Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

One day in late September, Xavier received a note from Dumbledore.

The note was short, with only two lines: "Please come to my office at 8 PM tonight. The password is 'Lemon Snowball Candy'."

He was lying on a lawn at Hogwarts reading a book on magical protection theory when an unfamiliar owl delivered the note to him.

At 8 p.m. sharp, Xavier stood at the principal's office door.

Upon hearing the command, the gargoyle jumped aside, and the spiral staircase led him to the oak door.

The door was open, and Dumbledore sat behind his desk with a steaming cup of tea in front of him. Fawkes the phoenix sat quietly on his perch, tilting his head to observe him.

"Please sit down, Mr. Xavier," said Dumbledore, his tone as gentle as ever.

"I invited you here today to thank you for the item you gave me when the semester started."

Dumbledore said, "Your judgment is correct—it is indeed a very dangerous Dark Magic item. Your discovery has averted a potential disaster."

He looked at Xavier, his blue eyes behind his half-moon glasses carrying a gentle smile.

"Therefore, Hufflepuff gets 50 points."

Xavier paused for a moment, then smiled and thanked Dumbledore, "Thank you, Professor."

Dumbledore stood up from his chair and walked over to Xavier.

He was very tall, and his deep purple robe gleamed softly in the candlelight.

In that instant, Xavier suddenly felt that he resembled Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings—not because of their similar appearances, although he had often confused the two of them when he was young in his previous life.

"I won't tell you what that item is."

Dumbledore explained that even with a student, he would try his best to explain things clearly and maintain respect.

"All I can say is that it involves some ancient and dangerous dark magic that shouldn't have been in Diagon Alley. Handing it over to me was the right decision."

Xavier nodded.

He already knew what would become of the diary—either it had already been destroyed, or it was on its way to being destroyed.

"in addition,"

Dumbledore sat back down in his chair, crossed his arms on the table, and winked at Xavier with a smile.

"Do you have any other requests? As a token of my gratitude."

Xavier hesitated for a moment, then said, "Professor, I want to speed up my studies."

"Oh?"

"I hope to gain access to more in-depth magical knowledge. For example, some books from the forbidden library, or—if possible—learning materials on alchemy."

Dumbledore looked at him and thought for a moment.

Then he drew his wand and tapped it lightly in the air. A soft white light shot from the tip of the wand and landed on the table in front of Xavier.

"Let me ask you a few questions first. Of course, this isn't an exam—I just want to know how much effort you've put into your current coursework."

For the next fifteen minutes, Dumbledore asked him a series of questions.

Some content comes from second-grade curriculum, some from third-grade textbooks, and a few involve more difficult material—potentially fourth-grade or even higher.

Xavier answered to the best of his ability.

He answered most of the questions, and even showed Dumbledore some of the spells one by one.

Dumbledore nodded slightly, his face showing approval.

"Mr. Xavier, I must say that your learning ability is indeed far beyond that of your peers. Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall have both mentioned your performance to me—especially Professor Flitwick, who said that you can already silently cast several lower-grade spells and even have your own understanding of magic. It is not common for a second-year student to be able to do this."

Xavier didn't respond, waiting for what was to come.

"but,"

At this moment, Dumbledore didn't seem like a renowned great wizard or headmaster, but rather like a very old elder. He slowly and carefully continued speaking.

I'd like to give you some advice.

"Don't over-pursue knowledge; instead, enjoy life and your learning time more."

He looked at Xavier, his tone gentle but earnest.

"Striving for excellence is good. Desiring to understand the mysteries of magic is also good. But you need to know that you are only twelve years old—a second-grade student."

Dumbledore pushed some desserts in front of Xavier, gesturing for him to try them.

"The most important thing at this age is not to become a powerful wizard or master powerful magic, but to become a complete and happy person. Knowledge can be learned slowly, but some things—the time spent playing chess with friends in the common room, the afternoons cheering on the Quidditch pitch, the snacks eaten in the kitchen—these are all part of childhood. Once you miss them, they will never come back."

Xavier paused for a moment, savoring the sweetness of the dessert—which was a little too sweet for him—and then nodded.

"I understand what you mean, Professor. But I still want to continue learning. I will try my best to maintain a balance."

Dumbledore glanced at him and smiled.

He could tell that the young wizard in front of him was a disciplined and opinionated person. This child clearly knew what he needed, rather than blindly following others.

"Very good. Then I'll give you some help."

He took a piece of parchment from the drawer, wrote a few lines on it, folded it, and handed it to Xavier.

"This is my permission to access some books in the restricted section. You can borrow the books on the list from Mrs. Pince with this note. But I need your promise that you will finish your schoolwork for the day and that it will not interfere with your life before you borrow these books."

Xavier's face lit up with delight, and he quickly took the note: "I assure you, Professor."

"Also, regarding alchemy—if you're really interested, you can come see me every Wednesday afternoon."

Dumbledore confidently pointed to himself, his beard trembling slightly, his proud expression like that of an ordinary old man.

"I collaborated with Nicolas Flamel on alchemy when I was younger, so I'm fairly familiar with the subject. Of course, your studies are limited to the basics. In-depth alchemical knowledge requires much more accumulation—it's a NEWTs-level course, far beyond the scope of ordinary wizards. We'll talk about the advanced stuff after you've mastered enough of the basics."

Xavier looked up at him with some surprise. He had originally thought that the best-case scenario would be that Dumbledore would give him some reference books.

Indeed, the only alchemists known to have been explicitly mentioned so far, besides Nicolas Flamel, the only known creator of the Philosopher's Stone in history, are Albus Dumbledore.

His Chocolate Frog card stated that he had a deep collaboration with Nicolas Flamel in the field of alchemy when he was young.

This partnership was also mentioned in Ephias Dorgi's eulogy for The Daily Prophet.

Yes, Nicolas Flamel passed away at the end of the school year, causing quite a stir in the wizarding world.

It is said that many fairies were overjoyed at the time, but were warned by many wizards.

He never imagined that Dumbledore would personally teach him.

Xavier's original plan was to seek some help from the Weasley twins—after all, their comedic gadgets were a type of alchemical item.

"you?"

"If you don't mind."

Dumbledore said that the blue eyes gleamed with a gentle light behind the half-moon lenses.

"Although I haven't formally taught an alchemy course in a long time—the last time was many years ago, when enough sixth-year students applied for it. But since then, the course hasn't been offered again. Fortunately, I still have memories of the subject—after all, it was truly fascinating."

Xavier held the parchment in his hand, feeling the slightly rough texture of the edges.

"Thank you, Professor."

"You're welcome. Hogwarts' library has plenty of books, and you have plenty of curiosity—I've just opened one door for you. What you learn behind that door is up to you."

Xavier walked out of the principal's office clutching the parchment in his hand.

The corridor lights were off, with only a few wall lamps casting a dim yellow glow. He walked to the corner on the third floor and glanced at the list on the slip of paper by the light of the wall lamps.

The list of books—including the theory and application of the Unseen Stretch Charm, advanced intermediate Transfiguration, basic principles of alchemy, a brief history of ancient European magical runes, and a study of 18th-century schools of dispelling spells—was short, but each book's title made Xavier's heart race a little.

He carefully folded the note, put it in his pocket, and then went down to the basement.

The day after tomorrow is Wednesday.

Dumbledore said that was when he could begin his first alchemy instruction.