Chapter 593: Star Purification
Chapter 593: Star Purification
"This was an accident", Dumbledore said candidly. "You know I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and within Hogwarts Castle, I have access to permissions that others don't. I can see all the public dimensions in the School.
A while ago, I sensed the power of the Philosopher's Stone within the School. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that you had used the Philosopher's Stone to turn an iron nail into a gold nail. That's why I asked Professor Mcgonagall to find you: you are the second Alchemist I know who can create the Philosopher's Stone, and before I fell unconscious today, the Elixir of Life was among the things I thought could save me."
As soon as Dumbledore spoke, Liam understood what had happened: after creating the Rose Madonna, he had indeed gotten a bit carried away, but he hadn't expected the Headmaster of Hogwarts to have such extensive surveillance over the School. His only lapse in judgment had been noticed.
Of course, this was also due to the unique power of the Philosopher's Stone. Liam thought that if he had done something else, he might not have been discovered.
"So, how did you know I would use the Philosopher's Stone to save you?" Liam asked another question. "Aren't you worried that I might just be here to pay lip service to keep the secret? After all, this is the Elixir of Life, and I think it would be normal to want to keep it a secret."
"Ah, my boy, I have always believed you to be a good person", Professor Dumbledore directly gave Liam a 'good guy' card. "Ever since you helped Harry thwart Voldemort's plot in your first year, I knew you were a good person. So I trust that if you have a way to save me, you will help."
With that, Dumbledore paused and then continued, "I know you have many secrets you don't wish to share, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone is like that, even I am. Liam, you don't need to be so cautious in life just because you have secrets. As long as what you do doesn't harm others, you're doing fine. As a young person, you should have a life that belongs to a young person. You don't need to consider so many things like I do."
"But the secrets I keep might be beyond your imagination!" Liam thought, but he didn't say it aloud. Instead, he thanked Professor Dumbledore for his concern, told him to rest and take care of his body, and then left.
The next morning, everyone woke up early and hurried to the Great Hall. This wasn't because they were eager to eat, but because the events of the previous night had left everyone uneasy, and everyone hoped to get the latest news.
As soon as they entered the Great Hall, everyone immediately looked at the central seat on the platform at the front. When they saw Professor Dumbledore sitting there, eating as usual, everyone seemed much more relaxed. To the students, no matter how dangerous things got, as long as Professor Dumbledore was still around, everything wouldn't be too bad.
After breakfast, almost everyone stayed at their seats, watching Professor Dumbledore. The events of the previous night had spread throughout the entire school: the Death Eaters' infiltration and attack, the professors' betrayal, and the rumors of Professor Dumbledore being injured or even dead.
All of this made the students, who were already uneasy due to the recent poor situation, even more anxious. Some had already taken action. For example, this morning, Liam saw the father of the Patil Twins, a turban-wrapped Indian wizard, come at dawn to take his daughters away.
According to Hermione, when she returned to the dormitory last night, she saw Parvati Patil packing her suitcase. After going to bed, she heard Parvati telling Lavender that her father had planned to send her back to India to study after confirming the Dark Lord's return last year, but ultimately decided against it because Hogwarts was the safest place in Britain. However, the tragedy that occurred today, with five people dead, made her father unable to tolerate his daughters being in such a dangerous environment, so he decided to take them back to India.
"At the time, she even tried to persuade me to leave Britain and seek refuge elsewhere, like in China, because my family is in China, and your bloodline could allow the Imperial Magic Realm to accept both of us", Hermione told Liam during breakfast.
"It seems everyone is very uneasy now, but at least Dumbledore is here", Liam said, looking at Dumbledore with admiration. He knew that even though he had given Dumbledore an entire bottle of the Elixir of Life and used magic to control the curse, the Headmaster should ideally rest until the problem was completely resolved. The feeling of being drained and weak wasn't something an ordinary person could endure. He thought that Professor Dumbledore must have also realized this and had endured the pain to come and eat to calm everyone's nerves.
"Quiet, please." Dumbledore tapped his glass to get everyone's attention after noticing they had finished their meal and were staring at him. "Some of you may already know that Voldemort and his followers launched a full-scale attack yesterday. Even Hogwarts was infiltrated by the enemy."
"However, we emerged victorious. All enemies have been driven out or eliminated. So rest assured, Hogwarts will continue to operate. I know some of you may leave temporarily due to concerns from your parents or other reasons. But I assure you, as long as one student wishes to attend, the school will remain open. I will be here to guide, assist, and protect you to the best of my ability."
Clap, clap, clap—As Dumbledore finished speaking, applause erupted from the Gryffindor table, with Liam, Harry, Ron, and others leading the way. Soon, the applause grew louder and more widespread, reverberating through the Great Hall like thunder.
Dumbledore's speech was quite effective. By the evening, only a few students decided to leave. Most chose to stay and complete their studies, showing their confidence in both the school and Dumbledore, as did their parents.
However, Dumbledore was not focused on this scene at the moment. He was in his Headmaster's Office, watching as Liam and Hermione arranged some peculiar items in front of him.
"These oil lamps— they look like they're from China." Professor Dumbledore, a highly knowledgeable wizard, recognized the type of magic Liam was using after a careful inspection, though he was unsure of Liam's next steps.
"This is an ancient Chinese magic, dating back nearly two thousand years", Liam explained as he placed a large oil lamp, about knee-high, in the center of Dumbledore's office.
The Headmaster's Office had been completely transformed. The lower level was cleared, and seven large oil lamps were placed on the ground in the positions of the Big Dipper. Surrounding them were forty-nine smaller oil lamps. The large oil lamp Liam had just placed was the most crucial part of the magic ritual, known as the Life Lamp, positioned at the center of the magic array.
"What should I do next?" As the sun began to set, Dumbledore, dressed in a purple robe, stood on the second floor of his office and asked. He had watched Liam and Hermione pour lamp oil mixed with the Elixir of Life into each oil lamp and light them five minutes earlier.
"Next, you need to connect your mind to the central oil lamp and read the text on this scroll in Mandarin. After that, it's up to us", Liam said, pulling out a jade scroll with gold-threaded characters from his spatial bag and handing it to Dumbledore, who had just descended the stairs.
The scroll was written entirely in Chinese characters, but Dumbledore, who knew several hundred languages, including this one, was able to understand it. Following Liam's instructions, he connected his mind to the central oil lamp, sat cross-legged, and began to read the scroll in perfect Mandarin. "Albus was born in turbulent times, Elder Gan secluded in the springs—"
Though the atmosphere was very serious, Liam found it a bit odd to see Professor Dumbledore reciting ancient texts in Mandarin. Fortunately, the text was not long, and he quickly reached the final line. "—Bowing to the Heavenly Mercy, Listening from Above, Extending the Servant's Life, Receiving the Will of Heaven, Saving the Lives of the People, Restoring the Old, Banishing Evils. These are not vain prayers but deep feelings."
As Dumbledore finished speaking, the flames on all the oil lamps shot up suddenly. The jade scroll in his hands turned to green smoke, which rose and disappeared into the void before reaching the ceiling.
"It's done", Liam said when the smoke had completely vanished. "From now on, you need to stay in the Headmaster's Office from sunset to sunrise every day, ensuring that the oil lamps do not go out. Leave the rest to us."
"I leave it in your hands, then", Dumbledore replied, standing up and returning to his desk upstairs to begin processing documents. Voldemort's large-scale attack had significantly increased Dumbledore's workload as the top-ranked White Wizard.
(End of Chapter)
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