Hogwarts: A Chinese-Style Professor

Chapter 306 The Prince's Silence

“Li Wei—” Dumbledore opened his mouth, but quickly compromised on this matter.

"Okay—in fact, I didn't say anything before, did I? I completely support your opinion on this matter!"

He expressed his determination.

"Dumbledore?"

Snape looked up abruptly, staring at the other man in disbelief—when did this White Lord become so easy to talk to?
“Snape, there are many things you don’t understand—in fact, you would be better off listening to Levi’s thoughts on this matter.”

Dumbledore was trying to persuade Snape.

After making the decision, he felt much more at ease—he knew why Snape was willing to be his mole—he had taken advantage of his guilt—Dumbledore was well aware of this.

That day, Snape overheard the prophecy about the savior and informed Voldemort.

He didn't know that the so-called savior family was actually the family of Lily Evans, whom he loved deeply. So when he learned that Voldemort was going to kill Lily's family, he fell into unprecedented despair.

The shock must have been immense, like Regulus hearing that his house-elf, whom he considered family, had been treated so cruelly by Voldemort.
Both feelings were equally heart-wrenching.

Everyone who blindly worships and follows the Dark Lord will eventually be awakened by excruciating pain—no one can avoid it.

Regulus was, Severus was, and so was he. Only, he was closer to the first generation.
So, a heartbroken Snape went to Dumbledore and pleaded with him to undo everything. But Dumbledore was too late; Voldemort had already achieved his goal.

Even though he had assured Snape that he would let Lily go—provided she didn't resist.

But how could that be possible?
Dumbledore harbored resentment towards Snape—the mistakes Snape had made could not be undoed by a forced act of reform.

Therefore, he wanted Snape to be prepared—Dumbledore could still clearly recall the scene at that time.

"Her son is still alive, and his eyes are exactly the same as his mother's."

I'm sure you remember Lily Evans' eyes, their shape and color, right?

"No!" Snape roared, "Gone. Dead."

"Is this regret, Severus?"

"I wish I were the one who died."

"What good is that to other people? If you love Lily Evans, if you truly love her, then the path ahead of you is clear."

You know how she died, and why. Don't let her sacrifice be in vain. Help me protect Lily's son.

"He doesn't need protection. The Dark Lord is dead—"

"The Dark Lord will return, and then Harry Potter will face terrible danger."

At the time, Dumbledore did not consider himself despicable—because this was the redemption that Snape had to accomplish in his life.

Forcing a desperate person to continue living a difficult life—by selling one's own soul.

Dumbledore felt no remorse whatsoever.

However, thirteen years had passed since then, and Dumbledore had witnessed firsthand how Snape had shut himself off during those thirteen years.

His cold, hardened heart began to soften—Severus had received his due punishment, if Levi believed.
If Levi believes that neither he nor Severus needs to take Voldemort seriously anymore, Dumbledore will respect his opinion.

After all, Voldemort was just a dead, incomplete legend.

Livy is the one who will dominate the wizarding world for the next thousand years. Dumbledore fully agrees with Horace's assessment of him—he even believes that Horace doesn't understand Livy at all.

In terms of strength, Li Wei and the former Big Four each have their own merits, and Dumbledore cannot make a complete judgment.

But in terms of ideas, Livy absolutely surpasses any of them, although this superiority also makes Dumbledore feel threatened.
"Listen to Li Wei? Do you want to hear what you're saying?"

Snape's mind went blank, and he didn't know what to say—he had always known Levi's importance in the eyes of the other professors, especially Professor McGonagall and Flitwick.

But he didn't expect that even Dumbledore would do the same.

It was as if they had been given a magic potion.
"Li Wei! Are you really going to do this?"

Snape then looked at Levi—if he couldn't handle Dumbledore, couldn't he handle Levi?
“Yes, I’m sure I’m going to do this—” Li Wei had somehow gotten a glass of iced lemon tea in his hand. After taking a big gulp and swallowing it slowly, he said leisurely, “And you have no say in this matter.”

"What do you mean?" Both his words and actions had undoubtedly enraged Snape—a ferocious smile appeared on his face, clearly he was laughing in anger.

"What do you mean? Do I need to spell it out more clearly?"

Li Wei placed the lemon tea back on the table—Dumbledore, who was standing nearby, was drawn to his action and found himself with a cup of hot cocoa in front of him, which he slowly stirred.

“You’re too weak—dealing with Voldemort is something for us two legendary wizards to consider, not for you, understand?”

Wow——!
Snape suddenly stood up, his wand already in his hand, and pointed it directly at Levi.

However, neither Levi nor Dumbledore even made a move to get up; they simply watched the enraged Snape calmly.

"What, is it hard to accept reality? Or do you think you can defeat any one of us, even if you can't defeat Voldemort?"

"Very well—let's finish that duel we didn't complete the other day now!"

“I’m not in the mood to fight you, Severus—if you have the energy, save it for Voldemort.”

Snape still held his wand, his fingers gripping the handle tightly, unable to put it down for a long time. But Levi ignored him, and he couldn't continue the charade alone—he couldn't possibly cast a spell on the person who was helping him.

Yes, when Levi firmly said that he didn't need to be a spy, Snape felt an uncontrollable sense of relief and smugness—he couldn't deceive his own feelings—or rather, he was becoming honest.

However, this made the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
Was the matter settled in just a few words?

Such a serious matter, one that could affect the very survival of the magical world, was decided by a single sentence from Li Wei?
Moreover, the most powerful white wizard of the time sat beside him, remaining silent except for 'agreeing'.

Besides feeling absurd, Snape also felt somewhat embarrassed. There was no heated argument, no duel, not even a proper way out.
How could he save face after being so indignant just now?

Moreover, Levi had just insulted his strength, even though Snape knew in his heart that he could never be a match for Levi.

