Requests and Doubts

Looking at Nagini, who was still crawling around in the cage, everyone felt a sense of helplessness and despair.

"Riddle, can you communicate with her?" the Young Wizard Xiwen asked tentatively.

"I can give it a try," Riddle replied.

He took two steps forward, making strange hissing sounds, and tried to communicate with Nagini in Parseltongue.

Nagini calmed down slightly after hearing Riddle's voice, but soon reverted to his manic state.

Seeing this, Riddle shook his head and said to everyone, "She doesn't trust me and is unwilling to communicate with me at all."

"If we can't even communicate smoothly with Parseltongue, then it seems there really is no way." Aurelius's expression became extremely dejected, and he slumped down helplessly beside the cage.

"Alright, don't think about it too much now." Dumbledore's eyes flickered slightly as he recalled Riddle's earlier behavior before he spoke. "It's already curfew time; it's time to go back. I don't think the two young Slytherin gentlemen would want to be punished for breaking school rules, would they?"

Then, he turned to Ghost Xiwen and said, "Strange, could you please take us to my office?"

Ghost Xiwen nodded slightly and opened the Dimensional Gate leading to the Transfiguration Professor's Office.

Upon arriving at his office, Dumbledore casually scribbled a note on his desk and handed it to the Young Wizard Xiwen and Riddle.

Dumbledore said to the two young wizards, "If you run into Mr. Pringle, just show him this note and tell him that I asked you to come and help."

Young Wizard Xiwen took the note, thanked Dumbledore, and then left the office with Riddle, heading towards the Slytherin Common Room.

It was already past midnight, and only a few torches remained burning inside Hogwarts Castle, making it quite dim.

Xiwen and Riddle simultaneously drew their wands and used their Wand-Lighting Charm to add some light to the corridor.

"Riddle ..."

"Rozier..."

The two walked silently from the Main Tower to the Entrance Courtyard, looking at the moonlight shining in the courtyard, and then spoke at the same time.

"...You go first," Xiwen said preemptively.

"Hmm." Riddle slowed his pace and looked at Xiwen, asking, "That golden portal that teleported us from Hogwarts to Albania, was it one of the spells you learned from Doctor Strange?"

After spending half a semester together, Riddle had long noticed that it was difficult to find Xiwen on weekends. When he asked, Xiwen didn't tell him about Flamel, but instead made up an excuse, pretending that he was in a dungeon room learning other systems of magic from Doctor Strange.

When Riddle learned of this, he was puzzled that Xiwen was learning magic from a ghost. It wasn't until today, when he saw Xiwen cast a portal that spanned thousands of miles, that he realized the power of another system of magic.

Upon hearing Riddle's question, Xiwen stopped in his tracks, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

"Can I learn that spell?" Riddle asked Xiwen with some hope.

Xiwen glanced at him, frowned imperceptibly, and asked softly, "What do you want to learn it for?"

"I didn't intend to do anything," Riddle said with a smile to Xiwen. "It's just that anyone who sees such practical magic wouldn't want to learn more about it."

Xiwen fell into deep thought.

Riddle's words enlightened him. Kamar-Taj's magic was not something he could use alone. Advanced spells like the Mirror Dimension had been learned by Dumbledore in a short time, and he had even modified them, successfully using them to subdue Aurelius, whom Grindelwald had placed high hopes on.

Since the Mirror Dimension can be learned, there's a high probability that other, simpler spells can also be mastered by others in this world.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the premise that Xiwen himself is willing to teach them.

However, as a magical system brought from another world, Kamar-Taj's advantage in this world lies in the fact that other wizards are completely unaware of it. If others were to learn it, Xiwen's greatest advantage in this world would likely be gradually diminished.

It seems like the choice is quite easy now.

Perhaps when Xiwen reaches Dumbledore's level, he won't need to consider so many complex issues anymore. At that time, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to pass on the magic of Kamar-Taj to this world.

After figuring all this out, Xiwen breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was Doctor Strange's magic after all, I can't make that decision on my own," he said with a smile to Riddle. "I'll definitely bring it up with him next time I see him!"

He had decided that he would take Riddle to see his Soul Body when he had some free time, and then use the identity of the Ghost Xiwen to find an excuse to politely decline his request.

After all, Dumbledore had told Xiwen about Riddle's serious criminal record, making it difficult for Xiwen to completely let down his guard against him.

"Isn't what he taught you magic? Why bother with his opinion?" Riddle said, slightly annoyed.

"Riddle, this isn't just a moral issue," Xiwen shook his head, earnestly trying to mislead. "I wasn't very good at this spell to begin with; I could only barely use it with the help of alchemical artifacts."

As he spoke, he raised his left hand, showing Riddle the Apparition Assistance Ring on his index finger.

"By sheer chance, and at a considerable cost, I obtained this alchemical ring. It helps me with location tracking; without it, I simply cannot successfully cast a portal," Xiwen said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Furthermore, the long-distance teleportation portal from England to Albania wasn't something I created alone. Doctor Strange was in Albania assisting with the spell, which is why we were able to reach the other side. I couldn't have teleported that far by myself alone!"

"If I were to teach you this spell, something might go wrong. I'm worried that it could put you in danger," Xiwen said earnestly, his expression showing his concern for Riddle.

Although he had some doubts about the veracity of Xiwen's words, Riddle ultimately abandoned the idea of having Xiwen teach him, upon hearing that it might be dangerous.

"In that case, forget it. But remember to tell Doctor Strange for me," Riddle said helplessly.

Xiwen nodded, responding casually, but in his mind he was thinking about why he should refuse Riddle.

"By the way, what were you trying to say to me just now?" Riddle asked again.

Xiwen paused for a moment, then remembered a question that had puzzled him earlier.

His expression turned serious. He stared into Riddle's eyes and asked in a deep voice:

"Riddle, are you really unable to communicate with Nagini?"