CHAPTER 60 A Teacher's Heart
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CHAPTER 60 A Teacher's Heart
Elmi decided to play along, adding a sigh, "Well, I guess I need more practice, Professor. It seems even a simple Disarming Charm can be tricky," he said, feigning a hint of frustration. Elimi thought, what is this old fox trying to achieve? Is he testing my personality?
Dumbledore, maintaining the facade, responded with a playful smile, "Indeed, Elminster, there's always room for improvement. Keep trying, my boy."
Elmi released another disarming charm, but again, it didn't have any effect on Dumbledore. Dumbledore shook his head and said, "Elminster, if you can not succeed with your next cast, I must fail you."
Now, it was apparent to Elmi what this old fox was trying to do. He was telling him to either fail this class or show him what he could do.
Elmi was trying to establish himself as a power among the Slytherin, and they would never follow a failure as a leader. So, failure was not an option. He had to show more of what he could do but didn't want to show Dumbledore his wandless casting; you couldn't fake wand movement in front of a grand wizard like Dumbledore.
Someone talented enough like Snape was able to realize some discrepancy in his fake wand movement, so it would be impossible to fool Dumbledore. He anticipated that Dumbledore might devise a test to gauge his abilities, particularly after the recent encounter with Quirrell.
Facing Voldemort, even in his weakened state, had been a harrowing experience. The Dark Lord's underestimation of Elmi, considering him nothing more than a 1st-year child, helped a lot, combined with Voldemort being a mere shadow of his former power. But it was a fact he was able to take more than one hit from Voldemort. The encounter had been a brutal reminder of the challenges that lay ahead and picked the interest of Dumbledore.
He could plead and say that Dumbledore was being a bully, and if he did that, Dumbledore would probably act playfully and pass Elmi, but he would still try to test him in the future. Rather than not knowing when he would be tested again, Elmi would rather get this over with.
Elmi thought for a second. Dumbledore was expecting him to cast Expelliarmus. Its versatility offered the caster not only the means to disarm opponents but also, when cast with sufficient force, the ability to unbalance and even knock them off their feet. So, he was going to add as many Winds of Magic as possible to his casting of disarming charm; right now, he was only able to add an iota of Winds of Magic to his normal casting, but even that provided the spells with some kick.
He was sure Dumbledore wouldn't be ruthless in creating a really powerful shield; he most likely created one that could be broken by a 3rd or 4th-year student. As he cast the spell, he pulled as much of Winds of Magic as possible,
"Expelliarmus!"
The crimson light erupted from Elmi's wand, carrying an unexpected force that caught even Dumbledore off guard. The violent light of the spell illuminated the scene, and a shattering sound reverberated through the air. Dumbledore, usually poised and composed, found himself stumbling one step back as the impact of the blast took him by surprise.
It felt as though a more seasoned wizard, perhaps a fourth or fifth-year student, had cast the spell. The Headmaster, momentarily taken aback, lost his grip on his wand, and it soared through the air before landing securely in Elmi's hand.
Despite Dumbledore's relaxed demeanor, the unexpected strength of the spell had disrupted him; he was expecting Elmi to be powerful, but not to this extent. Snape had said, in strength-wise, he was around 3rd year, but this was much more powerful. Elmi stood, wand in hand, having proven himself capable of delivering a disarming charm with a potency that belied his status as a first-year student.
All the students who were laughing at him were silenced because they realized from the shattering sound that there was a shield around Dumbledore's body. Dumbledore collected himself and said,
"Well done, well done! Elminster, you have exceeded my expectations and even managed to shatter the shield I had created. I am sorry to test you like this, my boy, but I wanted to see what you are capable of."
Elmi sighed with resignation. He knew he was now on Dumbledore's radar. This wasn't bad entirely, but it would make things more complicated when he wanted to do something secret or outside of the curriculum.
...
Dumbledore burst into Snape's study and cast a silence bubble right away. "Why... Why did you hide it from me? Elminster was more talented than your reports stated."
Snape sighed and said, "I told you to trust me. Professor, I would have let you know if there was anything to worry about."
Dumbledore shook his head, "He shows more potential than 'he' had ever shown. You should have let me know."
Snape was starting to get offended, "Do you not trust me? Did I not provide you enough help to at least have this much trust? He is growing up perfectly under my tutelage. He is hardworking, ambitious, and proud, but I am curbing his arrogance. He is becoming a perfect Slytherin."
"So you want him to be you?" Snape's eyes flared with anger, and he shook his head, "No, he is not going to become me. Over the years, I have realized I was never perfect, let alone a perfect Slytherin. I am doing this so he will not fall into the pits I have fallen; I am trying to temper him so he can surpass me and everyone else."
Dumbledore raised his voice, "You cannot fascinate a child with power, or he will go astray."
"Would you rather turn him into a second Tom by trying to suppress him and his search for power?"
Dumbledore was really offended by this remark, "I didn't tell you that story so you could use it to cut me, Severus; I am disappointed with you."
This time, Snape raised his voice and shook his head, "No, I am disappointed with you, Professor. Why are you not learning your lesson? We are not here to suppress the things inside our students. We are here to give them the responsible personality to do the right thing with their search; ultimately, it must be up to them to decide what they will do. If we try to manipulate him, he will turn into a second dark lord, or we can walk side by side with him in his search for knowledge and power, guiding him and being the voice of reason."
Shaking his head, Dumbledore said, "He could become a dark lord!" With every passing second, Snape's patience was running low, "Are we going to let fear dictate our actions? Are we going to curb our students' potential because we are afraid of what they might become? I refuse that! Albus, I respect you greatly, and I have committed many sins, and I am living this life being your spy to atone for those sins, but if I let you be afraid of this child's potential, it would be one of my greatest sins. I do not see a boy devoid of love and warmth when I look at Elmi. No, on the contrary, I see someone so bright that he pulls others to his side like a beacon. He is nothing like HIM."
He put his hand on Dumbledore's shoulder and said, "Don't you realize he is pulling people from Gryffindor to his side? In the seven years he is going to spend here, he could become a new bridge. He could rebuild Slytherin, end the animosity between the houses, and turn it into a friendly competition. I would rather die than let that child fall into the same pitfalls as I did. My dream of redemption has changed: I will protect Lily's son but at the same time raise a student that can become the second coming of Merlin."