Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 103 102: Letter! Halloween invitation!
Looking in through the crack in the door.

Even in a brightly lit room, the golden cup in Dumbledore's hand was still very eye-catching, carrying an aura of a masterpiece that only alchemists could feel.

"Hufflepuff's gold cup!"

Ian recognized the object in Dumbledore's hand almost instantly. It was Helga Hufflepuff's alchemical creation and one of the legacies of the four giants of Hogwarts. Just like Gryffindor's sword, Ravenclaw's diadem, and Slytherin's locket, Hufflepuff's golden cup was also the pinnacle of alchemy.

Perhaps it cannot reach the heights of the Philosopher's Stone created by Nicolas Flamel, but the relics of the four giants also possess extremely powerful magical powers while having extraordinary significance.

Wizards who can reach their level are all all-round players. Perhaps the materials used to make the treasures come from goblins, but most of the magic contained in them must come from the four giants themselves.

Except for the Slytherin locket, whose function no one knew, Ian knew about the other three relics of the Big Four - Gryffindor's sword had the property of repelling dust, and as it participated in more battles, it would become stronger and stronger, able to absorb and strengthen its own magic.

Ravenclaw's crown can enhance the wisdom of the wearer, but from a brief exchange with Ms. Ravenclaw and combined with real-life analysis, Ian feels that it is probably just an alchemical version of the Felicis, or can it also exert some golden apple effects like [Enlightenment of Wisdom]?
Compared with the relics of these two founders, Helga Hufflepuff's relics are more Buddhist, just like Helga Hufflepuff herself, without any competitive spirit. It does not have any ability to enable the user to learn and fight, but it is the most suitable companion for home and travel.

There is magic inside that can even be considered as freezing time, which can ensure that the food placed in it will not spoil. At the same time, there is also a huge storage space that can hold a lot of food. It is not difficult to see from Hufflepuff's Golden Room that Helga Hufflepuff is really good at using the space expansion spell.

Ian even learned that Hufflepuff's golden cup could turn water into red wine. When he was in the library, he would sometimes look up the history and information about ancient wizards. Especially things related to Hogwarts, Ian had been very interested in it since he met Ms. Ravenclaw herself.

of course.

even so.

Ian didn't find the secret of Slytherin's locket either. There was not even any document mentioning this thing. Perhaps he would only have the chance to get in touch with it after Sirius was released.

There was no way, because Salazar Slytherin was the only rebellious giant among the Big Four who ran away from home. No one even knew where he went after leaving Hogwarts.

Ian had read about the legend of Salazar Slytherin in an unofficial history book. It was said that more than a hundred years ago, someone had seen someone who looked like Salazar Slytherin in a place in Africa. The recorder of the unofficial history book was an adventurer. According to this person, Slytherin seemed to be looking for something in Africa.

Since there were many portraits of Slytherin in the house, the adventurer was able to recognize this giant. He even wrote in the book that he had a meal of game with Salazar Slytherin.

The record is very detailed, but very magical. In the era when the golden apples were extinct, unless Salazar Slytherin could make the Philosopher's Stone, how could he have survived hundreds of years later in modern times? The adventurer's words are obviously not credible, and the feeling between the lines of his book is not much different from "I Am Magic".

The whole article is full of self-praise and exaggerated descriptions of experiences. If the reincarnation that Mr. Morgan mentioned really exists, then it may be Gilderoy Lockhart's account in the previous life that has been cancelled.

This was the only feeling in Ian's mind after reading the book "I Who Witnessed the Legend". Of course, he didn't care about Slytherin, he only cared about the relics left by the Big Four.

"It's a pity that three of the relics of the Big Four have been defiled by Noseless Tom. I have to protect my sword of Gryffindor and not let Noseless Tom take the opportunity to defile it." Ian hid behind the crack in the door and peeked for a long time, but Dumbledore, the master of Legilimency, didn't notice anything.

He was too focused on the golden cup in his hand - it was possible that he was using his mind to detect the broken soul attached to it. Dumbledore, who was concentrating, was not even as observant as his bird.

"Qiang Qiang~"

The phoenix Fawkes was originally combing the newly grown hair after its rebirth on the golden branch. When the peeping Ian accidentally touched the door with the tip of his head, it immediately flew towards Ian.

The tip was plucked flat.

The phoenix built a nest on Ian's head as usual - Ian was used to it, he even touched the phoenix on his head and happily put his hand under the phoenix's butt. Although Fox felt a little uncomfortable, he still chose not to leave Ian's head.

