In the Harry Potter world, when you see a spirited old man with a white beard who stands a full 1.8 meters tall, who is the first person that comes to mind?
Anyway, Kate certainly wasn't thinking of Gandalf.
Looking at her instantly stiffened little face, the old man naturally wouldn't guess that her mind was currently filled with a stampede of screaming profanities.
"Miss Shafiq, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Albus Dumbledore, and also the current Headmaster of Hogwarts."
Dumbledore stood up and nodded slightly to her.
Meanwhile, Rand, the old butler Kate had been desperately looking for, was sitting opposite him, holding a cup of black tea in his hand.
Drinking black tea in the middle of the night—were these two old British men not planning to sleep at all?
Upon suddenly seeing the original story's illustrious 'White Dark Lord,' her brain instantly turned into mush, leaving behind nothing but snarky nonsense.
Kate stood rooted to the spot, her face turning pale. She held back again and again, managing with great difficulty to swallow the torrent of complaints threatening to spill out.
It was Rand who noticed her poor complexion; he immediately stood up and placed himself between the two.
"Albus, my Young Miss has never met strangers before, perhaps it is best if..."
"It is quite alright, Rand," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes looking directly at her. "The things in the Shafiq bloodline will not change due to the environment."
The old butler looked back hesitantly before finally stepping aside.
Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, his eyes twinkling with the light of wisdom behind his half-moon spectacles.
"Miss Shafiq, just now you said you did not want to go to Hogwarts. As the current Headmaster, I believe it is necessary for me to inquire about and address your doubts."
Kate hesitated and took a step back, the small fists hidden under her pajamas clenching tight.
According to some dark fanfictions, Dumbledore was a 'White Dark Lord' who would use Legilimency on anyone he found suspicious.
However, when Rowling first wrote Harry Potter, she defined it as a children's book; overly dark plotlines were not described in depth.
She just didn't know whether the world she had transmigrated into was the orthodox children's literary work or a dark version of the magical world.
If it was the former, that would be fine, but if it was the latter...
She also didn't know if the Level 6 Magic Resistance she had acquired from Rand would be of any use.
Looking somewhat nervously at this wise old man, Kate took a deep breath and tried her best to calm her mind.
"Before that," she said, her voice still trembling slightly, "I would prefer if the Headmaster explained why he is appearing in my home."
A hint of a smile appeared on Dumbledore's face. "True. You likely do not know yet, but I and your family... including your butler, are very close comrades-in-arms."
Comrades-in-arms?
The Order of the Phoenix?
A thought flashed through her mind, but Kate immediately snapped back to reality, terrified that he might spot a flaw in her demeanor.
"In that case, why have I never seen you before?" she hurriedly threw out the next question.
Perhaps because she looked as if she were about to faint, Rand, heartbroken for the child, slightly stiffened his face.
"Albus, do you intend to stand here and talk to my Young Miss?"
"Ah, you are right. That was my oversight."
Dumbledore straightened up and waved his wand. In an instant, a pile of sweets appeared on the table.
"You look pale. Eating some sweets will help, Miss Shafiq... or perhaps, would you be willing to let me call you Kate?"
Kate pursed her lips and nodded gently.
Rand quickly walked over and guided Kate to sit down in the room. "Miss, would you like to eat some candy first?"
Eating sweets helped to calm one's mood; Kate knew this too. She picked up a piece of chocolate from the table and stuffed it into her mouth.
A sweet warmth spread down her throat and into her body. Kate relaxed slightly, her pitch-black pupils staring straight at Dumbledore.
"Mr. Headmaster, you still haven't told me the reason."
"Of course." Dumbledore picked up a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean from the table, popped it into his mouth, and raised an eyebrow. "Good luck. Blueberry flavor."
"Regarding the matter of me and your family, my child... you were still small at the time, probably only a little over two years old."
"You may not remember clearly, but back then, 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. In order to give their family a better life, they joined our camp."
"It is just a pity that they sacrificed themselves in the struggle against evil. Their crystallization of love, however, was taken by a loyal butler to the Muggle world to avoid the danger."
As it turned out, there was only so much Dumbledore could say to a child who had just turned eleven.
Had Rand not informed him beforehand that Miss Kate had not neglected her knowledge of the magical world over these years, he likely would have spoken even more vaguely.
Kate tightly gripped the candy wrapper in her hand, lowered her head, and fell silent for a while.
The stagnant atmosphere made the two old men in the room feel somewhat unaccustomed.
Especially Rand. As the butler who had watched Kate grow up, he knew his Young Miss's temperament very well.
A two-year-old child might not fully remember memories from their infancy, but judging by Kate's resistance to the magical world over these years, she must remember some unpleasant things.
He was just about to speak when he saw Kate suddenly look up, a faint fluorescence flickering in her pitch-black eyes.
"By your account, the magical world is very dangerous. So, what is wrong with me not wanting to go back?"
Dumbledore sighed softly. He actually held great pity and goodwill toward this eldest daughter who had lost her relatives at a young age.
An introverted girl who had just turned eleven, kept at home for refuge, having seen almost no outsiders.
To have such a composed reaction after learning the cause of her parents' death was already quite impressive.
"But Kate, the dark wizard your parents fought to the death has already died. Moreover, Hogwarts has me, and many wizards like your parents who will protect you."
He spoke pleasantly, patiently guiding her.
"Have you never thought about going to see the place where your parents and relatives studied?"
If it were an ordinary child, they might have already been moved by his rhetoric.
But Kate was no ordinary child. She knew that the Chamber of Secrets would be opened in the second year of the original story, and that Voldemort would return in the fourth year.
Even though she knew Harry Potter, the Chosen One, would solve everything, what if something went wrong?
She wasn't the protagonist. What if she died in the mouth of the Basilisk? What if she died in the final chaotic battle at Hogwarts?
She had experienced death; she knew how terrifying it was.
Even taking ten thousand steps back, assuming she could overcome the fear in her heart to go to school, the system's quest was still sitting right there.
If she refused the quest, she didn't know what kind of trouble would follow.
So...
"Sorry," she said, standing up with a pale face and bowing slightly to Dumbledore. "I will not go to Hogwarts."
[System Notification: Main Quest 1 completed.]
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