Hogwarts' White Lord

"Mad-Eye?"

Kingsley hadn't expected even Moody to arrive.

Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a legendary Auror with unparalleled practical experience.

Among wizards below the rank of Grandmaster, Moody was considered one of the strongest.

But even someone as seasoned as Moody seemed taken aback by the scene before him. "Who's inside? The Dark Lord? Or Dumbledore?"

Just from this remark alone, the strength of the dark wizard inside became evident—Moody was comparing them to Voldemort and Dumbledore.

Kingsley took the comment in stride, but Fudge, Dawlish, and others were quick to dismiss it.

"That's impossible! There isn't any wizard this powerful in England!" Fudge exclaimed.

"Unless..." Dawlish muttered, trailing off.

"The Dark Lord died ten years ago," Fudge declared with certainty. "It can't be him."

To Fudge, this left only one possibility: the person inside was Dumbledore, somehow disguised.

"Are you out of your mind?" Moody snapped.

He found Fudge's conclusion utterly ridiculous.

How could the intruder possibly be Dumbledore?

It wasn't just unnecessary to suggest—it was absurd. Based on the sheer audacity of the intruder's actions and their high-profile approach, it was clear that this was not Dumbledore's style.

As for Voldemort? It didn't quite seem like him either.

An unknown wizard?

Despite facing such a powerful opponent, Moody showed no fear. Ignoring Fudge entirely, he limped forward to stand at the forefront of the Aurors.

The Aurors present had no real experience fighting against a Grandmaster-level wizard. They couldn't comprehend just how terrifying an opponent of that caliber truly was.

Meanwhile, in the depths of Gringotts, Ivan and the old goblin had already boarded the vault rails.

As he stared into the dimly lit tunnels ahead and then down at the rickety mine cart beneath his feet, Ivan couldn't help but criticize the goblins' sense of design.

To protect their treasures, the goblins had cast powerful anti-flying and anti-Apparition spells throughout the tunnels. Even the cascading waterfalls they passed on the way were imbued with enchantments designed to dispel all manner of magical protections.

Hua la la~~

As the cart passed through one such enchanted waterfall, the old goblin immediately snapped awake.

"Hey~~ Interesting," Ivan muttered.

He had deliberately excluded the old goblin from the protective magic he cast on himself, wanting to test the waterfall's effects.

The results were...

Impressive.

Ivan couldn't help but feel that this magical feature didn't seem like a goblin creation. Instead, it resembled something left behind by an ancient wizard of great skill.

In other words, it was yet another priceless treasure the goblins had acquired by dubious means.

"What did you do to me?" the old goblin screeched, fully awake now. "You damned thief! Filthy, shameless thief! I—"

"Enough noise!"

The old goblin's shrill voice grated on his ears, making him regret using the creature to test the waterfall's effects.

Without hesitation, Ivan cast the Sleepwalking Curse again.

It was a testament to Ivan's patience that he didn't simply toss the goblin from the cart. Had his mood been worse, he might have considered it.

Squeak~~

Accompanied by the grating sound of metal rails grinding together, Ivan's cart came to a halt at his destination.

Without hesitation, he cast a Stunning Spell on the old goblin and casually tossed the unconscious creature onto the platform outside the vault door. Ivan spared no further thought for the goblin's fate.

After all, it wouldn't take long for the goblins of Gringotts to come here.

Ivan hadn't taken a single life during the entire operation, a point he felt was quite in line with respectable principles.

"So far, the plan has gone very smoothly," he mused to himself.

From the moment he broke into Gringotts, everything had unfolded exactly as Ivan had foreseen.

Just as the prophecy had shown, he arrived at the vault under the guidance of the old goblin.

The next scene from the prophecy involved his return to Hogwarts, where he would turn the Soul Coffin and the cursed gold coins within it into nothingness.

"It's missing a few details, but that's irrelevant," Ivan muttered.

He turned his attention to the massive vault door standing in his way.

The door radiated incredibly strong magical energy. Using his Magic Eye, Ivan observed dozens of protective spells intricately layered to prevent theft.

"Let's Breakthrough by force..." Ivan murmured, raising his wand.

"Alohomora!"

This advanced unlocking spell was far more than a simple charm for opening locks. Its purpose was to disrupt and dismantle any magical or physical structure related to "blockade."

At its core, the spell was a form of idealistic magic: as long as the wizard's intent was resolute and paired with sufficient magical power, it could theoretically open any locked door, box, or spatial construct.

But...

"No reaction?" Ivan muttered, frowning.

He didn't believe the anti-unlocking spells on the door were strong enough to withstand his magic. Even with dozens of enchantments layered together, Ivan had complete confidence in his ability to break through.

And yet, he had failed.

"What is this door made of?" he wondered aloud.

Stepping closer, Ivan placed his palm on the dark, forbidding surface of the vault door.

"The main material is likely magical iron," he noted. "But it's been fused with some very rare elements..."

In the wizarding world, certain special metals are renowned for their extraordinary magical properties.

Mithril, refined gold, and mountain copper are among the most notable.

Mithril is as light as a feather, refined gold is nearly indestructible, and mountain copper is completely impervious to magical damage.

"The lock inside this vault door is crafted from indestructible mountain copper and can only be opened with a specially forged key made from refined gold," Ivan observed.

Additionally, intricate ancient runes were inscribed on the door using mithril, their faint glow still resonating with magic.

From a magical standpoint, this design created a formidable physical and magical blockade.

Unless the vault door was forcibly destroyed with a high-powered offensive spell, opening it with magic alone was nearly impossible.

This wasn't merely a question of magical strength—it was about precision and extremes.

"Sould I just use a Blasting Curse?" Ivan considered briefly.

The vault door was highly resistant to non-offensive spells, such as unlocking charms. However, it had far less resistance to destructive magic.

But there was a problem.

Using a Blasting Curse risked collapsing the cave itself, and worse, it could damage the Coffin inside the vault.

Ivan understood the immense power of his own spells, which made this option too dangerous to consider lightly.

"Heh~~"

Suddenly, Ivan chuckled.

He remembered how he had seen himself opening this door in the prophecy.

Wisps of white smoke began to rise from Ivan's palm, curling lazily in the air.

With a wave of his hand, the smoke seemed to gain purpose, weaving and writhing as it flowed toward the keyhole of the vault door.

Little by little, the smoke seeped into the lock mechanism, moving as if guided by Ivan's thoughts.

"Oh, this is the structure inside," Ivan murmured, closing his eyes and focusing intently.

The white smoke, an incarnation of pure magic, was perhaps the most refined magical force in existence—far surpassing even legendary magical metals like mithril in versatility and precision.

Moments later, a sharp metallic click echoed through the chamber.

The internal mechanisms of the vault door shifted, and the blockade fell away. The door opened without the need for a key.

__________

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