HP: I'm Not Here to Rule the Wizarding World

Before Dumbledore could speak, Snape let out a cold, mocking laugh. "I will never let a little troll teach me how to do my job."

As soon as he finished, Snape stepped toward Ariana, clearly trying to intimidate her.

Startled, Ariana quickly backed away, pointing at Snape and turning to Dumbledore. "Headmaster, look, Professor Snape is not only threatening me, but he also mocked me as a 'stupid little troll.' And he didn't just insult me he also accused Harry Potter, the orphan of the Order of the Phoenix, of being happy to see his classmates get hurt."

To make her words more convincing, Ariana deliberately brought Harry Potter into the mix.

Anyone familiar with Hogwarts history knew Harry's parents had both been members of the Order of the Phoenix, which Dumbledore himself had founded.

Surely Dumbledore wouldn't take it lightly if someone mistreated Harry Potter.

The moment Ariana dragged Harry into this, Snape's temper flared beyond reason. "That's not a baseless accusation! He was clearly gloating when his classmate got injured, trying to cover up his own stupidity!" Snape roared.

From Snape's perspective, Ariana had come out of nowhere. Perhaps, like Quirrell, she was another spy for the Dark Lord.

Such a person must not be allowed near Harry Potter.

But to Ariana, Snape's behavior openly criticizing the orphan of the Order of the Phoenix right in front of Dumbledore was simply outrageous.

"If you're not too senile to think straight, Headmaster, surely you can see I'm not making this up. Look at the way he's treating the child of war heroes! If he can treat Harry Potter like this, what chance does an ordinary nobody like me have? How could I possibly stay at this school?" Ariana leaned closer to Dumbledore as she spoke.

Snape could never accept such accusations. He drew his wand, pointing it at Ariana as he lashed out venomously. "You've been using dark magic since your first week here! You show no respect for your professors! You don't need to apply for withdrawal you should be expelled immediately! Otherwise, this school will breed the next Dark Lord and it'll be you."

It wasn't an impossible theory.

After all, Ariana could learn any spell in a single try, and after just one week, she'd already mastered numerous dark spells. Despite having no prior exposure to Potions, she could brew them perfectly.

Rumor had it the Dark Lord had once been exactly like that.

Of course, Ariana was equally unwilling to accept such slander. She fired back loudly, "Even if I do become the next Dark Lord, I wouldn't go around harming innocent people. But you, how many talented students have you ruined over the past ten years? Can you honestly say that students didn't abandon Potions simply because they were terrified of you?"

When Ariana had earlier criticized Snape's teaching record, it had already hit a nerve. In front of his colleagues, Snape had held back his anger.

But now that she had pointed it out again, he completely lost his composure. "Shut up, you stupid little troll!" he bellowed.

The two of them were seconds away from launching spells at each other when Professor McGonagall, seeing that Dumbledore still wasn't intervening, finally stepped in.

"This is the Headmaster's office, not a dueling ground!" she barked sharply.

But neither of them paid her any mind. Ariana even shot a sarcastic glance at both Dumbledore and McGonagall. "Just because you're professors doesn't mean you can lord over me. If you have no reason, even if Merlin himself came here, I wouldn't listen to him."

She stepped back toward the door, fully aware of the situation.

After all, these three were among Hogwarts' most powerful witches and wizards. If they wanted to subdue her, they could do so in an instant.

Ariana's bravado relied on the fact that she was young and newly arrived in the wizarding world. She was betting that they wouldn't seriously harm a first-year student.

Dumbledore hadn't been idle during the argument. He had been quietly observing Ariana, seeing shadows of Tom Riddle in her.

Both had been orphans with extraordinary magical talent, yet there were clear differences.

Tom Riddle had been skilled at hiding his true thoughts, always masking his intentions.

But Ariana was the opposite. Whether she wanted to learn the Imperius Curse or had already mastered Occlumency, she had never hidden it from anyone.

If something displeased her, she would speak up immediately even when facing her own Head of House, knowing she couldn't win, she still refused to back down.

If Tom had been this open, this confrontational, perhaps he would never have taken the dark path.

Dumbledore had always regretted failing to guide Tom onto the right road. With so few wizards in the world, it was rare to find someone truly talented.

Even Ariana knew that throughout Hogwarts' long history, the widely recognized great wizards amounted to only two: Dumbledore himself and Tom Riddle. No one understood the rarity of genius better than Dumbledore.

