Hogwarts Principal's Office
Nios and Dumbledore sat in armchairs by the fireplace, each holding a cup of viscous lemon tea, sipping it slowly.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of tea and the smell of old parchment.
Dumbledore placed his teacup on the side table, his fingertips lightly pressed together, and said calmly, "Mr. Nios, did you come to see this old man today because you have some trouble?"
Nios also put down his teacup. "It's like this, Principal, ever since you invited me to Hogwarts, I've been thinking about what I should do in the future. But the more I think… the more confused I feel. So," he looked up, his eye patch staring directly at Dumbledore, "I decided to come to you to hear your guidance."
Dumbledore chuckled softly, "Mr. Nios, you are a very opinionated child. I'm afraid this old man's thoughts won't influence your decision."
Nios shook his head, "Even if I have thoughts, I'm still just a child, and my understanding of this world… is too shallow. Guidance from a wise elder is always better than me fumbling in the dark, right?" The corners of his mouth curved slightly, like a smile, yet with another meaning.
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, and the air in the office seemed to freeze.
The tightly closed eyes of the portraits of past Principals on the wall quietly opened a crack, and even the Sorting Hat on top of the bookshelf seemed to lean forward.
"Alright," Dumbledore's gentle eyes gradually deepened, "Then I will accept. I hope the experience of this old man can be of some use to you."
Upon hearing this, Nios raised his hand, pinching the edge of his eye patch with two fingers, and gently pulled.
The eye patch slid off.
Dumbledore's breath caught almost imperceptibly.
The eyes in those sockets had no irises, no pupils, and not even whites.
There was only pure, all-consuming black, like two openings to a void abyss.
Dumbledore had seen countless strange sights and experienced countless thrilling moments, but these eyes… this pure sense of nothingness, made his fingers on the armrest unconsciously tighten, his knuckles slightly white.
Was it Chelmsford's curse? Or the price of creating a demon book? Or… was it born this way?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
His gentle gaze instantly sharpened, firmly locking onto Nios's face.
Nios seemed unaware of the sudden change in atmosphere, his black hole-like "gaze" falling on Dumbledore, and he began his "inquiry" in an almost casual tone:
"Principal, ever since I truly started to understand the Wizarding World, a question has been swirling in my mind."
"Why… despite so many magical powers and creatures, are the ones who occupy most of this land and control the world's direction those ordinary people who cannot use magic?" His voice was low, his tone puzzled.
"The power of Wizards and magical creatures is clearly stronger, isn't it? But why, for thousands of years, has the world still been dominated by Muggles?"
Dumbledore had already anticipated what Nios was going to say, but he maintained his composure and continued the conversation, "Because Wizards are individualistic and find it difficult to form a unified, vast political power like Muggles. The Ministry of Magic… was more created to deal with the Muggle world."
"Yes," Nios nodded, "In the last century, the fear and hatred of ordinary people towards Wizards gave rise to the witch hunts."
"Wizards formed the Ministry of Magic for self-preservation. Although… it's much better now," he paused, a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "However, long-term suppression and persecution have caused Wizards to accumulate too much dissatisfaction…"
Dumbledore's gaze became incredibly complex, as if he was seeing the distant past through Nios.
"So a portion of Wizards began to yearn to overthrow the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and establish a new order where Wizards ruled Muggles."
"Thus, in 1926, the First Wizarding World War broke out…"
"But… unfortunately," Nios sighed regretfully, "Their ambition was stopped by you."
"Then came 1970."
"Another ambitious individual wanted to use Britain as a springboard to follow the old path. The result, well…" The curve of his mouth deepened, "He was stopped by you, or rather, by Harry."
Nios leaned slightly forward, his black hole-like eyes seeming to draw Dumbledore in: "Principal, have you noticed… a very, very interesting phenomenon?" His voice was captivating, yet also carried a cold scrutiny.
Dumbledore's brows were tightly furrowed.
He did not respond, only silently watching Nios.
He knew that Nios was finally about to reveal that shocking core idea.
"Indeed…" Nios chuckled softly, his laughter particularly grating in the silence, "No one has realized it yet, or rather… no one has even thought in that direction!"
