In London, England, inside the Knowledge Society compound, Levi Wells and Dumbledore sat facing each other, both having loosened their grip on their Wand. Around them lay ruins torn apart by storm winds and frost, with broken stone scattered across the ground. Wild magic still leaked through the air, yet the two men at the center of it remained unexpectedly calm.
"Lemon Black Tea?"
"That will do. Thank you."
Dumbledore thanked the House-elf standing beside him. Bartton snorted through his nose, set a cup of Lemon Black Tea in front of Dumbledore, then dumped in several large spoonfuls of white sugar and stirred it together with ice. "Oh~~~"
Dumbledore watched him with a gentle smile and did not stop the clumsy-looking act. Levi Wells shook his head slightly and chose to speak first. "Professor, does this mean I have your approval? May I ask what the third option is?"
Before they fought, Dumbledore had given Levi Wells three choices. One was to abandon Dark Magic forever, stop studying and spreading it, and have Dumbledore speak with the Ministry of Magic to lift the warrant against him. The second was to resist to the end and be personally sent by Dumbledore to Azkaban.
The third choice would be decided after the fight, based on Levi Wells's performance. Levi Wells had rejected the first without hesitation, as he would never stop on his path of magic. He did not want the second either, because even if he could escape, he could not be sure of protecting his two assistants.
Even if he escaped once, Dumbledore would surely treat him as a dangerous target afterward, making future work extremely difficult. Fighting to the death was never considered, as battling Dumbledore held no real meaning. That left only the third option.
"Mm." Dumbledore finally pulled his attention away from Bartton and, under the house-elf's stare, drank half the overly sweet Lemon Black Tea in one go.
"Cold drinks are not bad once in a while, but at my age I should take it easy." On the surface, Dumbledore looked relaxed, yet behind his blue eyes was clear amazement. From the exchange earlier, he realized the young man before him had reached a crucial level, only a step away from legend.
Such talent had stayed out of sight in the magical world until recently entering the view of the Ministry of Magic. Dumbledore found this difficult to ignore. "Would you mind telling me about your two assistants, and about the unique Spell you just used? It was called Threefold Convergence Formation, wasn't it?"
"That's fine." "He is Joel Wiley, twenty-four this year. I rescued him after breaking up an underground auction, and he was the first to study under me. His talent is good."
As he was introduced, Joel Wiley stepped out from behind Levi Wells and greeted Dumbledore. "Respected Master Dumbledore, it is a pleasure to meet you." "Hello. A good child."
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes slightly, as if seeing scars hidden beneath Joel Wiley's clothes. His expression stayed mild, since he believed Levi Wells could remove those scars if he wished. It seemed the young man simply had his own stubborn views.
"She is Gilmere, eighteen years old. Her parents are unknown, and she carries a mysterious curse. She studies with me to find a way to break it." "May I take a look?"
Hearing the word curse, Dumbledore picked up his Wand again. Gilmere hesitated and looked toward Levi Wells. "If Professor Dumbledore is willing to examine it, that would be best," Levi Wells said with a small nod.
Gilmere stepped forward and rolled up her right sleeve. Slightly above her wrist was a black crescent mark that looked strange and deliberate. Dumbledore noticed the way Levi Wells addressed him and felt his mood settle further, recalling the polite and quiet student from years ago.
Raising his hand, Dumbledore waved the Wand toward Gilmere. After a moment, he lowered it and let out a light breath. "Unfortunately, I cannot unravel this curse either."
His eyes held clear curiosity toward the mark on her arm. "However, I can confirm that this curse will not harm her." "Yes. At present, aside from erasing her emotions once each month, there are no other negative effects."
"Erasing emotions?" Dumbledore asked, puzzled. "Each month, her feelings toward the past are cleared. The memories remain, but they feel distant to her and no longer stir any response."
"That does not affect anything," Gilmere said calmly. "Even if my emotions are erased every month, I will still sincerely admire my teacher when the new month begins." After speaking, she stepped back behind Levi Wells.
Dumbledore glanced at Levi Wells with a teasing look. Levi Wells kept his gaze lowered and gave no response. Seeing this, Dumbledore realized the man likely disliked idle talk and moved on to the main point.
"No matter what, you have taught these two students very well. I can feel the stable and strong magic within them." "I did put a great deal of effort into them, but it is also mutual learning."
Levi Wells accepted the praise without visible joy, as if this result were only expected. "Mutual learning? You mean a teacher learning from students?" Dumbledore asked, clearly surprised.
He had met many outstanding people, yet the more capable they were, the prouder they tended to be. Few could accept being inferior to others, let alone to their own students. "There is order in understanding, and each field has its own strengths," Levi Wells said in clear speech.
"This is an old saying from China. It means that insight comes at different times, and skills each have their own areas. A student is not always inferior to a teacher, and a teacher does not need to surpass students in everything."
"In truth, my knowledge of curses is mostly theoretical. I have little direct experience, so Gilmere and I often discuss it together." "After all, curses are not easy to find suitable subjects for, are they?" Dumbledore replied with meaning.
"That's right. We can use small animals instead, but the results are not ideal. I still have much to learn in this area." "You are too modest, Levi Wells. Even without studying Dark Magic, you would still be an impressive master of magic."
Dumbledore took another sip of tea and looked at the two students standing quietly behind Levi Wells. The three of them shared a similar bearing, calm and restrained, standing without excess movement. Watching them, Dumbledore felt a genuine appreciation rise within him.
Such talent would be a great loss if it went astray. At that moment, Dumbledore sensed that unrest was approaching, and he had encountered Levi Wells at exactly this time. In the future, this man might well become an important part of what was to come.