Chapter 33: Dumbledore's Invitation

However flustered she was, she had not forgotten to bring Chu Yang along to the Headmaster’s office.

The two of them reached the eighth floor by way of the spiral staircase. At the end of the corridor stood a door made of oak, with a doorknocker shaped like a lion’s body and an eagle’s head. Professor McGonagall stepped forward, lifted the knocker, and rapped on the door.

With a creak, the door swung open. Professor McGonagall led Chu Yang inside, where the first thing he saw was a huge wooden table covered with snacks.

The room was spacious, filled with all sorts of bizarre silver instruments. They looked like magical creations, though some might have been nothing more than decorations.

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

“Dumbledore, Chu Yang has arrived,” Professor McGonagall reminded him.

“Thank you, Minerva. You may go about your business.” Dumbledore smiled and nodded. Then he crossed the wooden table in the center of the room and walked straight over to Chu Yang.

“Before I leave, there is something I must tell you.” Professor McGonagall hurried to Dumbledore’s side and lowered her voice as she told him about Malfoy and the Black Lake.

A flicker of surprise passed through Dumbledore’s eyes. After a moment’s thought, he said, “We’ll wait until Malfoy wakes up before questioning him about the details. For now, we’ll set aside everyone else’s accounts.”

“I understand.” Professor McGonagall nodded, then turned and left the Headmaster’s office.

“You must be Chu Yang, aren’t you? Sprout mentions your name to me every day. For a while, she made me feel as though I were living in the East.” Dumbledore greeted Chu Yang with a smile, inviting him to sit down as he picked up some snacks from the table and offered them to him.

The instant Chu Yang accepted the snack from Dumbledore, their eyes met—and Dumbledore experienced the same ordeal as the Sorting Hat.

Three or four seconds later, Dumbledore hastily closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. Even he found the oppressive force conveyed through those eyes difficult to withstand.

“No wonder the Sorting Hat reacted that way. It seems you have something extraordinary hidden within you, something that prevents others from prying into your thoughts.”

Dumbledore exclaimed in amazement, “Because you are an orphan, we naturally assumed that your parents were Muggles. But now, it seems that assumption may not have been entirely accurate.”

“Your parents must have come from some renowned wizarding family in an ancient eastern kingdom. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain what you possess.”

Chu Yang shrugged and replied indifferently, “I don’t know where they came from, but I truly am an orphan.”

“And you mentioned prying into my thoughts just now…”

Chu Yang fixed Dumbledore with a piercing gaze. Anyone who had experienced Legilimency twice in a single day would have been angry.

“I am sorry, Mr. Chu Yang. It is one of the few bad habits I have acquired during my many years as Headmaster. I am always thinking of being careful and cautious in everything, yet I sometimes overlook matters that are more important.”

Dumbledore spoke softly, his expression sincere. “From your perspective, you certainly have every right to feel angry. But I hope you can show some understanding toward an old man like me.”

Dumbledore was a very intelligent wizard. His greatest intelligence lay in his ability to influence others through warmth and sincerity.

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

“As compensation,” Dumbledore said with a smile, “I can agree to a few reasonable requests—for example, providing you with additional financial assistance.”

“I enjoy reading!” Chu Yang declared without hesitation. “Headmaster Dumbledore, if possible, I hope the library can open more sections to me so that I may acquire more knowledge.”

Chu Yang’s request was clearly beyond Dumbledore’s expectations. He had assumed that a child from an orphanage would immediately choose financial assistance.

Dumbledore praised him. “For a wizard, that is undoubtedly a wise choice. However, knowledge is often dangerous, especially for a child your age, who may not yet be capable of distinguishing such dangers.”

“Besides, you have only just begun your studies. There is still a great deal of fundamental knowledge for you to learn. If you wish to become a great wizard, you must take every step steadily.”

“Therefore, I will set your request aside for the time being. When the appropriate moment arrives, I will allow you to gain access to more knowledge.”

Chu Yang did not press the matter. He calmly accepted Dumbledore’s advice.

Dumbledore’s refusal was within his expectations. He had never expected to achieve his goal all at once. Obtaining Dumbledore’s promise was already an excellent result.

As long as Chu Yang continued to display extraordinary talent and persuaded Dumbledore to change his mind, the magical knowledge hidden within the library would sooner or later belong to him.

Dumbledore was pleased by Chu Yang’s maturity, which far exceeded that of children his age.

If he had been dealing with any other eleven-year-old, he would probably have had to reason with him for a very long time.

“Sprout has told me about certain qualities of yours that are quite unlike those of ordinary people. The Sorting Hat also seemed to have difficulty deciding where you belonged. What are your thoughts on the matter?”

At that moment, Dumbledore resembled a kindly old neighbor, discussing the issue amiably with Chu Yang. From his manner, Chu Yang sensed that he was being treated as an equal. That alone was enough to make anyone feel close to him.

Chu Yang closed his eyes and thought long and hard, but in the end, he shook his head.

Dumbledore adjusted his spectacles and asked, “My boy, could you show me your magic?”

As he spoke, he tapped the air with one finger. Magic burst from his fingertip like fireworks.

The wand lying on the desk immediately flew into his hand.

Wordless wandless magic!

Dumbledore handed the wand to Chu Yang.

With a smile, he said, “I had someone prepare this wand in advance. Its materials are fairly similar to those of your own wand.”

“Of course, its core is not the precious scale of a qilin, but a unicorn tail feather. Both are parts of sacred magical creatures, so it should not reject your magic too strongly.”

Chu Yang accepted the wand from Dumbledore, but inwardly he wondered what the scene would have looked like if Dumbledore had asked him to cast a spell with the Elder Wand.

What sort of impact would be caused by the natural magic centered on Wood Release colliding with an Elder Wand made of elder wood and thestral tail feather?

In any case…the Headmaster’s office certainly would not survive.

The portraits of all the former headmasters hanging on the walls would also suffer complete devastation.

Dumbledore had no idea what Chu Yang was imagining. When he saw that Chu Yang had not moved for quite some time, he assumed the boy was worried about the consequences. He therefore smiled reassuringly.

“Do not be afraid, my boy. Whatever happens, I can bear the consequences for you. Relax, concentrate, and control your magic carefully.”

Having gained some experience from the previous attempt, Chu Yang found using the wand somewhat less awkward. Following Dumbledore’s instructions, he slowly channeled his magic into it and gave it a gentle wave.

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