Silan sat down at the small round table, quietly waiting for Dumbledore to speak.
"Have some Black Tea."
Dumbledore clapped his hands, and a steaming cup of Black Tea appeared in front of Silan.
He himself simply took a piece of candy from the jar on the table and ate it.
After a moment of hesitation, Dumbledore spoke, "Please allow me to express my sincere gratitude to you. I've heard from the professors that it was thanks to your reminder and intervention that the Basilisk was spared major casualties."
"It's all thanks to the professors keeping Lockhart in check," Silan said modestly.
"Excessive humility is pride," Dumbledore waved his hand at him and said with a smile, "There is no doubt that you also played a huge role in it."
At this point, Dumbledore sighed, "I originally thought that as long as I kept an eye on the bathroom, I could secretly find Lockhart and get rid of him. I never expected things to turn out this way."
"Looking back now, perhaps it was the amulets I set up at school that alerted him."
"Sir, I think you don't need to blame yourself," Silan comforted him. "No one expected Lockhart to go so crazy."
That's the truth.
Neither he nor Dumbledore had anticipated Lockhart's madness, his blatant attack with the Basilisk.
Fortunately, they had made preparations in advance.
Otherwise, it probably wouldn't be so easy to solve.
Dumbledore stretched out his sigh, making it long, and when it reached Silan's ear, it broke into segments.
His eyes held a hint of reminiscence, and he said sadly, "Lockhart used to be a clever little wizard, just a bit vain."
Dumbledore shook his head sadly and continued, "His mother was a witch, his father was a Muggle, and he had two older sisters, both of whom were Muggle. Only he inherited his mother's wizarding blood."
"This earned him immense favoritism from his mother, and I think it was at this time that the seeds of vanity were sown in his heart. After entering the magical world, he became even more arrogant, which allowed his vanity to grow wildly like weeds."
At this point, Dumbledore ate another piece of candy.
"Before he graduated, I warned him... oh, I digress."
Dumbledore crushed the hard candy in his mouth with his teeth and steered the conversation back on track.
"But the reason he became like this is because he was influenced by an evil Dark Magic item."
"That Diary?" Silan asked, feigning ignorance.
Dumbledore's eyes flickered twice, and he took out a box containing Diary with a large hole in it.
"This Diary was left by Voldemort." Dumbledore looked at the Diary with a serious expression. "He hid a part of his soul in it, using it to bewitch people or manipulate others."
"So..." Silan looked "shocked," "Lockhart was actually controlled by Voldemort?"
"I'm afraid that's the case."
Dumbledore nodded, his gaze shifting from Dumbledore's crooked nose to the hole in the Diary.
Never trust anything that can think independently unless you see where it hides its mind.
As he spoke, Dumbledore opened his Diary, on which was written a name.
Tom Riddle.
"That was Voldemort's original name."
Dumbledore's gaze swept lightly over the names in the Diary, and he said softly, "He was also my student before... I must admit, he was exceptionally talented, courteous, and never lacked friends."
"But after graduation, he sank deeper and deeper into the mire of Dark Magic, even associating with the most evil wizards. After many dangerous magical Transfiguration, he eventually became Voldemort."
"He is probably the most outstanding student in Hogwarts' history, possessing immense power..."
Dumbledore speaking, his stern gaze, peering through his half-moon spectacles, fixed intently on Silan's eyes.
"I'm telling you this in the hope that it will serve as a wake-up call, so you don't lose yourself. Some thoughts and forces hidden in the darkness are often adept at disguising themselves, just like this Diary..."
Dumbledore stopped there.
There were some things he found difficult to say.
For example, you and Voldemort are too similar in many ways, and I'm worried you'll follow in his footsteps...
Silan's identity was too complicated; Dumbledore could only touch upon it briefly and guide her carefully.
"Of course, sir." Silan nodded. "I will be vigilant."
Whether I do it or not is another matter, but I'll agree to it first.
"That's good."
Dumbledore put away the notebook, smiled and nodded, then got up and took another small box from his desk.
This time, it was filled with gleaming golden Galleon.
"This is the reward I promised you, 1500 Galleon in total." Dumbledore pushed the box forward. "You can count them."
Silan was somewhat surprised. "Sir, as far as I know, I only delivered 60 amulets..."
Dumbledore smiled slyly. "But you did manage to defeat the Basilisk, didn't you?"
"There's no need to save money for the Board of Governors. This amount of money is to them what a drop of water is to Black Lake."
Wow... so incredibly wealthy!
If we rob the old guys on the Board of Governors, what's the point of starting a business...?
However, this idea only lingered in my mind.
For now, it can only linger in my mind.
Silan stopped refusing and neatly put the money away. "Thank you sincerely."
After receiving the money, Silan's tone became much more sincere.
"You're welcome," Dumbledore said with a smile. "But I must remind you, whatever you do, do not release the Basilisk."
"After all, it's dead."
Silan nodded in agreement.
He wasn't Lockhart; he wasn't so insane as to storm the England Ministry of Magic with Basilisk.
From now on, the Basilisk will probably all be imprisoned by him... uh, it should be said that he'll protect them.
Imprisonment and such, that's kind of perverse.
After they finished talking, they both felt much lighter.
Dumbledore even remarked with a touch of melancholy, "Looks like I'll have to find a new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. The course is running out of professors too quickly..."
As he was speaking, Fawkes flew in through the window, circled twice, and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.
Fawkes has grown several times its original size, and its feathers have fully grown out, with long plumes trailing behind it, Winky in the sunlight.
"Young friend Silan, how have you been?"
Fawkes's voice was still childish, but his tone was still mature and authoritative.
"Hello, Fawkes," Silan greeted.
"Do you have anything to eat with you?" Fawkes tapped Dumbledore on the back of the head with his tail feathers, complaining, "Dumbledore never prepares any snacks for me."
Dumbledore blinked curiously, but didn't interrupt their conversation.
Silan thought for a moment, then took a few Tonguefire Grass seeds and fed them to Fawkes.
"This is?"
Fawkes brought the Tonguefire Grass seeds closer, sniffed them, and then pecked one with his sharp beak and swallowed it.
"It tastes amazing, and it has a rich, magical quality."
Fawkes flicked its tail feathers and pecked two more at Silan's palm.
These seeds are hard to come by, and Silan felt a little sorry for using them as bird food.
However, there was something he wanted more in Fawkes.
After Fawkes finished pecking at the Tonguefire Grass seeds, a virtual screen appeared in front of Silan, just as he had imagined.
[Animal Bloodline: Proficiency +10]
"It seems Fawkes likes it very much," Dumbledore said.
Fawkes, perched on his shoulder, glanced at him, his long tail feathers swishing against the back of his head.
"I understand." Dumbledore shrugged helplessly and said to Silan, "If it's possible, could I buy some seeds?"
As he spoke, Dumbledore pulled out several dozen Galleon and gave them to Silan; at a glance, there were at least twenty or thirty.
The old bee is quite wealthy.
Silan grabbed a small handful of seeds, wrapped them in Parchment, and handed them to Dumbledore, then picked up the Galleon on the table.
"I've grown a batch of Tonguefire Grass myself, and it'll be ready to harvest soon. The fresh seeds taste even better," Silan said, looking at Fawkes enticingly. "If you want some more, you can come find me."
Fawkes held his head high, and after a long while, he nodded reservedly.
"Since you're so insistent, I'll go."
"That's good, goodbye."
Silan greeted Dumbledore and then got up and left the Headmaster's Office.
He had just stepped outside when he saw Hermione around the corner.
It seems Miss Granger is waiting for him.