章 559: Chapter 559: Dumbledore's Password (Edited)
Hagrid's classes ended smoothly. As soon as the class bell rang, Hagrid excitedly announced the end of the class and left with a box full of Blast-Ended Skrewts.
The young wizards grouped together in threes or fives and headed towards the castle.
Tom, of course, returned to the castle along with the Ravenclaw girls. Along the way, Padma and the others couldn't stop talking, each one thinking of different ways to cook the Blast-Ended Skrewts.
From Hagrid's cabin to the Great Hall of the castle, they had come up with at least ten cooking styles: Blast-Ended Skrewts au gratin with cheese, Blast-Ended Skrewt sushi, fried Blast-Ended Skrewts, steamed Blast-Ended Skrewts, and more.
Tom found an excuse to separate from the Blast-Ended Skrewt-obsessed girls and approached Dumbledore's office.
"Lemon sherbet." Tom announced last year's password.
The gargoyle in front of Tom showed no reaction.
"Did they change it again? Explosive sour candies?"
The statue remained unmoving.
"Candy fingers?"
Stone statue: ...
"Cockroach cluster?"
...
Tom tried dozens of foods, but the gargoyle statue remained as still as a real statue.
"For Merlin's sake, what password did Dumbledore set?"
The statue moved and revealed a staircase at the back.
Tom: ???
Dumbledore's new password left him dumbfounded.
As he pushed open the door to Dumbledore's office confidently, he found that there weren't many changes in the place. On the long-legged table, several strange silver utensils were emitting steam, the portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses hung on the wall resting silently like the Sorting Hat on the shelf, and Fawkes the phoenix was preening his feathers behind the door.
And Dumbledore, as always, was seated peacefully in front of the long table, awaiting the visitor's arrival.
"Sometimes I think you spend the whole day behind that desk doing nothing," Tom couldn't help but comment.
"Indeed, you've guessed it," Dumbledore reached out, and the chair in front of the table slid automatically towards Tom, while on the table appeared a plate of nuts, a plate of candies, and a cup of hot tea, "For me, even having time to do nothing is a form of happiness."
"I hope not to be so busy in the future," Dumbledore's description of being busy was truly daunting, even thinking of having time to do nothing was a luxury in those painful days.
Dumbledore smiled upon seeing Tom's reaction. That smile, in Tom's eyes, had a touch of mischief.
"You chose quite a unique password," Tom changed the subject.
"Yes, it's strange to use my own name as a password. I'll change it later," Dumbledore agreed with what Tom said.
Tom: ...
"Actually, if you hadn't come to see me, I would have come to find you as well," Dumbledore finished the conversation and looked at Tom. "I hope you can participate in this year's Triwizard Tournament as one of the challenges."
Dumbledore's words surprised Tom a bit. Just hearing the first half of the sentence, he thought Dumbledore would open a convenient door for him and allow him to represent Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament.
"Of course, I'm interested in these kinds of fun things. After all, it was also my suggestion to allow more students to participate in the Triwizard Tournament... But to make the challenges more 'fun,' I'll need a little help," Tom breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Dumbledore wanted him to help organize the Triwizard Tournament challenges.
This request wasn't excessive. In fact, even if Dumbledore didn't mention it, he would have come to seek Tom out to request his involvement. It's his own project, so of course, he wants to personally participate and have that sense of involvement!
"Help?" Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon-shaped glasses.
Tom knew it was the right time to seek financial support.
"I've always had this idea..." Tom quickly talked to Dumbledore about his concept, like an entrepreneur in the non-magical world seeking funding.
"This idea sounds interesting, but I have some questions..." Getting an investment wasn't that easy, and Dumbledore also asked Tom some questions, but fortunately, Tom was well-prepared and answered each of them.
Dumbledore thought for a few seconds and then responded, "I can provide you with a quantity of magical metal as a reward for your participation in the challenges. I'm also looking forward to seeing your idea succeed."
After securing the "investment," Tom felt quite good.
So, he thought about giving Dumbledore a generous helping hand to make him feel good about himself.
"Professor Dumbledore, have you considered putting on a 'performance' to welcome the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students?" Tom smiled slightly, "This would be the perfect opportunity to showcase Hogwarts' spirit and also impress our visitors."
Mr. Weasley once said, "When people gather, they tend to show off."
This phrase was also valid for the teachers and students of the wizarding school.
Why did Beauxbatons and Durmstrang choose such flashy ways to arrive? Of course, to show off their wealth! Why bother traveling so far in carriages and ships? Did they really think the journey would be comfortable?
Tom's words struck a chord with Dumbledore.
Although he had full confidence in Hogwarts, he now thought it would be nice to have a grand welcoming ceremony.
"Could you give me more details about the performance?" Dumbledore clasped his hands and looked at Tom with interest. He had certain expectations about Tom's response.
"Of course." Tom sniffed the opportunity for further benefits.
...
After finalizing some details about the "opening ceremony," the conversation between Tom and Dumbledore was coming to an end.
"And there's one last thing, it's about the matter of memory... Professor Dumbledore, is there any magic that allows reading a person's memories shortly after their birth?"
Tom was also curious about his origin and wanted to investigate it to know what kind of family he came from. As someone who grew up in an orphanage, his background was nearly unknown, and the only way to discover it was to inquire within himself.
This may sound absurd—if Tom could remember it himself, why would he need to investigate? In fact, Tom planned to take advantage of the peculiarity of the human brain to search for his memories shortly after his birth.
The human brain is the most mysterious organ in the human body. There are hidden mysteries in the brain that neither Muggles nor wizards have ever fully explored. Wizards have even placed the brain alongside love, death, space, thought, and time in the Department of Mysteries.
Speaking of memory, many forgotten things are not truly lost but transferred to deep memory and remain "dormant." Under normal circumstances, people can't recall memories from deep memory. But with the help of magic, there's a possibility of achieving it.
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