Chapter 35.
After a moment of silence, Soren sighed, "Professor, you are right; I do have the ambition to pursue power. However, you may not believe it, if I were not born into the Malfoy family, my biggest wish would be to become an adventurer like Professor Lockhart, exploring ruins and embarking on adventures around the world, and if possible, writing a book about my experiences..."
As Soren spoke, he became immersed in his own fantasies, but just moments later, his gaze turned sharp again. "However, that is merely an unrealistic fantasy. I was born into the Malfoy family, and being a part of the Malfoy family is an unchangeable fact. Therefore, to protect myself and all those I wish to safeguard, I must become stronger."
Dumbledore probably didn't expect Soren to respond this way, and even with his composure, he was taken aback for a long time.
After a moment of silence, Dumbledore smiled slightly and began to tell Soren a little story.
"Long ago, there was a young wizard who had a happy family and a decent life. When he entered Hogwarts to study magic, he discovered his talent and subsequently developed a series of ambitions and ideals..." Dumbledore spoke softly in a soothing tone, as if reminiscing about something, and behind his crescent-shaped glasses, his azure pupils glimmered with a faint light.
"Years later, the young wizard graduated from Hogwarts with the highest results... but during those years, many unexpected events occurred in his family, forcing him to abandon his ideals. At that time, his sister was still young, and when she cast magic, she was attacked by three Muggle boys who witnessed her magical abilities. This attack caused his sister's mental state to become very unstable—her magical powers spiralled out of control. Their father cast a dark curse in retaliation against those Muggle boys... He took all the blame upon himself to ensure that his poor daughter would not be imprisoned for life in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries and was sent to Azkaban. After that, their mother moved them away..."
Upon hearing this, Soren immediately realised that the young wizard in the story was likely Dumbledore himself.
"But the unfortunate events did not stop there." Dumbledore slightly raised his head, and the lenses of his glasses brightened with the change in light, obscuring his slightly distracted eyes.
"When the young wizard's sister was fourteen, her magic went out of control again... This incident caused their mother's life to come to an abrupt end. At that time, the only one who could have stopped his sister's magical outburst, the young wizard's brother, was not home. The young wizard was in great pain... immense pain. But what had happened could not be undone, and life had to go on. He bore the resentment of his brother, constantly comforting his guilt-ridden sister, and took on the responsibility of this already shattered family."
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, as if lost in some memory, then continued, "At that moment, another young wizard with the same aspirations appeared, and they quickly established a deep friendship that allowed the young wizard to regain his ideals. They had the determination to change the wizarding world and the ambition to become leaders. Just then, the young wizard's brother pointed out that as long as he was concerned about his sister, the young wizard could never become a leader. The young wizard's best friend was very angry about this and cast a curse at the young wizard's brother, who chose to protect his brother. As a result, a chaotic brawl broke out among the three. In the chaos, the young wizard's sister wanted to help her brothers but was killed by a curse cast by someone unknown!"
Dumbledore's long white beard trembled slightly, as if he still hadn't come to terms with it.
"From that moment on, the young wizard gave up all his ideals. He didn't know what meaning his long-held ambitions and aspirations had—his sister was dead, his brother hated him forever, and even his best friend had turned against him."
At this point, Dumbledore suddenly looked at Soren, his gaze sharp and serious. "If it were you, what would you do?" he asked.
Soren pressed his lips together, his face still calm. After a long time, he finally spoke, "The answer to this question must be sought by oneself."
Dumbledore continued to observe Soren's expression, and after a while, he actually smiled, "Although you resemble my old friend, you are different in one way: you are very clear about what you want to pursue and have the courage to face your fate."
Soren immediately understood that he had successfully passed this conversation. Dumbledore was more accommodating than he had imagined, showing a certain level of tolerance for his ambitions and schemes.
Just before Soren left again, Dumbledore suddenly said, "Before you go, I want you to know that when Harry and the others infiltrated the Slytherin common room last time, although they attacked your brother—yes, I must admit they violated very serious school rules, but I did not expel Harry and the others because they had reasons to stay at Hogwarts..."
Soren curled his lips, realizing that it was just favouritism; after all, Harry was the most important part of his overall plan against Voldemort.
At the same time, Soren also realised how strong Dumbledore's control over Hogwarts was. If it were during the time of Armando Dippet, actions like Harry's that maliciously harmed classmates would have long led to expulsion; Newt Scamander was the best example, even with the Dumbledore and other professors trying to protect him.
The board of directors has the power to check and balance the principal, and as long as it is handled properly, expelling a student is not difficult at all. Moreover, Scamander is not a soft persimmon without background; at that time, his older brother, Theseus Scamander, who was nine years older than him, had already become an Auror and was making a name for himself in the Ministry of Magic. Yet, Newt was still expelled from the school under Dumbledore's protection.
During Dumbledore's era, it was clear that at least one of the twelve board members was Dumbledore's person (the one who reported Lucius's threats). The other board members, even if not part of Dumbledore's faction, were at least fence-sitters who did not want to offend him. It can be said that the board of directors was basically a mere formality after Lucius was ousted, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that Dumbledore had absolute power at Hogwarts.
