Hermione hesitated for a moment,
A crack appeared in his previously resolute expression as he thought of his parents, Draco, and friends being able to stay with him forever, without having to experience separation or death, and a genuine longing swept through his heart.
But only for a moment, and reason prevailed over this excitement.
"How I wish I hadn't lost them! But immortality isn't a cure for separation. Even if everyone gained eternity, the passage of time would still change people. If it comes at a price for longevity... I'd rather enjoy a finite life."
Trillian refused to give up and continued to press for answers:
"What if there's no cost whatsoever?"
This time, Hermione's carefully constructed barrier of reason was truly shaken. She remained silent for a moment, then whispered frankly:
"If there were truly no cost... I can't deny that it would be too wonderful. Not having to say goodbye to a loved one is almost the most extravagant wish in everyone's heart."
Hermione glanced at the realm of immortality in her mind, her expression becoming complicated. "But death is not just suffering."
"It is precisely because time is limited that every moment, every meeting, and every time we spend together is so precious."
If life has no end, will the weight of struggle, passion... everything be diluted by the infinitely long passage of time?
Will we still have a sense of urgency about the world? Will we still be able to do what we want to do in our limited time? Millions of years from now, will people's ideals and enthusiasm slowly fade away?
"It is precisely because life is finite that some things exist; as time goes on without end, their significance is diluted."
Draco listened quietly, and then continued with her point of view:
"Indeed. It's best not to achieve things overnight, just as one cannot become rich overnight, seize power overnight, or achieve great success in a short period of time... These things will drive you crazy and make you lose control of yourself."
"It would be terrible if I couldn't control myself."
Draco even gave an example to illustrate this point.
"It's like when you meet someone you're attracted to, and then you think about her all day long, unable to eat or sleep, tossing and turning all night, like you're bewitched, like you're being controlled by a demon."
"Then you try every means to get her, and if you can't have her, you destroy her; if you do get her, you control her. How can we avoid breaking up? How can we kiss? How can we taste the forbidden fruit? These inflated thoughts control you all day long, dragging you forward."
"Of course, it's not that you can't feel anything," Draco said, changing the subject. "If your heart doesn't move, you're dead. If you don't feel love, you're like a walking corpse. What's the point of living?"
"Encountering good people, beautiful girls, good things, good objects, good places, good jobs... it's human nature to gravitate towards good things; people are naturally inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm, it's impossible to say that one gravitates towards bad things."
"That's not important. What's important is how to continue to benefit from what's advantageous, and how to prevent what's harmful from becoming harmful; how to control oneself when one has gained something, and how to control oneself when one doesn't. If you can't control yourself, then you're out of control, and the devil will take advantage of your vulnerability."
Draco offered his opinion. "Actually, I think it's quite nice to be able to live forever when life comes to an end, and to regain youth when one's appearance ages."
Hermione nodded in agreement. "I must say, this is indeed a far superior idea than to possess eternity from a young age."
"To live a complete life and attain eternal life at the end can indeed help one avoid much of the loneliness and torment that eternity brings."
But Hermione's agreement ended there, and she became worried again. "Even so, there's still one thing we can't get around."
"In a person's life, youth fades, pain settles, and every experience and every state is a part of oneself."
"When you are ready to face the end, and then granted eternal life, with aging fading away and youth returning, it's like forcibly tearing away the ending that was supposed to come, and the weight of time will also be altered."
"Death is the end of life; if the end could be removed, the meaning of the entire life would become blurred."
Trillian was a little confused. "So, does that mean it's better to have an ending or no ending?"
Draco smiled and said, "It's a pity to have an ending, and it's also a pity not to have one. A good ending has its regrets, and a bad ending has its regrets too. That's how it is in all things."
Trillian frowned. "How can a good ending have regrets?"
"Because there are no regrets—that's why some people will have regrets."
"Why is this so convoluted?" Trillian asked, looking puzzled.
Draco explained it to him simply, "Because you are perfect, you want to see what regret looks like; because you are regretful, you long to see what perfection looks like."
Of course, those who are fulfilled may wish for perpetual fulfillment, while those who are filled with regret may wallow in their regrets.
Trillian pondered for a moment, then chuckled, "I see, people are just too complicated, haha."
Draco laughed too:
"It really depends on personal feelings and choices."
"You might not want to live forever now, but you might want to live forever later; you might not want to stay young now, but you might crave it later. Human thoughts are never static."
Hermione, however, picked up the conversation, saying warily, "But it's precisely because people's hearts can change that immortality seems so dangerous."
"If opportunity is always presented to you, when hardship strikes, you will always have a way out to consider."
"The existence of this escape route gradually erodes a person's confidence and courage to accept their fate. Even if the choice is given to the individual, such temptation is itself a burden."
Draco nodded. "Yeah, there's a reason for everything. Having a choice isn't necessarily good, and not having a choice isn't necessarily bad. When you have a choice, it's easy to hesitate and get caught up in indecision; when you don't have a choice, you just have to fight for it and forge your own path."
Hermione said firmly, "But I still prefer having a choice. A life without a choice, where you're not in control of your own destiny, is too passive."
"Of course, me too, but not everyone has that choice." Draco waved his hand. "Let's not talk about that anymore, or we'll be rambling on all day." He turned to Alexander, who had been listening quietly, and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Alexander looked at Michael and continued the conversation, saying, "Let's come here and give Michael a choice."
Michael had just finished listening to the discussion about immortality, couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, "Looks like I still have a choice."
Alexander asked earnestly, "Do you want power?"
Upon hearing this, Michael's smile vanished instantly. Thinking of Singe, a look of wariness rose in his eyes. "You wouldn't be like Singe, trying to turn me into Half-blood, would you?"