NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27: Dumbledore's Hobbes
Everyone reflected Argus' words, and indeed, despite Harry Black's remarkable oratory and socialization skills, the main reason he joined Hogwarts was still his vast accumulation of knowledge about magic.
With this in mind, some were suddenly enlightened, while others began to show fury.
Among them, Cornelius Fudge, who had chosen Gryffindor, was one of the most agitated.
Cornelius Fudge: "I can't believe the differences between these worlds are so great!"
Cornelius Fudge: "I am certain Harry Black will still be placed in Gryffindor!"
With Cornelius's futile rage, the golden curtain of light began to display the video of the parallel world:
[As Harry Black attentively observed the terrifying amount of magical power emanating from Dumbledore, the latter seemed to notice Harry's gaze and offered him a friendly smile.
Harry Black, realizing he had been caught staring, felt slightly embarrassed at being caught in the act.
Just as he was about to return Dumbledore's smile, he saw before he could react a subtle strand of magical power detach from Albus's body and quickly head toward him or rather, his head!
As soon as this strand of magical power penetrated his mind, Harry immediately reacted, hastily mobilizing his own magic to expel the intruder.
No matter how formidable Dumbledore's power was, that thread of magic couldn't suppress the power Harry Black had mobilized with all his strength.
Without revealing anything in his expression, Harry warmly smiled at Dumbledore, who seemed surprised, and began observing the surroundings as if curious about everything in the auditorium.
However, his mind was already working at full speed to process what had just occurred.
"What the hell was that?! Why did Dumbledore send that strand of magical power toward me? No! That power was invisible to the naked eye and was heading directly for my head..."
"Could it be... Legilimency?!"
Harry Black harbored secrets that not even his Aunt Petunia, whom he cherished the most, knew.
Among them was his vast Muggle knowledge, overlooked by wizards, and more importantly, his [Magical Training Method].
He fully understood that this method could overturn the entire magical world's order, which believed it was impossible to enhance magical power through training.
With this technique, Harry had absolute confidence that he would claim his place at the top of the magical world.
It was only a matter of time before he consolidated his power.
When he considered the possibility that Dumbledore had used Legilimency to invade his mind and read his memories, a terrifying chill ran through his heart.
Still, he kept his emotions in check.
Yet, his scar seemed to respond to the anger he felt, and a strand of magical power tried to infiltrate his mind, attempting to manipulate his emotions.
This wasn't the first time it had happened.
Harry quickly identified the situation and manipulated his magic to suppress the disturbance, returning the power from the scar to a state of absolute control.
Hermione, by his side, seemed to notice his unease, and her expression showed concern.
"Harry, are you alright?"
"Don't worry, Hermione. I'm just curious about which house I'll be sorted into."
Harry Black smiled calmly at Hermione, as if nothing had happened.]
However, what Harry Black didn't know was that the magical world was already in devastating turmoil.
Dark wizards acted like fish in water, transforming into true "keyboard warriors" at that moment.
Cornelius was like someone who had used mobile phones his entire life, and the barrage was led by none other than himself.
If there was anyone Cornelius most wanted to irritate, that person was undoubtedly Dumbledore.
Cornelius Fudge: "Albus!! What are you thinking? How can you perform such magic on a child?"
Rita Skeeter: "Breaking news: the great Albus Dumbledore has a habit of reading the minds of young Hogwarts wizards. Not even the Savior is exempt!"
Bellatrix Lestrange: "Shocking! The great white wizard Albus Dumbledore used Legilimency on a child under 11 years old!"
Barty Crouch Jr.: "Not only that! Observe the ease with which he performs Legilimency: no words, no wand, no gestures!"
Lucius Malfoy: "It's as if it's a passive ability, activated with a mere glance. Could his pet actually be a basilisk? Can Dark Lords reach this level of Legilimency?"
Gellert Grindelwald: "I must admit, even I am surprised. The mastery with which Albus performed this magic... Albus, do you have anything to declare?"
At that moment, the Great Hall of Hogwarts fell into devastating silence, and everyone looked strangely at Dumbledore, whose face was far from pleasant.
The students were frightened by the situation Harry Black had faced and vowed to themselves never to look deeply into Dumbledore's eyes in the future.
The professors didn't react much, but their faces clearly showed some discomfort.
Harry looked at Dumbledore with terror, seemingly believing that Albus had done something indescribable to him.
Lily looked at Dumbledore with a very complicated expression, unsure of how to feel about the former headmaster.
Snape observed with amused eyes, as if watching a grand play.
Professor McGonagall cast a hesitant and complicated glance at Dumbledore before mustering the courage to speak.
"Albus, I cannot comment much on your hobbies, but I must remind you not to spy on people's minds in the future. You should express your stance now."
Dumbledore looked at McGonagall with dejected eyes, nodded, and then stood, addressing everyone in the hall.
Seeing everyone subconsciously avoiding his gaze, he began speaking in a deeply guilty tone, bowing slightly to all.
"I'd like to apologize to everyone for my despicable behavior just now. I hope you can forgive me. I promise this will not happen again."
The students, upon seeing Dumbledore bowing, felt their fear diminish considerably, except for Harry, who still looked at him with some wariness.
No one would feel comfortable knowing their memories could be silently read without even noticing anything amiss.
Dumbledore also repeated his words in the chat group.
Although there were still many dissatisfied with his actions, the matter was not prolonged.
After all, who would dare confront such a powerful figure?
However, it was evident that Dumbledore's reputation had been shaken at that moment, and no one dared to defend him.
The curtain of golden light, indifferent to the magical world's uproar, continued to display the parallel world.