Death is another great adventure.
At the end of the original story, Harry encountered Dumbledore at King's Cross Station in a liminal space between life and death.
Ivan suspected that, by that point, Dumbledore might have already transcended the boundaries of mortality, potentially breaking through to the realm of Magic 6—a state beyond life and death.
Similarly, Grindelwald's willingness to face death after Dumbledore's passing raised questions.
Ivan couldn't shake the feeling that the deaths of these two figures were not random but deliberate, part of a premeditated plan.
"How did you feel about your adventure at Gringotts?" Dumbledore asked, steering the conversation in a new direction.
From Snape to Voldemort, mercenaries, and Aurors, Dumbledore had intentionally been shaping Ivan's journey.
By now, Ivan's combat experience rivaled that of seasoned veteran wizards.
"How should I put it?" Ivan said, shrugging.
"A little disappointing."
"That's the state of wizards today," Dumbledore replied with a resigned sigh.
The war against Voldemort had disrupted England's magical traditions, cutting off many lines of knowledge and training.
Countless powerful wizards perished in the conflict, leaving a void in magical expertise and resilience.
Dumbledore's decision not to chastise Ivan was deliberate.
He had already observed one important thing: Ivan had not killed anyone during his confrontation with the mercenaries and Aurors.
As long as Ivan refrained from taking lives, Dumbledore could accept and even understand the methods he employed.
Dumbledore's reasoning wasn't about being a saint; it was a pragmatic understanding of the limited number of wizards in the world. Each wizard represented a valuable resource.
Ivan also agreed with Dumbledore's perspective.
If he chose to kill, it would mean severing the restraints that guided his actions, leaving him unbound in the future.
While killing one or two wizards might not seem significant, taking the lives of hundreds or thousands would deal a catastrophic blow to the entire wizarding world.
Ivan's ability to act with discretion gave Dumbledore a sense of relief.
In contrast, Grindelwald had discarded all restrictions on killing, and Voldemort viewed human lives as utterly disposable.
In the Muggle world, killing was often seen as inevitable or commonplace due to the sheer size of their population.
But wizards were different.
There were only hundreds of thousands of wizards globally, a mere one ten-thousandth of the Muggle population.
By this calculation, every wizard Ivan killed would be equivalent to eliminating 10,000 Muggles.
Killing just 1,000 wizards would parallel wiping out 10 million people in the Muggle world.
The sheer scale of such destruction was staggering.
Imagine if someone were to take responsibility for tens of millions of deaths—it would be an unthinkable atrocity.
Not just in the history of humanity, but even looking toward the future, it seemed unlikely anyone could—or should—ever achieve such a level of destruction.
And this didn't even account for indirect deaths.
The ripple effects of a conflict among wizards would escalate quickly.
Once war broke out, tens of thousands of wizards could die.
If that impact were magnified ten-thousandfold in the Muggle population, the devastation would be unimaginable.
The entire World War II resulted in over 100 million casualties, but not even 200 million.
When considering Ivan's potential, Dumbledore understood that Ivan's magic would inevitably grow to a level that even he would have to look up to.
At that point, there would be no external force capable of restraining him.
The only thing that could guide Ivan would be his own conscience.
"What do you think of my work?" Ivan asked.
"Very good," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "Though the punishment for Fudge and Umbridge was a bit... heavy."
"At least I didn't actually hurt them," Ivan said defensively.
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore nodded in agreement. He didn't seem particularly concerned about the humiliation of the Minister of Magic.
The truth was, Dumbledore had never placed much stock in Fudge.
With so few wizards in England, his choices for leadership were limited.
Fudge had simply been the tallest among the short options available.
But now things were different.
The arrival of Ivan had given Dumbledore a glimmer of hope for the resurgence of the British wizarding world.
Put bluntly, Ivan's presence guaranteed at least a century of prosperity for the magical community.
That alone was something Fudge could never offer, nor could anyone of his ilk even compare.
"They were too noisy," Ivan remarked, his tone frank.
He didn't bother to play the role of a saint in front of Dumbledore. "I don't quite understand why they act so arrogantly."
Ivan's actions were always guided by his own will.
While he might occasionally be influenced by others' emotions, his overall direction remained firmly his own.
"Is it because he's the Minister of Magic that he feels untouchable?" Ivan questioned, a hint of irritation in his voice.
"This is the nature of power," Dumbledore replied, seizing the moment to impart a lesson.
"When someone is corrupted by power, arrogance inevitably follows."
"Magic is power," Ivan retorted.
Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "True, but the status of wizards was never meant to be achieved solely through power."
Many believed Dumbledore to be a saint, a paragon of virtue.
But only he truly understood that this image was far from the truth.
He wasn't above power or strength—he feared it.
