Chapter 539: Phoenix Dances and Dragon Flies

Chapter 539: Phoenix Dances and Dragon Flies
The morning after the Azkaban prison break was reported in the newspapers, a new notice was posted on the school's notice board:
"Hogwarts High Inquisitor's Order

Teachers are hereby prohibited from providing any information to students that is not related to the subject they are teaching.

The above regulations are in compliance with the "Education Order No. 26".

- Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor at Hogwarts

Umbridge's intention was to stop teachers and students from discussing the incident, so that it would die down over time. However, this proved to be of no use.

The news of the Death Eaters' escape slowly attracted more and more attention in Hogwarts. Rumor had it that someone in Hogsmeade had recognized several fugitives and that they were hiding in the Shrieking Shack and might break into Hogwarts like Sirius Black did.

Children of magical families have heard of these Death Eaters since childhood. Their names are almost as terrifying as Voldemort, and the crimes they committed during Voldemort's reign of terror are well known. Among Hogwarts students are the families of the victims, such as Susan Bones, whose uncle, aunt and cousins ​​all died at the hands of Death Eaters, making her the unwilling focus of attention in the corridor.

In the class leader's special meeting room, she complained to Xie Ling in a low voice. Of course, her complaints were just verbal. After all, in the past year, she had made great progress both mentally and physically. Compared with those little badgers in the same class as her, she was no longer on the same level.

On the other side, Harry was once again the subject of whispers and pointing in the corridor, but he noticed that the tone of the talkers had changed slightly.

Curiosity now replaced hostility, and once or twice he seemed to hear some voices expressing dissatisfaction with the Daily Prophet's account of how the Death Eaters had escaped Azkaban. In their confusion and fear, the doubters seemed to turn to the only remaining explanation, which was that what Harry and Dumbledore had been saying for the past year was true - Voldemort really had risen.

The scene turns to Xie Ling.

On the evening of the second day after the Death Eaters' escape, after class, Sherin received a message from a Gryffindor student - Dumbledore invited him to meet in the headmaster's office.

"Finally here," Xie Lin raised a wicked smile, his eyes not only without any worry, but full of eagerness to try, "It seems that the principal who always likes to sit on the high platform is beginning to get restless."

On the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle, in the headmaster's office, the warm yellow candlelight cast flickering shadows between the bookshelves. Sherin stepped into the room, met Dumbledore's deep gaze, and closed the door.

"Please take a seat, Shaylin." Dumbledore smiled and gestured, "First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your outstanding performance in the Potions Championship. You have won great honor for Hogwarts."

Xie Lin sat down on the chair, nodded slightly, and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Thank you for the compliment, Headmaster Dumbledore. I just did my duty."

"You have done much more than just 'duty'." Dumbledore sighed lightly, and then changed the subject, "However, I invited you here today not just to congratulate you. I want to talk to you about the 'Sleeping Dragon Society'."

Xie Lin's expression remained unchanged, and even a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Oh? It seems that the principal has been paying attention to us for a while."

Schelling was not surprised that Dumbledore would discover the existence of the Dragon Society. Although the Dragon Society had been developing very carefully, it was only a matter of time before it was discovered as it grew larger. Moreover, the number of members of the Dragon Society had already exceeded 80, and they were spread across the three major colleges of Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Not to mention Dumbledore, I'm afraid some attentive students might have already noticed it.

And the fact is indeed so, for example, the Hufflepuff prefect Rolf Scamander mentioned above is one of them. Although Sherin didn't know about Rolf Scamander, he wouldn't care even if he knew. With his current strength, he is not afraid of even Dumbledore, let alone those students who are still studying.

"Indeed." Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes observing him quietly through his half-moon glasses. "A club secretly formed by students, involving the study of magic, participation in politics, and even a certain degree of self-defense training... Its scale is already quite considerable."

"There are more than eighty people, spread across three colleges." Xie Lin raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and added without disguising, "Since the principal already knows, I won't hide it."

Dumbledore tapped the table lightly, his tone still gentle: "When a student organization develops to such an extent, even the most tolerant school rules will find it difficult to turn a blind eye to it."

