From the exchange, Dumbledore drew a conclusion, Link really was a very good child.
Although in the past there had already been countless examples proving this, it was only today that Dumbledore truly felt Link could be entrusted with heavy responsibilities, even becoming the "successor" who would carry on his dream after him.
Part of this came from Link's outstanding power and talent. But the more crucial reason was that Dumbledore discovered Link had quietly dropped his Occlumency when answering his question earlier.
That allowed Dumbledore to sense that Link's answers were indeed his truest inner thoughts.
This let Dumbledore see Link clearly at last.
Link Flamel would absolutely never become someone like Voldemort.
Because in Voldemort's heart, there was always hatred and ambition. The only purpose behind everything he did was control and revenge on the world.
But Link's heart was full of love.
And not the kind of extreme "great love" for the world, for the whole wizarding community, even for the entire Muggle society, the kind Grindelwald, or even Dumbledore himself, had.
No, Link's love was the smaller kind, love for individuals, family, lovers, and friends.
Of course, if you only look at greatness, then great love far surpasses small love. But in essence, love is love. There is no real difference between them.
Most importantly, they are compatible.
For Dumbledore's great love to be achieved, Voldemort had to be eliminated completely. And for Link's small love to be realized, Voldemort also had to be eliminated.
In fact, only in the environment created by the success of Dumbledore's great love could Link's small love grow purer, more comfortable.
And Link himself had the courage to strike down anyone who blocked him from realizing his small love.
So Dumbledore felt that he and Link ought to be a community of shared interests, Link was the kind of successor who could help him, even replace him, in achieving his ideals.
At the very least, Link was far better than Harry.
After all, though Harry too, under his guidance, had a heart full of love, Harry's love was far too pure, vague, and idealistic. So much so that in terms of practicality, Harry was simply explosively weak.
Having confirmed the final conclusion in his own heart, the look Dumbledore gave Link grew more and more kindly.
He even stepped forward, patted Link's shoulder, and then smiled as he said, "Very well said, Link. Could you come to my office later?"
"I want to hear your opinion, as a champion, on some design matters for the third task. I believe this will help our work. The password is, 'vanilla ice cream.'"
"I understand, Headmaster Dumbledore." Link nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Dumbledore looked even happier. He nodded again and again, then soon left Professor Sprout's office.
Of course, since he wanted to keep a low profile, he didn't use the main entrance, but instead had Fawkes, the phoenix, take him back to his office.
Unfortunately, that plan still didn't work out.
Because when Link finally managed, after much effort, to handle Professor Sprout's concerned questions and leave the office, he found the Hufflepuffs gathered in the corridor outside all staring at him with eyes full of worship, as if they were looking at a god.
"Link, you're just too amazing!" John shoved his way out of the crowd again, clutching Link's arm. "We all heard it, Headmaster Dumbledore said you're really excellent!"
Hearing that, Link understood.
He glanced around at the expressions on everyone's faces, and sure enough, they were all about the same as John's.
To these ordinary students, Dumbledore, this man known as the greatest wizard of the century, was already a godlike figure.
So for Link to be so highly praised by Dumbledore meant he had also become a demi-godlike figure.
Link figured it was only because he had caused so many big events lately that his classmates had built up some resistance. Otherwise, right now, this group would probably be clinging to his legs asking for autographs.
Shaking his head, the smile on Link's face faded somewhat.
His view of Dumbledore was not the same as his classmates'.
In his eyes, Dumbledore was far too dangerous.
The man was like a black hole, approaching it might give you a chance to glimpse the truths of the universe and gain unimaginable benefits, but there was also a huge chance of being sucked in and torn to pieces.
Fortunately, in their earlier game of wits, it had been Link who won.
And since he had already won a round, Link felt he was justified in claiming some rewards.
Adjusting his emotions, Link once again broke free of the classmates crowding around him with endless questions, and headed straight for the headmaster's office on the eighth floor.
At the door, the stone gargoyle seemed to be dozing, its head nodding, even faintly snoring.
But when Link drew near, it woke up just in time and said solemnly, "Password!"
"Vanilla ice cream."
The gargoyle jumped aside, revealing the semicircular door behind it.
Link climbed the stairs, and after a while, finally entered the office.
He was already quite familiar with this office.
So once inside, he relaxed, smiling as he greeted Fawkes and the portraits on the walls that were awake, before sitting down on the sofa on his own.
Dumbledore, behind the claw-foot desk, didn't stop him. In fact, he seemed glad enough to let him.
Only after Link had settled in did Dumbledore wave his wand, sending a cone of ice cream floating into Link's hand.
"Come, taste this, Link, Honeydukes' seasonal special, vanilla ice cream!"
Now that some basic trust had been built between them, Link didn't stand on ceremony. He immediately tasted it.
The flavor was surprisingly good, not too sweet, not greasy, but very fragrant. For Link, a man with deep-rooted Chinese tastes, this was the highest praise he could give to a dessert.
Dumbledore was very happy about this.
Eating ice cream in winter was delightful, but even wizards found it hard to accept. He had invited Snape and McGonagall to try before, only to be thoroughly scolded for it.
"As long as you like it, that's perfect. I have more, you can pack some to take back later."
Dumbledore smiled, then continued, "Well then, let's get to the main point. Link, I've already received the information you had Snape pass to me."
"I'd like to hear your thoughts on how we should respond next, and also on the setup for the third task."
The cone in Link's hand still had its tip, filled with chocolate to prevent leaking, that was Link's favorite part.