Dumbledore looked at him and smiled slightly, saying, "I understand that you feel I have handled this matter unfairly and that you are dissatisfied. I have also discussed this with Snape, and I will provide some compensation to Slytherin House..."
Soren walked out of the principal's office. The school corridor was empty, yet very lively. It was unclear who leaked the news, but all the portraits were chattering about what happened in the Chamber of Secrets. Upon seeing Soren, every portrait curiously stopped him, hoping he would share how he defeated the Basilisk.
Soren ignored the portraits and headed straight to the hospital wing. Although he wasn't injured, it was still reassuring to get checked out just in case.
The next second, with a loud bang, the house-elf Dobby suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Master, Dobby is free! Harry Potter freed Dobby! He made his master give Dobby a sock! He is even greater than Dobby knew!" The little elf said in a shrill voice, his eyes wide and filled with tears. Although Soren was no longer Dobby's master in name, the bond they had built over the years made Dobby still willingly call him "Master."
"Congratulations, Dobby!" Soren said softly, noticing that Dobby was wearing Harry's sticky, smelly sock on his right foot. "Now that you are free, what do you plan to do next?"
"Dobby has thought it through, Master! Dobby likes freedom, but he also likes to work. Dobby needs a job and wants to earn wages through work." The elf said, suddenly looking a bit down. "But that is difficult; people probably won't want to pay Dobby, as it doesn't fit the qualities of a house-elf." Dobby's voice grew lower, lacking the joy he had at the beginning.
"Don't worry, Dobby. You still have me! If you still consider me a friend, come help me. I need an assistant at Hogwarts, and I can pay you. What do you think?"
Dobby was overwhelmed with emotion and burst into tears. He reached out his arms and hugged Soren's waist tightly.
Soren was genuinely happy that Dobby could escape from Malfoy Manor. Not to mention the various cruel mistreatments from his family, sooner or later, when Voldemort returned, Dobby would likely be tortured or even killed.
Moreover, Dobby being able to Apparate freely within Hogwarts was a very valuable skill for Soren. He could help Soren with various purchases outside the school and could take him into some chambers sealed by special means, like the Chamber of Slytherin, which was now an empty space. Apart from Harry, who could speak Parseltongue, only Dobby could get in by Apparating.
["Servant" Dobby acquired!]
When Soren came out of the hospital wing, he happened to catch the celebratory dinner that evening, which was held to celebrate the perfect conclusion of the Basilisk incident. All the victims from the several attacks had been healed and appeared at the dinner, embracing their friends. Afterwards, Professor McGonagall stood up to tell them that the school had decided to cancel the exams as a treat for everyone. All the students, except Hermione, were very happy about this.
At the same time, Dumbledore announced that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart had decided to resign. No one knew why he resigned, nor did anyone care about that issue. Upon hearing the news, everyone erupted in cheers, and Soren couldn't help but question the force of the world's timeline.
The only difference from the original story is that Dumbledore did indeed give Harry some points, but he also didn't forget to award points to Soren—without Quidditch, Soren alone earned 110 points for the house from the pixie incident and the uncovering of the spy incident. Thus, this year's House Cup undoubtedly went to Slytherin.
At the Slytherin table, the young wizards were caught up in a frenzy! They cheered loudly, jumping up and down at the dining table, while Draco threw away his usual restraint, vigorously banging on the table to a lively rhythm; Pansy and her friends shot off colourful streamers with their wands; Goyle and Crabbe shouted until their voices were hoarse...
Hermione, just recovered and discharged from the hospital, pulled the slightly shy Ginny and confidently walked to the Slytherin table. Under the deadly gazes of Daphne and Meredith, she congratulated and thanked Soren for saving Ginny and congratulated him on successfully bringing the House Cup to Slytherin.
The story of Soren defeating the Basilisk had already spread marvelously among the portraits, and everyone knew that this incident was ended by Soren. Therefore, Slytherin winning the House Cup was well-deserved, even the most averse little lions could not refute this fact.
Hermione originally thought that with her hint, Harry and Ron would be the key to unraveling the mystery of the Heir of Slytherin, but she didn't expect that the two thick-headed boys hadn't even thought of visiting her in the hospital wing, which made her a bit unhappy. However, she also understood that visiting a petrified patient was a meaningless task, so she didn't hold it against her friends.
What she didn't expect was that the first thing she heard upon waking was that the Chamber of Secrets incident had been resolved, and it was solved by Soren, who was also a second-year student. Upon hearing that Soren bravely faced unknown dangers alone and successfully defeated a monster with a five-star danger rating, while also saving Ron's younger sister, with whom he had always had a disagreement, she almost regarded Soren as a brave, upright, and powerful person, an existence even more impressive and dazzling than Professor Lockhart.
So she couldn't help but take the opportunity to congratulate and thank Soren, secretly hoping to chat with him about the Chamber of Secrets, but she didn't expect to draw so many hostile gazes at the Slytherin table. All the words she had in mind could only be helplessly swallowed back.
The dinner ended in such a joyful atmosphere.
*****
Want to read more of this fanfic [25+ chapters], and support me :- Patreon.com/Theuntamed0