What Did You See?

Confronted with Evan's moving vision, Ron hardly knew what to say...

Harry also wanted to scoff at what was so touching about it, but seeing Evan's sincere expression, he swallowed his words.

Just then, an aged yet steady voice suddenly resounded in everyone's ears.

"There is no shame in facing pain... Halse...."

It was Dumbledore's voice, and Evan recognized it instantly. In a flash, he cranked up his Occlumency to full power and activated the Scholar Experience Card mode with 100 academic points for a sense of security before turning back.

At the entrance to the headmaster's office, Dumbledore, with his long white beard, stood silently, having arrived at some unknown time.

"Professor..." Harry exclaimed in surprise, then grew a bit anxious, remembering they had used the Mirror of Erised without permission.

Dumbledore, however, wasn't looking at them but at the Mirror of Erised. Evan couldn't glean any clues from the reflection in Dumbledore's eyes, only noting that he seemed contemplative for a moment before returning to the present.

Dumbledore approached, patting Harry's head, then turned to Evan.

"Halse was correct. This is indeed the Mirror of Erised, which shows us the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts. In the past, many have lost themselves to these false visions, wasting away days or becoming obsessed, not knowing if what they saw was real or even possible..."

"I would not wish you to fall into the same trap," Dumbledore added.

"Halse, would you mind telling me what you saw in the mirror?" Dumbledore suddenly asked.

Evan hesitated, considering a diversion, but ultimately decided to tell the truth.

"Family."

"Yes, that's what I thought..." Dumbledore seemed moved, murmuring softly.

"Professor, what did you see in the Mirror of Erised?" Evan didn't let Dumbledore ponder for too long, quickly asking.

"I saw myself holding a pair of thick woolen socks," Dumbledore said.

"Socks can never be too plentiful..." Dumbledore continued. "I had hoped to receive some for Christmas, but alas, they insisted on giving me books."

Evan couldn't help but smirk, understanding that Dumbledore was using the woolen socks as a metaphor for family, but he still mentally criticized the headmaster.

Who was it that said to face pain directly?

Professor, where is your integrity?

While this exchange unfolded, Harry had recovered from the excitement and reluctance of seeing his parents in the mirror, remembering the purpose of their visit, and interjected anxiously.

"Professor, we came to report something. A few days ago, a mysterious man in black robes learned from Hagrid how to get past Fluffy. He might be planning to steal the Philosopher's Stone you've placed beneath the trapdoor..."

Harry recounted the events in one breath, feeling it wasn't enough to convince Dumbledore, so he also brought up the Quidditch match broom incident and Snape's injured leg after Halloween.

Ron and Hermione chimed in with details, although in the rush, their account was somewhat chaotic.

"Take your time, sit down and tell me everything," Dumbledore said, as if he had known all along, showing no surprise. He waved his wand to conjure four chairs and invited them to sit.

They nodded and took their seats, and then Dumbledore asked.

"Could you start by telling me how you came to know about the Philosopher's Stone?"

Aren't you the one who left the clues? Evan thought to himself, but to prevent Harry and the others from revealing something they shouldn't, he spoke up first.

"We found out from Hagrid that the object under the trapdoor was related to someone named Nicolas Flamel, and then we discovered he was the creator of the Philosopher's Stone."

"Who do you suspect might do such a thing?" Dumbledore nodded, seemingly accepting Evan's explanation.

"We suspect Snape! Or Professor Quirrell might be involved too..." Harry quickly said.

This time, Dumbledore didn't respond but fell into a long silence.

"Professor, don't you believe us?" Ron asked urgently.

"No, I certainly believe you," Dumbledore reassured Ron and the others. "But I also trust the professors at this school; they wouldn't do such a thing."

Harry was about to object, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him.

"The protection for the Philosopher's Stone isn't just Fluffy, the three-headed dog. Each professor has set up a defense under there, including Snape and Quirrell..."

"So, the Philosopher's Stone is quite safe," Dumbledore concluded.

"Then why bring the Philosopher's Stone to the school and set up so many protections if there's no enemy?" Evan easily found a loophole in Dumbledore's words and inquired.

Seizing the opportunity to report Quirrell, Evan was keen to hint to Dumbledore to deal with this potential threat swiftly.

Wouldn't the headmaster's conscience hurt, leaving a professor-level enemy connected to the Dark Lord to deal with first-year little wizards?

Evan criticized internally while maintaining his Occlumency, creating plausible false memories.

During the previous conversation, Evan keenly noticed Dumbledore had used Legilimency three times: when Harry recounted the events, when the Philosopher's Stone was mentioned, and when they were asked who they suspected.

Each memory probe was brief, likely just to confirm whether they were lying or hiding something.

Thanks to the Scholar Experience Card mode's extraordinary boost to Occlumency and Dumbledore not using his full power, Evan managed to conceal his true thoughts.

"That's because I received word that a very dangerous individual has set their sights on the Philosopher's Stone, but it's not Snape or Quirrell," Dumbledore said, giving Evan an appreciative glance, but he didn't elaborate further. He stood up and looked at the Mirror of Erised.

"Thank you for the warning. I will have the other professors be more vigilant. You may go now... I need to move the mirror to another location. If you find anything else amiss, feel free to come and tell me."

"Alright, Professor, we'll be going..." Once Evan confirmed that Dumbledore wasn't planning to deal with Quirrell right away, he wanted to leave as quickly as possible. He didn't want to stay in front of Dumbledore for even an extra second.

Harry opened his mouth, having many questions and much to say, but in the end, he left the headmaster's office with the others without speaking.

After the four left the headmaster's office, Dumbledore stood before the Mirror of Erised for a long while, then suddenly spoke.

"Severus... what do you think?"

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