So when he heard this, he didn't answer immediately. He popped the cone tip into his mouth, chewing as he fixed his eyes on Dumbledore.
From the original timeline, Link knew that Voldemort's eventual resurrection was, in fact, the result of Dumbledore's indulgence.
Dumbledore wanted to use Voldemort's hand to utterly destroy the Ministry of Magic, which had already decayed, wipe out the remaining Death Eaters, and strike down the old aristocratic order, thereby removing the soil that blood-purist ideology depended on.
Of course, at the same time, he also wanted Voldemort himself to destroy the fragment of soul inside Harry Potter, without harming Harry, in order to finally kill Voldemort once and for all.
But that was something Link would never accept. Because at its core, the Flamel family belonged to the old aristocratic class, the very vested interests of blood-purism.
Decapitate yourself? Link would never do something that stupid.
So after a moment of hesitation, he said firmly, "First of all, Voldemort must not be resurrected."
"If he comes back, ambitious pro-Dark forces will swarm to him like flies to a stench. His Death Eater forces will swell explosively in no time, quickly returning to their peak scale."
"That will directly cause social unrest and instability, destroying the good life we've struggled for over ten years to build."
"Not just the Flamel family, even the thousands upon thousands of ordinary British wizards will never agree to that!"
Link's forceful speech even startled the portraits of former headmasters awake. They fell silent, eyes blazing, watching Link and Dumbledore, waiting to see how Dumbledore would respond.
But Dumbledore didn't respond at all. He only gazed at Link with an unreadable expression and asked, "So according to your thinking, how should we achieve that goal?"
"Very simple! Make preventing Voldemort's resurrection the primary goal. As a secondary goal, strike at the Death Eater forces hiding within the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts."
"In the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, we set traps, prepare ambushes, turn their schemes against them, and lure them in!"
"That plan is too obvious. Don't forget, there are traitors on the tournament organizing committee too. It'll be hard to hide from them. How can you guarantee they'll take the bait?"
Link's eyes went cold. He said flatly, "They want Harry for Voldemort's resurrection ritual. Only by using him as sacrifice can Voldemort regain his peak power."
"You mean… to use Harry as bait?" Dumbledore's pupils shrank sharply. He stared into Link's eyes.
"Harry is your friend. And you also know what he means to Severus, your Professor Snape. Even so, you still intend to do this? Don't you feel ashamed?"
"Pfft!" Link laughed outright, then sneered at Dumbledore.
"Stop pretending, Headmaster Dumbledore. Can't we both be honest for once?"
"Using Harry, that's what you've been doing all along, isn't it? Just admit it. You're only trying to use Harry and that prophecy to destroy Voldemort once and for all!"
"Prophecy?"
Dumbledore's voice was ice-cold. The chill radiating from him made Fawkes cry out in alarm.
"Yes, the strange prophecy Trelawney made."
"'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives…'"
Link mimicked Trelawney's hazy, muddled tone as he spoke.
This was Link's way of showing his strength.
He wanted to cooperate with Dumbledore, borrowing his power to fight Voldemort, and gain benefit.
But at the same time, he refused to be someone Dumbledore could casually sacrifice.
So brandishing a tiger's might, to scare the fox, this was necessary.
Link believed that once Dumbledore heard the prophecy from him, he would realize Link was not to be trifled with, not someone he could mold however he liked.
After all, for nearly twenty years, everything Dumbledore had planned in order to destroy Voldemort completely revolved around this prophecy.
By exploiting Voldemort's weakness, his belief in prophecies, Dumbledore had seized control of Harry Potter's destiny early on, and guided events step by step along the prophecy's path.
If Link hadn't appeared, then Voldemort would have fought Harry to the death, exactly as foretold, and per Dumbledore's design, died in the end.
So Link revealing the prophecy was basically the same as whispering in Dumbledore's ear, "Stop pretending, old man. I know exactly what you've been scheming these past ten years."
It was bound to be a huge blow to Dumbledore.
But the one thing Link misjudged was Dumbledore's reaction.
At the moment he heard the prophecy, Dumbledore's face instantly went cold, and a surge of terrifying magical power poured from his body, making every hair on Link's body stand on end.
"How do you know that prophecy?"
His voice was as icy as an eternal glacier.
Link instinctively stepped back several paces, gripping his ebony wand tight, ready to flee.
But just as he finished asking, Dumbledore's dreadful aura vanished in an instant.
He shook his head and said, "Your father told you, didn't he?"
The pressure gone, Link let out a long breath of relief. But inside, he still felt indignant. Forcing himself to reply, he said, "Couldn't it have been Professor Snape who told me?"
Dumbledore shot him a glance as he tidied the papers on his desk, scattered from his earlier surge of magic. He said lightly, "Severus does indeed know of the prophecy, but only part of it. What you just said is the full version."
"Your father, though branded with the Dark Mark, was in fact our ally. Out of trust, we told him the full prophecy."
Then he looked at Link again, a little sadly, and continued, "But from the current situation, it seems he has betrayed our trust."
Link said nothing. In truth, he didn't know what to say. After all, he hadn't expected Dumbledore's imagination to run so wild, making all the explanations he had prepared completely useless.
"Sigh…"
Dumbledore didn't seem to expect a response from Link. He let out a long sigh.
"Well, at least you know these things now, that's a good thing. As for the third task, let's follow your plan. Those hunters you've stationed outside Hogwarts can also participate to a limited degree."
"And next… we need to talk about Horcruxes."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.