章 121: 121: Gold Coins In Gringotts
"This is the cursed gold coin."
The coin presented was just a sample. As for the sarcophagus, it had been stored in Gringotts for safekeeping.
What's the point of putting it in Gringotts? Ivan thought, puzzled. It was clearly a cursed item, yet the Ministry of Magic had handed it over to the goblins for storage.
Do they not see goblins as outsiders? he wondered, finding the decision baffling.
Ignoring Fudge's presence, Ivan focused his attention on the cursed gold coin.
If he had harbored any doubts before, they vanished now. After witnessing the eerie magic emanating from the coin firsthand, Ivan was 100% certain that this was the challenge the system had prepared for him.
"Do you see anything, Albus?" Fudge asked, his voice betraying his impatience. Dumbledore had been silently studying the coin for some time.
"Be patient, Cornelius. Wait a moment," Dumbledore replied calmly.
The headmaster retrieved his wand.
To the untrained eye, Dumbledore's wand looked like nothing more than an old, gnarled branch. But to Ivan, it was dazzling—a formidable artifact of immense magical power.
In terms of raw magic, the Elder Wand was the most awe-inspiring magical item Ivan had ever encountered. It was difficult to fathom how such a wand had been crafted.
"The curse on it is very peculiar," Dumbledore remarked.
He tapped the gold coin with his wand, causing it to levitate. As it floated in midair, he scrutinized it carefully.
The Ministry officials remained silent, watching intently. There was little else they could do—among everyone present, Dumbledore was the unquestioned authority on magic.
"Ivan," Dumbledore called.
"I'm here," Ivan replied, stepping forward.
"What do you see?" Dumbledore asked, his gaze shifting briefly to the young wizard.
Dumbledore's words immediately drew everyone's attention.
What's going on? The headmaster of Hogwarts was actually asking a first-year student for his opinion?
"It's an incredible curse—one that appears to be self-sustaining," Ivan said, ignoring the surprised reactions around him.
Like Dumbledore, Ivan's focus was entirely on unraveling the mystery of the cursed gold coin.
"Hmm." Dumbledore nodded encouragingly. "Go on."
"The gold coin itself is a product of alchemy," Ivan explained. "Moreover, judging by the degree of magical degradation, I estimate the enchantment on it has been active for at least 400 years, possibly 500."
Five centuries was an extraordinary time for magic to persist on any object. Even the most powerful enchanted artifacts typically saw their magic weaken over time.
But this cursed gold coin was an exception.
Not only had the magic on it remained intact, but it still possessed enough power to curse Muggles anew after half a millennium.
In Ivan's mind, the only comparable examples of enduring magic were the enchantments on Hogwarts Castle and the relics of its four Founders.
Of course, the Three Deathly Hallows also fit into this category, their magic even more enigmatic than that of the castle.
But here lay the problem—this was just a cursed gold coin.
"With nearly a thousand coins like this," Ivan mused, "if the original magical energy remains on all of them, it's hard to imagine just how powerful the overall curse must be."
"So?" Fudge interjected impatiently, his tone laced with frustration. "What are you trying to say?"
It was clear Fudge couldn't grasp why Dumbledore was allowing Ivan to speak.
Was this some kind of teaching moment for the young wizard?
"Ivan means that this is a curse that cannot be broken by brute force," Dumbledore clarified.
His disappointment in Fudge was evident; it seemed the Minister had left all his magical knowledge behind the moment he graduated from Hogwarts.
"Can't be broken by brute force?" Fudge asked, clearly confused.
"You mean St. Mungo's Hospital, potions, and even the Finite Incantatem spell are ineffective against it?"
It was Scrimgeour who grasped the implications. His eyes widened as he said, "I've never encountered a curse like this."
"In fact, there are many similar curses," Ivan interjected, offering examples. "Vampires, werewolves, and blood-cursed orcs—all of these are tied to blood curses that cannot be forcibly lifted."
He continued, "Honestly, the knowledge of how to restore these beings to their original human forms has been lost to history."
"What are we supposed to do, then?" Fudge demanded, clearly uninterested in theory. He only cared about resolving the crisis.
"It can be alleviated," Dumbledore said, shaking his head as he carefully returned the cursed gold coin to its container. "With the use of potions and specialized spells, the Muggles affected by the curse can be temporarily restored."
"But that's obviously not enough," Fudge snapped. "There are at least twenty Muggles who've been cursed. The Ministry of Magic can't just make them disappear forever."
Erasing the memories of Muggles and making them forget incidents involving magic was routine for the Ministry. But making an entire group of Muggles vanish permanently?
Even if it were technically possible, it would violate the laws of the Ministry of Magic and create an enormous risk of exposure. Such an act would leave a massive hole in their cover, increasing the likelihood of the wizarding world being discovered by the wider population.
"We need time, Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly.
While he wasn't ignoring the issue, he had yet to find a method to break the curse.
"And we'll need more of these gold coins."
The cursed gold coin was a critical piece of material. With Dumbledore's vast knowledge, he estimated he could uncover the method to lift the curse within a week.
This wouldn't involve forcibly breaking the curse but rather uncovering the original means by which it was meant to be dispelled.
If these are truly Aztec cursed gold coins, Ivan thought, then the way to break the curse might involve the person who took the coin returning it and paying with blood.
With this in mind, Ivan activated his Magic Eye and Spiritual Vision to analyze the curse and the peculiar properties of the blood magic involved.
The result confirmed his suspicion—it was indeed an Aztec gold coin.
Should I tell Dumbledore? Ivan hesitated.
He trusted Dumbledore, but now wasn't the right time.
With the Ministry officials and Fudge present, Ivan had already attracted enough attention. Saying more might make him a target of resentment or scrutiny.
Dumbledore seemed to sense this as well. He remained composed, fixing his calm gaze on Fudge, silently awaiting the Minister's response.
"Alright!" Fudge finally said. "But the items are in Gringotts."
"You know how it is—once something lands in the hands of those greedy goblins, it's never easy to get it back."
Then why store the sarcophagus there in the first place you motherfucker? Ivan thought, baffled.
He noticed the grim expressions of the Ministry officials and decided to use Legilimency discreetly.
What he discovered was startling: the goblins of Gringotts had taken the sarcophagus before the Aurors even realized what was happening.
In the end, the Ministry had only managed to intercept the cursed gold coins that had already leaked out from the goblins.
The real prize—the sarcophagus and the bulk of the cursed coins—remained firmly within Gringotts.
Given the unique power of these cursed coins, rivaling relics like those of the four Founders, the goblins weren't going to relinquish them easily.
___________
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