Chapter 461: Senior: Wade, give me a name!

"Then give me a name," the senior said, no longer continuing the previous topic with Wade.

Wade looked puzzled. "Why do you want me to name you?"

Everyone present, whether Dumbledore, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin, was exceptionally knowledgeable.

By all logic, there was no reason to ask a third-year brat like him, at least in terms of physical age, to come up with a name for her.

"Just give me one. As long as it isn't too terrible," the senior said without explaining, still insisting.

Wade scratched his head and looked at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded and smiled. "You've already accomplished something as difficult as saving her. Coming up with one more name shouldn't be too much trouble."

Ms. Paris also looked at him encouragingly.

Wade scratched his head again. "I'm just worried my knowledge is too shallow and I'll come up with a bad name, then she'll complain about it later..."

"Ha. You've been clever all your life, boy, but now you're being foolish," Slytherin said from the side, shaking his head repeatedly.

Wade gave him a baffled glance, then began thinking of a name.

The senior had never revealed her origins, and the game she had come from had provided very little information about her.

So Wade's strongest impression of her was still her masterful nightmare magic.

She could move through other people's dreams and weave stories, create illusions to confuse others, roam the outside world through consciousness alone, and control the boundary between dreams and reality. Elegant yet dangerous, almost like a goddess of dreams...

"Hmm... In that case, how about Miravia? The Latin mirare means illusion... and the Greek oneiros means dream... Put together, that gives Miravia. Spelled Miravia. What do you think?"

"Hmm... It'll do. From now on, I'll be called Miravia." Although the senior tried to keep her expression neutral, the slight upward curve of her lips made it clear that she was actually quite pleased with the name.

"As for a surname..."

"No need. A given name is enough..." Miravia then turned to Ms. Paris. "I'll come find you again after some time, and then... I'll go see my friends."

"What about now?" Ms. Paris asked.

"For now... I want to become familiar with this world again. From another perspective..." Miravia said softly.

Wade said, "Then goodbye. We should head back too... We might still make it to Care of Magical Creatures this afternoon."

"Goodbye, then. And thank you for the name. Oh, and I'll bring the things I borrowed from you to the workshop later," Miravia said.

"All right..." Wade hesitated.

"What is it? Is there something else you want to say?"

"Well, since you asked... You really are out now, right? You're not using nightmare magic to fool us, are you?"

Miravia's face instantly darkened.

"You..."

She clearly wanted to curse him out, but in the end, she forced herself to hold back.

"If even I, in my current state, could still deceive you, then all the nightmare magic I've taught you over the years would truly have been wasted! And another thing... can you please trust someone for once?"

...

Hogwarts.

In Dumbledore's office, the flames in the fireplace suddenly turned green.

Then Dumbledore and Wade stepped out of the hearth.

In the end, only the two of them returned to Hogwarts.

"Ms. Paris" was still somewhat worried about her old friend and had decided to stay with her for a while.

As for Slytherin, he had reunited with an old friend after so many years and did not want to leave just yet.

Although he and Hufflepuff had once held the most opposing views among the founders, that was all ancient history now.

Just as Hufflepuff had said earlier, after so many years, meeting someone from the same era was practically a miracle.

"Lucifer, you're sure you dismantled everything we set up earlier, right?" Wade asked.

"Of course! I've already recalled every bit of flame I scattered out there. Without an energy source, all those preparations became useless."

As Lucifer spoke, it landed on top of Wade's head, making it look as though his hair had caught fire.

Wade grabbed it, pulled out an oil lamp, stuffed Lucifer inside, and hung the lamp from his waist.

Dumbledore looked curiously at the cursing ball of flame.

"Is that... Gubraithian Fire?"

"Yes... It is. Well, it's hard to explain. I don't even know how it happened. One day, it just suddenly started talking." Wade honestly had no idea how to explain it, so he could only attribute everything once again to the wonders of magic and its unpredictable nature.

Dumbledore smiled at Wade.

"Heh, that certainly is remarkable. Your cat was the same. One day, it suddenly seemed capable of doing everything. And now your Gubraithian Fire has suddenly learned to talk as well..."

"Yes. Magic really is amazing..." Wade replied without the slightest change in expression.

