If there was someone at Hogwarts who could be described as both idle and extremely busy, it would undoubtedly be Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
He was idle because he did not need to teach classes or grade students' homework.
He was busy because he was not only the headmaster of Hogwarts. He also had a large number of responsibilities outside the school.
At Hogwarts, Dumbledore functioned more as a symbol, a spiritual figurehead. It seemed that Hogwarts was only truly complete when Dumbledore was there.
Yet the headmaster often wandered off on his own business, leaving the day to day affairs of the school entirely to Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.
Tonight was no exception.
Actually, that was not quite accurate. It was already past midnight, so technically it was morning.
After finishing the work on his desk in the headmaster's office, Dumbledore finally had time for his usual inquiry.
"So then," he said while leaning back in his tall chair, looking toward the top of the bookshelf on his right where the Sorting Hat rested, "which students should we be paying attention to this year?"
The Sorting Hat looked particularly clean.
"Same as every year," the hat replied lazily. "Nothing worth paying attention to."
"Oh? Not even Harry Potter or that Selwyn boy?"
Dumbledore pushed back his chair and stood up.
"Nothing special," the hat said, wriggling slightly in annoyance. "If anything, that Potter boy seems to dislike Slytherin. During the sorting he kept insisting, 'Not Slytherin.' Even though that house suited him best."
"As for the Selwyn boy you mentioned, he chose Slytherin himself. But in my opinion Ravenclaw would have suited him better."
The hat shifted again.
"And I'm certain he has practiced Occlumency. Although it was useless against me."
"Occlumency, is it?" Dumbledore stroked the feathers of his phoenix, Fawkes.
"That's not surprising. He studied at Sculer for six years before coming to Hogwarts. Children trained there usually develop some ability in Occlumency to resist the Cruciatus Curse and the Imperius Curse."
"Then there is nothing to worry about," the hat said. "In a thousand years I have seen far too many young witches and wizards. Talented ones, untalented ones, clever ones, foolish ones. It is rare for someone to truly stand out to me."
The hat fell still.
"Oh, I almost forgot."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"For a thousand years, not a single headmaster has ever thought to wash me."
The hat shook its tip slightly.
"It took a student for me to feel this clean again. You should thank him for me."
Dumbledore stared at the silent hat with a speechless expression.
At that moment, he seemed to sense something.
He returned to his desk and waited.
The door to the office opened, and a dark figure swept inside, closing the door behind him.
"Ah, Severus. You're here."
Severus Snape said nothing. He simply stared at Dumbledore.
Anyone would be irritated if they were summoned out of bed in the middle of the night.
Snape was especially irritated with Dumbledore.
"What was the result of your house's 'tradition' this year?" Dumbledore asked directly.
"Lucius's son became the prefect of the new students."
Snape's face remained expressionless.
Dumbledore looked surprised.
"Really? That's not quite what I expected."
"But Draco gave up the prefect's private room."
Snape paused deliberately, clearly enjoying the effect.
"The Selwyn boy?"
Snape nodded.
"What happened exactly?"
"Draco never cast a single spell. The Selwyn boy defeated everyone himself."
Snape shifted slightly.
"He never spoke a single incantation."
"Nonverbal spells?" Dumbledore stood up again.
"That is unexpected."
"I had no doubt Solim could defeat the other students. But nonverbal casting at that age… what spells did he use, Severus?"
"Knockback Jinx. And the Impediment Jinx."
Snape watched as Dumbledore retrieved a Pensieve from the cabinet.
"You want to look at my memories again?" Snape asked with predictable sarcasm.
"I only want to understand the boy better, Severus. I simply want to ensure…"
"What could a child possibly do?" Snape interrupted harshly.
"Instead of doubting a student, why not investigate someone more suspicious?"
"Professor Quirrell is the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor appointed by the school," Dumbledore replied calmly while setting up the Pensieve.
"Why hire someone like him?" Snape stepped forward angrily.
"I applied for that position many times and you rejected me every time. Yet you accepted a man whose background is questionable?"
"Quirinus is not a suspicious person," Dumbledore replied. "He graduated from Hogwarts as well."
"I sat beside him during the feast," Snape said coldly. "The aura around him is not that of a good man."
Snape's voice grew sharper.
"You promised to protect Lily's son, yet you ignore the danger right in front of you!"
"I am not ignoring it," Dumbledore replied.
"Sometimes focusing too much on an obvious danger causes one to overlook the real one."
He gestured for Snape to come closer.
"But before discussing danger, Severus, I would like to see something."
Snape stared at him for a moment, then pulled a strand of memory from his temple with his wand and dropped it into the Pensieve.
"Come, Severus. Let us take a look."
Without waiting for agreement, Dumbledore grabbed Snape's arm.
"No one is making the first move?" Solim's voice echoed inside the memory. "If you're all being so polite, I'll begin."
He raised his wand.
There were only three girls among the Slytherin first years. Solim gently pushed them out of the circle with an Impediment Jinx.
"A very proficient Impediment Jinx," Dumbledore commented.
Snape stood beside him as they watched.
Soon the other students reacted and began casting spells at Solim.
Their plan was simple. Deal with the strongest opponent first.
Solim grabbed Draco Malfoy and dodged a Leg Locker Curse, then immediately blasted another student away with a Knockback Jinx.
