In the Harry Potter world, who would be the first person you’d think of upon seeing a white-bearded old man nearly six feet tall and full of vitality?
In any case, the person Kate thought of was definitely not Gandalf.
Seeing her instantly stiffened little face, the old man naturally couldn’t guess that her mind was currently filled with stampeding llamas.
‘Miss Shafiq, a pleasure to meet you.
I am Albus Dumbledore, the current Headmaster of Hogwarts.’
Dumbledore stood up and gave her a slight nod.
Meanwhile, Kate’s butler Rand, whom she had desperately wanted to find, was sitting opposite him, holding a cup of black tea.
Drinking black tea in the middle of the night?
Are you two British old men not planning to sleep?
Her mind turned to mush the moment she saw the famously renowned White Devil from the original work, leaving only some silly thoughts.
Standing there with a pale face, Kate held back and swallowed these Make complaints with great difficulty.
Seeing her poor complexion, Rand immediately stood up and positioned himself between the two.
‘Albus, my young lady is not used to strangers, it’s better if…’
‘It’s alright, Rand,’ Dumbledore’s blue eyes looked directly at her.
‘What’s in the Shafiq bloodline won’t change because of the environment.’
The Old Butler hesitated, glanced back, and then stepped aside.
Dumbledore leaned down slightly, his eyes gleaming with wisdom behind his half-moon spectacles.
‘Miss Shafiq, you just said you don’t want to go to Hogwarts.
As the current Headmaster, I believe it’s necessary for me to inquire about and address your concerns.’
Kate hesitated, took a step back, her small fists tightly clenched beneath her pajamas.
According to some dark fanfictions, Dumbledore was a White Devil who would use Legilimency on anyone he found suspicious.
But when Rowling herself first wrote Harry Potter, she defined it as children’s literature and wouldn’t delve into overly dark plots.
She just didn’t know whether the world she transmigrated into was the orthodox children’s literary work or a dark version of the magical world.
The former would be fine, but if it was the latter…
She wondered if the level 6 Magic Resistance she got from Rand would be useful.
Looking somewhat nervously at this wise old man, Kate took a deep breath, trying her best to calm her mind.
‘Before that,’ her voice still trembling a little, ‘I’d prefer the Headmaster to explain why he’s in my house.’
A smile appeared on Dumbledore’s face.
‘Quite right.
You probably don’t know yet, but I and your family… including your butler, were very close comrades-in-arms.’
Comrades-in-arms?
The Order of the Phoenix?
A thought flashed through her mind, and Kate immediately snapped back to attention, afraid he might notice something amiss.
‘If that’s the case, then why have I never seen you before?’ she hurriedly threw out the next question.
Perhaps seeing her look like she was about to faint, Rand, who doted on the Child, adopted a slightly stern expression.
‘Albus, are you planning to talk to my young lady standing here?’
‘Quite right, that was my oversight.’
Only then did Dumbledore straighten up, take out his wand, and with a wave, the table was instantly filled with sweets.
‘You look pale.
Some sweets might help, Miss Shafiq… or perhaps, may I call you Kate?’
Kate pursed her lips and nodded gently.
Rand quickly walked over, led Kate into the room to sit down.
‘Young lady, would you like some sweets first?’
Eating sweets helps calm the nerves, Kate knew this too.
She picked up a piece of chocolate from the table and put it in her mouth.
A sweet, warm flow spread from her throat throughout her body.
Kate relaxed a little, her dark pupils then fixed directly on Dumbledore.
‘Headmaster, you still haven’t told me the reason.’
‘Of course,’ Dumbledore picked up a Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Bean from the table and tossed it into his mouth, raising an eyebrow.
‘Good luck, blueberry.’
‘Regarding my history with your family, Child, you were very young then, barely over two years old.’
‘You probably don’t remember clearly.
At that time, there was a very powerful Dark Wizard.
We fought against him for many years.’
‘Although your relatives were pure-blood Wizards, they refused to bow to that Dark Wizard.
To allow their family to live better, they joined our side.’
‘It’s just a pity they sacrificed their lives in the struggle against evil.
And the fruit of their love was taken by a loyal butler to the Muggle world to avoid danger.’
It proved that facing an eleven-year-old Child, Dumbledore couldn’t reveal much.
If Rand hadn’t told him beforehand that Miss Kate hadn’t neglected her understanding of the wizarding world over the years, he probably would have been even more vague.
Kate tightened her grip on the candy wrapper in her hand, lowered her head, and remained silent for a while.
The stagnant air made the two old men in the room somewhat uncomfortable.
Especially Rand.
As the butler who watched Kate grow up, he knew his young lady’s temperament well.
A two-year-old might not fully remember early memories, but judging from Kate’s resistance to the wizarding world over the years, she probably remembered some unpleasant things.
He was about to speak when he saw Kate suddenly look up, a faint glimmer flickering in her dark eyes.
‘According to what you said, the wizarding world is very dangerous.
So what’s wrong with me not wanting to go back?’
Dumbledore sighed softly.
He actually felt great pity and goodwill towards this young lady who lost her family at such a young age.
An eleven-year-old girl, raised sheltered at home to avoid danger, having almost never met outsiders, an introverted Child.
To have such a calm demeanor after learning the cause of her parents’ death was already quite remarkable.
‘But Kate, the Dark Wizard your parents fought against until their deaths is already gone.
Moreover, at Hogwarts, there’s me, and many Wizards like your parents who will protect you.’
He patiently and kindly persuaded her.
‘Haven’t you ever thought about seeing the place where your parents and relatives studied?’
If she were an ordinary Child, she might have been convinced by his words.
But Kate was no ordinary Child.
She knew that in the second year at Hogwarts, the Chamber of Secrets would open, and in the fourth year, Lord Voldemort would return.
Even though she knew Harry Potter, the chosen one, would solve everything, what if?
She wasn’t the protagonist.
What if she died in the Basilisk’s mouth?
What if she died in the final battle at Hogwarts…
She had experienced death and knew how terrifying it was.
Taking a step back, even if she could overcome her inner fear and attend school, the system’s quest was still right there.
If she refused the quest, she didn’t know what troubles might follow.
So…
‘I’m sorry,’ she stood up, pale-faced, and gave Dumbledore a slight bow.
‘I will not go to Hogwarts.’
[System Notification: Main Quest 1 completed.]