Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 36 An Unbreakable Vow

Eighth floor, principal's office.

The principal's office was more interesting than the offices of Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Quirrell that Ike had visited.

The spacious circular room was filled with all sorts of silverware and trinkets, humming softly. The walls were adorned with portraits of past headmasters, both men and women, most of them gazing curiously at Ike, while others slept soundly in their chairs.

A small red bird perched on a tall, gilded branch, preening its feathers as if no one else was around.

"Milk with a swarm of cockroaches, is that it?" Dumbledore pushed a cup toward Ike and then took out a plate covered with a swarm of crawling cockroaches.

He picked one up and put it in his milk glass, then took a sip and exclaimed, "What a creative way to eat it! The feeling of milk mixed with bursting chocolate is indescribably delicious!"

Ike smiled, took a sip of the special "chocolate milk," and even squinted his eyes.

"Few people like this candy; people prefer sizzling honey." Dumbledore, like a kind old man, pushed up his glasses. "Like Severus and Minerva, I've recommended it to them many times, and they've always refused."

"Same here, Stuart and Terry don't like it either." Ike threw another one into his mouth, took a sip of milk, savored it for a moment, and then ate it.

"You're a very interesting person, Mr. Strayed," Dumbledore said. "I've heard many professors mention that Hogwarts has a very outstanding young wizard this year, excelling in almost every subject: Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbalism."

"Besides flight lessons?"

"Except for flying lessons." Dumbledore nodded, a broad smile on his face. "I heard that Madam Hooch complained that you weren't paying attention in her classes."

"I just lack talent," Ike shrugged.

"Of course, of course, everyone has things they're not good at, and everyone has their own secrets..." Dumbledore said with a smile, leaning forward slightly and looking at Ike. "Then, Mr. Stradl, can you tell me..."

Why were you there?

Ike looked into Dumbledore's eyes, gave a standard smile, and with a flick of his wrist, a red stone appeared, which he slowly played with in his hand: "I want to see the Philosopher's Stone, and what it is."

Dumbledore leaned back, his voice slightly unfocused: "You remind me of someone, Mr. Stradwell..."

"Both came from orphanages, both possessed extraordinary talent, and both displayed astonishing strength from the very beginning..."

"However, he later went astray, but that's another story..."

"Fortunately, you're different from him, Mr. Strayed." Dumbledore adjusted his glasses, his gaze complex and unreadable. "Tell me, what are you going to do by his side?"

"To learn magic, Professor Dumbledore," Ike replied firmly, looking Dumbledore in the eye without flinching. "That's a golden opportunity, and I can't afford to miss it."

"I'm sorry..." Dumbledore was silent for a long time before saying in a deep voice, "Hogwarts' courses allow you to learn magic step by step, and the books in the library can satisfy your pursuit of magical knowledge. Moreover, as far as I know, the forbidden section cannot stop you. You should know that very few first-year wizards can do that."

"This is not a reassuring answer, Mr. Streid."

"What if I swear an unbreakable oath to you?" Ike said, "that I will never harm my friends, never endanger Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore's eyes gleamed, possessing a strange power that drew people in unconsciously. After a long silence, Dumbledore couldn't help but exclaim, "I didn't expect you to have mastered Occlumency."

"Yes, I found relevant books in the restricted section; they are very detailed," Ike replied.

"Therefore, we need a witness." Dumbledore waved his wand, and a silver phoenix appeared from the tip of the wand, quickly disappearing from the headmaster's office.

A moment later, Snape strode over, his robes billowing in the wind, and stood coldly beside Ike.

"Severus, we need you as a witness to fulfill an unbreakable vow." Dumbledore stood up and came to Ike's other side. Ike also stood up, and he and Dumbledore clasped each other's right arms.

Snape said nothing, but tapped the two arms that were clasped together with his wand.

"Mr. Strayed..." Dumbledore looked at Ike, "You should know that once the ritual begins, it cannot be stopped, and those who break the oath will die a terrible death..."

"I know." Ike interrupted Dumbledore, turning to Snape, who stood to the side with a cold expression. "Professor Snape, I'm ready."

Dumbledore and Snape exchanged a glance, nodded, and asked loudly, "Ike Strayder, can you guarantee that you will never use magic to harm innocent people?"

"I promise."

Can you promise you'll never hurt someone who truly considers you a friend?

"I promise."

Can you promise you'll never do anything to harm Hogwarts?

"I promise."

As they exchanged their questions, three scorching red threads shot from the tip of Snape's staff, wrapping around the spot where Dumbledore and Ike were holding. Ike felt a burning sting as the three red threads gradually merged into his skin until they disappeared.

"The ritual is complete." Snape put away his wand and spoke his first words after entering the room.

"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore nodded slightly, then said to Ike, "Mr. Strayed, you can keep the Philosopher's Stone until the last day of July, at which time you will need to return it to me; its owner still needs it."

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore." Ike nodded, put the Philosopher's Stone back in his pocket, pointed to the plate full of cockroaches on his desk, and asked, "May I take some?"

"Alright." Dumbledore waved his left hand, and most of the cockroaches on the plate flew up and scurried into a paper bag. Ike took the bag and nodded slightly to the two of them. "If there's nothing else, may I leave?"

"Of course, it's getting late, and I think you need to get some rest." Dumbledore nodded, watched Ike leave the headmaster's office, and then sat back down in his chair.

Snape watched everything coldly until Ike left, then said, "Is this the end, Dumbledore?"

"We have made an unbreakable vow," Dumbledore replied.

"You believe that? You're sure this little wizard who can outwit the Dark Lord can't find a way to circumvent the oath?"

“I know an unbreakable oath cannot bind him, even if he proposed it first, Severus.” Dumbledore paused for a moment before continuing, “About a month ago, I went to Diagon Alley and learned some very interesting news from Ollivander…”

"Wizards who use unicorn hair as the core of their staffs are hard to succumb to dark magic, and the experience passed down by the Ollivander family is still worth believing."

"I think you're getting senile!" Snape snapped.

"I won't deny that I'm getting on in years, Severus," Dumbledore replied with a smile, "but I can still see things clearly."

"And, I think I need to apologize to you. There's something I didn't tell you..." Dumbledore blinked, suddenly appearing quite playful, "Strider really likes cockroach piles, and I think people who share the same hobby as me are trustworthy."

"What do you think, Severus?"

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(End of this chapter)