"Very warm! It's the warmth of the phoenix!" Ian immediately took out his palm-sized purse excitedly and took out a phoenix egg with a red pattern that looked extraordinary.

He directly shoved it on top of his head with lightning speed. He was a little confused, and immediately felt the Phoenix Fox under his butt become extremely uncomfortable and immediately wanted to flap its wings and leave Ian's head.

"This is the nesting fee! You have to hatch the eggs for me!" Ian predicted the reaction of the Phoenix Fox and held Fox down. In the end, the Phoenix Fox did not continue to try to escape from his clutches.

"Qiang Qiang~"

It sounds like an insult.

The curse was very unpleasant. Perhaps the interaction between Ian and the Phoenix Fawkes disturbed Dumbledore, who had been focusing on the golden cup, and finally raised his head.

There was a flash of brilliance in his eyes, majestic and powerful, and although it disappeared quickly in an instant, it still made Ian, who was staring at him, feel the fear of palpitations. Of course, through the abilities of [Soul Stealing] and [Mind Perception], Ian knew that the person who was most afraid of Dumbledore was obviously not himself.

The will in the Hufflepuff Gold Cup was trembling. No one knew what Dumbledore had done to the residual soul in the Hufflepuff Gold Cup during that period of time.

"Good evening, Ian."

Dumbledore put down the golden cup in his hand and smiled at Ian in a kind tone, "Tonight is a lively day. I didn't expect you would choose to visit me."

He took off his glasses and began to wipe them with his handkerchief.

"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. Has Professor Snape become a bad person? He hasn't taught us for a few days. I think you should take care of this salary thief of Hogwarts. Not only is my uncle not doing his job properly, he even made me miss a Defense Against the Dark Arts class this afternoon."

Ian came up and complained directly.

He was obviously still feeling a little upset about his regrets in the afternoon.

"I heard from Severus that you secretly prepared a lot of owl laxatives in the Potions classroom. I think no matter how bad our Potions teacher is, he would not be so bad." Dumbledore put his glasses back on his face, his tone full of joking ridicule, which made Ian's indignant expression freeze instantly.

“Clang, clang, clang~”

Fawkes above his head barked a few more times at his master, his voice full of resentment, as if he felt that Dumbledore's evaluation of Ian was still too conservative.

"He is slandering me!"

Ian looked away a little embarrassedly under Dumbledore's deep gaze. "In fact, only a little bit was prepared. At most, it would be enough for the Slytherin students' owls to eat."

"It's a pity that I was in such a hurry to come to you that I couldn't see the scene of birds raining all over the sky, but Senior Penelope agreed to take a picture for me." There was a hint of regret in his tone.

"It's a long-planned prank. I guess it's because you haven't received the compensation for those children yet?" Dumbledore's initiative to bring up this matter really surprised Ian.

"Have you negotiated compensation for me? They definitely don't want compensation! I haven't received even a single gold Galleon yet!" Ian's voice was filled with resentment.

Dumbledore smiled softly, "I sent them a letter by mail. Perhaps they did not take it seriously before, but after tonight, I believe you will get the compensation you want soon."

His words startled Ian slightly.

The little wizard couldn't help but look at Hufflepuff's gold cup again.

"Is it because of this?"

Ian walked forward thoughtfully and came to the opposite side of the desk. The Hufflepuff gold cup was placed on the table. The cup was carefully carved from pure gold and shone with a warm and soft golden light. The surface was carved with complex and delicate patterns: winding vines, blooming flowers, and grains symbolizing harvest and abundance.

As Ian gazed at the gold cup.

He seemed to be able to feel the warmth flowing from the cup, a kind of magic that could smooth out the wrinkles in his soul, but it was mixed with a lot of discordant negative emotions.

Blasphemy and defilement from the Noseless Monster.

"Yes, that's right."

Dumbledore nodded.

"I went to Azkaban to visit Riddle's past. The woman was still loyal to Riddle, but in the end I got the answer I wanted."

"That answer led me to this thing... in Gringotts." Dumbledore's light description made Ian's eyelids and face twitch a few times - he thought of the breaking news tonight, combined with what Dumbledore said now, the truth of the evening news was self-evident.

"Merlin, the Lord! It turned out that you were the one who broke into Gringotts, and then, while being chased by a group of goblins and wizards, you stole the important items kept in other people's vaults without paying any attention to others!" This was not Ian flattering Dumbledore, but the sudden incident that everyone was discussing at night was reported in the news in this way.

