The portraits hanging on the walls around the Headmaster's Office all wore stunned expressions at that moment.
On the wall, Phineas finally spoke after struggling to organize his thoughts for quite some time. "Dumbledore, I know why all the Slytherins joined the Razor Gang."
"This child is absolutely right!" Phineas put considerable force into those words. He felt that no one had ever struck so deeply at his heart.
Several unnamed headmasters nearby were not as agitated as Phineas, but they were deeply moved as well. Some even took handkerchiefs from their pockets and wiped at the corners of their eyes.
Dumbledore, however, said nothing. He stared at Lyon, as though he were pondering something, or perhaps judging him.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, you know what I mean." As Lyon spoke, he slowly removed the black leather glove from his hand.
"Your thinking is wrong!"
"You think that as long as Wizarding Society carries on peacefully, war will never break out, but you are wrong!"
"Think about Grindelwald! If he were standing before you, what would he say? He would despair, he would be disappointed. You defeated him once, but at the same time, you killed your own dream!"
The more Lyon spoke, the louder his voice became. His words rang thunderously in Dumbledore's ears, and Lyon could see Dumbledore's breathing noticeably quicken.
"Your dream was not wrong. You wanted a Wizarding Society without death or pain, but Wizarding Society is still suffering in dire straits!"
"Have you ever considered that if Voldemort returned, or another Dark Lord arose, would you simply stand by and watch those innocent people die?"
"Right now, we need a baptism of blood to wash away the filth lurking in the darkness of Wizarding Society."
"Some people will die in the process, but..."
"Everything is for a