#5 - Chapter 5 Sebastian's Ideal - Hogwarts: I am the White Demon King

Dumbledore has investigated me quite thoroughly, it seems.

Looking at Dumbledore's intensely pressuring gaze, Sebastian felt no panic whatsoever.

He had complete confidence that Dumbledore had not used Legilimency on him.

Even if the old man before him was the strongest wizard of the 20th century, if he had used Legilimency on him, he would definitely have sensed it immediately.

He wasn't planning on deceiving this old man.

Firstly, to repay Dumbledore's respect.

Secondly, because his experiences from two lifetimes had made Sebastian increasingly aware that in relationships between people, sincerity was the only surefire strategy.

Sebastian straightened up and slowly extended his right hand, holding up one finger, and then said:

"Before answering your question, I need to clarify a fact to avoid any misunderstandings about me."

Seeing Sebastian's seriousness, both Dumbledore and Snape appeared to be all ears.

Sebastian cleared his throat and said earnestly:

"Although I am the richest man in the magical world..."

"...I can responsibly say..."

"...I have no interest in Galleons!"

Hearing such outrageous words, Snape almost lost his cold expression.

Hard! Hard! Hard!

Snape clenched his fist harder than iron.

This bastard.

He's showing off too much!

If Dumbledore weren't here,

He would definitely pull out his wand and hit Sebastian with a curse.

Or just punch that annoying face of his hard!

Listen to him.

Those aren't the words of a human being.

Sebastian certainly knew the weight of these words, so without waiting for Dumbledore and Snape to react, he continued:

"In other words, earning Galleons has never been my ideal."

"My eyes are always only on the magical world."

"Professor, you probably haven't been to Knockturn Alley in a long time, have you? If you don't mind, I'd like to show you a memory."

With that, Sebastian took a Pensieve out of his pouch.

This Pensieve was an alchemical artifact created by the ancestors of the Swan family. Because the materials were extremely rare and expensive, the number of them was very small.

Sebastian remembered that there was one in the Headmaster's office, but he didn't see it this time, so Dumbledore must have put it away.

He extended his wand and pressed it against his temple. A faint silver light slowly emerged as the wand moved, forming two thin strands.

These two strands flickered with a faint light, as if containing some mysterious power.

He gently waved his wand, and the two strands slowly floated towards the Pensieve. As soon as they entered the Pensieve, they immediately diffused like ink poured into water.

Seeing that Sebastian was going to show a memory, Dumbledore and Snape both became interested. They both wanted to know what Sebastian was going to show them.

Sebastian made a gesture of invitation, and then reached his hand into the Pensieve.

In just a daze, he arrived in a dark alley.

The alley was filled with wizards wearing strange clothes, most of whom looked quite down on their luck.

Sebastian stood in the alley, and the passing wizards passed through his body. These were all memories!

In the center of the alley, another Sebastian was walking slowly, a younger Sebastian, dressed in bright clothes, with a stern face, holding a wand in his hand.

The other wizards kept their distance, their eyes filled with a little fear.

Those who frequented Knockturn Alley had very sharp eyes and could tell at a glance that this young wizard was not to be trifled with.

Turning around, Sebastian looked at the two people who had arrived behind him.

"This memory is from when I first came to Knockturn Alley, when the Second Wizarding War had just ended."

"Look at the traffic here. Although it's not as good as Diagon Alley next door, it's definitely not small. Do you think everyone here is a Dark wizard?"

Without waiting for the two to say anything, Sebastian motioned for them to follow the younger version of himself in the memory.

The Sebastian in the memory continued to walk into Knockturn Alley, slowly arriving in front of a row of free stalls, and began talking with one of the stall owners who did not hide his face.

Although they were called free stalls, they were just wizards casually laying a piece of cloth on the ground and displaying the goods they wanted to sell on it.

Dumbledore looked at the stall owner talking to Sebastian and blurted out, "Bilbo."

"That's right, Bilbo Henry, a Muggle-born Hufflepuff. He graduated from Hogwarts before I even enrolled and now works at Swan Alchemy. I didn't expect you to remember him, Professor," Sebastian said with some surprise.

"I remember every student who graduated from Hogwarts. My mind is very good. I can clearly call out each of their names," Dumbledore said.

Sebastian said, "I came to Knockturn Alley at the time to recruit some wizards for Swan Alchemy, and that's how I met Bilbo."

"Bilbo later told me that his O.W.L. (Ordinary Wizarding Level) and N.E.W.T. (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) scores weren't good, with only two Acceptable."

"His grades didn't support him in finding a decent job."

"However, he didn't want to degenerate into a Dark wizard and use magic to do some illegal things."

"After seeing the charm of magic, he was unwilling to return to the Muggle world to live."

"He also didn't want to live a reclusive life in the deep mountains."

"Houses in Knockturn Alley are very cheap."

"So he took out all his savings and bought a house in Knockturn Alley, and then made a living by brewing some inferior potions."

"He told me that although Knockturn Alley had a bad reputation..."

"...he could live like a wizard here."

Sebastian turned around and looked directly at Dumbledore, "He just had bad grades, but he didn't become a Dark wizard."

"Look, in this Knockturn Alley, besides the Dark wizards, there are many, many 'Bilbos'."

"The environment can change a person. Staying here for a long time, once they degenerate into Dark wizards, there's no turning back."

"Bilbo was lucky. Before he fell, he met me."

"Our Swan Alchemy is best at discovering people's strengths, not just judging them solely on their grades."

"However, I came too late. Many people have already completely fallen."

"After all, this is Knockturn Alley."

"Every year, there will be small wizards like Bilbo graduating."

"Unfortunately! Swan Alchemy doesn't have enough jobs to recruit them all."

Sebastian looked at himself in the memory again and said leisurely.

"Professor Dumbledore."

"Many people yearn for the magical world."

"Many people would rather believe that it was because the owl got lost that they didn't receive their Hogwarts letter."

"If they saw this side of the magical world, I wonder what they would think."

"Moreover, the development of the Muggle world is changing rapidly."

"On the other hand, the magical world has hardly changed from when I was a child to now. It's still so lifeless."

"Bilbo and others chose to stay in the magical world because of the wonder and convenience of magic."

"But what about ten or twenty years later?"

"What if Muggle-born wizards discover at that time that life in the magical world is far less wonderful and convenient than life in the Muggle world?"

"What will they choose?"

"What if half-blood wizards, or even pure-blood wizards, feel the same way?"

"I don't dare to imagine what will happen then."

"Professor!"

"The British magical world is like a big tree."

"Hogwarts is the root of this big tree."

"Now there's a problem with this big tree!"

"I can completely ignore them," Sebastian looked at Dumbledore again, "After all, even if I lie down and sleep every day, there will still be a constant stream of Galleons flowing into the Swan family's vault."

"I can also live a life of unimaginable luxury in the Muggle world."

"But!"

"I am a wizard."

"And a true Slytherin."

"I have my own ambitions and aspirations."

"With great power comes great responsibility!"

"I like the magical world, so I have been working hard to make the magical world more exciting and lively."

"But relying on myself alone, relying on Swan Alchemy alone, is simply impossible."

"So I chose to return to Hogwarts, starting from the root of the tree."

"Starting with the children."

"Let more people come together to change the magical world."

"Make this big tree stronger and more lush."