Although Ian didn't pay too much attention to this matter, he still glanced at it when William took the newspaper. There were photos of goblins and wizards running away in panic.

"No one will say it was me. I made some disguises with my consent, so..."

Dumbledore blinked at Ian. "It was Grindelwald's saint who broke into Gringotts. There were many witnesses. Didn't you see the photo published in the newspaper?"

His words simply left Ian speechless.

"What does this have to do with my compensation? Is it because the Saints are active again that I, as Aurora's good friend, should be valued by them?"

Ian felt that he couldn't be impolite in commenting on his headmaster's actions.

"In fact, the saints don't have much deterrent power over us." Dumbledore chuckled, and spoke with a bit of regret in his tone, "But the pure-blood families are not stupid, and my hands and feet are not clean either. After all, I really don't have much experience in this area."

"They will definitely find out the truth, and perhaps they have already discovered it. Believe me, Ian, they will re-evaluate whether the letter I sent to them has any influence." Dumbledore's words were very intriguing. Ian saw a very confident feeling on the headmaster's face.

"Aren't you afraid they'll report you to the Ministry?"

Ian asked curiously.

Under the candlelight, Dumbledore's body leaned forward slightly, his face was closer to the candlelight, but the smile on his face did not disappear but became more intriguing.

"I don't think so. They know how to judge the situation... In fact, after I took away the gold cup I wanted to take away under the siege of Gringotts and the Aurors, even if I stepped forward and confessed to the Ministry of Magic that it was my act, the Ministry of Magic would claim that someone had implanted a false memory in me."

"All Aurors present, including the goblins, will serve as witnesses before the trial and prove to the Ministry of Magic that the people they encountered were only followers of the evil dark wizard Grindelwald."

"To be honest, if they dare to stand up and challenge me, I would be happy for them." Dumbledore's soft voice made Ian feel incredible.

This is what Dumbledore said!
Where is the soft persimmon Dumbledore?
"Hiss, are you teaching me that I can do whatever I want once I have the power?" Ian wanted to pinch Dumbledore's face. He suspected that a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was playing a prank.

"I thought you would care more about the compensation from the pure-blood family." Dumbledore smiled and replied, "Ian, I'm just telling you that the world is not black and white."

"Living in a greenhouse, you need to understand this the most. Even your principal, the hero who is praised by many, will do anything unscrupulous for some reason."

It is hard to imagine that Dumbledore could calmly make such an evaluation of himself.

“I think it’s too early for me to understand this.”

Ian quickly changed the subject.

"Who says it isn't?"

Dumbledore nodded noncommittally.

He noticed that Ian's eyes would occasionally fall on the Hufflepuff gold cup.

"You recognize this thing, don't you?"

Dumbledore pushed the Hufflepuff cup forward, and Ian, who had been eager to try, immediately held up the cup with both hands. The profound alchemical writing on it confirmed his guess - it was indeed a treasure that could wholesale Lafite 1982! This thing could actually adjust the taste of red wine!
"It should belong to the ancestor of Hufflepuff." Ian's heart was actually full of doubts and surprises. He really wanted to know why this thing was in Dumbledore's hands now.

and.

Didn't they say that this thing was cast with the Splitting Curse and the Fire Curse? Ian patted it, but didn't find that the golden cup would split. Looking at the mouth of the cup, he could only see a hollow darkness, and Riddle's shattered soul was still trembling inside - Ian's subconscious behavior was just out of curiosity, but it made Dumbledore's eyes flicker slightly.

"Some of the curses on it have been removed by me."

Dumbledore looked at Ian meaningfully, and suddenly laughed, "There is only one of my students in there now, the famous mysterious man in the wizarding world."

He did not hide the known information like he did with Harry Potter, but told Ian bluntly that this was a Horcrux from Voldemort.

"I can't see it, but I can feel a dying soul. He seems to be frightened by you. So that guy is Voldemort's soul?"

"Why did he get in here?" Ian pretended to be curious and shook the Hufflepuff gold cup vigorously as if he was shaking a can of Coke.

The remaining spirit of Tom Riddle just glared at him fiercely from inside.

"I thought you had already learned about Horcruxes. After all, the content related to Fiendfyre is explained after Horcruxes." Dumbledore's sudden shocking words stopped Ian's shaking.

