Chapter 33: Dumbledore

However, despite being somewhat flustered, she did not forget to bring Chu Yang to the Headmaster's office along the way.

The two ascended the rotating staircase to the eighth floor. At the end of the corridor stood an oak door with a griffin-shaped knocker. Professor McGonagall stepped forward, picked up the knocker, and rapped on the door.

With a creak, the door opened. Professor McGonagall led Chu Yang into the room. The first thing that caught his eye was a massive wooden desk laden with snacks.

The room was spacious and filled with all sorts of peculiar silver instruments that looked like magical artifacts, though some appeared to be mere decorations.

The wise old man stood by the window, seemingly deep in thought.

"Dumbledore, Chu Yang is here," Professor McGonagall reminded him.

"Thank you for the trouble, Minerva. You may go about your business," Dumbledore said with a nod and a smile, then walked past the desk in the center of the room directly toward Chu Yang.

"Before I leave, there is something I must tell you." Professor McGonagall hurried to Dumbledore's side and whispered about Malfoy and the Black Lake.

A flash of surprise crossed Dumbledore's eyes. He mused, "Let us wait until Malfoy wakes up before we question him. For now, set aside the accounts of the others."

"I understand." Professor McGonagall nodded and turned to leave the Headmaster's office.

"You must be Chu Yang, then? Sprout has been mentioning your name in my ear every day; for a while, I thought I was living in the East." Dumbledore greeted him with a smile, gesturing for Chu Yang to sit, and offered him some of the snacks from the table.

The moment Chu Yang took the snacks from Dumbledore's hand, their eyes met, and Dumbledore experienced the same encounter as the Sorting Hat.

Three or four seconds later, Dumbledore hurriedly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The pressure transmitted by that gaze was something even he found difficult to bear.

"No wonder the Sorting Hat reacted that way. It seems you harbor something extraordinary within you that prevents others from peering into your thoughts."

Dumbledore exclaimed, "Because you were an orphan, we naturally assumed your parents were Muggles, but it seems that assumption was inaccurate."

"Your parents must have come from a famous wizarding family in the ancient Eastern lands; otherwise, it is difficult to explain what is within you."

Chu Yang shrugged and replied indifferently, "I don't know where they were from, but I am truly an orphan."

"Also, you mentioned just now about peering into my thoughts..."

Chu Yang looked at Dumbledore with a piercing gaze. Anyone who experienced Legilimency twice in one day would be angry.

"I am very sorry, Mr. Chu Yang. This is one of the few bad habits I have developed after being Headmaster for so many years—always thinking of being careful and cautious in everything, yet neglecting other more important matters."

Dumbledore spoke in a gentle, sincere tone, "From your perspective, you have every right to be angry, but I hope you can also be understanding of this old man."

Dumbledore was a very clever wizard, and his greatest cleverness lay in his ability to influence others with a kind and sincere attitude.

Chu Yang was well aware of this, yet even so, the anger in his heart was rapidly fading.

Dumbledore smiled, "As compensation, I can agree to some reasonable requests, such as providing more financial aid."

"I love to read!" Chu Yang said without hesitation. "Headmaster Dumbledore, if possible, I hope the library can open more areas to me so that I may absorb more knowledge."

Chu Yang's request was clearly not what Dumbledore had anticipated; he had assumed a child from an orphanage would decisively choose financial assistance. Dumbledore praised him, "As a wizard, this is undoubtedly a wise choice. However, knowledge is often dangerous, especially for a child of your age who cannot yet distinguish such dangers."

"Moreover, you have only just enrolled and have much basic knowledge to learn. To become a great wizard, you must walk every step firmly."

"Therefore, I will reserve my decision on your request for now. When the time is right, I will allow you access to more knowledge."

Chu Yang did not press the issue and calmly accepted Dumbledore's admonition.

Dumbledore's refusal was within Chu Yang's expectations. He hadn't intended to reach his goal all at once; getting a promise from Dumbledore was already a very good result.

As long as Chu Yang continued to display his extraordinary talent and made Dumbledore change his mind, the magical knowledge hidden in the library would eventually be his.

Dumbledore felt gratified by Chu Yang's maturity, which surpassed that of his peers.

If it were any other eleven-year-old, they would likely have given him a hard time.

"Sprout told me about certain traits of yours that differ from the norm, and the Sorting Hat seemed to have a hard time deciding your placement. So, what are your thoughts on this?"

At this moment, Dumbledore was like a kind neighbor, amiably discussing the issue with Chu Yang. Chu Yang felt a sense of equality in his attitude; that alone was enough to make one feel close to him.

Chu Yang thought it over with his eyes closed, but ultimately shook his head.

Dumbledore adjusted his glasses and asked, "Child, can you show me your magic?"

With that, he tapped the air with his finger, and the magic at his fingertip bloomed like fireworks.

Immediately after, the wand on the desk flew into his hand.

Wandless magic!

Dumbledore handed the wand to Chu Yang.

He smiled, "This is a wand I had prepared in advance. The materials used are similar to your own wand."

"Of course, the core of this wand is not a precious Qilin scale, but a unicorn tail hair. Both represent sacred magical creatures and will not be overly repelled by your magic."

Chu Yang took the wand from Dumbledore's hand, but in his heart, he wondered what it would be like if Dumbledore let him cast spells with the Elder Wand. If natural magic centered on Wood Release collided with the Elder Wand—made of elder wood and Thestral tail hair—what kind of impact would it cause?

Regardless... this Headmaster's office would certainly not survive.

The portraits of the past headmasters hanging on the wall would also suffer a catastrophic disaster.

Dumbledore did not know Chu Yang was letting his imagination run wild. Seeing him motionless for a long time, he assumed he was worried about the consequences, so he smiled and comforted him, "Don't be afraid, child. No matter what happens, I can bear the consequences for you. Relax, focus, and control your magic."

With the previous experience, Chu Yang felt less obstruction when using the wand. He listened to Dumbledore's instruction, slowly channeled his magic into it, and waved it gently.

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====