Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 285 The End of Childhood

"Fairy tales are wonderful, but people always have to grow up," Murphy said. "People have to leave childhood in order to truly grow up, take on their own responsibilities, and move towards a better future built on a more mature and clear understanding."

Even though growing up is accompanied by growing pains, it is a price that must be paid.

"Fairy tales, so this is how you see our world," Dumbledore said. "Then do you think we're all fools?"

"Sometimes, I guess," Murphy smiled. "Most of the time, I find them cute and naive. Most wizards are clumsy but interesting. But unfortunately, I'm gradually getting tired of this optimistic and simple way of life."

"I'm all grown up now, Professor. This cradle makes me feel confined."

It's because of the constraints that we want to break free.

But why do we feel constrained, or rather, why do we "grow up"?

The vast majority of people in the wizarding world have chosen to live under this set of "fairy tale" rules that you call them. Why are you so different from them?

Dumbledore's deep blue eyes fixed on him. "I've always had a question: are you still Murphy Darkholme?"

Murphy glanced back calmly. "Whoever you're referring to, the person standing before you now is me, Professor."

After a long silence, Dumbledore sighed. "Perhaps you're right, but you know I'll still stop you. The wizarding world doesn't need to be overly clear-headed and rational to thrive. What's wrong with someone staying in childhood forever?"

"Nothing lasts forever, Professor," Murphy said.

"To close one's eyes and ears, bury one's head in the ground, and not listen, see, or think, and then think that the world will not change, is just self-deception."

"There is only one way to achieve what you want forever: wipe out everything outside of this utopia, so that the world truly has nothing but our little world."

"Otherwise, what you call forever is just handing your fate over to someone else, and it could be shattered at any moment."

Dumbledore frowned. "Your words remind me of a friend."

Murphy smiled, knowing who he was talking about.

"Then your friend might be the one who has seen the truth."

"But you won't choose the same path as him, will you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Some people feel fear when they see something different from themselves, so in order to eliminate that fear, they choose to destroy it," Murphy said. "But when I see something different, I think of another way of life and another possibility."

"The existence of different things and different people provides us with more opportunities for exploration and more models. I prefer to absorb them and turn the experiences of others into my own resources."

"Then how can you guarantee that we, as 'different beings' in the eyes of the other side, will not be destroyed by their fear?" Dumbledore asked.

"Ha," Murphy laughed, "that's the chain of suspicion and the dark forest theory."

"The chain of suspicion, the dark forest?" Dumbledore didn't understand these two terms, but he could sense the confrontation between them.

"The so-called chain of suspicion means that I don't know if you are a good person or not, so I assume you are a bad person, which is most advantageous to me. The so-called dark forest means that every hunter in a forest will shoot at any target who reveals their presence because of the existence of the chain of suspicion."

Murphy offered a brief explanation.

Dumbledore suddenly understood. "A very insightful description. So, how do you break this chain of suspicion?"

"Clearly, communication is the only way," Murphy said. "A chain of suspicion arises from the premise that the two sides cannot communicate. Once a channel of communication is established, it is always possible to find common ground while reserving differences."

"At the same time, refusing to communicate and exchange ideas can also lead to a chain of suspicion. The reason we want to destroy things that are different from us is because we lack understanding of them."

“It’s not just us, Professor,” Murphy said. “They—the Muggles—are also leaving childhood. They’re growing up rapidly, and when they finally grow up enough to leave their cradles and discover that there are other kinds of people living on this planet, I sincerely hope we won’t be seen as enemies.”

Dumbledore frowned. "Your tone sounds like that of a prophet, Murphy."

"prophet?"

Murphy couldn't help but think of the prophecy he had made up.

He shook his head. "I don't have the ability to foresee the future, but this doesn't require magic; it requires a longer-term perspective."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment again. "Who are your fellow countrymen, Murphy? Sometimes I try to understand you, but I find myself completely unable to comprehend you."

"Your past is clear at a glance, but I can't find the thread that made you who you are today," Dumbledore sighed. "Perhaps that's why I can't trust you."

"I can even trust Tom to some extent, but you are a complete stranger. I can't predict what you will do, and I don't even know whose side you are on when you say these things."

“That’s not trust, Professor,” Murphy laughed. “That’s just a controlling mentality. Deep down, you’re probably like me—a control freak who wants everything to go the way you want it to.”

Murphy roughly understood Dumbledore's line of thinking.

Just as he would first study Tom Riddle's life to understand Voldemort before deciding how to defeat him, Dumbledore wanted to understand him.

This understanding will allow him to figure out whether he is an enemy or a friend.

However, Murphy's personality did not originate from this world, so Dumbledore could not find out how the real Murphy grew and changed, and he could never trust Murphy.

"In the end, we're all skeptics," Murphy said.

"We are always skeptical of things, and we don't easily believe something until it's confirmed. For me, I doubt the laws governing all things in the world, while you doubt the human heart and human nature."

He had discussed this issue with Dumbledore, and six months had passed, but their attitudes remained unchanged.

But now, he no longer needs to follow the other party's routine.

"We were destined to be different," Murphy said. "It's a pity, but it seems there's nothing we can do about it."

"We all have our own understanding of the world, and we all want it to develop the way we want it to. This is the fundamental contradiction between you and me, Professor. We cannot convince each other. There is only one world, and it can only have one future. And only the victor can decide that future."

"What you want is for this fairy tale to live on forever..."

"And I want to bring an end to this childhood."

(End of Volume 5)

(End of this chapter)