"..."

Ian really didn't expect to encounter such a scene. He curled his lips and said, "Did Aurora's grandfather tell you? He actually knew that the book was given to me by Aurora?"

Ian obviously knew that playing dumb was pointless. He was not too nervous, after all, the source of "Advanced Dark Magic Revealed" was a real Hogwarts professor!
Learning the dark arts secretly?
It was clearly just a pre-class lecture! Dumbledore could hire Grindelwald as a professor, so why couldn't Ian critically study cutting-edge dark magic with the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Dumbledore couldn't be a double standard person, otherwise he would ask Ariana to judge for him!

Thinking of this, Ian remembered the reason why he came to the headmaster's office to find Dumbledore. He was mainly attracted by the Hufflepuff's gold cup at the beginning.

Ian was about to take out the letter to gag.

Unexpectedly, Dumbledore really didn't care that he had studied "Advanced Dark Arts Revealed".

"It seems that you have had an in-depth communication with our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. However, it is clear that you still don't know much about Miss Grindelwald's grandfather."

"He always hides a lot of secrets, things he doesn't want to say, and even when he tells the truth, you have to be careful that he is hiding other information."

Dumbledore criticized his old friend without any hesitation, and after Ian's expression became a little unnatural, he explained why he knew Ian had the book.

"Your Fiendfyre has traces of his transformation, and that book was originally a gift from me to him. I just didn't expect that he would pass it on to you through Miss Grindelwald."

Ian was slightly stunned by Dumbledore's words.

transfer?
It clearly seemed like Aurora's own decision, so was this the ability of a prophet? But how could Dumbledore be so sure of Grindelwald's actions?

From the understanding between good friends?
Ian thought about it.

Dumbledore asked again, "How much do you know about Horcruxes?"

It is clear.

Back to the topic just now.

"To be honest, I don't know much about it. I don't even want to read that part because I think splitting one's soul is stupid, whether it's for life or after death. Besides, you reminded me at the beginning of the school year that one of your students lost the possibility of further progress because of stupidity." Ian answered honestly. He seemed to be facing these experienced monsters who were not easy to fool all the time.

"I'm glad that you still remember what I said and take it as a lesson. Yes, you are right. No wise man would choose this terrible path of self-destruction. Extraordinary wisdom is the greatest wealth of mankind. I think I have gradually understood that the Sorting Hat's judgment of you is indeed correct."

Dumbledore was generous in praising Ian and even laughed happily because of Ian's good memory.

"We have to save Hufflepuff's treasure!" Ian tried to imitate Ms. Ravenclaw's behavior, but found that his hands could not touch the soul in the golden cup at all.

He didn't want to drink red wine with Tom's body odor, so he tried several times without giving up, but still failed. The Ravenclaw lady's technique was obviously difficult to imitate.

Perhaps it was because he didn't have enough knowledge about the key to the soul? Unconvinced, Ian began to shake the golden cup vigorously, trying to shake out the dizzy residual soul in the golden cup. Fawkes was indeed a magical creature, and he was still able to lay on Ian's head and hatch eggs steadily.

"You're just torturing it by doing this. There's no way to get it out of there... You're really different from the rest of us, Ian, to be able to do something like this."

Dumbledore looked at Ian, who shook the golden cup even more violently after hearing the word "torture", with an indescribable amazement in his eyes.

obviously.

Not everyone can achieve this effect by shaking the golden cup. In fact, most wizards can't even sense the residual soul inside, let alone exert any influence on the residual soul inside.

"Huhuhu~!"

Ian, who was really unable to shake it anymore, stopped his convulsive movements and looked into the golden cup again. The remaining soul inside seemed to be spitting wildly.

Just as Dumbledore said, there was no way to shake out the remaining soul of Voldemort... It was like a maggot on the tarsal bone, and had already merged with the Hufflepuff's golden cup.

"I have a teacher who may be able to help us, but I need to take the gold cup back temporarily." God can see that Ian really just wanted to take Voldemort on a long voyage again. He definitely did not want to embezzle this treasure from Hufflepuff. At most, he would return the college property after he was sworn in as the President of Hogwarts.

"If I want to destroy the residual soul inside while protecting this treasure, I know some friends who can help me. It is not difficult to destroy the residual soul sealed inside." Dumbledore looked at the golden cup in Ian's hand and did not agree with Ian's slightly obscure hint.

"alright."

