Welcoming Petrified

"How will you choose this time?"

Faced with Dumbledore's soul-searching question, Li Wei couldn't help but give a wry smile.

"Do I have any other choice? Professor, has anyone ever told you that you're quite skilled at manipulating people?"

As he spoke, he extended his hand towards Dumbledore without any hesitation.

"This time, I choose Headmaster Dumbledore—are you satisfied with that answer?"

"It is my honor as an educator."

Dumbledore, who hadn't felt tired before, now felt a surge of energy flow into his heart, making him feel that his previous state hadn't been as good as he thought.

He tightly grasped Li Wei's hand.

When the two hands separated, Dumbledore stood up directly.

"Li Wei, this first Horcrux was discovered thanks to the information you provided. I want to invite you to witness it with me."

He raised his wand, conjuring a brazier in the center of the office, and then placed the diary from the middle of the desk into it.

BOOM.

Red flames erupted from the tip of his wand, forming a spear shape, and stabbed directly at the diary in the center of the desk.

"Whoosh!"

The fire spear, with the momentum of a prairie fire, pierced the center of the diary and continued to spread outwards.

Streams of ink began to gush out from the diary! It was almost enough to overflow the brazier.

Accompanying this was a terrifying scream, loud enough to pierce eardrums!

After the screaming subsided, ink still dripped from the diary, accompanied by the sizzling sound of burning flames.

Li Wei and Dumbledore experienced it all solemnly.

He began to feel that his previous thoughts were not cautious enough—if such an evil thing were ever to be used, he might need to make more preparations.

"Alright, the important matters are almost complete."

After the Horcrux was completely incinerated by the flames, Dumbledore invited Li Wei to sit down again.

As for the incredibly skillful Fiendfyre spell the other party had used, both of them tacitly ignored it.

"Next, all that's left is the matter of the Basilisk."

"Yes, this was supposed to be the reason I'm sitting here today."

Li Wei sat down and let out a tired sigh—the conversation today had been too intense. Now that they were nearing the end, fatigue surged uncontrollably.

"So, what are your plans for keeping the Basilisk?"

"This involves many things, but the main reason is that I hope to train Harry."

"Harry? Harry Potter?"

"Yes, you've met him. How do you feel about him?"

Li Wei recalled, but he had almost no impression. He shook his head:

"His spellcasting talent is very good, but I don't know if it's because he lacks a goal or is too lazy. He often doesn't even finish the homework I assign. Honestly, I can't connect him with the title of The Chosen One at all."

"Lazy—I didn't expect you to see the boy that way."

Dumbledore's expression was one of surprise.

"My opinion of him isn't important. So, what does keeping the Basilisk have to do with him? You can't possibly expect him to fight a Basilisk, can you?"

"That is indeed my plan."

"...A reckless decision, but since it's your plan, I have no objections. But keeping the Basilisk is one thing, why did you orchestrate today's attack?"

"..."

Seeing that Li Wei immediately accepted the idea of letting Harry take risks, Dumbledore felt a little strange—if Snape or Minerva knew about this plan, they would surely have a huge argument with him, but with Li Wei...

He suppressed the strange emotion that arose in his heart and explained, "Filch's cat is fine. It was actually temporarily controlled by my spell—I will formally apologize to Filch after our conversation is over."

Facing Li Wei's questioning gaze, he continued to explain, "Tom is about to return. I want to warn some ambitious individuals first, to make them behave—the Basilisk is a good bait."

"So you're using the Basilisk as bait, waiting for others to attack you?"

"Indeed. Of course, there are other reasons," Dumbledore nodded. "I want to bring this matter into the open, preferably for everyone to know. Now that you and I know that the heir of Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets is Tom, he probably tried to open the Chamber during his student days—that incident permanently caused the death of one student, and her ghost still cries endlessly on the Hogwarts campus today."

"Moaning Myrtle?"

"Yes. In that incident, Hagrid was forcibly identified as the ultimate culprit and had his wand taken away. I believe there must be hidden circumstances. I pleaded repeatedly to save him, but I couldn't do more."

"Now, it's time to clear his name."

Li Wei nodded, showing no interest in the old gossip on his face. He had already read the complete Harry Potter, so these events felt more like background stories than real occurrences to him. Perhaps it was for this reason that he always maintained a sense of distance from others?

No, no, he had to change that. To find the path of a legendary wizard, he had to try to integrate into life.

Li Wei reflected inwardly and then asked Dumbledore, "So, are you still planning the Basilisk attacks? How many, and have the targets been chosen?"

"Hmm—I think at least two will be needed," Dumbledore seemed undecided. "I don't want to use students as executors for this plan, so—"

"Can I be the one?"

"What?"

Even Dumbledore was momentarily stunned.

"The previous petrification happened to Filch's cat, so no one cared, and you could use magic to disguise it. The next two targets should have been to directly face the Basilisk and be petrified for a while, right?

I'll be that person, whether it's the first or second—but if so, you might need to find a Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts to replace me temporarily.

Or, you could let Qiao Weili replace me. I believe he can handle it."

"You really want to do this? Why?"

Dumbledore frowned slightly, not quite understanding.

Based on his understanding of Li Wei, the other party shouldn't be someone who sacrifices himself for others.

"I want to see what it feels like to be petrified by the Basilisk."

"..."

Dumbledore's eyes behind his spectacles lifted slightly, looking at Li Wei with surprise.

"Aren't you curious? Why can the Basilisk's eyes kill, but after being blocked by lenses, they turn into petrification?

Is this a rule set by the God of Magic, or just a magic we haven't understood yet?

Perhaps petrification is merely a manifestation of a curse within a branch of Dark Arts? I'm very curious."

Li Wei had no intention of convincing Dumbledore; he was genuinely curious.

Moreover, with Dumbledore watching, he felt at ease.

Dumbledore and his two assistants were the only people in this world Li Wei could entrust his life to.

Dumbledore watched Li Wei, who was talking animatedly, his expression of astonishment lingering for several seconds.

Suddenly, accompanied by a brief, sharp whistle like gas escaping a boiler, Dumbledore burst into happy laughter.

"Li Wei, I must once again sincerely apologize to you."

His voice trembled as he laughed, yet he persisted.

In the next moment, he abruptly stopped laughing and looked at Li Wei with utmost seriousness.

"Depriving a wizard like you of the freedom to explore magic is undoubtedly one of the few acts of brutality I have committed in my life."