Then he pulled Draco down by the leg, knocking him over.
The poor boy had been standing there like an idiot.
While Draco was still lying on the floor, Solim countered another spell and seized the opportunity.
His wand hand moved swiftly.
An invisible barrier swept outward, pushing every student out of the circle except himself and Draco.
"All done," Solim said casually, waving his free hand.
"Don't forget our deal, Draco."
Suddenly everything froze.
The memory paused.
Dumbledore stepped forward and stared at Solim's right hand.
"Severus, do you see that?"
"A ring," Snape replied flatly.
"I also noticed he's wearing clothes. And shoes."
Snape's sarcasm was obvious.
"And what does that prove? Is it dangerous?"
Dumbledore ignored the remark and examined the ring carefully.
Then he looked at the wand in Solim's left hand.
"Alright, Severus. I believe we can return now."
Back in the headmaster's office, Snape crossed his arms and waited for an explanation.
"You see a ring," Dumbledore said, sitting down again. "But I see a wand. A wand, Severus."
"So?"
"It is not an ordinary wand. Years ago, when I was traveling the world, I found it and returned it to the family that owned it."
"The Selwyns."
"Yes."
"And that proves what? The boy is a Selwyn."
"It's different. Solim is an illegitimate child. He has no right to receive such a wand from the family."
Dumbledore began explaining.
Ancient pure blood families accumulated immense wealth over centuries.
Much of that wealth could be spent or lost. Gold, potion ingredients, magical materials.
But wands were different.
Many magical creatures and trees used to craft ancient wands had long gone extinct.
Yet the wands remained.
These ancient wands were far more powerful than modern ones.
Only the oldest pure blood families still possessed them.
"These wands are not even enough for legitimate heirs," Dumbledore said.
"Why would an illegitimate child receive one?"
"And the wand he used earlier was clearly purchased from Ollivander's shop. That means he carries two wands."
"Why do you think that is?"
"I suggest you ask him yourself," Snape replied coldly.
"I recognize that ring," Dumbledore continued. "And the Selwyn family later donated it to the school."
He gestured behind Snape.
When Snape turned around, he saw a tall mirror with a golden frame.
One glance was enough.
For a moment, emotions flickered across his face.
Regret. Longing.
Then his usual cold indifference returned.
"What is that?" Snape asked quietly.
"The Mirror of Erised," Dumbledore said softly.
"It will protect the Philosopher's Stone."
He looked at Snape.
"Would you say that makes it perfectly safe?"
"There is no such thing as perfectly safe," Snape replied coldly. "If there is nothing else, I will leave."
Snape turned and left the office.
After the door closed, Dumbledore walked back to the Pensieve and added another memory.
Meanwhile, Solim had just finished modifying his private room.
After helping Draco win the prefect position, he had spent quite some time rearranging the prefect's quarters.
Now the room looked nothing like its original state.
Solim had ordered the house elves to remove every decorative object he considered useless.
The room would only serve two purposes.
Sleeping and theoretical magical research.
Potion brewing and spell practice would be done elsewhere.
He did not want the room smelling like potion ingredients or damaged by spell experiments.
Fortunately, there were plenty of unused classrooms near the Slytherin common room.
It was already very late.
But Solim had no intention of sleeping.
He sat against the headboard reading his enormous book.
Tomorrow morning the first class was History of Magic, perfect for sleeping through.
The second was Charms.
Slytherin shared Potions, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts with Gryffindor.
All other classes were shared with Ravenclaw.
To be honest, Solim preferred dealing with Ravenclaws.
In his view, people with similar personalities were easier to get along with.
Try talking to a Gryffindor and the first thing you would hear might be:
"You evil Slytherin, stay away from me."
Or:
"You snake from Slytherin, what scheme are you plotting?"
Just thinking about it gave Solim a headache.
Neville had gone to Gryffindor.
That meant Solim would inevitably have more dealings with them.
He decided not to think about it anymore.
What mattered most right now was finding the answer he needed in the book he was reading.
Solim had always been close to his younger half sister.
Back in the Selwyn castle, she was the only person who made him feel any warmth.
Solim had experienced his first magical outburst at four years old.
Earlier than both his brothers.
Among pure blood families, the age of a wizard's first magical outburst often determined their potential.
The earlier it happened, the greater their magical growth.
Four years old was almost the limit.
Any earlier and the child might become an Obscurial.
And no Obscurial survived past ten.
After his magical outburst, Solim was quickly sent to Sculer.
A secret school for certain wizarding families.
He endured years of brutal training there.
He was allowed to return home only once a year.
If the Selwyn castle could even be called home.
His eldest brother hated him.
His second brother ignored him.
His father sometimes spoke to him briefly when he was present.
As for Lady Selwyn…
Solim preferred to stay as far away from that woman as possible.
After all, the truth behind his mother's death had never been uncovered.
In that entire castle, only Silna was close to him.
She had no one else.
Her two older brothers had both been broken by that school.
One had become violent.
The other silent.
Neither could communicate with a little girl.
So Solim became the only person she could talk to.
And Solim needed something to hold onto emotionally.
Otherwise he might have ended up just like his brothers.
Even after escaping Sculer, the emotional anchor he once created for survival had become genuine.
He wanted to find a way to change his sister's fate.
And the answer…
Might be hidden in the book he was holding.