Dumbledore did not pursue the matter and instead changed the subject himself.

"The name you came up with earlier was actually quite beautiful. Drawing inspiration from Latin and Greek... If someone like you claims to be poorly educated, what are the rest of us supposed to say?"

"Uh... really?" Wade had originally intended to leave, but judging by Dumbledore's expression, it seemed the professor wanted to talk with him for a little while longer.

Sure enough, Dumbledore asked him to sit down, then brought out some desserts and drinks.

"These were all made personally by that lady. After eating the food and drinking the beverages she makes, I hardly know how I'm supposed to accept anyone else's cooking anymore..." Dumbledore said with a sigh.

"Yeah..." Wade could relate completely.

Perhaps because Hufflepuff was so accomplished in soul magic, she understood better than anyone what flavours each person's soul loved most.

Because of that, even something as ordinary as a baked potato made by her could taste delicious from the very depths of one's soul.

"Actually... Miravia was right about something earlier. Wade, you really can try trusting some people. I'm not telling you to abandon your caution from now on. In this world, being cautious is a good thing, but too much of anything can become harmful. I'm worried that one day, you may end up hurting the people around you."

After a little groundwork, Dumbledore went straight to the purpose of the conversation.

"I'll try to slowly change that habit..." Wade nodded.

Dumbledore continued, "You must have been wondering why Miravia insisted that you be the one to give her a name."

"Hmm... I was." Wade nodded. He really had been confused. Before naming her, he had even spent quite a while considering whether giving someone a name might somehow trigger a curse.

The more deeply Wade came to understand the magical world, the more cautious he became.

Because this magical world was real. It was not a fairy tale.

The more he saw and learned, the more deeply it affected him.

The darkness hidden within the magical world was simply too horrifying.

As a result, Wade's personality had grown increasingly cautious. Who knew what harmful methods other people might possess that he knew nothing about?

Yet Wade himself was not a cold or heartless person. His rational mind and personal feelings were constantly struggling against each other, which made his actions seem full of contradictions.

For example, if he truly did not trust Miravia, he could simply have refused to take the risk of releasing her. Yet he had done it anyway.

But after doing so, he had surrounded the area with layer upon layer of precautions, making it appear as though he distrusted her completely.

At times, even Wade himself seemed unsure of what he was thinking. He was full of contradictions.

Dumbledore had been observing Wade's actions all along, so naturally he had noticed the conflict within him.

That was why helping Wade untangle this knot in his heart, so he would not remain so conflicted in the future, was the main purpose of this conversation.

"You don't need to overthink it, Wade. The reason Miravia insisted that you name her is because you were the one who freed her. In other words, you were the person who gave her a second life. That's why she wanted you to give her a name. It may not mean much to you, but to Miravia, it was something deeply commemorative. Everyone there today understood that except you," Dumbledore explained.

Wade blinked.

He suddenly understood why Slytherin had mocked him for being foolish earlier.

"Sorry, Professor... I... I've actually been trying to adjust lately. The more I learn about this world, the less secure I feel..." Wade finally opened up a little.

"That is exactly why you need friends, Wade."

Dumbledore leaned slightly forward from across the table, his expression sincere.

"I don't know what happened in the past that made you always feel as though you were alone, but the truth is that many trustworthy friends have already gathered around you."

"Even the most trustworthy friend can still stab you in the back..." Wade murmured.

"I won't deny that some people may ultimately fail to hold to their principles. But you also cannot deny that most friends would never do such a thing, can you? Are you really going to give up every friend worth having just to guard against the possibility of one bad friend appearing?"

Dumbledore paused for a moment.

"I remember there is an idiom... something like giving up eating for fear of choking. I think it makes a great deal of sense. We cannot stop eating altogether simply because we are afraid we might choke, can we?"

Wade silently picked up his drink and took a sip without saying anything more.

Dumbledore did not continue either.

He knew Wade was a clever boy and would eventually understand. All he needed was a little guidance, and Dumbledore had already given him that.

What came next depended on how Wade chose to think about it himself.

"Aha! You reckless fool! Don't even think about getting past the great Jack and disturbing the magnificent conversation between the great young Master Wade and Professor Dumbledore!"

"Shut up!"

The office door opened, and Grindelwald strode inside.

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