Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 80 Dumbledore's Fear of Power

The sunlight sinks to the bottom of Lake Ohrid, turning into scattered points of light that spread with the ripples.

As darkness fell, Dumbledore had Loren take out the key and shake it. With a squeezing sensation, they found themselves in a brightly lit hotel room.

Warm yellow light diffused from the lampshade, illuminating every corner of the room. Although it was called a room, it was practically a house, complete with a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom.

There is a brown fabric sofa against the wall in the living room, and a tea set with maple leaf patterns is placed on the table.

The kitchen counter only contained spatulas and some salt and seasonings, a feature typical of wizard inns.

If someone is really going to cook, then they must have brought their own ingredients. Wizards use magic to start fires, use magic to fetch water, and finally use magic to clean up. The kitchen is just a symbol; wizards can cook anywhere.

If it weren't for the fact that some passengers aren't very good at shapeshifting, they wouldn't even have a spatula.

Loren and Dumbledore had already eaten while chatting by the lake; the food was taken out of Dumbledore's pocket.

It's hard to imagine steaming hot steaks and a whole pot of broth being pulled from a pocket. Loren thought Dumbledore might have a kitchen in his pocket, and maybe even a house-elf inside.

Back at the hotel, Dumbledore said he was going to see a friend and told Loren to stay in the room and not go anywhere.

In a place like Albania, Dumbledore's friend... Loren could only think of that thieving character from the Order of the Phoenix—Mundungust.

Mundungus was the one who smuggled Black family antiquities, handed over the Slytherin Horcrux locket to Umbridge, and deserted his post, causing Moody's death. Many members of the Order of the Phoenix disliked Mundungus, but Dumbledore spared him, putting him in charge of providing intelligence and detective work.

Loren kept the lesson of staying away from incompetent teammates in mind and would definitely remind Harry in the future.

With nothing to do in the room, Loren wandered around a few times and began to regret not bringing Flamel along.

Bored, I leaned against the window and looked outside.

The sky wasn't dark, but rather a deep blue. Starlight reflected on the snow, illuminating the outside world clearly.

Shadows covered Loren's blue eyes, and in his vision, a space at the edge of the forest suddenly began to distort.

With a "snap," a man suddenly appeared. He looked around and quickly walked towards the hotel.

The space behind the man also distorted, and another person suddenly appeared.

The newcomer pulled out a wand and pointed it forward: "[Faints and collapses to the ground]"

A flash of red light, and the person in front of him fell straight down.

The second person searched him for a while, finally pulled out something, and then quickly teleported away.

"this?"

This blatant robbery silenced Loren. He had thought the magical world might have some gray areas, but only borderline ones, like selling dark magic items or researching dark magic. He never imagined it would be such a direct robbery.

At least after Voldemort's downfall, dark wizards shouldn't be so unruly.

Loren sat back on the sofa, leaning back against the cushions, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. The scene from before kept replaying on the ceiling, the red light of the Stunning Curse turning into the green light of the Killing Curse.

The incantation was changed, but it was still just a gentle pointing forward, and the person still fell straight down. There seemed to be no difference.

He was in front of the inn, so he simply collapsed unconscious. Loren couldn't help but wonder if, in a more distant forest, his wand would have glowed green, and perhaps a Fiendfyre would have followed, leaving no trace of his body.

Is there really nothing in that forest?

This is a magical world where many people die without a sound; that's the wonder of magic.

For the first time, Loren directly experienced the fragility of some things; he hadn't felt this way when he killed the troll with his own hands.

Dumbledore returned looking like he did in his youth; his face was somewhat ruddy, perhaps from drinking some alcohol.

Loren described what he had just seen to him and offered his speculation: "...Many people must have died here, and no one would have noticed."

Dumbledore's expression was complex. He was pleased with Loren's idea, but also helpless about the situation. "Loren, this kind of thing only happens in places like Albania, where the Ministry of Magic has little control."

Most countries have their own Ministry of Magic, which strictly monitors illegal activities, and even wizards need approval to enter and leave the country.

Loren was puzzled. "Why? It shouldn't be difficult for the Ministry of Magic to take control of this place."

They spent an afternoon exploring all of Albania, where there were no vampires, werewolves, or evil witches who had lived for centuries.

Dumbledore explained that Albania's unique geographical location prevented it from being subordinate to the Ministries of Magic of other countries, thus hindering its ability to establish its own. As a result, Albanian wizards left.

There are only about 3 wizards in the whole of Britain, and even fewer in a small place like Albania, making it impossible to establish a Ministry of Magic.

The situation regarding Muggles was very chaotic, with various riots and Muggle uprisings continuing until 1990.

Dark wizards gather and trade here. The involvement of others might provoke retaliation and disrupt the order of their respective countries, and none of the national ministries of magic want to get involved.

"And what about you?"

Loren looked at the world's greatest magic master, whose prestige and abilities were sufficient to accomplish this.

Albus Dumbledore, Chief Wizard of Wisengamour, the Supreme Court of Wizardry, President of the International Federation of Magical Societies, and a multiple nominee for Minister of Magic at the Ministry of Magic.

Dumbledore looked puzzled. He took a few steps back and sat on the sofa. "I can't do it."

He still looked like a middle-aged man, with a spirited beard and neat short hair. He lived up to his reputation as the professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts, but his voice and eyes revealed his age.

This godlike figure, whom Loren considered omnipotent, seemed somewhat powerless.

"I am afraid of power. I have been preventing myself from getting close to power for a long time." Dumbledore's voice was soft as he drifted into some kind of memory.

"When I was young, I also dreamed of changing the world and shouted inspiring slogans."

"I have a close friend who is in the same profession. He set out with a great dream, and for that dream, he sought power."

"Ultimately, under the alienation of power, they went further and further astray and did many wrong things."

"Many people died, and many irreparable mistakes were made, ultimately impossible to make amends..."

When Dumbledore was young, his sister was bullied by Muggles, and his father was imprisoned for seeking revenge for his sister.

To care for his sister, the family was forced to live in Godric's Hollow. Family ties were both a bond and a constraint for Dumbledore; he yearned for a freer life, and no gifted youth would want to be confined to a small valley for their entire life.

Later, he met Grindelwald, and the two shared lofty ideals and were equally talented. They were kindred spirits and as close as one person.

To establish a new wizarding order, where no one would suffer like Ariana, and every wizard could freely wield magic. Albus was consumed by youthful, passionate love and lofty ideals.

Ultimately, his sister's death led Dumbledore to decide to take some time to cool off, and he and Grindelwald drifted further and further apart from then on.

Grindelwald's story made Dumbledore realize the terrifying power of authority, and he feared that the world could be made worse under the pretext of "for the greater good."

Dumbledore understood that he and Gellert were the same kind of people, with lofty ambitions, and that such ambitions, when amplified by power, could lead countless people to disaster with a single careless thought.

As his fame and power grew, so did his resistance to power.

Looking around, is there anyone in the wizarding world who can stop Dumbledore when he goes astray?

No one will do.

Loren fell silent. Dumbledore was undoubtedly a great man, but his respect for life had become a shackle on him.

(End of this chapter)