"Tell me what you think." Dumbledore lifted his head, those bright blue eyes gleaming through his glasses.
"This thing came from Borgin and Burkes," Kael said, eyes falling on the necklace, "Harry mentioned he saw it there, but that's not surprising.
"Everyone knows, if you want to get rid of someone, you go to Knockturn Alley—cursed necklaces, books that can drive you insane, swords that stab your heart on their own... everything's there."
"As far as I know..." Snape squinted, "Underage wizards aren't supposed to be in Knockturn Alley, right?"
"Sorry, Professor. Actually, the Ministry of Magic doesn't have such a regulation, it's just that parents don't allow them to go to such places," Kael said casually. "Besides, Harry only wandered into Knockturn Alley because he was unfamiliar with using Floo Powder for the first time."
Snape remained silent.
"So who do you think bought it?" Dumbledore continued to ask.
"I don't know." Kael shrugged helplessly. "Greedy old Borgin never sells out his patrons, which is why his store can keep running in Knockturn Alley.
"After all, who would want the Aurors knocking on their door right after buying something? So even if we ask, he won't tell us.
"One can assume, though, that old Borgin has a way to counter Legilimency and Veritaserum."
"You're not wrong," Dumbledore said calmly. "As the owner of a longstanding dark magic shop, Mr. Borgin indeed has many unknown little tricks."
"That's a pity," Kael sighed. "But I do have another method that might get him to cooperate."
"No, Kael," Dumbledore said seriously. "I can tell you in advance that no legitimate means can make Mr. Borgin yield."
"That's really a shame," Kael reiterated.
Dumbledore's meaning was clear... no legitimate means.
This meant he wouldn't allow Kael to use his own methods to question Borgin.
"Shame?" Snape glanced at Kael, "Do you intend to do something to the owner of Borgin and Burkes?"
"Don't misunderstand, Professor," Kael said. "I just want to introduce him to a friend I recently met during the holidays, who happens to be named Borgin too."
"Really, such a coincidence?" Snape raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it.
"I gave it the name," Kael said with a smile.
Now Snape was certain, if Kael put his thoughts into action, it would definitely warrant a team of Beaters, or even Aurors, to arrest him.
"Alright, Borgin's not important," Dumbledore suddenly said. "What's important is that such an attack won't happen a second time. So, Kael, do you have any other clues to offer?"
"No," Kael said. "I don't recall seeing any Death Eater while in Hogsmeade."
Seeing Kael firmly insist it was the work of Death Eaters, Snape seemed a bit surprised but said nothing, quietly standing there.
Dumbledore also remained silent, and the headmaster's office suddenly fell into silence.
They all knew Kael was playing dumb.
Because real Death Eaters wouldn't dare defy Voldemort's orders, and Voldemort also wouldn't let them approach Hogwarts unprepared unless he wanted to start a war immediately.
Based on Kael's past behavior, he must know this, yet he said it anyway. It was clear he didn't want to share his true thoughts.
Even so, they couldn't say anything, because they were in the same position—knowing the truth but unable to speak it outright, having to subtly probe Kael instead.
Just when the atmosphere in the headmaster's office grew tense, an unexpected knock on the door broke the awkwardness.
"I believe that must be Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said smoothly. "Harry and I have an arrangement to have lessons at eight on weekend evenings. If you count the time, it should be around now."
"Lessons?" Kael asked curiously. "Is it Defense Against the Dark Arts? Or Transfiguration Technique?"
"Neither," Dumbledore shook his head. "If I must say, it's more like Magic History.
"I will show him some past memories tonight, helping him to understand some things better."
"If you're interested," Dumbledore looked at Kael, "you could stay and join the lesson; the Pensieve can accommodate three people."
Kael pondered for a moment and then shook his head. "Sorry, Professor, I'll pass."
He could roughly guess the memories Dumbledore intended to show Harry... likely about Voldemort's life, which he wasn't interested in. He didn't care to know what Voldemort did as a child.
"If it were about the application of Transfiguration Technique, I would love to stay and learn, but Magic History... honestly, I'm not very fond of that subject."
"I could teach Transfiguration Technique too," Dumbledore said with a smile. "After all, I used to be a professor of Transfiguration Technique, and even though it's been quite some time, I trust my teaching skills aren't much inferior to Professor McGonagall's."
"However..." Dumbledore's tone shifted, "to be honest, I can't assure you that I could make both you and Harry learn useful knowledge simultaneously."
Snape scoffed from the side.
He understood what Dumbledore meant... the academic gap between Kael and Harry was quite significant.
The content Kael could comprehend, Harry couldn't understand, and what Harry could understand would just be a waste of time for Kael.