"Headmaster Dumbledore, I think you're overthinking this," Carter said, standing on the castle lawn. "This situation is perfectly normal."
"Lockhart once shared a book with me that explained how after breaking through a bottleneck period, one's magical strength tends to experience rapid improvement," she continued. "I believe that's exactly what's happening to you."
Carter fell silent, thinking to herself: Is he really being this Versailles about it?
Everyone in the wizarding world knew that after Dumbledore became President of the World Association of Wizards, he had dedicated enormous resources to support research at both Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix.
This was evident in the new magical theory Dumbledore had introduced. The entire new wizard and new magic system, primarily led by Dumbledore, was expanding at an unprecedented rate.
Under these circumstances, it would be more surprising if his strength hadn't improved. After all, Lockhart had integrated all the concepts from Kamar-Taj and chaos magic into it, claiming it had the potential to elevate wizards to godhood.
It was completely natural that Dumbledore would find his strength improving. Especially for geniuses like him—they were as powerful as tigers with wings, soaring through the skies.
Was Dumbledore a genius? The answer was obvious.
As for Carter herself, while her talent exceeded that of an ordinary wizard, during this period her strength had also risen rapidly thanks to her status, position, and access to resources. Still, she couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy and jealousy toward true geniuses! Hearing Dumbledore's seemingly casual dismissal of his own extraordinary progress only intensified the complaints in her heart.
Dumbledore listened silently to Carter's response without further comment. He had merely mentioned that his growth in strength was abnormal, without elaborating. His personality had always dictated that he wouldn't share too many details.
Seeing that Carter didn't completely believe him, he didn't particularly care. The main purpose of this conversation was simply to leave a warning.
If something happened later, today's conversation would inevitably resurface. At least there would be some clues left when Lockhart returned.
Of course, what troubled Dumbledore most was that he didn't know whether these developments were ultimately good or bad.
Everything was progressing in what appeared to be the right direction. He couldn't suddenly hit the brakes, and besides, he couldn't hold back the tide of change even if he wanted to. In the wizarding world, many organizations like Kamar-Taj were actively promoting the new magic systems.
With virtually no obstacles ahead, there was no rational reason to stop.
Yet he couldn't shake a growing uneasiness in his heart.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Dumbledore continued his conversation with Carter about promoting the new magic and integrating non-traditional wizards into their world.
As President of the World Wizards Association, his visit to Kamar-Taj naturally came with official business.
"Carter, in this year's parliament, I want to push the goblins to further integrate with the wizarding world, democratize it, open up Gringotts and the wizarding banks..."
At hearing this, Carter instantly became energetic, immediately calculating the potential opportunities. After all, hidden behind every reform in the wizarding world were enormous benefits—if one knew where to look.
34 years later
"So, teacher, what happened in the end?" Ian couldn't help but ask.
The story had been building for some time. His teacher had spent considerable time discussing the reformation of the wizarding world, seeming to reminisce about past glories.
Perhaps this was the inevitable change brought about by hiding for nearly thirty years. After all, time could not be bullied—time possessed its own powerful magic.
Carter heard Ian's question and fell silent for a moment, not immediately continuing with the development of Kamar-Taj's secret world. She looked somewhat dazed, as if lost in memory.
After a long pause, she spoke again.
"That was a year after my meeting with Headmaster Dumbledore," she said quietly. "And it changed everything."
33 years ago
Carter sat in the principal's office, the enchanted quill in her hand sweeping across the surface as lines of text automatically appeared on the documents spread across her desk.
She was reviewing official papers—not only from Kamar-Taj, but also from the World Council of Wizards. She now held the position of Director of New Magical Systems Implementation, a role with considerable authority.
As the strongest long-term supporter of the Speaker, it was only natural for Kamar-Taj to hold such an influential office.
Just moments ago, she had revised a plan to reform the wizard banking system that would successfully transition 80% of the goblins out of the financial sector, creating new positions for Muggle-born wizards instead.
The financial sector reforms had been fruitful, and the implementation of the new wizard system had made significant progress, which gave Carter great satisfaction.
Once, she had stood behind the scenes, guiding the world from the shadows. Now, she stood at the pinnacle, steering their world toward a new future. It was deeply fulfilling, and she enjoyed the work immensely.
But...
When she thought about Lockhart's unknown fate and uncertain return, she felt an inexplicable sadness wash over her. She missed Steve, just a little.
The thought flashed through her mind, and Carter consciously pushed away these distracting emotions, returning her attention to the documents before her.
She had been working for some time when suddenly—
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
A strange tapping sound came from outside the door. It resembled someone knocking, but also sounded oddly like metal striking the door.
"Please come in!" Carter called without looking up, then returned to her work.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
The door to the principal's office remained closed.
The knocking didn't cease—in fact, it grew more insistent.
This was unusual.
Carter became instantly alert.
She raised her head, drawing the wand from her waist with her right hand, and fixed her gaze on the office door.
"Please come in!" she called again, more firmly this time, but still the door didn't open.
Carter stood slowly, raised her wand, and gave it a gentle wave.
A light breeze swept through the room, and the door slowly swung open.
The hallway outside was empty.
Yet the clicking sound continued, emanating from thin air.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
It resembled the sound of iron striking wood, but also somehow reminded her of the second hand of a clock moving inexorably forward.
The situation was profoundly unsettling.
Just as Carter's internal alarms reached their peak and she prepared to fully activate Kamar-Taj's defense systems with another wave of her wand—
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, there was a rushing sound. Carter felt her entire body go limp as the world around her began to spin rapidly.
Horror flooded through her.
This was the secret world that Lockhart himself had established within Kamar-Taj, with magical defenses that ranked among the most formidable in the world, incorporating the ancient protections of Kamar-Taj itself.
Theoretically, even if the entire wizarding world launched an attack against Kamar-Taj, Carter was confident that with this comprehensive defense system and the secret world's protections, they could withstand it.
This had been Lockhart's most important guarantee to Kamar-Taj.
And yet now...
Silvery white light flowed rapidly before her eyes, surrounded by countless spatial fluctuations.
Carter's nerves stretched to their breaking point.
She prepared herself to fight to the death.
Then—
Buzz!
A humming sound filled the air. In less than five seconds, the scene stabilized. Carter felt her feet touch solid ground again, bringing a small measure of relief.
Before she could fully recover, she heard a familiar voice, though it sounded hoarse and strained.
"Carter, I'm so sorry for bringing you here like this."
Dumbledore was floating in mid-air, his figure transparent like a ghost.
But he was surrounded by countless points of white light.
The sight was profoundly disturbing.