As Snape left.
"Does what he said about an explanation have anything to do with me?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged as he led the way. "Why would you think that?"
"He pays a lot of attention to me." Following Dumbledore's footsteps, Harry continued, "Seven or eight times? During dinner, he looked at me that many times."
Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, everyone pays attention to you, Harry. You are the most special one."
Changing the subject, brushing it off.
Snape definitely did not fall into the category of "everyone."
Seeing that the old man did not want to discuss it, Harry dropped the subject.
They arrived at the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore motioned for Harry to sit down, sat down himself, and pulled an indescribable thing from his drawer—a transparent glass jar filled to the brim with crawling cockroaches.
"Fresh cockroach clusters."
"Care for some? The flavor is marvelous."
Harry leaned his head back, his face full of rejection. "No, thank you."
"Oh, well, it seems our dear Savior cannot appreciate such a delicacy." Dumbledore opened the jar, picked out a few, and popped them into his mouth, crunching down as juices splattered everywhere.
Peanuts, butter, frosting...
Almost instantly, Harry caught the scent of the ingredients in these cockroaches.
Thank goodness.
They weren't real cockroaches—he knew that many sorcerers eventually went mad, which was normal, but he certainly didn't want his headmaster to be that kind of person.
"Before you ask your questions, Harry, may I ask you one first?" Dumbledore spoke up, waving his wand to conjure a cup of milk in front of Harry. "Someone has been holding this poor old man by the neck, demanding an explanation."
"Professor Snape, I presume?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore ignored him completely. "What happened to your eyes?"
"I remember your eyes were a vibrant green, like emeralds."
"I don't know." Harry shook his head, offering a half-truth. "Perhaps some sort of magic?"
"When did they change?" Dumbledore asked again.
Harry replied, "The day Hogwarts letter arrived."
"Any other changes?" Dumbledore grew slightly more serious.
"Suddenly, I could perform a small spell," Harry said.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "A small spell? What kind? Can you show me?"
Harry glanced around the room. "The area of effect is rather large, I don't know if..."
Dumbledore pressed a hand down. "Rest assured, although I am old, I am still capable of protecting my office."
Without further hesitation, Harry raised his hand and formed a Sign.
"Aard!"
With a boom, a surge of magical power caused the office to gently shake, and the sleeping phoenix squawked in surprise, poking its head out.
Aside from that, there was no other impact.
"Very interesting, similar to a Knockback Jinx," Dumbledore tapped the desk, giving his evaluation. "But with such a wide range, it is truly rather unexpected."
"A very interesting Charm."
Harry said nothing, watching Dumbledore cautiously.
This... the greatest white wizard of the century, the old man who had successively defeated two Dark Lords, was even more powerful than written in books. He had used the Aard Sign at almost full strength, yet failed to even shake the other's magical power.
"Potter is a very, very old family," Dumbledore rubbed his head. "It seems I need to look into it properly. Perhaps there is something I missed."
"Well, Harry, what is it you wanted to discuss with me?"
Harry took a deep breath. "I have two... oh, no, three things to say."
"First, I'd like to discuss with you whether I can see how much inheritance my parents left me."
Dumbledore looked slightly startled, gazing at Harry in surprise.
"It's not that I don't trust you, but... you are old and wise, and you know it's only right for me to do this." Harry waved a hand, casually explaining, "I imagine my parents left behind more than just those assets in Gringotts."
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I know, I was just a bit surprised."
He had expected Harry to come and complain about Muggle life, to be curious about his parents' past, or perhaps even to ask why Snape treated him that way.
He simply hadn't expected the very first words out of his mouth to be about his inheritance.
"Your parents left many things behind," Dumbledore thought for a moment and slowly began. "Most of them are at Potter Manor, your family's estate."
"I heard from Hagrid that you have many hobbies, such as potions, herbology, and blacksmithing..."
"You don't need to worry about money. The Potter family has a goose that lays golden eggs. Every time a bottle of hair-restoring potion is sold on the market, a portion of the royalties goes to you."
"I will make a list of those families for you."
"Although they haven't paid the Potter family in ten years, you'll have to figure out how to collect that debt yourself."
"Of course, you can also ask this old man for help."
Harry blinked.
Oh...
This surprise was truly massive.
Hair-restoring potion—no wonder he hadn't seen any bald wizards.
Dumbledore continued.
"Your father left quite a few notes on Transfiguration. He was an exceptionally skilled Transfiguration master, but Transfiguration carries certain dangers. I will hand them over to Professor McGonagall, your Head of House and Transfiguration professor."