You can tell from Dumbledore's attitude towards Levi—the old man would never have done this if it weren't for absolute power—just as Professor McGonagall knew nothing about it.

Livy and Dumbledore are equals.
At this moment, Snape realized this with absolute clarity.

And perhaps because of Levi's success in education, or perhaps because he achieved these accomplishments at such a young age, Snape even sensed a hint of fear in Levi.
Or perhaps, it's the same worry as with the Dark Lord? "So—" Seeing that neither of them spoke, only drinking their tea, Snape opened his mouth and said dryly, "If I don't become a spy, how will this matter be handled afterwards?"

Dumbledore didn't speak, but his blue eyes glanced at Livy with a lively light.

"Hmm—this is indeed a difficult matter to handle."

Li Wei pondered a solution.

Seeing his hesitation, Snape assumed he hadn't come up with a solution yet and was just acting impulsively. His brow furrowed unconsciously, and his heart sank.
He wanted to protect Lily's son, even at the cost of his own life. So, if Levi couldn't think of anything...
"I see--"

Levi suddenly spoke, interrupting Snape's resolve.

"So fast?" Snape couldn't help but stare at him wide-eyed.

Li Wei glanced at him with some surprise and said calmly:
"This isn't a difficult problem. In the end, all I've been thinking about is how to properly deal with them—these people haven't reached the point where I find them troublesome."

While Snape was speechless at those words, Dumbledore nodded calmly—Levy's plans in this matter were what he needed to focus on most today.

As for everything else, we can compromise on everything!

"So, what do you plan to do?" Dumbledore asked, a little impatiently—hoping the answer wouldn't give him a headache.

“There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘You can’t guard against a thief for a thousand days.’” Li Wei explained leisurely. “Although I don’t know why these purebloods want to resurrect Voldemort, since they know the secret that Voldemort is not dead, this is a time bomb that will explode sooner or later.”

"Even if we don't detonate it today, after a while they might be triggered by something and have the same idea again."

Dumbledore and Snape both nodded subconsciously.

"So—we might as well take the initiative."

Dumbledore's heart skipped a beat. He didn't rush to speak, and Snape, though puzzled, didn't speak either, but simply frowned.

Should Li Wei take the initiative to attack those purebloods? Is he going to start a war?
“That’s perfect, I can see that—” Levi met Dumbledore’s gaze, then looked at Snape, “You two are clearly not confident in defeating the Mystic.”

"Actually, I feel the same way—things that haven't been verified always make me uneasy, and I'm afraid there's a gap between theory and reality."

"So—what exactly are you trying to say?"

Snape was getting a little anxious.

Just then, Li Wei suddenly pointed at him:

"Go and deliver a message to the purebloods, saying that although you are still loyal to the Dark Lord, you are not stupid and would not risk your own life."

Let them send someone—choose one to be possessed by Voldemort—and you, you will orchestrate this.”

"But what's the point of doing this?"

Snape frowned—he simply couldn't accept the option of so easily resurrecting the Dark Lord.

"We're going to actively resurrect the mysterious man? And then what?"

"Then—I and the lurking Dumbledore will kill him—along with all the purebloods present."

Dumbledore's heart was taut in another way.

Fortunately, it seems that Li Wei did take his words to heart—but is it really necessary to do something so risky?
Reviving Tom and then killing him again sounds easy—if it really is as Levi says, with the opponent ambushing them while he faces them head-on.
The probability that the two of them have accomplished this is indeed extremely high.

But that's Voldemort.
The office atmosphere shifted and fell silent at Li Wei's suggestion.

But it was precisely this silence that made Dumbledore and Snape clearly realize one thing—they seemed to be subconsciously afraid of Voldemort.
After all, they had all personally experienced the feeling of having their loved ones taken away—resurrecting Voldemort meant that they risked experiencing that pain again.

They really didn't want to.

But can they refuse Levi's offer?

Snape wasn't qualified, but Dumbledore didn't want to refuse.

Perhaps influenced by Li Wei's fearless attitude, he suddenly also wanted to see:

Since Tom was so weakened after being hit by Harry's magic—what would happen to his soul if he and Levi killed each other again?
Is it possible that he can still make a comeback even after all this?

Who would dare help him? Aside from the prisoners of Azkaban? But they'll never get out!

“You’re right—” Dumbledore made up his mind.

"There's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days—whether it's those turbulent undercurrents or Tom, we have to deal with them eventually. With sufficient strength, confronting them head-on is actually the way to minimize unforeseen circumstances."

“Wait—wait—” Snape’s eyes widened. “But we haven’t found all the Horcruxes yet. Even if you kill him, the problem won’t be solved!”

When he resurrects next time, the Dark Lord will surely be even more cunning and treacherous, and even more dangerous.

"Isn't there you?" Levi smiled at Snape. "You love to act, don't you? This time, your identity is that of the Dark Lord's loyal servant—the loyal dog who persuaded the pure-blood families to find him a puppet."

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side, and the plan was unexpectedly exposed by Dumbledore—Voldemort, even on his deathbed, considered you his loyal servant, albeit a foolish one.

"If—if he really can be resurrected in a state of isolation and devastation, with his soul broken—he will probably still contact you then."

By then, Dumbledore and I should have found most of the remaining Horcruxes—then we can just kill him again.

"Is it that simple?" Snape said blankly.

"It's that simple."

"No—wait—no—you're talking about the ideal situation—when facing Voldemort, no amount of caution and consideration is excessive."

We must develop a more comprehensive plan.

"If you have any better ideas."

Li Wei shrugged and leaned back in his chair indifferently—the chair back spontaneously changed shape, becoming an arc like a sofa to support his neck.

Snape and Dumbledore exchanged a glance, and both fell silent.

(End of this chapter)