[HP] Being a problem student at Hogwarts

"I would be interested to hear what you would like to exchange for this wand," said Dumbledore calmly, with the quiet condemnation characteristic of a well-informed educator, "but, alas, , Tom, I think you should know that no matter what you take out, I will not let you get it without control."

Tom was silent for a while, his heated mind calming down a little.

"I'm sorry," he said honestly, "but I really want this wand."

Dumbledore thought seriously for a moment. "I believe you agreed that I would keep it for you until the day you can take control of it." He said with a smile, handing over the ownership easily.

"..." Tom's foggy blue eyes looked at him carefully, and then he said quietly: "I thought you knew that I was not very honest."

Grindelwald burst into laughter. Dumbledore warned him out of the corner of his eye - Grindelwald didn't take it seriously at all - and then he looked at Tom and said, "Perhaps you want to know what my brother said about me? He said I was like this when I was at my mother's knee. Learned to keep secrets..." Dumbledore shrugged, "Secrets and lies have always been an integral part of the wizarding world."

"The secret itself doesn't bite, fool," Grindelwald scoffed. "Mystery often brings power. You should be wary of anyone who asks you to be honest."

"Just listen to the second half of the sentence." Dumbledore commented, "People need to be appropriately honest. Of course, as long as it doesn't hurt others, there is nothing wrong with keeping secrets. The important thing is," he stared with penetrating eyes. Asking him, "Are you honest with yourself?"

"I believe that a complete bad person can also be honest with himself..." Tom muttered, "But I don't think I am a bad person." He raised his hand towards Dumbledore, "I swear."

Dumbledore smiled approvingly. But Grindelwald laughed out loud again: "It's simply laughable... Can people be simply divided into good and bad?"

He received Dumbledore's expressionless gaze.

Grindelwald did not restrain himself. He held his knees with one hand and leaned towards Tom: "I'm not interested in your secrets, Mr. Locke, and my requirements are much more relaxed than your principal - as long as you promise As long as you don’t betray the magical world.”

"Of course, I won't ask you to swear - things like oaths and covenants... ha, they can't restrain those who are determined to betray them." Grindelwald sat upright again, "I will hunt you down personally. "

"We seem to have taken the topic too far." The old principal said, "Ah, forgive me, in fact, I should also make a promise that I am not interested in your secrets... But I really want to know. , what did you originally plan to exchange for it?"

"...Resurrection Stone."

Dumbledore's smile froze.

"What did you say?" he asked slowly.

"The Resurrection Stone." Grindelwald replied calmly, "The child is talking about the Resurrection Stone." He stood up as he spoke, with his back to the light, and the shadow formed by his body covered Tom's face.

"Where?" The old devil's tone was calm, as if he was asking about tomorrow's weather.

"In the Forbidden Forest, I asked Ye Qi to watch -"

"Thestrals." Dumbledore mechanically repeated the words that came to his ears intermittently, his always proud mind was in a mess.

Grindelwald pulled him up, and Dumbledore looked at him like a helpless child.

"The Resurrection Stone," Dumbledore whispered.

"Yes," Grindelwald said in a calm and almost cold tone, "Take your wand-" He roughly opened the drawer of his desk, took out another wand from it, and stuffed it in Dumbledore had a pocket embroidered with stars and moons, "We're leaving now." He pushed open the window and stretched out his hand to summon a few broomsticks.

Dumbledore eagerly grabbed the broom Grindelwald handed him, but hesitated before flying out of the window, with a look of weakness on his face that Tom had never seen before.

"Maybe this is a dream," he whispered to himself, "or maybe it's a vicious trap."

"Just treat this as a dream," Grindelwald said expressionlessly, hovering on his broom outside the window and looking at him, "Then will you come?"

"..." Dumbledore said nothing. He adjusted his glasses, touched his crooked nose, and then jumped out of the window with agility rarely seen in the elderly.

Note: "I know my brother, Potter. He learned secrecy at my mother's knee. Secrets and lies, that's how we were raised, and Albus...he was born that way." - Albus Forth's original words