Chapter 80: Dispute over Christmas
Carl's words not only made Dumbledore completely silent, but also made all the portraits in the headmaster's office silent.
The portraits, which usually chatter away, also fell silent.
They crowded into a small picture frame under the principal's desk, all raised their heads and looked at Karl.
They look so neatly arranged, like a group of penguins ready to be fed.
Neither Dumbledore nor these portraits had ever thought like Carl.
In other words, the vast majority of people in the entire British wizarding community simply regarded Voldemort and his followers as...
They are classified as the evil side, and Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix are regarded as the righteous side.
The complexity of human nature does not exist in this contest. Everything is like a classical drama, a conflict between justice and evil, and justice ultimately triumphs over evil.
But Carl never thought so, as an aspiring young man who had been educated by that great man.
As a young man who had learned the greatest dragon-slaying technique in the world, he understood this very clearly.
Everything has its own laws of development, and everything has two sides. Absolute justice and evil only exist in fairy tales.
Accepting the grayness of the world, accepting the complexity of this world, and then facing it bravely is the real growth.
So Carl did not mock the old man in front of him as he usually did, but just sat quietly opposite him and smoked.
Waiting for the other party to sort out his thoughts, time passed by minute by minute.
Until a melodious bell rang from the castle's bell tower, Carl packed up his things and prepared to leave, but before leaving.
He couldn't help but turn back, took out a piece of parchment and handed it over.
"I think you have plenty of time to think. After all, there is not much for you to do in this office."
"It's good to use the time you spend eating candy to think about some valuable issues. I praise it for that."
"But I need you to sign something now. Don't worry, it's not a scam contract, it's just a letter of consent."
"I will need to leave Hogwarts for a while over Christmas to serve as my guardian in the wizarding world."
"I need your signature."
These words pulled Dumbledore back to reality from his whirlpool of thought. He looked at the parchment in front of him.
And Karl said what he had said before, pouting and saying it in a bit of a tantrum.
"Christmas is a time for families to reunite. I think you should stay in Hogwarts and celebrate the holiday with all the students."
"Kid, I think this should be considered your home."
Having said that, Dumbledore paused, turned to look at Carl and asked in confusion.
"You want me to sign this, do you want to go to Germany during Christmas?"
Hearing this, Carl was a little confused, but when facing Dumbledore, he didn't know why he always liked to joke with the old Dumbledore in front of him.
So he nodded smoothly and said.
"Yes, I am going to Germany. I am going to spend Christmas with Aunt Rozier. She is my only relative in this world."
"If you don't want to sign, take it away right now!" Dumbledore suddenly lost his temper, and his previous pensive state disappeared without a trace in an instant.
The old man stood up angrily, threw the parchment on the ground, then turned his head away from Karl, his chest heaving with anger.
This time, Carl was really at a loss. He looked at Dumbledore dimly and smiled helplessly.
He picked up the parchment from the ground, walked slowly to the other person's side, wanting to look at the other person's face and talk.
But I didn't expect this old man to be so stubborn. No matter where I went, he would turn his head to the other side.
Seeing that the other party was starting to lose his temper, Carl had no choice but to lower his posture. After all, he had calculated it himself.
The only way for me to earn points now is to earn money from my Hogwarts classmates.
He calculated carefully and found that at the current rate, the wealth held by students was too scarce.
Even with the support of Slytherin's group of wealthy local people, the number is far from enough, and it is close to Christmas.
Hogwarts would probably be drained dry by itself, and the students wouldn't be able to pay even a single Galleon.
But if we want to expand the business to the entire magical world, we must have at least 100 million points. By then, we will still be at least 10 points away from that goal.
I must think of a way to fill this hole as soon as possible.
He made an exception and asked the dog system, but the dog system said it was powerless and suggested that he could continue to tease his teachers and classmates.
Violate school rules and cause havoc in school to quickly increase points.
But who is Carl? How could he destroy the kind and perfect image of himself in the hearts of his teachers and classmates just for a few points?
So he chose another more gentle path, which was the bargaining chip that all villains and demons could not refuse, the souls of innocent people.
He has already negotiated terms with the system: one person's soul in exchange for 100 points.
That's why he planned to leave Hogwarts this Christmas and get 1000 souls.
Perhaps he didn't expect that the old man would be so dissatisfied with him going to Germany. There must be some unspeakable secret.
I must find out more about this, but for now, I should try to coax this old child. After all, he is still my guardian in name.
So Karl lowered his tone and spoke calmly.
"Don't be so angry, Principal. If you have such a problem with that, then I won't go to Germany. I can go to other countries."
"Then you have no objection, right? And I can give you any Christmas present you want, and forgive part of your debt, okay?"
"Or anything else, no problem, we can discuss it."
Hearing this, Dumbledore became even angrier. Was he that kind of person? This guy actually insulted him with money.
What, taking pictures with 500 people who bought flying brooms for 99 Galleons a day, isn't that work? How can it be confused with the same thing?
Besides, most of them are his own students. Is there anything wrong with the principal taking photos with his students?
I won't do something I don't want to do just for money.
Dumbledore, who completed the moral loop for the first time, suddenly became tough in his tone. He looked up at Carl and said angrily.
"Don't use your money to insult me. I don't need any gifts. I only have one condition: to be your guardian."
"I am your parent, so you must spend Christmas with me."
When Karl heard this, he couldn't help but laugh or cry, but he was sharp-sighted and still noticed it.
Although the old man in front of me said this in a tough tone, there was a sad pleading look in his eyes.
He lowered his head and thought carefully for a moment, then nodded calmly.
"Okay, I agree to your request. We can drink a glass of eggnog together then, but let me make this clear first."
"I have to make or select the dishes. You love sweets so much, and I really can't stand the sweet taste."
Upon hearing this, a smile immediately appeared on Dumbledore's face. The old man's expression changed so quickly, just like his hand signing.
He quickly signed his name on the parchment, then immediately stopped smiling and pointed at the door.
"Hurry up, this is my office."
Faced with this kind of behavior of destroying the bridge after crossing it, Carl cooperated by raising his hands high and smiling.
"Okay, you're the principal, I'll give the office back to you."
However, before leaving, Carl, who was standing at the door, pointed to a floor-to-ceiling mirror placed at an angle on the other side of the desk.
The mirror was very tall and most of it was covered by velvet cloth.
Karl pointed at the mirror and kept shaking his head.
"The reason why memories are memories is that they cannot be undone if you really regret the past."
"All you can do is to forget it as quickly as possible. Of course, if you can't forget it, then be brave and take it back."
"No matter what you have to face, whether it's your own heart or this damn world, if you're afraid of being alone, I can be with you."
Carl's words made Dumbledore silent. He looked up at the motionless velvet cloth and recalled a person's voice in his mind.
That handsome young man once said this to himself.
"I never regret anything I did, even if it caused me pain, dear Al!!"
