Professor of Gemology at Hogwarts

"First of all, I want to remind you, be careful, Gray." Dumbledore said bluntly, "I don't want to see you lying in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Magical Injuries like Ballard."

"What?" This sudden sentence made Gray unable to react. "Him? St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Maladies? Hasn't he been hiding in the attic on the top floor of the clock tower?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, poor Ballard was attacked even though he was hiding there. He received an anonymous package, and he didn't expect that it contained a black magic item that was very confusing to the mind. His spirit was greatly affected. He is recovering from the trauma at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Injuries." Dumbledore said, "I guess he won't open unknown packages at will in the future."

Gray's heart tightened.Anonymous package, he suddenly thought of the one he had received before.If it wasn't Lucius Malfoy, then who was?He didn't expect, and later even forgot about it, that now Mason also received an anonymous package, it was all too similar.

"Did he...I mean..." Gray suddenly stuttered, his heart racing.

"He has not gone crazy. In my opinion, he has recovered quite well. Ballard is still capable of protecting himself."

"It seems that the French gang discovered him." Gray tried to calm down.

"They should have discovered it a long time ago, but they just never took action." Dumbledore said, "Just a few months ago, the French gang attacked an innocent person. It can be seen that they have at least arrived here from France. It's been four or five months, but they haven't taken any big action..."

"You already know that they did it?" Gray asked, "Did Claire say it?"

Dumbledore looked at him thoughtfully.

"Oh, yes, I know about it, but it wasn't Miss Weisman who said it." Dumbledore reached for the cabinet next to him, and a newspaper flew into his hand, "I accidentally read it that day To a piece of news in the Daily Prophet, someone was attacked on the street and had his memory wiped. This technique is very familiar, and it immediately reminded me of the experience that Nico Flamel once described to me, plus the fact that you have been traveling around After asking about Elixir's yeast, I thought it was the French gang."

"So you knew that my inquiry about Elixir's yeast would attract the French gang, and you didn't stop me yet?" Gray suppressed his anger, "Do you know how many people those people killed before? The most important thing is that they found Claire investigating the yeast, and now they are wandering here, Claire is right under their noses, and she may be in danger at any time!”

"Calm down. I am on the same side as you, Gray. We both want to eliminate the French Gang." Dumbledore said in a very calm voice, "The French Gang should not have appeared here. If you had not After finding the recipe for Elokthiel's Yeast, I believe they will leave soon. Elokthiel's Yeast, the Crystal Wand, and the French Gang will not appear, and Ballard will also move away from Hogwart. Ci, all this will be as if it never happened and never appeared in our field of vision. But from the moment you join the job, everything is destined to change. Gray, you can't expect me to change the situation. "

The blood surged in Gray's chest, but he forced himself to take a deep breath to control his emotions.

"Very good, you are trying to calm down. Only when you are not controlled by emotions can you think about other things." Dumbledore said in a calm tone, "Do you know what it means to be a professor of spar? Sparse is very popular throughout Europe. It’s not common, it’s an unpopular thing. Hogwarts suddenly opened a crystal science course, which will definitely attract some people’s attention——”

"Attract attention? You want the French gang to show up and catch them all? But it sounds like you're using me as bait!"

"If you think so, then I can't deny it. After all, if you want the mysterious French gang to show up, you can only rely on you to find Elixir Yeast."

"You would have expected me to discover the recipe for yeast..."

"No, I'm just speculating, no offense intended. When I visited your house that day, I saw a sealed book on the bookshelf, but you didn't seem to notice it." Dumbledore said, "I couldn't see it clearly. What was it? I could only find that it was sealed with magic. So I made a bold guess that it was left by Frandi. Maybe it can only be seen if it touches a certain field. What will you discover one day in the future? , just right to lure them out..."

"I just want to end this as soon as possible. I don't want the French gang to be like a ghost hiding in the dark, always ready to attack us!"

"You are doing it, Gray. Although they have not made any more noise, they are still hiding in the UK, waiting for you to find all the raw materials for Elixir's yeast." Dumbledore said.

"You mean they are waiting for the last moment to strike?"

"I think so. If it is not absolutely necessary, they will not act without authorization to alert others. This is why they are so secretive." Dumbledore paused, "I can help you, but the decisive thing is I Choose to follow your own ideas, after all, it was you and your friends who discovered these things. And their ultimate target is obviously you, even if they hurt those around you over and over again."

Gray said directly: "You should know that we have talked about many topics."

"Oh, I guess you want to remind me about the Horcruxes," said Dumbledore. "I will not forget the help you provided. As we said before, we are very honest with each other. I will naturally help you when necessary." Help you. But you must fight against the French gang, because even if I am here, their target is still you - a hedron scholar who knows the yeast of Eliok Hill."

Help when necessary?Gray felt very angry, but swallowed these words hard.Dumbledore simply did not consider threats to the safety of others as a very important matter.

"So now, even though I know they are watching me, I still want to refine the Elixir yeast?" Gray almost gritted his teeth.

Dumbledore nodded.

"It's risky, but it's the only way to lure them out."

"What if I rebel?" Gray said, "I only heard one side of what the French gang is like. If I meet the French gang, it is possible to reach a consensus with them."

"I'm sure you won't," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I can see that you have more integrity than anyone around us, and that you are a sentimental and sensible person."

"What if I die?" Gray suppressed his anger. "No one knows what will happen in the future."

"Is death what you're really afraid of?"

"I am an ordinary person, why am I not afraid of death?" Gray said, "Is it a shame to be afraid of death? Are only Voldemort and Death Eaters afraid of death?"

The portraits on the wall suddenly began to whisper.

Dumbledore shook his head.

"You are just afraid of the pain that death will bring to the people around you, afraid that your father will live alone, and afraid that your friends will cry sadly." Dumbledore said, "Your integrity and what you have done now are very far away. A lot of it is because you want to avoid other people's death and spare other people's suffering."

The two were silent for a long time.

"I mean, if I die, the plan will fail." Gray said slowly.

"Believe me, Gray, I will help you, and like you, I also hope to avoid the pain of others through my own efforts..."

Gray stared into those blue eyes and said nothing, trying to suppress the tension in his heart.

"I deeply regret what happened to Nico Flamel in France. Originally, I should have extended a helping hand to help my old friend, but obviously I thought it was too simple. I underestimated the French gang. An excellent alchemist Magicians should not leave this world with regrets." Dumbledore gently rubbed his eyebrows, and his golden glasses slipped a little from the bridge of his curved nose. "As we said before, I didn't want to save others by saving others. To redeem myself. But it is bitter to bear this feeling. From a certain point of view, helping you is more like a consolation for my previous contemptuous behavior."