The Proactive Deletion of Unwanted Memories!

"You didn't expect that?" Dudley sneered. "I think your brain's gone soft with age. You've got dementia!

What were you thinking? Let me guess—you wanted Hagrid to lead us in and take the Philosopher's Stone first, leaving Voldemort empty-handed?

Then lure Voldemort to Hogwarts?

After that, you'd hide the Philosopher's Stone somewhere in the school, set up a few trials, leave Harry some clues, and guide him through the challenges to protect the Stone and face off against Voldemort? All to temper Harry?"

In just a few words, Dudley had laid Dumbledore's entire plan bare.

The old wizard was utterly shocked. He had known Dudley would be clever, but he had never expected him to be this clever. He fell into deep self-doubt.

Was my plan really so easy to see through?

"Is it really so hard to understand that such a stupid plan would be seen through?"

Dudley's mouth was honeyed and blade-sharp, every word stabbing Dumbledore straight through the heart.

"Let's not even discuss that idiotic plan for now. I just want to ask: if you didn't want us running into Voldemort at Gringotts, why did you spread the news that the Philosopher's Stone was there?

Couldn't you have simply told everyone that the Philosopher's Stone had already been brought to Hogwarts?

The news couldn't be kept secret? If you couldn't keep it secret, why didn't you retrieve it yourself? Did you not consider that we might encounter danger on the way?

Oh! You wanted to exploit Hagrid's inability to keep his mouth shut and leave Harry some clues about the Philosopher's Stone, laying the groundwork for your so-called training plan after school began, right?

You were exploiting Hagrid's trust in you! That big-mouthed man told Harry and me the vault number where the Philosopher's Stone was kept and showed us the retrieval letter you gave him, yet he never revealed that the treasure was the Philosopher's Stone.

Because he admired and trusted you, he worked so hard to keep that secret. Yet he never imagined that you had already spread it yourself—let alone that you'd turned around and used him to your advantage!

Dumbledore, you're so great! So clever!"

Dudley said everything, the compliments and the sarcasm alike. Every word came straight from the heart.

Dumbledore, who had been using Legilimency all along, understood that perfectly well.

So well that he nearly coughed up blood.

Without examining himself, he had never realized just how hypocritical he had become. Worse, he had not noticed it at all.

"Hagrid! I'm sorry! Harry, Dudley, I'm sorry! Only today did I realize that I've become a conceited old fool!"

Tears of remorse streamed down Dumbledore's face.

"Cry? Don't be so eager to cry yet!" Dudley still did not let Dumbledore off. "Let me ask you something else. You didn't rush to Gringotts today because you realized your plan had flaws, did you?

You saw my name appear on the enrollment list through Hogwarts' Book of Admittance and Quill of Acceptance, didn't you? You thought I had become an unknown variable, so you came to see for yourself and figure out how to deal with and educate me next?

And are you sure the goblins stopped you and delayed you until the very last moment before you reached the underground battlefield?

Your timing when you cast 'Finite Incantatem' was just too perfect, wasn't it? One second later and Voldemort would have escaped with the fake Philosopher's Stone!

You saw Harry and me display our strength, wanted to gauge our abilities and let us gain some experience, so you watched from the sidelines until the very end. Isn't that right?"

"I... You're right, Dudley! I'm sorry!"

Dumbledore had recognized his shortcomings and simply stopped concealing them. He had lived for more than a hundred years and had met natural mind readers before, but he had never encountered anyone like Dudley—someone clever enough to see through everything, then blunt enough to keep driving a knife into someone's heart.

He understood now that Dudley's personality and will were already exceptionally mature. He neither could nor needed to be influenced or lectured by others. On the contrary, this old man over a hundred years old was the one who needed education and guidance.

"You don't need to keep apologizing. If apologies were useful, there would be no regret or remorse in this world!"

Dudley had spoken passionately for so long, only to receive a simple, honest apology. All at once, he found himself losing interest.

An aging old man had gained the adoration and support of countless mediocre wizards because of his immense power and fundamentally kind nature. Accustomed to guiding and leading others, he was nevertheless limited by his experience and personality, unable to do everything perfectly.

Yet he possessed a strange sort of half-dead luck, often muddling his way to success at the cost of his own side's strength.

Dumbledore was a good man, but not a good leader.

If he did not change, if he still wanted to hide behind the scenes as a clumsy schemer and guide Harry's growth, then Dudley would alter his original plans. He absolutely would not let himself or Harry attend Hogwarts.

"I'll be taking your Philosopher's Stone."

Seeing Dumbledore remain silent, Dudley lost all interest in continuing to mock and argue with him. He said bluntly, "Consider it compensation for making Harry and me face danger for no reason!"

"Harry, let's go buy wands!"

Dudley left those "upright and honorable" words behind and started to leave, only to suddenly hear a voice from behind him...

"Obliviate!"

Dudley immediately cast Protego to shield himself and Harry. He succeeded on the first try, fortunately enough, but he did not sense his invisible defensive barrier being struck.

When he turned around, he saw Hagrid pointing his Umbrella Wand at his own head, the white glow at its tip only just fading.

That Memory Charm had been cast by Hagrid on himself!

"Dumbledore, your charm really is something else!"

The moment Dudley understood what had happened, he could not help throwing another barbed remark at Dumbledore.

Clearly, Hagrid could not accept the thought of Dumbledore being tainted in his mind, so he had actually taken the initiative to erase that part of his own memory!

Dumbledore was deeply shaken as well. He could entrust his life to Hagrid, and he believed Hagrid was absolutely loyal to him, but he had never imagined that Hagrid would go this far for him.

"Hagrid! I'm so sorry!"

"Professor Dumbledore, what are you talking about? What do you have to be sorry for? What's with this barrier? Have you made up with Dudley?"

Hagrid, having erased his memories, looked utterly confused. His instinctive questions only deepened Dumbledore's guilt.

But Dudley had no interest in wasting any more time. Pulling Harry along, he passed through the soundproof barrier Dumbledore had set up. Before leaving, he called to Hagrid:

"Hagrid! Keep an eye on the things Harry and I bought earlier. We're going to pick out wands!"

"Oh! All right!" Hagrid replied.

By then, Dumbledore had removed the soundproof barrier. Standing beside Hagrid next to no fewer than five magic carts piled high with goods, he could only watch as Dudley and Harry entered Ollivanders Wand Shop.

"Swish, swish, swish—"

Just as the great old wizard famed for his wisdom and resourcefulness was at a loss over how to make up for his mistakes, a group of five or six wizards arrived in Diagon Alley by Apparition.

At their head was the most powerful figure in Britain's Wizarding World—the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge.