Dumbledore

"Hoot?"

Owl stood on the coat rack, tilting its head as it curiously watched Li Wei grinning foolishly.

It had delivered admission letters to many young wizards about to start school, but this was the first time it had seen one so overjoyed.

But it was already very late, and it still had to return to Hogwarts with the young wizard's reply, so it could only interrupt Li Wei's foolish grin. It landed on his shoulder and gently pecked his cheek.

"Oh!"

Li Wei let out a soft cry. When he turned his head, he saw a catlike face staring at him with a pair of huge, round eyes!

Only then did he remember the contents of the letter. He suddenly came to his senses and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll write my reply right away!"

Tearing a sheet from the notebook he usually used for school, Li Wei wrote:

I am delighted and honored to receive Hogwarts' invitation of admission, and I would very much like to study magic at your school!

However, I know nothing about the magical world. Would it be possible to trouble one of your professors to come and explain it to me, and serve as my guide into the world of magic?

Respectfully, Li Wei Keynes

After finishing the reply, Li Wei looked awkwardly at little Owl perched on the table, unsure how to communicate with him.

Little Owl was exceptionally clever. He tilted his head at Li Wei, blinked his round eyes, and held out one tiny claw.

Only then did Li Wei notice the small letter tube on Owl's claw, just large enough to hold the slip of paper containing his reply.

After placing the reply into the tube, Li Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief and said tentatively to Owl:

"Sorry for the trouble, lovely Owl. Please take my reply back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Yet Owl tilted his head again and continued watching Li Wei.

Hm?

Why hadn't he flown away yet?

I already opened the window, didn't I?

Li Wei was puzzled, but following little Owl's gaze, he noticed that Owl had been staring at the half sausage beside the table.

So that was it. I'm such an idiot. If you ask someone to do you a favor, you have to offer them something in return!

Having realized this, Li Wei hurriedly peeled the sausage and placed it beside Owl, saying with a smile:

"Go on, eat! Thanks for the effort. It's already so dark, and you still had to deliver letters!"

"Hoot~" Owl gave what sounded like a grateful call, then pecked at the sausage. Only after eating his fill did he flap his wings and fly out through the window!

Watching Owl's silhouette vanish into the night, Li Wei could not help muttering to himself:

"I never imagined I'd actually transmigrated into the world of Harry Potter. I wonder when a Hogwarts professor will come. Will it be Professor McGonagall? Or Snape? Flitwick? Could it be Hagrid?"

As he thought this, Li Wei could not help yawning. He decided to go to bed!

He still had to get up early tomorrow to set up his stall and do business. Now that he knew he would be going to Hogwarts to study magic, money had become even more important.

After all, even if Hogwarts provided food and lodging, he would still need Galleons if he wanted to learn magic better!

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor McGonagall briskly passed through the moving staircases and arrived at the headmaster's office.

Facing the gargoyle guarding the entrance, she spoke the password:

"Lemon sherbet!"

Upon hearing the password, the statue leapt aside, revealing the spiral staircase behind it. McGonagall pressed her lips together and entered the headmaster's office.

"It's you, Minerva!"

Dumbledore, who was eating sherbet, noticed someone entering. He absentmindedly glanced up, then continued eating, even cheerfully offering to share.

"Would you like some lemon sherbet? It's a Muggle dessert. I like it very much!"

"No, thank you," Professor McGonagall said politely but firmly. Everything Dumbledore ate was far too sweet for her.

Besides, she had not come here to sample desserts. She got straight to the point.

"Albus, this year's admission invitation work has been completed. We have received replies from everyone."

"However, there is one new student. He comes from Wu's Orphanage in Goldfinch District. You know, the Dark Lord, he was..."

"My dear professor, surely someone as sensible as you can call him by his real name?

This Dark Lord business is complete nonsense!

For eleven years, I have been trying every possible way to persuade everyone to call him by his name—Voldemort!"

Dumbledore suddenly interrupted Professor McGonagall. His tone was casual, and he seemed completely unconcerned about saying Voldemort's name.

But Professor McGonagall shuddered. Her pursed lips curved into a bitter smile. Eleven years had passed, yet in everyone's minds, Voldemort was still synonymous with death itself.

It was as if speaking Voldemort's name was the same as summoning the Grim Reaper.

Even though McGonagall did not fear death and did not lack the courage to face Voldemort, she had become accustomed to calling him that after hearing everyone else do the same.

Dumbledore continued explaining his thoughts.

"If we keep calling him the Dark Lord, everything will become a mess!

Look, I can say Voldemort's name directly, and I'm not frightened at all."

"I know you aren't afraid," Professor McGonagall said, half annoyed and half admiring. "Everyone knows you are different. The Dark... all right, everyone knows Voldemort fears only one person—you!"

"You flatter me," Dumbledore said calmly. "Voldemort possesses powers I will never have."

"That is because you are too—oh—too noble to use them."

Both of them knew perfectly well that Dumbledore's mastery of dark magic could not possibly be inferior to his command of white magic.

"Fortunately, it's only the two of us here. Otherwise, this old face of mine would be turning bright red!"

Dumbledore smiled somewhat sheepishly and waved his hand. Then, remembering what McGonagall had said earlier, he asked:

"Minerva, you said there was a new student who also came from Wu's Orphanage, correct?"

"What a pitiful child. So, do you mean for me to go and bring him to school?"

"Yes, I'm somewhat worried!"

Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together. She did not say what worried her, but Voldemort had also come from Wu's Orphanage, and the lesson from that had only been eleven years ago.

To McGonagall's surprise, Dumbledore shook his head and refused.

"No, I don't think I should be the one to introduce him to the school. I think it should be you!"

"Minerva, you should understand that no one can decide for themselves what kind of environment they are born into!"

"Nor can we look at someone through prejudiced eyes simply because they were born in a swamp, because their background bears some supposed stain, or because of differences in status or bloodline!"

"So I suggest that you, Minerva, become this child's guide and lead him through the gates of the magical world with love and tolerance!"

As Professor McGonagall listened to Dumbledore's words, she felt both moved and ashamed. Looking directly into her own heart, she discovered that at some unknown point, a dark corner had appeared there as well.

And Dumbledore's words were like a beam of sunlight shining into her heart, sweeping away every trace of darkness!