaged by storms and frost.

Chaotic magic permeated the area, yet the two standing at the heart of the storm were unexpectedly calm.

"Would lemon black tea be all right?"

"Yes—thank you."

Dumbledore thanked the house-elf beside him.

Barton forcefully snorted through his nostrils, setting a cup of lemon black tea before Dumbledore. He viciously added several heaping spoonfuls of white sugar and stirred in the ice cubes.

"Oh~~~"

Dumbledore smiled at him without stopping the seemingly rather presumptuous act.

Li Wei shook his head imperceptibly and took the initiative to speak.

"Professor, it seems I've earned your approval? May I ask what the third option is now?"

Before their confrontation, Dumbledore had given Li Wei three choices.

First: give up the Dark Arts and never study or spread it again. Dumbledore would personally negotiate with the Ministry of Magic and have the warrant for Li Wei's arrest lifted.

Second: resist to the end, then be personally sent to Azkaban by Dumbledore.

Third: wait until after their confrontation and decide according to Li Wei's performance.

Li Wei had rejected the first choice without a second thought. He would not stagnate on the path of magic.

Naturally, he did not wish to choose the second option either—though he believed he could escape Dumbledore's grasp, he was not confident he could protect his two assistants.

Moreover, even if he escaped this time, Dumbledore would surely regard him as a dangerous target. His future activities would undoubtedly face severe interference.

As for fighting to the death, he had never considered it—there was no point in battling Dumbledore, and risking his life would be even more foolish.

That naturally left only the third option.

"Mhm."

Dumbledore finally tore his attention away from Barton. Under the other man's gaze, he smiled and drained half the sickeningly sweet lemon black tea in one gulp.

"An occasional cold drink is indeed quite nice, but I'm getting on in years. I need to take it easy."

Dumbledore appeared utterly relaxed on the surface, but beneath those azure eyes lay astonishment.

After their recent exchange, he had realized that the young man before him had reached an extremely crucial realm—he was likely only one step away from becoming legendary.

Such a genius had remained obscure in the wizarding world until only recently entering the Ministry of Magic's notice?

"Would you mind telling me about your two young assistants? And that unique spell you used just now—was it called the Three Talents Formation?"

"Certainly."

"His name is Qiao Weili. He's twenty-four this year. I rescued him after destroying an underground auction house, and he was also the first disciple to study under me. He's very talented."

At Li Wei's introduction, Qiao Weili stepped forward from behind him and greeted Dumbledore.

"Honored Master Dumbledore, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello—good lad."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes slightly, as though he could see the scars concealed beneath Qiao Weili's clothes. His expression remained gentle—he believed Li Wei was fully capable of removing those scars, but this young man named Qiao Weili seemed to have his own stubbornness?

"Her name is Jiamer. She's eighteen this year. Her parents are unknown, and she bears some mysterious curse. She is currently studying under me while searching for a way to break it."

"May I take a look?"

At the mention of a curse, Dumbledore picked up his wand again.

Jiamer hesitantly looked toward Li Wei.

"It would be for the best if Professor Dumbledore could examine it."

Li Wei gave his disciple a slight nod.

Jiamer silently stepped forward and rolled up her right sleeve. Slightly above her wrist was a black crescent moon mark, mysterious in appearance.

"Professor?"

Only then did Dumbledore realize the particular significance of Li Wei's form of address. His mood unconsciously grew calmer—after all these years, that low-key, courteous student from long ago seemed no different from before.

At the very least, he still respected his former teachers.

As Dumbledore's thoughts stirred, he raised his wand and waved it at Jiamer.

"I'm afraid I cannot decipher the mysteries of this curse either."

Dumbledore lowered his wand and let out a soft breath, his eyes full of curiosity toward the curse upon Jiamer.

"However, I can confirm that this curse will not harm her."

"Mhm. At present, aside from clearing away her emotions every month, we have not discovered any negative effects."

"Clearing away her emotions?" Dumbledore was somewhat puzzled.

"Yes. Every month, her impressions of the past are wiped away—her memories still exist, but to her senses, those events become extremely distant and no longer evoke any feelings."

"It does not affect anything. Even if my emotions are erased every month, I will still sincerely admire Master in the new month."

Jiamer made her declaration expressionlessly, then stepped back behind Li Wei.

Dumbledore noticed something and gave Li Wei a teasing glance.

Li Wei kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, showing no reaction to the teasing.

Seeing that he would not take the bait, Dumbledore thought of the House Li Wei had once belonged to and belatedly realized—perhaps Li Wei simply did not enjoy this sort of "waste-of-time" small talk.

Thus, he finally got to the point.

"In any case, you have taught these two students very well. I can sense the stable and powerful magic within them."

"Mhm. I have indeed put a great deal of effort into them, but it can also be considered a form of mutual learning."

Li Wei calmly accepted Dumbledore's praise, yet there was no joy on his face, as though this were merely the natural and inevitable result.

"Mutual learning? You mean a teacher learning from his students?"

Dumbledore was somewhat surprised by Li Wei's viewpoint—he had seen many outstanding people, but the more outstanding they were, the prouder they often became. They frequently found it difficult to accept or admit that they might be inferior to others.

Let alone inferior to their own disciples.

"Those who learn the Way do so at different times, and every profession has its own specialty."

Li Wei suddenly spoke a sentence in an unfamiliar language with flawless pronunciation.

"This is an old saying from China. It means that people come to understand principles at different times, and every field of scholarship and skill has its own area of expertise.

Therefore, disciples are not necessarily inferior to their teachers, nor must teachers excel beyond their disciples in every respect.

In fact, when it comes to curses, most of what I possess is theoretical knowledge. I have not had much practical contact or understanding, so Jiamer and I often discuss the subject with each other."

"Curses are not so easy to find targets for, are they?"

Dumbledore liked the humble answer and spoke pointedly.

"Yes. Although laboratory mice can be used instead, the results are not ideal. I still have much to learn on the path of curses."

"You are too modest, Li Wei. Even without studying the Dark Arts, you would still be a truly remarkable master of magic."

Dumbledore took a sip of tea, shifting his gaze to the two students standing quietly behind Li Wei.

Was it that disciples followed their teacher?

This master and his two disciples seemed cast from the same mold, calm and reserved.

Looking at them, Dumbledore felt as though he were seeing the bright moon reflected upon a winter night's lake. Beneath their tranquil bearing lay a depth that stirred the imagination.

Even he could not help sincerely appreciating the three of them at this moment.

It would be far too regrettable if talents like these went down the wrong path—at that moment, Dumbledore suddenly had a premonition.

Turmoil was approaching, and it was precisely at such a time that he had discovered Li Wei.

In the future, Li Wei might very well become an important part of it!

With that thought, Dumbledore set down his tea. His azure eyes reflected Li Wei's upright figure.

"The third path I offer you is an invitation."

"As Headmaster of Hogwarts, I would like to invite you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to serve as a Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

You may continue your research into the Dark Arts under my supervision, but you may no longer involve yourself with the Three Unforgivable Curses."

"Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

Li Wei's perfectly upright body suddenly stiffened.