Ian returned the cup to the table with some regret. He felt that he could not hold it in his hands any longer, or he might suddenly turn around and run away without saying anything in the middle of a normal conversation. Perhaps it was because of greed, but Ian would definitely rely on the mental influence of Voldemort's residual soul on him.

"Remember to bring it back to the elves in the kitchen after destroying the evil soul inside. I remember this thing was used as a container for the elves to store things." Ian decided to save the country in a roundabout way. He thought that since the elves had obtained the golden cup, it was equivalent to that he could use the golden cup indefinitely. After all, he had a good relationship with the elves.

"It's not too troublesome to deal with the things inside. The most troublesome thing is that there is more than one of these things, and I don't want that person to realize that I have discovered his secret."

"He will run away, but what I need is to eradicate the roots of the problem completely." Dumbledore's expression was very serious, and his tone was full of calm cruelty.

This was a very rare feeling for the Hogwarts headmaster.

"Indeed! Your idea is very wise!" Ian immediately gave him a thumbs up. Dumbledore's gentle expression made him feel a chill down his spine.

It was even more terrifying than Grindelwald. The memory that Old Dumbledore presented earlier was indeed correct. No wonder he was able to play with Grindelwald when he was young.

"Riddle split his own soul more than once. I can imagine that terrible scene." Dumbledore picked up the golden cup on the desk and played with it with one hand. "In order to achieve eternal life and to prevent being killed, he made many, many preparations. His preparations may be far more thorough than we think."

Worry appeared in Dumbledore's eyes.

See this.

Ian couldn't help but say, "Why don't you ask the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? If I remember correctly, he should be able to help you find the answer."

Very constructive suggestion.

But Dumbledore smiled bitterly, "Remember what I said, Ian, the words of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor are not much more credible than those of Riddle."

Ian felt a little uncomfortable with the old man's exhaustion and deep powerlessness.

"You turn into a younger version of yourself and beg him?"

He gave Dumbledore a more constructive suggestion.

"..."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then rubbed his brow and put the golden cup back on the desk, revealing an extremely haggard face and sunken eye sockets.

Yes.

When I rubbed my eyebrows, my eye sockets suddenly became sunken. I don’t know why.

"I think it might be better to listen to the opinions of young people, Ian... If I let you make the judgment, how many do you think they would be?"

He crossed his fingers on the desk and looked at Ian.

What a direct question.

"????"

Ian covered his head with the phoenix Fawkes, who was tired of lying on his head and wanted to stand up. He was a little speechless, staring at Dumbledore with a depressed look for a while before speaking.

"Seven is a magical number?"

Ian sighed.

Dumbledore's eyes flickered, then he closed his eyes and nodded.

"Indeed."

There was a sense of relief in his voice as he returned to normal.

"Thank you."

After a while.

The elderly man spoke sincerely.

Ian didn't know how to respond, but fortunately Dumbledore didn't let him feel embarrassed for too long. When Dumbledore opened his eyes again, he no longer looked haggard.

He was in high spirits, and his eyes were sparkling. Just when Ian was wondering whether Dumbledore was going to talk about Horcruxes or ask questions.

"Child, Fawkes is a male phoenix. He can't help you hatch that special egg." Dumbledore's sudden words made Ian's eyes widen.

"Qiang Qiang~"

Phoenix Fox responded above Ian's head.

This time, after it flapped its wings and flew away, Ian did not continue to stop it. No wonder the phoenix was unwilling to lie down on the nest to incubate eggs. It seemed that it was really uncomfortable when it lay down.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier! If you had told me earlier, this wouldn't have happened!" Ian quickly took off the egg on his head and bullied the Phoenix Fox for not being able to speak.

“Clang~clang~clang~clang~”

Phoenix Fox’s response was quite intense, and it felt like the insults were quite unpleasant to the ear.

If Ian hadn't taken out some precious medicinal herbs to block its mouth, perhaps tonight when Ian was sleeping, there would be a phoenix cursing and guarding outside the window all night long.

"Professor, do you know how to hatch this egg?" Ian used "Krypton Medicine" to calm the phoenix Fawkes, and then he presented the phoenix egg he had obtained to Dumbledore.

"This is a question you need to find the answer to yourself." Dumbledore did not take the egg from Ian's hand. He just looked at the peculiar patterns on the egg with a little curiosity. "Every phoenix is ​​different, but it will definitely help you when you need it. The Dumbledore family's verification over the years will definitely not be wrong."

