Heart's Power

"Are you all right?"

When Li Wei came back to himself, Dumbledore was still seated across from him.

Realizing he had lost his composure, Li Wei did not answer immediately. He took a deep breath.

"Hah..."

Only after feeling the cold sweat on his forehead again did he recover somewhat.

If only there were another cup of hot cocoa on the table... No, forget it. I never want to drink hot cocoa again anytime soon.

Just as Li Wei was thinking that, Dumbledore suddenly waved his wand.

Clink.

The crisp sound of ice cubes knocking together rang out.

A glass of iced lemon black tea appeared before Li Wei.

"I thought you might need this now."

Dumbledore's voice sounded beside him.

But Li Wei was thinking of his last conversation with Snape.

[Are you really going to drink that? Drinking tea so late at night will affect your sleep.]

[It's something a small vial of calming draught can solve. What are you fussing over?]

What a strange feeling.

He had mocked Snape for it last time. How had it become his turn now?

"Thank you."

Li Wei picked up the lemon tea and drained it in one gulp.

By the time he set down the glass, his mind had completely calmed.

"It seems that without me needing to say much, you already understand."

"Professor... Is what I lack love?"

When he spoke the word "love," the corner of Li Wei's eye twitched involuntarily.

Love was the most powerful magic in the world—of course he had heard Dumbledore's tiresome old claim, and he had always dismissed it completely.

Charging forward while shouting about faith and friendship and beating the enemy to death was something protagonists did.

He, meanwhile, was a wizard—a wizard who believed only in knowledge and power.

If becoming stronger depended solely on fucking love, he would not have had to work so hard learning magic all this time.

Besides, hadn't Lily Evans and James Potter, who seemed most like the new generation's representatives of "love," still died at Voldemort's hands?

As a Slytherin who valued results above all else, Li Wei clearly could not accept their ending.

"Clearly, you cannot accept that explanation."

Dumbledore keenly sensed Li Wei's disdain.

"I truly cannot accept it—if I had once held such childish notions, I might not even be sitting here discussing this with you now."

"I understand what you mean, but that truly is the answer. How about we put it another way?"

Dumbledore solemnly raised two fingers and lightly tapped the place over his heart.

"Not love, but the heart. Feel with your heart."

After today's conversation, Dumbledore had fully understood Li Wei's ambition—he was someone so devout toward magic that he could nearly die for it.

If he wanted to move Li Wei and turn him back from his misguided path, there was no better time than today—no better moment than now.

A deep sorrow suddenly appeared in Dumbledore's eyes.

He sat in his chair and flicked his hands, as though trying to brush something away.

"Li Wei, how do you view life? Or rather, what do you think people live for?

Let me tell you my answer first—I think people live only for certain moments.

That may sound somewhat regrettable, somewhat foolish.

But in truth, it is merely an attitude toward pursuit—we live for the experiences of certain moments, yet so long as we live this way, we will always have countless moments worth remembering."

"Sad ones—unforgettable ones—"

"Of course—there are happy ones too—ones you can never forget—ones that make you unable to stop yourself from laughing aloud even when you remember them in bed late at night—"

"Countless memorable moments of every kind are what make you and me who we are."

Seeing Li Wei lost in thought, Dumbledore suddenly revealed a somewhat strained smile.

"You may find it absurd, but for a long time in the past, I believed there must be a God of Magic in this world. Otherwise, why would I have encountered something so devastating?

It gave me unparalleled talent, but what came of it? I used it to hurt the person I loved most."

Dumbledore was still smiling, but his eyes seemed to be weeping.

"If I could choose, I would rather have had none of those gifts. I would have preferred to be an ordinary wizard, remain at Hogwarts as a teacher after graduation, and teach until I grew old.

That way, I would not have been swallowed by my own ambition to such an extent."

"Among the things you said earlier, there was one sentence I deeply relate to—magic is something that does not reason."

"It has no heart. It only answers spells; any wizard can use it." Dumbledore slowly moved the fingers over his heart to point at Li Wei. "But unlike those spells, what do you think truly responds to us?"

"...Love."

At that moment, Li Wei could not find an answer broad enough to encompass more possibilities.

Even though he still did not completely accept that answer in his heart.

"Correct. Love. I think you understand fully now."

Dumbledore reached out reassuringly, rose to his feet, and patted Li Wei on the shoulder.

"The person you were in the past made you who you are now. That is good, and it suits you.

But if you wish to go further, I think it will be difficult to remain immersed in your old way of thinking.

Since you can constantly revise your views on magic, how about trying to make some changes in life as well?"

Li Wei pondered, his mind racing.

According to Dumbledore, it was because he had neglected too many emotional expressions and interpersonal connections in the past that he now found himself struggling forward so painfully.

Yet likewise, if he had not done so before, perhaps he would not even have the right to struggle forward now.

But there was no longer any need to examine whether his past choices had been better or worse.

What mattered was the future.

"What should I do next? Do you have any advice?"

"I think that even if I said nothing, you would be able to think of it yourself. But if I must offer one suggestion—how about putting more attention into the school?

Not teaching students out of duty, but focusing more on feeling what it means to be a teacher and experiencing everything campus life has to offer."

"..."

Li Wei nodded and committed Dumbledore's words to heart, intending to try them later—though it was also about time to raise the standards for those younger little wizards.

Seeing his earnest expression, Dumbledore found it somewhat amusing. His eyes curved as he said:

"All right, now that we have discussed your reward, it is time to talk about why we are sitting here."

"Oh—I had almost forgotten about that."

Li Wei tried to relax a little.

Dumbledore nodded at his change, but his expression turned serious again.

"Thank you for your honesty today. It has allowed me to finally make up my mind.

To be honest, even an hour ago, I was still hesitating over this matter."

Dumbledore opened the drawer before him. At some point, his right hand had put on a dragonhide glove.

Under Li Wei's watchful gaze, Dumbledore used that hand to take out a black diary and place it in the very center of the desk.

Li Wei realized almost instantly what it was—Voldemort's diary.

Or rather, a Horcrux.