Chapter 55: Senior, What Is Your Name?

Although Edward's words to Dumbledore were partly intended to win his trust, they genuinely reflected Edward's concerns about ancient magic.

In fact, everything he had said was the truth.

Consequently, Dumbledore's reply gave Edward a great deal of inspiration.

For instance, ancient magic had no side effects.

His intense craving for ancient magic was merely driven by his own desires.

Recalling how he had previously rejected the "senior sister's" request instead of accepting it, and how, even after wielding ancient magic, he had managed to restrain the impulse to return and change his mind, all of this proved one thing: he had indeed gained a firm grip on his desire for more power through ancient magic...

However... while Dumbledore trusted his self-control, Edward remained skeptical of his own restraint.

Back then, didn't that "senior sister" also assure her teacher that she could control her desires?

And look how that turned out...

Seeing Edward's furrowed brow, Dumbledore knew his words had not fully reassured Edward about his own self-control.

"Edward, always remember that you are not 'fighting' alone. As your professor, it is my responsibility to help you master ancient magic."

Edward wore a helpless expression. "If I simply choose not to use this power, wouldn't all these problems disappear?"

"The fact that you can control yourself not to use this power is proof of your exceptional willpower, Edward... However, in my view, blocking is inferior to dredging. Forcing yourself never to use ancient magic at all is simply too difficult. It is far better to use it with peace of mind, and merely regulate the degree to which you apply it... That would be much simpler."

Dumbledore sighed softly. "It is only a pity that the senior sister vanished not long after graduation. Otherwise, she would have been the ideal person to guide you in ancient magic."

Edward fell silent.

He had literally just returned from visiting that very "senior sister."

Moreover, that "senior sister" had failed to properly control her own desire for ancient magic, meeting a tragic end.

At this very moment, she was lying frozen like an ice sculpture in some corner of that stone chamber.

Still, since Dumbledore put it that way...

Edward felt that there was no harm in trying to use ancient magic, especially with a master of self-control like Dumbledore keeping an eye on him.

After all, to prevent himself from becoming someone like Grindelwald, Dumbledore had managed to avoid anything related to power for decades, day in and day out!

Even later on, when he became Headmaster, or even Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, he practiced a philosophy of non-interference whenever possible.

For someone like Dumbledore, who in his youth had been fiercely driven to reform the world, this must have been excruciatingly difficult.

Therefore, when it came to self-restraint, Dumbledore truly deserved to be called a master!

Of course, the incident where he failed to control himself, put on the Resurrection Stone ring, and consequently fell under a curse could not be counted as a failure of willpower.

After all, the foundation of his formidable self-control was his longing for his departed family. And the Resurrection Stone offered him a chance to see them once more.

It was simply a case of hitting his absolute soft spot...

...

Regarding whether ancient magic carried harmful side effects on the human body, Edward felt he could finally draw a conclusion.

Given Dumbledore's consistent attitude toward Dark Arts, if even he deemed ancient magic to be harmless, then what possible flaws could it have?

Dumbledore's personal certification carried immense weight!

Having sorted his thoughts, Edward chatted with Dumbledore for a little longer.

Piecing together the various bits of information, Dumbledore quickly deduced the events of that evening.

That is, Edward had been drawn by the power of ancient magic, ventured into the Forbidden Forest, and retrieved a vial containing ancient magic.

Along the way, he happened to cross paths with Credence, who had just parted ways with Nagini.

Perhaps Nagini's drifting consciousness had agitated Credence, pushing him to the brink of losing control.

While rushing back to report the news, Edward had been attacked by the unhinged Nagini.

Using ancient magic, Edward had subdued Nagini, brought her back to Aberforth, and Aberforth in turn had notified Dumbledore while bringing the recovering Credence along...

Of course, Dumbledore arrived at this conclusion because Edward had guided him step by step.

Still, Edward would need to coordinate his story with Credence later to prevent any accidental slips of the tongue.

After all, a boy of Edward's age mastering ancient magic was somewhat stretchable, but if he were proficient in Apparition as well... that would become rather difficult to explain.

No matter how talented an individual was, there were always limits.

Fortunately, Credence was still unconscious.

Once Aberforth learned the general outline of events from Dumbledore, he had no intention of questioning Credence about what had happened.

Stirring up painful memories and destabilizing the boy's hard-won emotional equilibrium again would be disastrous.

Every transformation into an Obscurial took a devastating toll on Credence.

The only reason he had survived this long was through his extraordinary self-control... and in recent years, he had barely transformed at all.

Having clarified the whole story with Edward, Dumbledore instructed him to return to his room and get some rest.

As for Dumbledore himself, he left the Hog's Head Inn with Nagini.

Edward's earlier thought was spot on: Dumbledore always managed to find a solution for such troublesome matters.

...

When Edward returned to his room, Tom was fast asleep with excellent sleep quality, and Toby was dozing off.

Edward knew the reason for Tom's heavy slumber.

As for Toby, the fact that he hadn't noticed Edward's prolonged absence was clearly due to the influence of the "senior sister's" nightmare magic.

She did not want a single soul to know that Edward had left the inn.

Edward tapped Toby on the shoulder, gently rousing him from his sleep.

"Toby... Toby has fallen asleep!"

Awakening with a start, Toby looked utterly terrified, convinced he had violated his master's orders!

"No, I cast a sleeping spell on you just now. I had matters that needed to be kept secret from everyone, including you. Go on and get some rest. Just prepare some porridge for my breakfast tomorrow morning. And remember to keep this matter strictly confidential."

"I... is that so? It wasn't Toby's dereliction of duty? Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness... Toby understands! Toby will definitely complete master's task!" Toby scurried away, still visibly shaken.

For a house-elf like Toby, speaking directly and plainly yielded the best results.

Once Toby left, Edward quickly drifted into sleep using the nightmare magic.

Returning to his own dreamscape, Edward instantly regained lucidity and began remodeling the environment.

Moments later, his dream transformed into a garden remarkably similar to the one belonging to the "senior sister."

Following that, Edward began calling out into the dreamscape.

"Oddity?"

"Dreamweaver?"

"Senior Sister?"

Silence filled the dream, Edward's voice echoing softly in the distance.

The complete lack of response left Edward slightly puzzled, unsure if his calls were even reaching her.

"Over here."

Edward turned around to see the "senior sister," wreathed in wisps of dark energy, sitting quietly inside a gazebo.

"I didn't expect you to come looking to chat with me so soon. And... how did you know I liked gardens?"

Whether it was his imagination or not, the "senior sister's" voice sounded somewhat lighter than before.

"Well... your dreamscape was a garden, so I simply recreated something similar."

"I heard you calling me 'senior sister' just now?"

"Ah... I learned a few things about you from a professor," Edward replied. "Because I was asking him about ancient magic."

The "senior sister" fell silent for a moment. "Yet, it seems you didn't tell that professor about me?"

"I didn't..."

"Thank you... I look utterly disgraceful right now. I have no face to let anyone else see me... especially a professor from Hogwarts... Well, you may continue to call me senior sister if you wish. After all... 'senior sister' sounds much nicer than 'oddity,' and far more affectionate than 'dreamweaver.' Since we are chatting, having a warmer form of address is much better."

"Actually... you could tell me your name as well," Edward said. "Would you be willing to tell me your real name?"