Speaking of it.

Dumbledore touched his face with a somewhat unnatural expression - there were faint scratches on it. Although they were not obvious, the scratches looked very new.

"I haven't established any connection with the life inside yet, will it help me?" Ian has tried many times, but he has never been able to sense the phoenix inside the egg. After all, it was something brought out from a hazy fantasy, and sometimes he even doubted whether the phoenix inside was completely dead and could not hatch.

"Many people believe that the arrival of the phoenix is ​​accompanied by singing and a beautiful figure." Dumbledore stood up, walked to Fawkes on the golden branch and stroked his phoenix.

He turned to look at Ian, "That's not entirely true, Ian. You may not have thought about why this egg came into your hands."

Hear what Dumbledore said.

Ian wanted to say that he had traded the egg of the Winged Demon with his friend, but before he could open his mouth, Dumbledore's slightly deep voice sounded in the headmaster's office. "The reason why Fawkes is so repulsive to this egg is actually because the life inside it makes Fawkes feel a sense of crisis... Well, the little guy inside is very strong."

"Child, the phoenix has actually come to your side. It is just waiting for you to need it." Dumbledore raised his hand and touched his face while speaking.

"I actually don't want Severus to see your egg." His words sounded a little fearful. He didn't use this tone when he talked about how he fought countless wizards alone.

"Your letter, Professor."

Ian stared at the phoenix egg in his hand thoughtfully for a moment, and suddenly took out two letters from his dress. This unexpected reaction made Dumbledore slightly stunned.

"The letter with a big head on it is for Aberforth. Remember to ask him to pay the postage." Ian reminded him. After all, he had no friendship with Dumbledore's brother.

"!!!"

Dumbledore originally had a gentle smile on his face, but after seeing the two letters in Ian's hand, his expression and eyes suddenly became extremely horrified.

It was like seeing a ghost.

The portraits of the headmasters on the wall also showed expressions of disbelief. They covered their mouths and were not seen by Ian who was taking something out of his wallet after casting the expansion spell.

"You can really do... this... this..." Dumbledore quickly gave up trying to comfort Fawkes. He rushed directly to Ian in a panic.

The speed is not what an old man should be moving at.

"Such...such a rebellious talent..." Dumbledore looked at Ian deeply, then lowered his head to gaze at the two ordinary-looking letters in Ian's hands.

Graffiti above.

Dumbledore's eyes instantly became moist, and his whole body felt a little trembling. After slowly extending his old hand, he suddenly and quickly retracted it.

Abnormally indecisive.

It was as if he was bound by the heaviness in his heart. Gryffindor students were always like this, they were not lacking in courage, but they could easily lose their courage when facing the things they cared about the most - Ian even felt the timidity and fear growing in the old headmaster's heart after he lost control of his emotions.

"Just missing and reminiscing about the past."

Ian stuffed the two letters into Dumbledore's hands. Dumbledore's hands holding the letters trembled even more violently, as if the two thin letters weighed a thousand pounds.

After quickly holding onto the desk and sitting back in the chair, he stared at the letter carefully, his fingers gently stroking the envelope, as if he could feel the family love that transcended the boundaries of life and death.

"Don't tell anyone about your talent. It is great... and terrifying." Dumbledore did not forget to remind Ian seriously at this time.

"Only you and the principals know."

Ian held the camera and looked at the portraits on the wall.

None of the past principals in the portraits spoke a word. Each of them stared at him intently, and the expressions of all the portraits were filled with indescribable complexity.

The headmaster from Ravenclaw looked at Ian with a bit of horror.

"The principals are trustworthy people. They will keep this secret for you... and so will I." The old man's lips opened slightly, but then closed again, as if he was trying to calm down the waves in his heart. He took a deep breath, finally mustered up the courage, and carefully tore open the envelope.

His movements were very gentle, as if he was afraid of damaging even a little bit of the letter. As the letter unfolded, the old man's pale face gradually became more and more ashamed as he read.

Ian didn't know what the content of the letter was, and he didn't have the hobby of snooping into other people's letters. He just stood not far away and raised the camera in his hand.

Through the camera's viewfinder, Ian saw the tears in Dumbledore's eyes finally burst, slowly sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the letter paper, smudged the ink.

The old man grabbed the handkerchief and wiped it in panic. He even forgot that he was a wizard. The flustered and panicked look was a scene that no one had probably ever seen on Dumbledore. Ian was unable to press the shutter after all. He sighed and put down the camera in his hand.

