Conversation

Eli walked alone through the castle. At this hour, most of the students had already returned to their dormitories.

"Hello, little one. What do you think of my hat?" A portrait on the wall noticed the young wizard wandering alone.

"It's absolutely marvelous," Eli replied perfunctorily. These portraits might not all possess great intelligence, but after spending so long here, their temperaments could become rather strange. He had no desire to get entangled with them.

"Cockroach Cluster," Eli said to the statue in front of the headmaster's office.

Dumbledore loved speaking in riddles. Fortunately, Eli knew that Dumbledore always used snacks he liked as passwords.

During the summer, Dumbledore had mentioned in one of his letters that he had recently become fond of Cockroach Clusters.

Whether it was some mad hint from Dumbledore or not, Eli had directly mailed him a huge jar of Cockroach Clusters—enough to make him sick of them.

As it turned out, Eli had guessed correctly. The statue slowly rotated, revealing a staircase.

He walked up with practiced ease, and the moving stairs carried him to the office door.

"Headmaster, are you in?" Eli poked his head inside.

"Ah, Eli. It's good to see you. Come in," Dumbledore said, appearing from who knew where.

Eli was speechless. Weren't you the one who summoned me? Why act like this is such a surprise?

"Have a seat. Try some of the snacks the house-elves sent over. I like them very much."

Eli looked at the Cockroach Clusters in the dish, their tiny legs constantly struggling, and felt awful. Why was this here every time he visited?

"You should eat less sugar, sir. It's not good for your health," Eli said helplessly.

"I'm already an old man. Please let me enjoy a few more snacks in the days I