#4 - Chapter 4: Meeting Dumbledore

The Headmaster's office was a circular room, very spacious, and the furnishings decorated the entire room in a unique and beautiful way.

On a slender-legged, carved table, various bizarre alchemical items and antique silverware were displayed, clearly worth a fortune.

In a corner of the room, there was a slightly old-fashioned shelf, on which sat a crumpled, dirty-looking wizard's hat. The hat was covered in patches and looked rather tattered.

Don't underestimate this wizard's hat because of its appearance. It is a veritable antique, and its value cannot be measured in Galleons.

This wizard's hat was originally a simple hat belonging to Godric Gryffindor, one of the founders of Hogwarts, a thousand years ago.

After the school was founded, Gryffindor took out this hat and, together with the other three founders (Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin), imbued it with intelligence.

Every year, before the start-of-term feast, first-year students would line up in a long queue and take turns wearing the Sorting Hat in alphabetical order of their last names, and then it would sort them into houses.

The walls of the room were covered with portraits of former headmasters, both male and female, gently snoring in their respective frames.

As Sebastian and the others entered the office, the headmaster portraits opened their eyes one after another, looking at Sebastian and whispering to each other.

One of the male wizards with a goatee shouted loudly as soon as he saw Sebastian, "Look, this is our most outstanding graduate from Slytherin ever!"

His name was Phineas Black, a headmaster from Slytherin.

Sebastian bowed to the headmaster portraits and then looked towards the wizard behind the headmaster's desk—Albus Dumbledore.

At this moment, Dumbledore was leaning back in his chair, gently rubbing his temples with his slender fingers, as if he had a headache.

Hearing the voices of the portraits, Dumbledore opened his eyes, his blue eyes very bright, as if they could see through people's hearts. The hint of fatigue in his eyes disappeared in a flash.

"Sebastian, welcome, welcome," Dumbledore stood up and walked towards Sebastian with open arms.

"I've been expecting you for a long time. It's just that it would have been nice if you could have been a little kinder to Hogwarts's gates. They are over a thousand years old."

Sebastian quickly stepped forward and gave Dumbledore a light hug, playfully saying, "You're wronging me, Professor Dumbledore."

Sebastian looked mockingly at Snape, "Most of the spells that hit the gate just now came from the hands of professors at your school."

"Besides, Hogwarts's gates have stood for thousands of years, blocking countless powerful spells! How could a few minor jinxes cause any damage?"

Sebastian smiled and straightened his chest again, the Swanne family crest on his chest shining brightly, "Professor, don't forget what my family does."

"If you think the current Hogwarts gates don't look good..."

"Just say the word."

"I guarantee to replace them with brand new ones and expand Hogwarts's gates by the way, making them absolutely beautiful and grand!"

"Free of charge, just consider it my contribution to my alma mater!"

"You, you, you, no wonder you were the famous 'Arbitrator' during your school days, your eloquence is still so good," Dumbledore shook his head with a smile, "Please sit down."

Sebastian quickly said, "Professor Dumbledore, could you let Professor Snape stay? He's also very interested in my arrival."

Dumbledore nodded, "I don't mind. Severus, please sit down too."

After everyone was seated, Dumbledore drew his wand, "Would you like something to drink? Pumpkin juice? Tea?" Then he winked playfully, "Or a glass of butterbeer?"

Sebastian reached into his wallet, which had been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, took out two bottles of black liquid, and placed them on the headmaster's desk.

"I recommend drinking this 'Happy Water'. It's sweeping the globe in the Muggle world, and the weather in July is perfect for cooling off with it."

Dumbledore looked at the two bottles of drink on the table with interest and let out a sigh full of memories, "Cola! When I was young, I went to America and met a Muggle there."

"His name was Jacob (a character who appeared in 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'), a kind-hearted and very brave fellow."

"He helped us a lot," Dumbledore smiled knowingly, "Many people jokingly called him the 'Chosen Muggle'."

"He wanted to treat me to this drink back then, but unfortunately, something happened, and I never got to drink it."

"Today, I must have a good taste."

Dumbledore reached out his hand, preparing to pour himself a glass.

Sebastian quickly spoke, "Professor Dumbledore, please wait a moment."

Without Sebastian making any movements, the cola bottle was covered in frost and emitted a slight chill.

Then Sebastian stood up and personally poured a full glass of cola for everyone.

"Exquisite wandless magic," Dumbledore looked at Sebastian, who had sat back down, with admiration, "Freezing Charm, perfect magic control!"

"Truly remarkable." Dumbledore praised as he looked at the cola in his glass, noticing that the cola was constantly bubbling and making a sizzling sound.

He picked up the glass and took a sip.

So refreshing.

Sweet!

In addition, the bubbles in the cola kept exploding in his mouth, tingling and numbing.

Dumbledore immediately fell in love with this Muggle drink and quickly took another big sip.

Cool!

"It's such a pity, I'm so old, and I'm only drinking such a delicious drink now," Dumbledore said with some regret.

Hearing Dumbledore say this, Sebastian immediately became unhappy, "Who said you're old?"

"Wizards generally have long lifespans, especially powerful wizards."

"Former Headmaster Dippet was over 200 years old when he took office."

"You're not even 110 years old yet, which is the prime of life for a wizard."

"And judging by appearance alone, you look at most 60 years old."

"If you like drinking this drink, I'll send you a whole truckload for Christmas this year."

Dumbledore laughed heartily, "You, you, you, you're still so good with words."

The atmosphere between Sebastian and Dumbledore gradually warmed up, and the awkwardness slowly faded away as they chatted.

After chatting for a while, Dumbledore sat up straight, leaned forward slightly, and then placed his hands together, fingers interlaced, along with his arms on the table.

His sharp gaze peered through his half-moon spectacles, staring straight at Sebastian, and asked seriously:

"Sebastian, we all know that you added a Deputy Headmaster position at Hogwarts through the Board of Governors."

"As Headmaster, I think I have the right to decide whether to hire you."

"As far as I know, thanks to your efforts, Swanne Alchemy has long become the wealthiest enterprise in the British magical world, even the entire magical world."

"And since you graduated, you've been buying properties everywhere in the Muggle world."

"In the past two years, you've also gone to the Muggle world of the Bear Country, taking advantage of the turmoil there to make a lot of money, and then buying real estate all over the world."

"Look."

"You have already achieved success and fame, and whether in the magical world or the Muggle world, you should have many industries to manage."

"What exactly is the reason that makes you so persistent in coming to Hogwarts?"

"I want to hear your thoughts."

"The most honest thoughts!"