Dumbledore feared that, with the wrong choices, he might become an even greater threat than Grindelwald or Voldemort.
His restraint wasn't an act of saintliness but a conscious effort to avoid becoming a monster.
"That said, power can also achieve great things," Dumbledore added, his tone encouraging.
"I hope you learn to use your power wisely, Ivan.
After all, Gryffindor never feared power—they embraced it."
The four houses of Hogwarts represent different kinds of people.
Gryffindor stands for bravery, sometimes recklessness.
They are bold enough to risk their lives for what they believe in, even when facing overwhelming odds.
If Ivan thought he could win Gryffindors over with sheer strength alone, he was mistaken.
Unless he were willing to eliminate every single one of them, Gryffindors would never be conquered by power alone.
They would only follow someone who earned their respect.
"Don't worry. I understand people."
Ivan said with a nod, his tone composed.
Elegance was what he pursued, and for him, true elegance meant not waving a wand around like a fool.
Language, negotiation, emotions—there were countless ways to communicate and influence others without resorting to brute force.
Similarly, to win over people with diverse personalities, one had to adapt their methods accordingly.
"It's good that you recognize this," Dumbledore said, his satisfaction evident.
After a pause, he added, "If you encounter any trouble in the future, feel free to come to me."
Ivan blinked, genuinely surprised by Dumbledore's words.
The message was clear: Dumbledore was removing the restraints on Ivan, giving him the freedom to act as he wished.
More than that, Dumbledore was offering himself as a safety net.
He was willing to stand behind Ivan and help him resolve any challenges he might face in the future.
For instance, during the incident at Gringotts, Ivan had used Path of the Fire God and his magic incarnation form in front of countless witnesses.
While many high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic were complacent and ineffectual, there were exceptions—people like Scrimgeour and Moody.
With their skills, it was only a matter of time before they began piecing together the truth about Ivan.
"But... Why does it feel like you always know ..everything?" Ivan asked, frowning slightly.
It was unsettling how much Dumbledore seemed to know, as though he had been present during the Battle of Gringotts himself.
"There are many ways," Dumbledore replied cryptically, a knowing smile on his face.
"You have to let an old man keep some of his little secrets, don't you?"
"You were there, weren't you?" Ivan pressed, his tone laced with suspicion.
"Who knows," Dumbledore responded with a chuckle, "maybe~"
Ivan was not entirely satisfied with the vague answer, but he chose not to pursue it further.
As long as he was confident that Dumbledore bore no ill will toward him and was, in fact, supportive, the specifics didn't matter much.
"What about the Ministry of Magic's follow-up?" Ivan asked, shifting the conversation.
"Leave that to me," Dumbledore reassured him.
After a brief pause, he added with a smirk, "Didn't you say they can't prove that it was you?"
Ivan couldn't help but laugh softly at Dumbledore's casual confidence.
It was a reminder that even in matters of great complexity, Dumbledore's wit and influence were not to be underestimated.
________
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Ivan didn't expect Dumbledore to really accept his sophistry.
Thinking of this, Ivan looked at Dumbledore with a strange look.
"I didn't expect you to be such a headmaster."
"Hahaha."
Dumbledore turned around with a smile. The old headmaster's protection of his shortcomings on the Gringotts issue made Ivan's impression of him change greatly.
Dumbledore is also a person, an elder.
He really knows how to distinguish between the close and the distant.
Ivan is one of his own, and Dumbledore is very tolerant of what he does.
Even if Ivan commits a crime, as long as it does not involve principled issues, Dumbledore will not say anything.
Ivan even suspects that even if he really degenerates and becomes the second Voldemort, Dumbledore will persuade him to get back on track instead of giving up and killing him.
Perhaps in the eyes of the old man, Ivan is still young.
He took the wrong path, which is just an inevitable experience in the process of growing up.
As an elder, it is Dumbledore's responsibility to correct Ivan's mistakes.
His life, his power, even if it is at the cost, if it can be exchanged for Ivan's situation, it is worth it.
Ivan said goodbye to Dumbledore, and then returned to the Gryffindor dormitory impatiently.
Holding an experience point in his hand, Ivan's mind is now full of what changes will be obtained after adding it to the soul or magic.
"Ivan?"
As soon as he returned to the dormitory, Ivan did not see Hermione and others.
Neville stayed here.
When he saw Ivan, he was a little curious about where he had gone.
But Neville did not ask, merely looking at Ivan in surprise as he hurriedly opened the secret world closet and stepped inside.
"What's going on?"
Neville had never seen Ivan so excited before.
"Ivan's back?"
As Neville stood puzzled, Hermione and Parvati entered the dormitory.
The two asked about Ivan, and upon learning that he had gone into the secret world, they decided to wait for him in his dormitory.
Meanwhile, Ivan was walking through the secret world.
