Only then did the wizards in the banquet hall realize that tonight's dinner was actually a welcome party.
The wizards and witches with noble blood listened to the great gentleman telling them the wonderful story of how their former dean lurked under the hands of the sinner wizard, gained his trust, and how he regained the lost magic stone.
Everyone in the banquet hall admired Slughorn for bearing humiliation, complimented Mr. Slughorn for his foresight, and at the same time despised Dumbledore's despicableness and shamelessness in stealing his friend's treasure.
After all, on the surface, Nick Flamel's Philosopher's Stone was stolen, and he personally came to the Ministry of Magic to report it. Now that the stone was brought back from Dumbledore by Slughorn, then
Of course, the charges of theft and murder should be placed on his head as a matter of course.
The gentleman kindly supported Fat Walrus's arm and asked with a smile on his face.
"In fact, I have always missed Professor Dumbledore. When I was in school, he was the only one who took good care of me except you. Unfortunately, I have never had the chance to see him again in these years. I don't know how his life is lately.
?"
Slughorn laughed happily, his kind face never seemed to show any dark expression.
"Albus is old after all, and he is tired from traveling in carriages all day long. I heard that he has been suffering from insomnia recently and can hardly even eat. For a good piece of steak, he can only use his fork twice at most.
I can’t eat anymore.”
There was a burst of chuckles in the banquet hall. Through Slughorn's tone, they could all imagine in their minds how an old man who didn't care about food and food was struggling to support the group of rebels.
.
The gentleman also laughed, or in other words, the entire banquet hall was actually catering to the expression on his face. If he was laughing, others would also laugh. If he was unhappy, everyone else would be sullen and silent.
"Ah, that really shouldn't be the case." He chuckled, "I just ate a plate of beef ribs with Cornelius. Professor Dumbledore should be more open-minded like me and keep his body healthy.
Good is the most important thing.”
Minister of Magic Fudge quickly agreed.
"Sir, you have a good appetite. I've had a stomach bug in the past two days and I didn't even eat a few pieces just now."
The gentleman just patted him on the shoulder and he said with a smile.
"Professor Dumbledore has suffered. I will take him over and let him enjoy his old age. Otherwise, he is still acting like a child at such an old age. What's the point of tormenting himself like this?"
There was another burst of undisguised laughter in the banquet hall, and the laughter was full of ridicule.
...
"But there's something I don't understand, Professor."
Jon frowned, wanting to ask all his questions today.
"Since the Dark Lord can let the teacher steal the magic stone on the carriage, why not let him do something more valuable? Or the teacher has revealed our specific location to him three times in a row, why doesn't he himself
Come here in person?”
Dumbledore blinked, his crescent-shaped glasses reflecting the dim light.
"What you actually want to ask is, why didn't he do it when he clearly had the chance to kill us all, right?"
Jon nodded. He could indeed feel that as long as Voldemort blocked Dumbledore, he did not need to defeat him. As long as he could be blocked for a while, the Aurors and Death Eaters with absolute numerical superiority would be able to defeat them all.
People solve it.
"As I told you just now, Jon, he is not afraid that the Sorcerer's Stone will create wealth for Hogwarts or other people around me. What he is afraid of is that I can live on that stone. Your problem is actually the same.
's answer."
Dumbledore's simple reminder gave Jon an idea and he came up with his answer!
The exiled Hogwarts and the rebellious Order of the Phoenix were not important at all in Voldemort's eyes. What was important was the people who led these two organizations!
In this Hogwarts without a savior, if Dumbledore is lost, there will really be no future at all.
But similarly, Dumbledore now completely regards Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix as his only spiritual support.
If Voldemort really destroyed this carriage and destroyed the Order of the Phoenix, what would Dumbledore, who had no worries or concerns, do?
Desperate people are always ten thousand times more terrible than hopeful people.
Leaving this Hogwarts with only a few dozen students behind would be equivalent to putting shackles and shackles on Dumbledore. For the sake of these children, he would not risk his life, nor would he
Any idea of a dead end.
As long as his hope, as insignificant as a candlelight, is not destroyed, Dumbledore will be safe, and it will be the safest for Voldemort.
For the remaining students on the carriage who are not oppressed or enslaved, Dumbledore is their last protective barrier. If one day in the future, the old man is no longer here, then the world of magic will be completely dark.
Come down.
Voldemort's best choice now is to put a certain amount of pressure on Hogwarts to prevent it from being completely destroyed and at the same time prevent it from growing too strong.
Jon even suspected that the fact that Hogwarts still snatched Muggle-born students from that Hogwarts Castle every year was probably Voldemort's intention.
He wanted to keep the candle burning when it was about to go out, until Dumbledore's candle was completely burned out, and he would spend his whole life for this flame that could be extinguished by blowing it out!
After thinking about this, Jon also fell silent.
He looked at the gray hair and beard of the old man across from him, and knew clearly that even though wizards generally lived for one or two hundred years, the years of hard work still made this man spend almost his entire life fighting against two generations of Dark Lords.
The old wizard has exhausted a lot of energy.
Dumbledore seemed to have noticed Jon's sad mood, and he smiled very freely.
"Don't feel sorry for me, Jon, I'm not doing this for anyone, I just want to do it. Just like your teacher, in the past, who would have dared to believe that he had the guts to be an undercover agent?"
Jon hesitated, he hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to ask this question, which he had always wanted to ask the day Lily took him into the carriage.
"Professor, I want to know, how did you lose to the Dark Lord? Is he really so powerful that no one can defeat him?