Even though she was somewhat flustered, she still didn't forget to bring Chu Yang along to the Headmaster's office.
The two of them took the revolving staircase up to the eighth floor. At the end of the corridor stood an oak door, with a griffin-shaped knocker mounted upon it. Professor McGonagall stepped forward and lifted the knocker, rapping lightly.
With a creak, the door opened. McGonagall led Chu Yang inside. The first thing that caught his eye was a massive wooden desk, covered with assorted sweets.
The room itself was spacious, filled everywhere with strange and curious silver instruments. They looked like magical devices, yet at the same time resembled mere decorations.
The wise old man stood by the window, seemingly deep in thought.
"Dumbledore, Chu Yang is here," Professor McGonagall reminded him.
"Thank you for your trouble, Minerva. You may go and attend to your duties," Dumbledore said with a gentle nod and a smile. He then crossed the room, walked past the desk, and stopped directly in front of Chu Yang.
"Before I leave, there's something I need to report," Professor McGonagall said, striding quickly to Dumbledore's side and lowering her voice as she spoke about Malfoy and the Black Lake.
A flash of surprise crossed Dumbledore's eyes. After a moment's thought, he said, "We'll wait until Malfoy wakes up and question him personally. For now, set aside everyone else's accounts."
"I understand." McGonagall nodded, then turned and left the office.
"So you're Chu Yang, then? Sprout mentions your name so often that for a while I thought I was living in the East," Dumbledore said cheerfully. He gestured for Chu Yang to sit and handed him a small sweet from the desk.
The moment Chu Yang accepted it and their gazes met, Dumbledore experienced the same thing the Sorting Hat had.
Three or four seconds later, Dumbledore quickly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The pressure conveyed through that brief eye contact was something even he found hard to bear.
"No wonder the Sorting Hat reacted that way. There seems to be something quite extraordinary hidden within you—something that prevents others from probing your thoughts."
Dumbledore exclaimed in wonder, "Because you're an orphan, we naturally assumed your parents were Muggles. But now, that assumption seems… inaccurate."
"Your parents were likely from some renowned wizarding family of an ancient Eastern nation. Otherwise, it's difficult to explain what resides within you."
Chu Yang shrugged casually. "Where they came from, I don't know. But I really am an orphan."
"And earlier, you mentioned probing my thoughts…"
Chu Yang's gaze sharpened as he looked straight at Dumbledore. Anyone who experienced Legilimency twice in a single day would be angry.
"I sincerely apologize, Mr. Chu Yang. This is one of my less admirable habits after so many years as headmaster—always being overly cautious, overly vigilant, and neglecting other, more important things."
Dumbledore spoke gently, his expression earnest. "From your perspective, your anger is entirely justified. Still, I hope you can understand this old man."
Dumbledore was an exceptionally intelligent wizard. One of the cleverest things about him was his ability to move others with warmth and sincerity.
Chu Yang understood this very well. Even so, the anger in his heart was rapidly dissipating.
"As compensation," Dumbledore smiled, "I can agree to some reasonable requests—such as providing additional financial aid."
"I like reading," Chu Yang replied without hesitation. "Headmaster Dumbledore, if possible, I hope the library can open more restricted sections to me, so I can absorb more knowledge."
This request clearly lay outside Dumbledore's expectations. He had assumed that a child from an orphanage would immediately choose financial support.
Dumbledore looked at him with appreciation. "For a wizard, that is undoubtedly a wise choice. However, knowledge is often dangerous—especially for someone your age, who can't yet discern those dangers."
"Moreover, you've only just enrolled. There is still much fundamental knowledge you must learn. To become a great wizard, you must take each step steadily."
"So, regarding your request, I'll reserve my decision for now. When the time is right, I'll allow you access to greater knowledge."
Chu Yang didn't press the issue, calmly accepting Dumbledore's counsel.
The refusal was within his expectations. He never intended to reach his goal all at once. Getting a promise from Dumbledore was already an excellent result.
As long as he continued to demonstrate extraordinary talent and changed Dumbledore's mind, the hidden magical knowledge within the library would sooner or later fall into his hands.
Dumbledore felt genuinely pleased by Chu Yang's maturity, which far surpassed that of his peers.
If this were any other eleven-year-old, he would likely have been pestered endlessly.
"Sprout has told me about some of your unusual traits. Even the Sorting Hat struggled to decide where you belong. Do you have any thoughts on that?" Dumbledore asked kindly, like a friendly old neighbor chatting across the fence.
From his attitude, Chu Yang sensed true equality—and that alone inspired goodwill.
Chu Yang closed his eyes and pondered for a long while, then ultimately shook his head.
Dumbledore adjusted his glasses. "Child, could you show me your magic?"
As he spoke, he pointed lightly at the air. Magic bloomed at his fingertips like fireworks.
The wand on the desk immediately flew into his hand.
Wandless magic!
Dumbledore handed the wand to Chu Yang.
Smiling, he said, "This is a wand I had prepared in advance. Its materials are similar to your own."
"Of course, its core isn't the rare Qilin scale, but a unicorn's tail hair. Both are sacred magical creatures, and neither should strongly reject your magic."
Chu Yang took the wand from Dumbledore, though his thoughts drifted elsewhere. What would it be like if Dumbledore asked him to cast a spell with the Elder Wand?
If nature-based magic centered on Wood Release collided with the Elder Wand—elder wood and Thestral tail hair—just how great an impact would that cause?
One thing was certain…
This Headmaster's office definitely wouldn't survive.
The portraits of past headmasters lining the walls would likely suffer catastrophic destruction as well.
Unaware of Chu Yang's wandering thoughts, Dumbledore saw that he hadn't acted for some time and assumed he was worried about the consequences.
Chuckling, he reassured him, "Don't be afraid, my child. No matter what happens, I'll bear the consequences for you. Relax, focus, and control your magic."
With his previous experience, Chu Yang felt far less resistance when using a wand. Listening carefully to Dumbledore's guidance, he slowly channeled his magic into it and gave a gentle wave.
(End of Chapter)