He made his way directly to Guardian Town and adjusted the permissions of the magic barrier, temporarily preventing anyone from entering.
It wasn't that Ivan didn't trust Hermione and the others—it was more that he couldn't guarantee what might happen when his magic attribute advanced to 6 points.
After all, the leap to 5 points had resulted in the birth of a powerful Obscurus.
And there was no need to elaborate on just how destructive Obscurus could be.
Ivan didn't want to risk accidentally harming Hermione or anyone else because of his magical breakthrough.
For safety's sake, it was better for him to handle this alone.
"System," he said aloud.
Opening the attribute list, Ivan didn't hesitate for a moment and decisively allocated the experience point to the magic attribute.
[Attribute increase successful]
[Magic: 5 → 6]
The instant his magic attribute rose from 5 to 6, Ivan felt an unparalleled sense of comfort course through him.
This feeling was difficult to describe—it was like a person carrying countless heavy loads suddenly setting down the burdens from their shoulders.
"What's going on?"
Ivan couldn't immediately discern the root of the changes he was experiencing. He carefully focused his senses and finally pinpointed the reason for his newfound lightness.
"It's not that my burden has lessened; it's that my strength has increased."
No, it wasn't just strength—it was magic power. Ivan's magic power had undergone a tremendous improvement.
The extent of this enhancement was extraordinary.
If described with numbers, Ivan's magic power at level 5 allowed him to lift a weight of approximately 50 without the aid of a wand.
However, after breaking through to magic power 6, his upper limit had surged to 80.
This 30-point difference might not seem significant at first glance, but it represented a qualitative leap rather than a simple numerical increase.
It was akin to the difference between fine steel and ordinary iron, or between iron tools and bronze tools.
For example, the hardness of copper is less than 3, iron ranges from 4 to 5, while steel can exceed a hardness of 7.
Although these differences in numbers seem minor—just one or two points—the results were vastly different in practice.
When comparing weapons made of bronze, iron, and steel, the steel sword could easily slice through its weaker counterparts.
Ivan's magic power was no different.
Breaking through to magic power 6 granted him capabilities that were unimaginable at level 5.
The changes were not merely incremental—they were transformative.
Ivan felt something strange—some very special fluctuations that seemed to emanate from the darkness.
These fluctuations were omnipresent.
They felt like invisible threads, weaving through every corner of the world Ivan could perceive.
"What are these?"
Ivan activated his spiritual vision and magic eyes, hoping to uncover the mystery of these threads, but even with both, he couldn't see them.
"I can sense them—they're definitely there—but I can't see them."
It became clear to Ivan that his current soul attribute was insufficient. Perhaps only by advancing his soul attribute to 6 could he observe this new layer of reality more clearly.
"What can these threads do?"
Curious, Ivan focused on a single thin thread nearby and carefully interacted with it.
BoOOom!
The moment Ivan touched the thread, he felt an overwhelming sensation ripple through his entire being.
The previously serene earth beneath him began to tremble violently.
Before Ivan could fully grasp what was happening, an earth-shaking explosion roared from a distance.
Startled, Ivan entered his magic incarnation state, his body transforming into a swirl of white energy as he soared into the sky to investigate.
"Holy fucking shit of Merlin!"
Hovering high in the air, Ivan looked on in shock at the scene before him, momentarily frozen.
Several dozen kilometers away from the wardrobe's exit, a mountain hundreds of meters tall had completely collapsed.
For a moment, the ground trembled, boulders tumbled, and trees were uprooted. Countless birds and beasts fled in terror, their instincts screaming of an impending disaster.
"...Did I do that?"
Ivan stared at his hands in disbelief. He could feel the residual magical energy radiating from the shattered mountain in the distance.
It was unmistakably his magic—the lingering traces of the spell he had just inadvertently triggered.
"How did I manage that?"
"I didn't chant a spell, and I didn't even think of casting anything."
The earth cracked, rocks collapsed, and the destruction wrought by this single act was astronomical—easily a hundred, perhaps a thousand times more devastating than the strongest blasting spell Ivan had ever cast.
The earth shuddered, mountains were destroyed, and it resembled nothing short of a natural disaster.
And yet, all of this was the result of Ivan casually lifting a finger and delicately interacting with a single thread.
"What are these threads?"
"Are they some kind of law?"
Ivan's mind raced with theories, and he began to suspect that he had brushed against the essence of these threads—something tied to the breakthroughs achieved at Magic 6.
"Should I try again?"
Determined to understand, Ivan raised his hand once more.
This time, he carefully examined the threads around him. He realized something remarkable: the threads' existence seemed entirely unrelated to physical proximity in the material world.
A thread that appeared to be very close to Ivan could represent a lake or mountain range thousands of miles away.
__________
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