"She is a very conscientious and responsible professor, and she will give you the notes when the time is right."
"As for your mother, she was an exceptionally talented witch who excelled at Potions. She left behind many notes on the subject. They are with Professor Snape; you can discuss it with him."
Harry narrowed his eyes.
The tone was slightly off. For Professor McGonagall, it was "hand over," but when speaking of his mother's legacy, it was in Professor Snape's "hands."
Oh ho...
He looked very much like his father, and Professor Snape loathed his face so much, not to mention his eyes...
It seemed he would have to find out whether this Professor Snape was married.
Dumbledore said nothing more. His expression was hesitant, his fists slightly clenched.
Hesitating, pondering, gathering his courage.
"Of course, most importantly, is a relic from your father—an Invisibility Cloak."
He stood up and retrieved a box from a nearby cabinet.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
This differential treatment?
He knew about Invisibility Cloaks; they were mentioned in books, woven from Demiguise hair and possessing effects similar to the Disillusionment Charm.
It was certainly precious.
Yet it wasn't precious enough to make Dumbledore hesitate like this. An Invisibility Cloak was worth only a few hundred Galleons, while the Potter family's hair-restoration potion generated far more than that.
He wasn't tempted by Galleons at all.
Dumbledore opened the box, took a deep breath, and pushed it forward with a slight effort: "Right here. Your father's relic—he used this quite a bit for night prowling back in the day."
The box was empty, but when Harry reached out and touched it, he felt a chilly sensation.
"This isn't an ordinary Invisibility Cloak?" Harry pulled his hand back, closed the lid, and clutched the box to his chest.
Dumbledore was startled. "Why do you ask that?"
"You hesitated," Harry said bluntly. "I can tell you were debating whether to hand this over to me—and not because you were worried I might use it to get into trouble."
Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged as he let out a breath. "The Sorting Hat was right. You truly are an exceptionally perceptive young wizard."
"The master of the cedar wand?"
"Very well, it is indeed a very special Invisibility Cloak. Perhaps—and I say perhaps—I may borrow it from you again in the future. I hope you will agree when that time comes."
"But what is it...?"
"Can that wait for another time?"
Harry nodded. "Of course."
"Then let's move on to the second thing. I would like to take the Sorting Hat with me."
Dumbledore's expression faltered again. Well, another unexpected request.
"I knew it, I just knew it!" shouted the Sorting Hat resting on the nearby cabinet. "This young wizard definitely has up to no good!"
"Why would you want it?" Dumbledore asked with curiosity.
Harry answered righteously: "It told me that whoever pulls out the sword can participate in Gryffindor's trials, and passing the trials grants true ownership of the Sword of Gryffindor."
"Having it with me will help me learn more about the trials."
A trace of nostalgia flickered in Dumbledore's eyes. "Gryffindor's trials... ah, yes, of course. At the start of every term, however, you must return the hat."
"Hogwarts still needs it for the Sorting."
Harry asked again, "Did you pass Gryffindor's trials back then?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "That trial is only for young wizards. When I was still at Hogwarts, I didn't even have the courage to pull out the sword."
Harry didn't press further. He caught the subtle pain in Dumbledore's eyes; a Witcher simply didn't talk much, not that he couldn't read the room.
"And the third thing." Harry raised a hand and brushed back his hair. "My scar suddenly started hurting just now, right when I made eye contact with Professor Quirrell."
Dumbledore was stunned, his expression instantly turning solemn. "Your scar started hurting?"
Harry explained briefly, "It never hurt while I was at my aunt's house, nor did it hurt after I started learning magic. Only today, just now, when I made eye contact with Professor Quirrell, it suddenly gave a sharp pain."
Dumbledore frowned and asked, "You are certain it was caused by making eye contact with Professor Quirrell?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, I am certain."
"Magic was not what caused my scar to hurt, nor did anyone cast a curse on me. Although this hunch sounds a bit far-fetched, it is the most plausible trigger."
Dumbledore rubbed his head. "Very well, I understand."
"You have an answer?" Harry narrowed his eyes.
Dumbledore muttered, "Harry, you are far too perceptive. I'm starting to wonder if you used Legilimency on me, supposing you even knew how."
"I do have a few suspicions, but they aren't entirely certain yet. Give me time, Harry."
"It's getting late now, and you've been on the train all day. Take your Invisibility Cloak and the Sorting Hat, and head back to your dormitory to rest early."
"I believe Gryffindor's password is dragon dung."
"The hat will show you the way."