Watching Ariana and Snape fiercely clash, Dumbledore saw the reflection of his past self confronting Tom.

Back then, Dumbledore had played Snape's current role but there was one difference.

Though Snape appeared ruthless toward Ariana, even seeming like he might attack her any second, he didn't truly harbor ill will toward her.

But Dumbledore, when facing Tom, had genuinely despised him. From their very first meeting, he had believed Tom to be inherently evil and even used magic to intimidate him.

It wasn't until Tom had grown into Lord Voldemort and threatened the entire wizarding world that Dumbledore finally took the time to understand his past, realizing that Tom's twisted nature had largely been shaped by his environment.

And perhaps his own intimidation had played a part in that outcome.

"Enough."

Dumbledore finally snapped out of his thoughts at McGonagall's second shout. He walked over to Ariana and Snape, ready to finally resolve the issue.

"Let's call a truce. Another duel between you two won't solve anything, don't you agree?" His voice was warm, his tone conciliatory.

He turned to Ariana. "Ariana, I know you've been clinging to Professor Snape's teaching methods because you want me to approve your withdrawal, right?"

After two heated arguments and a duel with Snape, Ariana was so furious she had forgotten her original plan.

"Maybe that was true at first, but was there a single false word in my accusations? Even Harry Potter, the orphan of war heroes, wasn't spared from his viciousness. I'm not just any student, I can't stay here."

At first, her criticism of Snape's teaching had just been a matter of principle. The real reason she had stirred up this whole scene was because she wanted to leave Hogwarts.

But now, she was staying firm mainly out of sheer frustration with Snape.

"If I persuade Professor Snape to change his teaching style, will you stay at Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked, cutting straight to the heart of the issue.

Ariana froze, realizing Dumbledore had seen right through her.

Before she could scramble for another excuse to keep pushing for withdrawal, Snape chimed in with the perfect assist.

"Dumbledore, have those syrupy sweets finally rotted your brain? You actually want me to take advice from a stupid little troll?"

His words weren't just a personal attack on Ariana, they insulted Dumbledore as well.

"Severus, can we hear Ariana's answer first?" Dumbledore sighed, looking helplessly at the completely irrational Snape.

Ariana ignored Snape. She kept her gaze fixed on Dumbledore and asked bluntly, "Headmaster, you seem quite certain that I'll choose to withdraw. Is that why you're disregarding Professor Snape's objections?"

"Yes, I am. So, what's your answer?" Dumbledore didn't bother sidestepping the issue.

Ariana answered decisively, "It's obvious, isn't it? I want to drop out."

"Can you tell me why? With your magical talent, I would think Hogwarts and magic still hold some appeal for you," Dumbledore coaxed gently.

Despite all the complaints she had raised, Dumbledore still had confidence in his school and who could resist the allure of magic?

But Ariana had made up her mind. She wasn't interested in finding another excuse.

"Sure. I've got nothing to hide. When I first received my acceptance letter, I rejected it immediately. Later, Professor McGonagall came to my house to explain that without formal magical education, there was a chance I could become an Obscurial. For the sake of my own safety, I came to Hogwarts."

Dumbledore nodded. "Professor McGonagall's explanation was accurate. Historically, Obscurials were created because they didn't receive proper magical training."

But Ariana was no novice in the magical world now. She wasn't about to be misled by Dumbledore's words.

"That's not quite right, is it, Headmaster? Obscurials form because they suppress their magic. That doesn't apply to me. I won't become an Obscurial." She stared at him, unimpressed.

Dumbledore wasn't bothered by her dismantling his argument. He simply asked, "Any other reasons?"

Of course, she had other reasons. Neither the dormitories nor Snape's teaching were the real cause of her decision.

"Perhaps the Headmaster already knows I'm an orphan. I have significant assets that I need to manage personally. But Hogwarts doesn't allow the use of electronics. I can't make phone calls or use computers. Without timely management, my businesses will suffer massive losses."

This time, Ariana was being completely sincere.

Dumbledore saw the genuine look on her face and smiled warmly. Compared to Tom, Ariana's honesty was a hundred times more admirable.

"Well, your reasons for withdrawal are perfectly valid. But I must tell you if you insist on dropping out, then until the process is finalized, you'll have to hand over your wand and all other magical items to the Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore said kindly.

Ariana exploded with rage. "Why?!" she demanded.

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