My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 152, Section 149: Ideological Education

Dumbledore did not intend to evade or refuse to answer the question.

"You already guessed it?"

Before coming here, Lynn had planned to lay this matter out in the open and make it clear.

Having already pledged their allegiance, and with plans to undertake sweeping reforms of Hogwarts, they still needed Dumbledore's support.

Then we need to have an "open and honest" discussion.

"After returning from Abros, I confronted Kira with the so-called Lungard family crest, and he eventually told me who his former master was."

"You know I'm very good at History of Magic. Given that I already suspected Professor Fawkes, who was with me in Abrose, was acting strangely, and then I learned about my true parentage, it was natural for me to connect it to you. After all, Professor Dumbledore, before becoming the Headmaster of Hogwarts, you were a Transfiguration professor here, weren't you?"

When Lynn exposed his past pretense, Dumbledore showed no anger or embarrassment; instead, he seemed quite amused.

"You're very clever, Lynn, really clever. You guessed right. It was indeed me impersonating Fox back then. He was actually wandering around Ireland at the time, completely unaware that I shamefully stole his identity to gain the trust of his favorite student."

Lynn looked at Dumbledore and asked seriously.

"Can you tell me why you did this, Professor?"

"Which one are you referring to?" Dumbledore asked, meeting his eyes without flinching.

"What you told me there, and what you hid from me."

Dumbledore interlaced his fingers and placed them on his stomach, and he spoke slowly.

"You are the only remaining descendant of my old friend, and regardless of my status, I should pay extra attention to you. I knew you would go there before Kira brought you, so I waited for you there."

That actually gave you another option, Lynn. I never had any ill intentions towards you from the very beginning.

Voldemort never died; I've always known that. He was far more dangerous than Gellert, since Gellert was rational, while Voldemort eventually became a madman.

Therefore, the magical world will be extremely dangerous in the future. In order to defeat him, I cannot even guarantee that I will survive in the end, let alone guarantee your safety.

You've experienced the life of a Muggle, and you've also lived the life of a wizard. I guided you twice in Abros, hoping you would give up on regaining your magic. You also have a substantial legacy in the Muggle world. Although you can't use magic, you're far from danger and can live a peaceful life from now on. My old friend's bloodline can also be safely passed down.

Of course, I'm just presenting you with two paths for you to choose from. My past failures have taught me never to choose a path for my students, because doing so could very well push them into the abyss.

But what you said before you went to church changed my mind. Even without magic, I could tell, Lynn, that every word you said then was true.

Staying in the magical world might bring you danger, but compared to those dangers, magic is undoubtedly more important to you.

As for why I later had Rozier tell that lie...

Dumbledore looked at Lynn with a serious expression.

"I don't know which path is right, but I'm sure the ideas the saints believe in are wrong. There are indeed unavoidable conflicts between Muggles and wizards, but trying to resolve these conflicts through force and conquest is undoubtedly the worst approach."

So, since you've decided to stay in the magical world, I don't want you to be misled by the saints' ideas before you have your own independent judgment. I knew then that the truth about your origins couldn't be hidden from you, and the reason I didn't let Rozier tell you was to prevent you from coming into contact with them too early and being misled by them.

Just as Dumbledore couldn't see through Lynn's lies, Lynn now can't tell whether what he's saying is true or not.

But none of that matters. The two of them are not necessarily looking for a result by "openly announcing" their relationship. Rather, they are looking for an attitude, an attitude that they will always consider each other as their own people.

Lynn finished his cup of warm black tea, then took a stack of parchment from his robe pocket.

"I think your worries are unnecessary, Professor." He placed the parchment on the table and then pushed it in front of Dumbledore.

"It might be difficult for others to change my mind, because coincidentally, I'm also very interested in changing other people's minds. These are some ideas I have for the future reform of Hogwarts after studying the educational development of Muggle history and combining educational models from various countries. You can see if they are feasible."

Dumbledore was clearly surprised.

He had assumed that Lynn had come here specifically to question him about what had happened in Abros, but he never expected that she would give him a draft of Hogwarts reforms at the end.

Dumbledore first looked at the first parchment with a smile, and soon an expression of interest appeared on his face. As he continued to turn the pages, his expression began to become serious, and when he finally turned to the last page, he looked at Lynn with a strange look.

"I have to change my opinion of you again, Lynn. Your ideas are really... unusual."

Dumbledore couldn't find a suitable adjective, so he could only say this in the end.

"The ideological education of underage wizards." He pulled out one of the parchments.

"Could you elaborate on this point?"

"Ideological education means very simply teaching," Lynn explained to him. "It means we have to tell students what is right and what is wrong in the magical world."

For example, in school, if a student uses the swear word "Mudblood" to insult another student, they will be severely punished. But at Hogwarts, no one will explain why such language is wrong. They might say it because that's how their parents raised them. However, this is wrong, and they need another educator to explain why it's wrong, rather than simply telling them they're wrong and need to be punished. Ultimately, instead of realizing their mistake and correcting it, they'll become even more convinced of the flawed beliefs their parents instilled in them, because no one has ever shown them what is right.

And that's the purpose of ideological education; it's to help young wizards establish correct values.

(End of this chapter)