The Charles Becomes a Wizard

Sebastian didn't care what Dumbledore was thinking. He put down the candy that was bubbling in his arms, left the room, and came back with a new set of tea set in his hands.

Boiling water, brewing tea, adding appropriate amounts of sugar and milk were all done without human intervention. Each step was completed cleanly and beautifully, just like a performance. Soon, Charles had a cup of fragrant black tea in his hands.

After doing all this, Sebastian retreated to his original position without saying a word, like a shadow that could not speak, quietly guarding the boy.

Charles drank his tea slowly and never glanced at Sebastian, as if he was already accustomed to his service.

The slender boy had a calm and composed manner in every move. It was obvious that he had been well-educated. His humble appearance seemed dull to Dumbledore. He was not the kind of child that he admired, innocent and frank.

Dumbledore has always believed that this way of education is very cruel to children, destroying their nature, depriving them of their instincts, forcing them to mature prematurely, and making them grow up to be what adults imagine them to be.

Muggle nobles...

Dumbledore sighed secretly and looked at Charles with an indescribable regret in his eyes.

It made Charles feel creepy.

Looking at the master and servant sitting and standing in front of him, the words Dumbledore wanted to say rolled over and over in his throat, and finally he uttered a slightly thin question.

"Mr. Phantomhive, what do you think of Hogwarts now? Is there anything that you are not used to?"

Dumbledore asked this, not knowing that Ciel was one of the people behind his expulsion from Hogwarts.

Charles paused in drinking his tea, put down the cup and looked up at him.

"What kind of answer do you hope to hear from me?" The exquisite teacup fell on the table with a crisp sound, and the clear eyes seemed to be able to see through people.

Ciel seemed to have just mentioned it casually, and he continued without waiting for Dumbledore to answer.

"Hogwarts is very good now. There are fewer conflicts between the colleges than before because the number of faculty members has increased. There are also fewer people who hang out at night and openly violate school rules."

"Public facilities such as brooms and desks have been completely refurbished. I heard that several dilapidated magic circles in the castle have started to operate again..."

"As for Principal Howard, he is indeed a newcomer in the British education industry. In your opinion and in the opinion of many people, he has no experience at all. Everything he is doing now may be an attempt to step on you to gain a position and gain fame for himself."

"He may not be so kind to students, and there may be some unsatisfactory aspects, but so what? At least, his arrival has brought changes to the unchanging Hogwarts, and it seems that these changes have had a good impact on the students."

"Most importantly, he treats every college the same way."

The soft white fingertips gently stroked the rim of the teacup. Charles' voice was not loud, but every word fell into Dumbledore's ears, making him unable to help but smile bitterly.

Of course Dumbledore could understand the sarcasm hidden in Ciel's calm words, but he felt that he had a clear conscience and did not expect the other party to understand the choices he had made in order to preserve the Order of the Phoenix and to prevent the wizarding world from falling into chaos again.

"In that case, I feel relieved." Dumbledore sighed softly.

He had served as the headmaster of Hogwarts for nearly fifty years, and had experienced countless ups and downs during that time. He had a deep affection for the castle. After being forced to resign, he had thought of ways to return to Hogwarts, but the school directors had a surprisingly consistent attitude towards the matter, and every time he brought it up, the subject would be deliberately changed.

Hearing Charles' high evaluation of his "successor", Dumbledore couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

"That's good..."

"Mr. Dumbledore, what exactly do you want to say?" Charles felt a little bored listening to his sigh.

"I hope the Order of the Phoenix can get the support of the Phantomhive family." Dumbledore, who once again realized that Ciel had no good feelings towards him, simply abandoned all disguises and spoke directly.

"Huh?" Charles raised his eyebrows in interest. "Why?"

"I think Mr. Phantomhive still remembers the wizard who broke into the banquet some time ago?"

"Of course." It hadn't been long since the incident happened, so how could Charles not remember it?

"They belong to the same organization - the Death Eaters."

"Death Eaters?"

"They are a group of wizards who are proficient in the dark arts. They are cruel and stupid, and they advocate extreme pure-blood ideology." Dumbledore sighed, "They enjoy the suffering of others and have brought several years of chaos and darkness to the British wizarding world."

Ciel leaned back in his chair, resting his elbow on the armrest, and gently turned the gem ring on his thumb. "So, what you mean is that those people, those Death Eaters, have made a comeback?"

"Yes," Dumbledore looked at Ciel deeply, "I received news that their leader Voldemort has appeared again."

"I thought the wizard known as 'The Deathly Haunter' had been defeated by the great Harry Potter."

"Of course, we thought so at the beginning, but it is clear that he has not been completely eliminated. He has just hidden himself over the years."

Ciel, now Voldemort's ally, Phantomhive, who had entertained Voldemort at his home more than once, asked calmly, "But what does this have to do with my family?"

"I think Mr. Phantomhive should be very clear about the attitude of pure-blood wizards towards Muggles over the years." Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Once Voldemort comes to power, he will definitely take action against ordinary people, and the Death Eaters will definitely cause an uproar in the Muggle world. By then, it will be too late."

"Is Mr. Dumbledore exaggerating?" The Paraiba tourmaline gem on the ring flashed brightly as it turned on the boy's fingertips. Charles continued slowly.

"Have you personally seen Voldemort come back from the dead? Or do you have any other evidence that he is still alive?"

"No, there is no evidence at the moment, but..."

"So, you are just suspicious now," Ciel smiled. "Well, even if he is still alive, can you tell me why the Phantomhive family chose the Order of the Phoenix?"