48. The Confrontation Between The Old Fox And The Little Fox

The current owner of the office arrived, and the portraits of past principals also quickened their movements. One of them struck Phineas before returning to his photo frame and continuing to play dead.

Phineas, on the other hand, likely felt embarrassed and vanished from the frame, probably running to the ancestral Black house and hiding.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Lawrence." Dumbledore motioned for Wayne to sit across from him. "Would you like something to drink? Black tea, green tea, hot cocoa?"

Wayne was not polite in his response. "Just black tea."

Dumbledore agreed with a nod and happily added, "I also quite enjoy black tea. Bathilda recently gave me some Ceylon black tea. Sadly, both Minerva and Filius prefer lemon tea and have never shared their stash."

Dumbledore tapped the table with his wand, summoning a beautifully shaped teapot and teacup onto the table.

The teapot gently floated up, pouring tea for both of them automatically.

"What about dessert? I recommend trying the cockroach pile," Dumbledore suggested, presenting a silver dinner plate. Wayne's expression changed upon seeing it.

The plate was brimming with cockroaches, still scuttling about like the chocolate frogs.

Dumbledore picked one up, placed it in his mouth, and closed his eyes in delight.

How explosive it is.

Wayne's expression shifted. "Headmaster, do you happen to have any sandwiches and macarons?"

"Certainly."

Although Wayne showed no interest in the cockroach pile, Dumbledore still waved his wand and conjured up several sandwiches and colorful macarons.

"I believe the appearance of dessert isn't important. What matters is its sugar content," Dumbledore remarked, blinking. "Are you sure you don't want some?"

Wayne remained silent. "Actually, according to research conducted by Muggle scientists, visually appealing food can also increase people's appetite."

"Headmaster, would you prefer to eat chocolate-shaped feces or feces-shaped chocolates?"

Dumbledore was taken aback. "Must we eat that?"

He had to admit, both of Wayne's suggestions were repulsive.

"Of course." Now it was Wayne's turn to laugh.

"You're the boss."

Dumbledore also smiled, relishing the novelty of a student joking with him.

He could sense that Wayne was genuinely at ease, treating him as an ordinary old man.

As Wayne took a sip of the Ceylon black tea, his mouth filled with a floral aroma.

Compared to traditional oriental black tea, Ceylon black tea boasted a deeper color and a rich floral aroma, yet lacked the unique sweetness and fragrance of tea.

Each has its merits and drawbacks; it simply boils down to personal taste.

As Dumbledore had mentioned that morning, most of the conversation between him and Wayne revolved around the Phoenix.

Apart from asking Wayne how he met the Fox at the beginning, the rest of it was Dumbledore imparting some breeding experience.

Wayne patiently wrote it all down. After the so-called localization of the system, Fox also possessed some of the abilities of a Phoenix in this world, such as healing injuries with tears and disembodiment.

Wayne took the opportunity to make his request to keep Fox in the Forbidden Forest, and Dumbledore readily agreed, stating that Wayne had plenty of time to play with his pets unlike an old man like himself who had nothing to do. Wayne inwardly groaned at Dumbledore's comment.

After talking about Phoenix, Dumbledore began talking about wool socks again, stating that when it comes to protecting one's feet, wool socks were the most considerate choice. Dumbledore mentioned that he used to be dismissive of them but now couldn't put them down.

He joked that no old man could refuse to receive a pair of woolen socks as a Christmas gift, but everyone seemed to think he preferred books.

Wayne sarcastically called out to the Ministry of Magic, asking if they would ignore someone asking for a bribe from the little wizard. Wayne laughed and promised that the Old Bee would be satisfied with Christmas, but he knew that Old Bee didn't like wool socks, but the meaning behind them.

In the UK, woolen socks represented family ties. Despite Dumbledore being the greatest white wizard of the century, he couldn't undo the mistakes he made in his youth, and the pain he experienced and the imprisonment of someone in Nurmengard continued to torment him.

Wayne realized it was already past five o'clock and was about to stand up and say goodbye, planning to return to the auditorium to eat some food that would fill his stomach.

However, Dumbledore stopped him and handed him a piece of parchment, which turned out to be an approval note for the restricted book section. Typically, an approval note for the restricted book section would have specific titles, but the one Dumbledore gave Wayne was time-limited and had no restrictions on what books he could borrow, valid until Christmas. Dumbledore reminded Wayne to ensure adequate sleep and take appropriate night trips, stating that this was his reward for showing mercy to the three-headed dog.

Wayne thanked Dumbledore for the note, not feeling embarrassed about being caught violating school rules, and mentioned that he also didn't think it was good to go to the restricted book area at night due to the lack of lighting and his near-sightedness.

Dumbledore's smile faltered as he observed the situation.

This young wizard always approaches card games with practicality, unlike others who often seem lost when caught in a mistake. It was perplexing that it was now Wayne's turn as if he was not the one responsible for the error.

After Wayne left, a sense of calm returned to the principal's office. However, this tranquility was short-lived as the previous generation of principals once again became active.

Fusco, with his prominent nose, expressed his delight, saying, "This young fellow is quite intriguing, definitely not fitting for Hufflepuff."

"He should be sorted into Gryffindor!" another principal exclaimed.

Principal Dilys argued back, "Why not Ravenclaw? This young one must have been aware that his actions couldn't be concealed from the principal."

"With such astute perception, who else but the eagle-clad Ravenclaw is a better fit?" another principal added.

"What nonsense!" Rossiter, the Hufflepuff principal, angrily threw an apple towards Fusco's picture frame. "We at Hufflepuff are still capable of nurturing exceptional talents!"

Dumbledore, choosing not to engage in the quarrels amongst the headmasters, gazed at the untouched velvet cloth and let out a wistful laugh.

"I never anticipated...it seems this might as well be a child..."