"Recover as before."

Ian took out his wand and restored the letter for Dumbledore.

"thanks, thanks!"

Dumbledore covered his face with his hands tightly, tears flowing from between his fingers, and he cried in a low and suppressed voice. His shoulders trembled slightly, as if at this moment, all his strength and maturity had collapsed, leaving only an old brother who was deeply guilty and missed his sister endlessly.

The mighty Dumbledore.

At this moment, it seems that only the vulnerable side is left.

"Good night, Professor."

Looking back at Dumbledore, who seemed no longer powerful, calm, and infinitely confident, Ian gently closed the door of the office when he left. At this moment, Ian realized that the messenger should not want to record anything, and the testimony could only be kept in his own memory.

He was just a visitor.

Inside the empty office.

Like a guitar string blown by the wind, the sound continued intermittently for a long time. When the moon was already high in the sky outside, the old man calmed down for a long time before carefully putting down the letter.

"That little wizard! He did the impossible! How could this happen?" The principals on the wall only dared to speak out and express their inner disbelief at this time.

"Merlin has this ability. It's not like it hasn't happened before, but I didn't expect it to happen again. None of you know the legend about Merlin better than I do." When Phineas Nigellus Black refuted on the wall, he did not forget to mention the rumor that Merlin once hid his identity and disguised himself to study in Slytherin.

"I hope you can keep this secret and don't let anyone outside this office know... Out of respect for the principals, I think I shouldn't use magic to blaspheme you."

Dumbledore looked up at the portraits on the wall with a deep gaze.

"Do you still want to burn us with fierce fire?"

Feeling disrespected, Phineas Nigellus Black became furious.

"I think the headmasters have not gone too far down that path now. You must know that Ian Prince is capable of coming to you at any time... As far as I know, this child holds a grudge." Dumbledore spoke in a reminder manner, and his words made Phineas Nigellus Black shut up immediately.

He was very clear about the various small revenges that Ian had inflicted on Slytherin students after they had offended him - the expressions of the other headmasters were also very interesting.

"No one dares to reveal his secret. Don't worry, Dumbledore..." The headmaster who was from Ravenclaw and had a terrified look in his eyes was still in shock. "This is not an ability that a human should have. Absolutely not. He may be blessed by God. A person favored by God was born in your era!"

Comments on the principal.

Dumbledore was a little surprised.

Before he could open his mouth to ask anything, Headmaster Armando Dippet, who had been Dumbledore's superior and had taken over the position of Headmaster from Dumbledore, reminded him in a serious tone.

"Not only can this child travel back and forth between the border between life and death, he even provided you with a prophecy just now!" This reminder did not change Dumbledore's expression.

He stared at the letter in his hand, his eyes flickering as he spoke softly, "In fact, ever since I learned of his talent, I have had doubts about this. If he can transcend life and death like Merlin, he may also be a prophet like Merlin. Facts have also proved that he can see more than Gellert Grindelwald."

Hear the words.

The principals on the wall looked at each other in confusion.

"You should ask him where the other things are. I guess he can give you the answer." Principal Armando Dippet said with a frown.

Dumbledore glanced out the window and chuckled.

"Ian at least told me the number."

Dumbledore's voice was filled with emotion.

"This is already a great trust, and I should only be grateful for it. You know, the child doesn't owe me anything, but he still took the risk to help me."

He began to be very cautious, not daring to be careless at all and planning to seal the letter in his hand back to its original state, as if he was treating a treasure of indescribable value with great care.

Because he was too concerned about the content of the letter, he ignored the fact that there was something else in the envelope. So when Dumbledore tried to put the letter back into the envelope.

A photo fell out.

on the photo.

The three people huddled together, each with a different look on their face, and looked very warm.

"Although Christmas has not yet arrived, I think I have received the most joyful gift on Halloween." Dumbledore's smile was also very warm, and his eyes were still red from crying. He gently stroked the photo in his hand, as if he wanted to feel his sister's smile through the photo.

……

Ian did take a risk for Dumbledore.

Because he ran into Gilderoy Grindelwald as soon as he turned the corner.

"He really found another Horcrux. I might not be able to sleep at night because of this. So... today on Halloween, are you interested in joining me on a journey?"

I don’t know if the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had secretly done any peeping during that period of time, but he seemed to be smiling and inviting Ian.

Ian was not given the option to refuse.

(End of this chapter)