"I used to think that a Wizard's power came from a demon book."
"But after I met you and stepped into Hogwarts, I finally found the precise answer!"
He suddenly stood up, placing his hands on the tea table covered with silver objects, "looking down" at Dumbledore, and said word by word:
"A Wizard's power comes from ordinary people!"
"Absurd!" Dumbledore could no longer maintain his calm. He roared, a powerful oppressive aura emanating from him.
"Nios! The content of today's conversation will never leave this office! But you must immediately stop this dangerous, baseless fantasy!"
No matter what evidence Nios had, he had to stop him. If these words were to get out, regardless of whether they were true or false, they would cause enormous waves throughout the entire Wizarding World, and Nios would be doomed!
The portraits on the wall instantly erupted into a commotion. Phineas Nigellus shrieked curses, and other Principals also voiced angry or horrified rebukes.
Nios, however, seemed not to hear the clamor.
He unhurriedly sat back down, picked up the viscous red tea, and slowly cleared his throat.
"Ever since the Wizarding World and the Muggle world completely separated," he put down his teacup, his voice returning to its previous steady tone.
"Has the overall spellcasting ability of Wizards been declining? Do those legendary Wizards who could wipe out a city alone still exist in history? And how many Aurors in the Ministry of Magic can now guarantee a perfect Shield Charm every time?"
He tilted his head slightly, his black hole "eyes" looking at Dumbledore: "And look at those two so-called 'Wizarding Wars.' Their patterns, scale, and even that all-encompassing madness… Principal, don't you think they are very similar to the World Wars of ordinary people?"
"Admit the reality, Principal."
Nios's voice was like a pronouncement, "Wizards can cast spells because of ordinary people's deep-seated 'belief' and 'desire' for mysterious power! Why does the Wizarding World seem to be stuck in the Middle Ages?"
"It's precisely because after the Middle Ages, Muggles began to observe the world with their 'science'! They abandoned 'ignorance' and used logic and empirical evidence to explain everything! When their 'belief' in magic weakened or even disappeared…"
He paused, a slight curve on his lips:
"The Wizarding World will also disappear!"
Having said that, Nios no longer looked at Dumbledore's shocked expression. He reached into his embrace, pulled out the demon book, and gently placed it on the tea table between them.
"Please put your hand on it."
Dumbledore looked at the demon book, then at Nios's black hole-like eyes, the muscles on his aged face twitching slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, he slowly raised his hand and placed it over the cold book cover.
The moment his palm touched the book's cover, Nios opened his mouth.
A quiet blue light emanated from his mouth, instantly illuminating the lower half of his face and reflecting in Dumbledore's shocked pupils.
In the disbelieving gaze of Dumbledore and the portraits on the wall, Nios's throat convulsed, producing a grating retching sound.
Immediately after, a rusty, saliva-covered iron nail was vomited out by him.
He unhurriedly wiped the mucus from the corner of his mouth with a clean handkerchief, then carefully wrapped the rusty nail in the cloth, holding it up to Dumbledore's eyes.
Dumbledore's pupils contracted sharply! As his hand covered the demon book, that iron nail was emitting a pure, soft, yet incredibly powerful white holy light!
And when he moved his hand away from the demon book, the light and the sacred feeling vanished without a trace, and the iron nail reverted to its appearance of scrap metal.
"This is one of the legendary Holy Nails that nailed Jesus to the cross. Although I don't know if it's real or fake, but…"
Giving Dumbledore no time to react or think!
Nios's hands emitted a quiet blue light! He pinched one end of the iron nail with one hand and the other end with the other hand, and under Dumbledore's gaze,
He forcefully snapped it!
"Crack!"
The rusty iron nail broke with a snap!
The moment the iron nail broke!
"Boom—!!!"
A mighty force erupted in the Principal's office! Dumbledore's senses were instantly overwhelmed!
Before his eyes was no longer the office, but billions of pure holy lights!
In his ears, it was as if millions of voices were echoing: the devout prayers of countless believers, the mother's tearful pleas for her sick child, the sinner's heartfelt repentance in a dark room!