The most shocked of all were undoubtedly Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.
They simply could not imagine Albus Dumbledore ever saying the words, "For the Greater Good."
In their eyes, Dumbledore was kind and fair. He held no bias toward pure-bloods, half-bloods, or Muggle-borns. He treated everyone equally and was widely regarded as the wisest wizard in the world.
Precisely because of that image, the revelation struck them even harder.
Dumbledore gradually returned to his senses, his thoughts drifting back from that distant summer to the present moment.
He looked at the other six people on the platform, reading their expressions one by one.
He knew that beyond the platform, countless eyes were fixed on him as well.
"When you are young, you often make wrong choices," Dumbledore said gently. "And those choices sometimes lead to consequences you can never undo. I hope you will all remember to think carefully when facing important decisions in your own lives."
He lifted a hand as though to wipe his eyes.
But if one looked closely, there were no tears.
It was simply a quiet sigh—meant for the students before him.
"Alright. You may buzz in now."
Aiden stepped forward. Of everyone present, he understood this story best.
The question-and-answer space truly knew how to reopen old wounds.
That summer had been Dumbledore's deepest regret.
This time, however, although Aiden invited them to respond, no one moved.
They were all looking at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore noticed and offered a small, reassuring smile.
"Don't mind me," he said. "It was a mistake from my youth. Please, go ahead."
It was obvious he did not intend to participate.
Some pains were simply too difficult to confront again.
The remaining six exchanged glances.
With only ten seconds left on the clock suspended above them, three hands finally pressed their buzzers.
"Very good," Aiden announced. "The respondents are Harry Potter, Gilderoy Lockhart, and Draco Malfoy."
"Please provide your answers."
"I'll go first!" Harry said immediately, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore.
For once, Draco did not argue.
Lockhart simply smiled indulgently at Harry. After all, Harry Potter was very useful for one's reputation.
"Mr. Potter, your answer?"
Harry took a deep breath.
He examined the four options carefully.
Aside from the first name, he did not recognize any of them.
Even Gellert Grindelwald was only familiar because he had seen the name on a Chocolate Frog card his first year.
And since Grindelwald had been defeated by Dumbledore, Harry reasoned that he could not possibly have proposed such a phrase alongside him.
That left three options.
"I choose C," Harry said firmly. "The one who proposed 'For the Greater Good' with Professor Dumbledore was Newt Scamander."
He lifted his head, determination shining in his eyes.
If he was wrong, there would be punishment.
Hermione looked at him anxiously.
The name Newt Scamander had sounded familiar to her as well.
Now she remembered why.
She had read it in a book.
Newt Scamander—the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. A wizard who traveled the world studying magical creatures, advocating for their protection, and raising awareness about endangered species.
A respected figure.
In certain circles, his reputation rivaled Dumbledore's.
And that was precisely why Hermione knew Harry had made a mistake.
Someone who dedicated his life to protecting magical creatures would never have championed something like "For the Greater Good" in the way this question implied.
Sure enough—
"Although I would very much like you to answer correctly so I can finish work earlier," Aiden said, lowering his voice slightly, "I must inform you that your answer is incorrect, Mr. Potter."
Aiden had tried to sound gentle. He had noticed the strange looks people often gave him, as if he were some kind of villain.
He considered himself quite kind, actually.
But Harry's face turned deathly pale.
He had seen what happened to Draco.
He had seen what happened to Ron Weasley.
He did not expect to escape whatever method this "game" used for punishment.
He absolutely did not want to wear a pink dress and wig to dance before the entire school.
Nor did he want to publicly confess dramatic feelings to another boy.
At this moment, Harry felt as though he wanted to cry, but no tears would come.
Why had he buzzed in so recklessly?
He already had two revolvers as a reward. Wasn't that enough?
There was no such thing as regret medicine.
And even if there were, he doubted he would receive any.
He could only wait.
His heart pounded uneasily.
His expression was one of pure resignation.
"Relax, Mr. Potter," Aiden said. "There's no need to be so nervous. It's only a small game."
That reassurance made it worse.
Harry stared at him in terror, his eyes silently pleading: Let me go.
Aiden's smile slowly faded into something expressionless.
"Mr. Potter, your punishment is to experience an extreme foul odor for one minute."
"From this moment on, no matter what you smell, it will be foul."
"And it will begin immediately."
...
Author's Update 18+ 📢
The fanfic Naruto: Raised by Kushina, Took His Brother's Wife – Part 1 is now officially fully completed!
It is now available on Patreon for all tiers, including the lowest Tier 1.
The complete Part 1 has been uploaded on Patreon.
📚 Category: Naruto 18+
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Thank you all for your continuous love, support, and patience for this story 💙