"Does the principal mean to ban us?" Xie Lin looked at him calmly and unperturbed.

"That's not the case." Dumbledore shook his head slightly, "But I have to figure out what exactly you want to do?"

Xie Lin sneered softly, his eyes meaningful: "Headmaster, why do Slytherin students choose to unite together? Don't you really know?"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "I would like to hear your opinion."

Xie Ling leaned forward slightly, folded his hands on his knees, and said in a sharp but polite tone: "The fairness and justice of Hogwarts only applies to some people, right? For example, the position of student union president is always in the pocket of Gryffindor. Another example is Harry Potter, who has repeatedly violated school rules and has never been truly punished. Instead, he has been indulged every time."

Dumbledore looked at him gently: "What Harry has experienced is not something that an ordinary student should endure..."

"So he can do whatever he wants?" Xie Lin sneered, "Principal, if being 'the chosen one' means enjoying special privileges, then what fairness can we talk about in this school? You have always emphasized the need to unite the colleges, but in fact, isn't it your own favoritism that has caused the conflict between the colleges?"

Dumbledore frowned slightly, as if he wanted to refute, but Schelling didn't give him a chance.

"Besides, do you really care about Potter?" Xie Ling sneered and leaned back in his chair, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm. "I'm afraid that what you care about is not Potter as a 'person', but the 'savior' in your mind. If you really care about him, you will find that he has changed a long time ago."

Dumbledore looked at him quietly, with a trace of inquiry between his brows: "What do you mean?"

"No matter what your reasons are for deliberately distancing yourself from Potter, you ignore that he is not a natural savior. He is just a teenage boy with all kinds of inner and emotional needs—" Sherin said calmly but forcefully, "You are so absorbed in your own plans that you don't even notice that the 'savior' you have been trying to protect is already moving towards darkness."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly, and he placed his fingers together on the table: "What are you talking about?"

"My intelligence tells me that Harry Potter has begun to study the dark arts secretly," Sherin said calmly, "Do you think his anger, his paranoia, and his disregard for the rules will have no consequences? He has begun to come into contact with things that are more dangerous than the power he can control, and this is precisely because he has never received real guidance. The funny thing is that with so many adult wizards around him fighting around him, no one has noticed this!" Dumbledore was silent for a moment, and whispered, "Harry has been through a lot, and his growing environment -"

"Lack of parental discipline?" Xie Lin interrupted him with a sneer, "So he can be forgiven? Principal, the world will not always be tolerant of a person just because he had an unfortunate childhood. And your so-called 'protection' is simply avoiding the problem."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed with deep thought, and Sherin continued: "You never really cared about Harry's heart. You just wanted him to play the game according to your plan. Unfortunately, he didn't do as you wished."

Dumbledore did not speak for a long time, and the whole office fell into silence.

Finally, he sighed softly, as if with a hint of fatigue: "What... do you want to do?"

"I have something I must protect—" Sherin said calmly, "But Harry is not my enemy. As an ordinary classmate, I don't want him to fall into darkness in the end. Headmaster, it's time for you to intervene."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, and finally nodded slowly: "Thank you for your reminder." He looked at Sherin with a deep gaze, "I will pay attention to Harry's affairs... But now I want to know more -" His glasses reflected a faint light, and his eyes suddenly became sharp, "What do you think of Voldemort and the Ministry of Magic."

Xie Lin chuckled, then his expression became serious: "Principal, Voldemort is my enemy, you can rest assured about this. We are on the same page in dealing with Voldemort."

"So..." Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, his voice low, "You finally admit that you already knew that Harry was not lying, and that Voldemort has really been resurrected. And the battle in Little Hangleton Cemetery... was actually your fight with Voldemort?" He paused, his eyes as sharp as a blade, "So, what you said in front of Fudge, was it to paralyze the Ministry of Magic, or - to plot against me?"

The corners of Xie Ling's mouth slightly raised, and a meaningful smile flashed in his eyes. He sneered and shook his head, saying, "I did screw you and Harry on this point." He paused slightly, his eyes pondering, "But honestly, Headmaster, you and I are both smart people. Haven't you considered what the consequences would be if you chose to disobey Fudge's wishes and make the news of Voldemort's resurrection public?"

