The scene is changing.
However, it didn't return to the Headmaster's office as Ian imagined. The entire world seemed to display countless overlapping light and shadows, with scenes continuously appearing like a movie.
Fragmented.
But not chaotic.
It's unrelated to any memory Albus Dumbledore might have concealed or altered; it pertains to the story following Ariana Dumbledore's accidental death.
Gellert Grindelwald left, on the very night of the incident, his departure neither hasty nor embarrassed, though his expression and stumbling steps were worse than someone in such a state.
Just as Ian sensed.
Aberforth Dumbledore might have been the one unable to face reality, but Albus Dumbledore chose to bear the pain and responsibility himself.
Quickly, in the changing scenes, Aberforth Dumbledore throws a punch at Albus Dumbledore after the funeral, and the bloodied face of Albus Dumbledore kneels silently at the grave.
Blood drips into the soil from his face.
The once high-spirited youth seemed to have disappeared, dreams and ambitions buried along with the last handful of dirt from the grave, with apathy becoming the main theme of his days.
He eventually returned to Hogwarts, back to the school hailed as a beacon of hope, students coming and going like flowing water, yet teaching them wasn't the reason Albus Dumbledore returned.
In the library, the Forbidden Section, aside from necessary teaching duties, all of Albus Dumbledore's time is spent flipping through one book after another.
From historically renowned legendary wizards to contemporary magically gifted scholars, Albus Dumbledore studied the lifelong efforts of many geniuses.
He learned much.
Yet none satisfied his innermost desires. When Albus Dumbledore reached out to curse and dark powers, the despicable Helbo also became his subject of study during this period.
Beholding that somewhat crazed demeanor, hungrily seeking the secrets of the soul, ultimately collapsing in the rain at night, roaring with anger and indignation at the sky.
Ian found it difficult to associate this figure with the wise, loving, and widely praised old Headmaster, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Dumbledore standing beside him.
"Our lesson is not yet over."
Albus Dumbledore spoke gently, wiping tears from behind his glasses, his voice calm, his gaze still carrying undiminished sorrow and...shame.
There were no words of explanation, no defense; Albus Dumbledore merely presented his memories, revealing the most disgraceful parts of his past to Ian.
It was profoundly deep.
A lesson taught by example.
"Helbo's end wasn't good, I've heard." Ian did not lose respect for Dumbledore due to what he saw. Instead, he felt more reverence for the old man beside him than ever before.
"It should be so."
Albus Dumbledore nodded gently.
The scene continued.
The young Albus Dumbledore had searched through the entire Hogwarts library, becoming thoroughly familiar with its collections, yet he felt no joy or happiness from becoming powerful.
Strength increased.
Yet his spirit grew ever more despondent.
The more he understood, the more he realized some things were never possible. Throughout history, no one had achieved it, not even him. He could only place hope once again in non-existent legends—the Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone, and Invisibility Cloak being the Deathly Hallows, said to grant mastery over death if obtained.
From scene to scene.
Ian noticed a detail.
Whether studying, living, or teaching, Albus Dumbledore always carried with him a book, "Poet Peter's Story Collection," passed down since the Middle Ages.
Ian even leaned in to observe seriously, yet was disappointed to find that the author of "Poet Peter's Story Collection" had an unheard-of name, just as the collection's title suggested.
Not some surprising AK47. Rowling Muggle Witch.
"If you like this book, I can give you a special edition." The real Albus Dumbledore likely misunderstood Ian's move to snatch the book from memories.
"Thank you very much."
Though Ian initially wanted to refuse in disappointment, he reconsidered, thinking there might be Dumbledore's signature on a blank page, displaying a meticulously crafted attitude with ninety-degree perfection.
Such a serious attitude slightly baffled Dumbledore.
"Just a book."
Albus Dumbledore couldn't understand why Ian's eyes suddenly lit up, perhaps he was also a child who loved fairy tales like him.
Only the reason for his obsession with fairy tales was that in his youth, when reality could no longer offer hope, he found solace in stories.
Until now.
Albus Dumbledore's revelation to Ian of his past also illustrated this point; he had heard of the Deathly Hallows long before, during his unbroken friendship with Gellert Grindelwald, as they lay on the grass and shared ideas, Gellert Grindelwald once mentioned seeking them, but back then the accomplished Dumbledore did not believe in false fairy tales.