While Dumbledore read the documents, Wade brewed another pot of black tea beside him. Rising white steam blurred the outline of his lean profile, and the fragrance of tea silently spread through the stillness.
When Dumbledore finished the last line and looked up, he suddenly realized that Wade's face had almost entirely lost its childish softness. In its place were sharply defined features and an edge quietly honed by time.
The words on his lips paused. He gently set down the documents and said warmly, "I'm glad you know why I came, Wade. And I have never doubted the righteousness of your goal."
Wade placed the black tea before Dumbledore and said softly, "I'm sorry, Professor."
Dumbledore's gaze fell upon the rippling tea. "Why are you apologizing?"
"Because I knew where the line was, yet I crossed it anyway. I also knew that conducting private trials and executions was itself a violation of order, but I allowed my Golem to do it."
Wade lowered his voice. "I'm sorry, Professor. I let you down."
Dumbledore said nothing for a long time. He merely stared at the trembling reflection on the surface of the tea, then shifted his gaze to Wade's fluffy black hair.
At that moment, the softness in the boy's attitude as he voluntarily admitted his mistake moved Dumbledore far more deeply than any reasoned argument could have.
In an instant, all his previous worries and faint fears seemed to dissipate like thin smoke, and his taut nerves relaxed as well.
After a moment, he looked at Wade. His gaze was profound, yet held no reproach. "True darkness never comes from the abuse of power, but from an absolute conviction in one's own justice. Wade, you have shouldered too much, and you reached the edge of choice far too quickly."