Hogwarts' White Lord

Screech~!

This time, the hired wizards came in droves, their ranks bolstered by goblins. They filled the area, densely packed.

Ivan couldn't help but suspect that Gringotts had summoned wizards from across the whole of Europe.

Haah~

To deal with him, the goblins had clearly gone all out.

"In that case," Ivan said, glancing at the Head of Gringotts, "you're no longer needed."

With a flick of his wand, he tossed the goblin leader aside as if he were nothing.

Under the stunned eyes of the British Aurors, Ivan's body transformed into a swirling white storm.

"Ok! Here I come!"

He rushed headlong into the mass of hired wizards who had surrounded him.

The result of the battle was unsurprising.

It was utterly one-sided.

Another devastating display of overwhelming power.

Moody, Scrimgeour, and the other Aurors had anticipated as much.

Against an Archmage, sheer numbers meant nothing. Human wave tactics were doomed to fail from the start.

"Well, I've had my fun today," Ivan said lightly, standing amidst the fallen mercenaries.

With a graceful bow, he addressed the British Aurors.

"Farewell. If fate allows, perhaps we'll meet again."

Crack~!

In the next moment, with a sharp and crisp sound, Ivan vanished before their eyes.

"Apparition!??"

Scrimgeour's voice broke the stunned silence.

Ivan had used Apparition in a location where Apparition was strictly forbidden.

And he'd done it right in front of them all.

A single wizard had walked through the entirety of Gringotts, starting from the door and leaving behind chaos and defeat.

"He's... gone?"

Scrimgeour tried to trace Ivan's Apparition, but to no avail.

No matter what spell or method he attempted, Ivan's departure was beyond tracking.

This wasn't the standard Apparition used by most wizards—it was a more profound and intricate spatial spell.

To track Ivan's unique form of Apparition, one would first need to have a deep understanding of the Phoenix Force.

Without that knowledge, even comprehending the spell, let alone breaking it, would be an almost insurmountable challenge.

"He's gone," Moody said with a heavy sigh.

He knew how frustrated his two colleagues were at the moment, but the reality was clear—if they couldn't beat him, they simply couldn't beat him, no matter how much they dwelled on it.

"Instead of sulking here, we should focus on uncovering that man's real identity," Moody said briskly, quickly regaining his composure.

Hearing this, Kingsley and Scrimgeour began to recover as well.

"To think that such a dangerous wizard could be hiding somewhere in England—it's unacceptable.."

Scrimgeour wasted no time. He began issuing orders to the Aurors, instructing Dawlish and the others to investigate Ivan covertly.

"Do not," he warned, "under any circumstances, engage him directly."

Ivan's strength was clearly on par with Voldemort or Dumbledore.

If he harbored any ill will toward the Ministry, the Aurors would stand no chance—they'd be taken down in moments.

"I think we should notify Dumbledore immediately," Kingsley suggested.

The proposal was met with unanimous agreement.

At a time like this, having someone as powerful as Dumbledore in the picture was the only way to feel even remotely secure.

Krr! Trr!

Additionally, there was another pressing issue—Fudge and Umbridge.

The two were still cursed, and nothing they had tried so far had worked.

Every counter-curse, every attempt to lift the enchantment, had failed completely.

"..."

Just like the cursed gold coins they had previously encountered, the curse on Fudge and Umbridge was another example of an unreasonably powerful spell.

At this point, their only option was to turn to Dumbledore, hoping that the old headmaster could remove the curse.

On the other side, Ivan had left Gringotts and returned to Hogwarts.

He didn't Apparate directly into the castle; instead, he set his landing point just outside the Forbidden Forest.

"Hmm?"

Ivan stopped in his tracks, his sharp senses picking up on something unusual in the Forbidden Forest.

Though his perception told him he was alone, he knew better.

"Headmaster," Ivan called out, a faint smile forming on his lips. "Have you been waiting for me here for a while?"

There was no need to guess. Ivan already knew who was there.

At Hogwarts, or even in all of England, there was no one other than Dumbledore capable of matching him in magic.

"I'm just taking a walk," Dumbledore said as he stepped out from the shadows of the forest.

The old man's demeanor was calm, showing no sign of surprise or anger at Ivan's recent escapades.

It was as if he didn't care about Ivan's actions at Gringotts at all.

"The moonlight is lovely tonight," Dumbledore remarked with a smile.

Then, with a friendly gesture, he added, "Would you care to join an old man—over a hundred years old—for a little chat?"

"Of course," Ivan replied, falling into step beside Dumbledore.

...

The Forbidden Forest at night was quiet and shrouded in mystery.

In the dense shadows, it felt as though countless unseen eyes were watching the two figures—one old, one young—as they walked deeper into the woods.

The Forbidden Forest, a place that most considered terrifying, seemed more like a private garden for Ivan and Dumbledore as they strolled through it with ease.

Monsters lurking in the forest and dangerous magical plants withdrew into the shadows, observing the two from a safe distance.

Even from afar, they instinctively recoiled, retreating further into the darkness.

The creatures' primal instincts screamed a warning: The two human wizards walking before them were more terrifying than dragons, more dangerous than any magical creature in the forest.

"Gringotts?"

After about five minutes of walking in silence, Dumbledore broke the quiet with a simple question.

"Yeah."

Ivan replied without hesitation, as if he had been expecting it.

"I went there to retrieve some things."

He smiled faintly and added, "But you know, I'm not one to steal from others. I only took what rightfully belongs to me."

"Ah, that sounds very much like you," Dumbledore said, nodding approvingly.

It was clear he wasn't particularly concerned with whether Ivan had actually stolen anything from Gringotts.

But, truthfully, Dumbledore was glad Ivan hadn't resorted to theft.

It wasn't about morality—about being good or bad.

For Dumbledore, it was about the principle. Stealing was cheap.

For a wizard as naturally gifted as Ivan, stooping to theft was unbefitting. It lacked dignity.

The fact that Ivan had openly broken into Gringotts and acted without subterfuge reassured Dumbledore.

It wasn't the method of a thief—it was the bold and confident action of someone who believed in their own power.

After all, Ivan was his disciple, and his openness and willingness to act without deceit were qualities Dumbledore found commendable.

"Don't you blame me?" Ivan asked, curious about Dumbledore's reaction.

"Ha? I don't see why I should," Dumbledore replied with a shrug.

"Didn't you say you were taking back what rightfully belongs to you?"

If it was about reclaiming what was already his, Dumbledore reasoned, it couldn't truly be considered stealing or robbery. It was simply recovering items from the goblins.

"Those cursed gold coins are very dangerous, I wonder what we should do with them," Dumbledore remarked, his tone more serious.

"I know," Ivan said with a nod.

"That's why I have no intention of keeping them. I plan to destroy them immediately."

This admission took Dumbledore by surprise.

"Oh?"

The old headmaster quickly deduced that Ivan was referring to the Soul Coffin and the cursed gold coins it contained.

As for why Ivan claimed those items as his, it wasn't difficult to infer.

For an ancient family like the Ambrosius, it would be entirely plausible for such artifacts to be part of their heritage.

"This is my mission," Ivan added.

Dumbledore, however, misunderstood Ivan's words. He assumed that Ivan was referring to a deeper, perhaps familial duty connected to his lineage.

What Ivan meant, however, was something entirely different.

The system task itself is naturally a kind of mission. If Ivan wants to complete the task, then destroying the Soul Coffin is inevitable.

________

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