Dumbledore did not respond, but looked at him quietly, waiting for his answer.

"The wizarding world has not experienced a real war for too long." Sherin said calmly, "Do you think it is the Ministry of Magic's fault for blocking information? No, Headmaster, that is the choice of the entire wizarding society."

Dumbledore's face remained calm, but there was a hint of hesitation in the depths of his eyes.

"Although the Ministry of Magic must bear a certain responsibility, no one can deny that the wizarding community is fundamentally unwilling to accept the fact that Voldemort has returned." Sherin said in a steady tone, "They are afraid of war, and they are more willing to believe the Ministry of Magic's reassurance than your warnings. Even if you stand up and tell the truth, they will only choose to escape."

"So, you are helping the evil, helping the Ministry of Magic conceal the truth, depriving the people of the right to know the truth, leaving them unprepared for the impending danger and allowing them to fall into danger? Sherin -" Dumbledore's voice carried an inexplicable power, and a strong sense of oppression came straight to Sherin, "Do you know how many people will die and how many families will be broken up by doing this?"

Xie Ling restrained the smile on his face, but he was not afraid at all. He said calmly: "Principal, I think you misunderstood a little bit. The Ministry of Magic and I are not on the same side. I do not approve of the Ministry of Magic's concealment of the truth. In fact, I think it is quite stupid."

Dumbledore's eyes flickered slightly, and he finally spoke: "Then why are you still..."

"I'm just going with the flow," Schelling interrupted him. "My opinion is that you can't win the trust of the masses by telling the truth directly like you did. It won't help the situation at all. On the contrary, you will only offend the Ministry of Magic and attract targeting and suppression from the Ministry of Magic. You may even become the target of criticism from the media and the masses because your speech doesn't meet the psychological expectations of the masses and is not conducive to social harmony and stability. Your current experience proves that my opinion is correct."

The strength in Dumbledore's body receded like the tide. His eyes were no longer sharp. Instead, he showed a rare self-doubt. He seemed to have lost his strength.

"What...is your plan?" he whispered.

"Wait for the opportunity!" Xie Ling said firmly, "If Voldemort wants to fulfill his ambition, he will not do nothing. He will recruit soldiers and accumulate strength. In the process, he will slowly expose his existence. For example, after the Death Eaters escaped from prison, they will inevitably bring shock and destruction to the wizarding society..."

"Pain is the best teacher. Only when people are truly hurt will they learn their lesson and face reality," Sherin said coldly. "Only then will the public be willing to accept the fact that Voldemort has been resurrected. I think this is the best time to stand up and announce the truth. This is also the time for me to really take action."

Dumbledore was silent.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Dumbledore sighed deeply, "You are very smart, and you know how to protect yourself and adapt to the situation..." His voice was a little complicated, "I will not blame you for this matter again, but Xie Ling..." He stared at Xie Ling, and said in a low voice, "I just hope you can remember your original intention and don't let down those who believe in you."

Oh, are you playing the emotional card?

But Schelling was very pleased with this.

He is not a heartless person.

In fact, his original intention of pursuing strength and power was to protect his family and all the people he loved. He wanted to defeat the Dark Lord because he threatened the safety of everyone, especially Draco; and he suppressed the Order of the Phoenix because after the victory, Harry and his trio would be manipulated by the pure-blood enlightened faction and make the pure-blood family a thing of the past.

Rule the world? Be invincible? This was never his goal.

From the beginning to the end, power and strength were just means for him to reach his destination.

McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape were all very kind to him and had given him wholehearted and unreserved guidance when he was still young and inexperienced. For this reason, Shalling had to consider Hogwarts and could not ignore the safety of Hogwarts for his own selfish interests.

He was silent for a moment, then stood up, his cloak slightly raised. His eyes were cold, with a meaningful smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Don't worry, I know what to do—" He turned around firmly, his cloak rising sharply, and his cold voice came from behind, "Next, you will see my methods carefully!"