The freezing weather had turned the vast Black Lake into a solid block of ice. In the dim light, the Forbidden Forest swaying in the bitter wind looked more like a rippling, jagged lake.
"Before Easter last year, I remember you wrote to me saying you were exploring the ruins of an ancient Greek wizard in Greece. You sent me five pints of dragon blood and forty ounces of dragon liver,"
Amorsta walked alongside Snape towards the castle perched on the cliff. As they passed the Quidditch pitch with its tall goalposts, Amorsta glanced towards Hagrid's hut, its fire flickering in the distance. Snape watched him, noting the deeper lines and sharper features compared to when he graduated three and a half years ago, his voice carrying a hint of suspicion.
"But then the Daily Prophet reported an interesting story: the Norwegian Ministry of Magic announced that someone had illegally entered their dragon sanctuary, stolen a precious Norwegian Ridgeback egg, and killed a Norwegian Red in front of two Muggles. Amorsta, I suppose these two events are unrelated?"
"What do you think, my professor?"
Amorsta withdrew his gaze from the tower, focusing on the one lit room amidst the row of dark windows, smiling.
"Or rather, what kind of answer are you hoping to get from me?"
Snape's mouth twisted into his habitual sneer, but as he began to speak, he realized the young man beside him was no longer the poor student who kept to himself and preferred his own company. Amorsta had grown into a wizard even Snape found hard to read.
"It doesn't matter to me, Amorsta. I just wanted to remind you,"
Dumbledore's anticipated warm reunion didn't happen between the teacher and the student. Snape, with a heavy heart, strode towards the castle.
"I hope you know what you're doing and understand that this school isn't as peaceful as it seems—especially in recent years, Amorsta. If you still prefer staying low-profile, keep it that way, especially in front of Dumbledore. Finally, my advice is to leave here as soon as possible, even leave the British wizarding world, and only return when everything has settled...if your mind is still as sharp as it used to be, you should understand what I mean."
…
Perhaps tonight's activities were too mundane, as the stone gargoyle at the office door shifted aside, baring its teeth in subtle discontent.
"Thanks for the reminder, professor."
Snape had no intention of entering. As he passed Snape's figure, Amorsta chuckled softly.
"I've always known what I'm doing and am well aware of the risks I face."
Inside the office, Dumbledore had changed into a clean, respectable wizard robe. He had clearly anticipated his guest's arrival. As the wall closed and Amorsta stepped into the office, Dumbledore was already standing behind his desk, smiling warmly.
"Good evening, Headmaster Dumbledore!"
Although he had mentally prepared himself, when those bright, piercing blue eyes, filled with a century of wisdom, fixed on him, Amorsta Blaine couldn't help but feel his face tighten and his heartbeat quicken.
Fawkes, hearing a somewhat familiar voice, stretched his neck from the pile of ashes, looking around curiously.
Thirty feet away, the tall, slender figure of the old man, bathed in firelight, held not just an immense magical power but also a legendary life story that embodied the recent history of European magic. Facing such a person, it was unimaginable how the first and second Dark Lords had managed to hold on for so long.
"Welcome, welcome~"
Dumbledore beamed, extending his hand as Amorsta approached. His penetrating gaze swept over Amorsta's young face, lingering only briefly on his pale purple eyes before shifting to his snow-dusted grey hair.
"Good evening, Amorsta. I apologize for having you travel in such dreadful weather. As compensation, may I offer you a drink?"
"Thank you, that's exactly what I need."
Following Dumbledore's gesture, Amorsta sat down. Dumbledore walked to a bookshelf, opened a cabinet holding a Pensieve, and retrieved a vintage bottle from a hidden compartment.
"For my health's sake, I had to hand over most of my collection to Poppy, but this one… honestly, Amorsta, I haven't shared it with anyone yet!"
"Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, aged over eighty years and priceless,"
Amorsta sniffed the aroma of the wine in the air and smiled subtly. "Thank you for your generosity, Headmaster Dumbledore. This trip is worth it just for this—"
The years had given the expensive liquor a rich, deep flavour. Amorsta took small sips, quietly waiting for his stiff fingers to regain their flexibility. Dumbledore, too, wasn't in a rush to start the conversation. He watched Amorsta calmly, his eyes gentle. Though he asked no questions, it seemed he already knew what he wanted to know and was satisfied with the results.
"Severus told me that in the past two years, you've been following in the footsteps of great wizards, exploring magical ruins lost in time,"
Seeing the colour return to Amorsta's pale, cold face, Dumbledore smiled.
"I'm pleased that even after leaving this school, you've continued to study and improve your magic. It makes me feel that my efforts in this school haven't been in vain. At least, Hogwarts' education has shown a few people that there are many worthwhile places in the magical world beyond the Ministry of Magic."
Dumbledore didn't bring up the Board of Governors' appointment or anything about the Chamber of Secrets, which surprised Amorsta, who had been prepared for those topics.
"In my school days, young wizards didn't rush to find jobs after graduating. Instead, they went on a graduation trip to see the world. Before I graduated, I planned to go to Greece with an old friend to find the magical creatures mentioned in myths and visit alchemists' labs in Egypt…
Unfortunately, some unexpected events interrupted my plans, and it has been a lifelong regret."
Dumbledore's gaze grew distant as he reminisced.
"Choosing this path might have something to do with my Muggle background,"
Amorsta put down his glass as he said. Though he smiled, he felt puzzled inside.
Before coming here, Amorsta had imagined many scenarios for his conversation with Dumbledore. In his mind, this shrewd old man would likely probe into his experiences over the past two years and wouldn't be easily fooled by simple explanations.
He might be curious about Amorsta's true motives for wanting to return to the school like Professor Snape was.
He might discuss the attacks in the Chamber of Secrets and question the preventive measures Amorsta proposed.
But now, it seemed Dumbledore wasn't interested in any of that. He just wanted a simple chat.
Is that possible?
Amorsta didn't believe Dumbledore was that straightforward. He became more alert but showed keen interest in the current topic.
"Children from wizarding families see magic as ordinary. But for someone like me, who grew up in the Muggle world, the ability to perform miracles with a wave of a wand is precious. Compared to that, power and wealth seem insignificant."
"Don't be modest, Amorsta. Many children come from Muggle families, but your reverence for knowledge and relentless pursuit of it is a unique talent,"
Dumbledore's eyes, behind the half-moon glasses, showed appreciation.
"What's most important is that, after all your experiences, you still describe magic as a 'miracle,' not just 'power.'"
Dumbledore blinked, smiling playfully.
"When you were here, Professor Snape often expressed his concern about your studies of dark magic to me, which led to many late-night 'encounters' in the Restricted Section of the library."
Cough, cough!
Amorsta, sipping his drink, choked on it. He wiped his lips, embarrassed, like a child whose past misdeeds were revealed by a parent.
"It's rare for someone as busy as you to remember such small things, Headmaster Dumbledore. I was never obsessed with the power of dark magic. I just believe that both dark and light magic are part of the whole and worth studying—well, worth learning from. Blind rejection only highlights our ignorance."
"Of course, of course, a very philosophical statement,"
Dumbledore nodded approvingly, but then his expression turned serious.
"But not everyone has a clear self-awareness and strong control, Amorsta. So, Professor Snape's worries about you back then were justified."
***
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