From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 680 The Old Wizard's Plea
"Can your observatory find out who cast this killing curse?" Dumbledore straightened up and asked kindly.

“Perhaps yes, perhaps no. To be honest, I’m not interested in who the person who cast the Killing Curse in the forest is.” Ivy’s smile faded as she met the old mage’s gaze.

“Perhaps someone died because of that Killing Curse,” Dumbledore said slowly. “It’s the Unforgivable Curse. Your instruments can help make this world a better place…”

"If I help you find the person who cast the Killing Curse, what are you going to do?" Ivy didn't directly refute, but asked another question.

"Find out the truth and then hand it over to the Ministry of Magic for trial." Dumbledore offered the perfectly correct solution without much thought.

“I created this instrument to study magic, not to gain the power of judgment.” Ivy summoned the Grimoire of Destruction from the void and pulled out a dark, heavy crystal sphere from it. It was a light storage device made of obsidian, capable of storing data recorded by the observatory in the most intuitive way.

Ivy used telekinesis to lift the obsidian sphere and fit it perfectly into the groove of the instrument.

The spots of light refracted by the observatory on the dome began to disappear in large patches, while the obsidian sphere that was constantly rotating in the groove was no longer monotonous. Instead, it appeared as identical miniature points of light. These dense points of light were like twinkling stars in the night sky, turning the obsidian sphere from a handmade item into an extraordinary work of art.

“Think about it, Dumbledore, what would happen if you actually did that?” Ivy waved her hand, and the room, which had fallen into darkness because of the disappearance of the light spots, was lit again. The walls that had blocked the light disappeared in an instant with a loud bang, which startled everyone at the top of the White Tower.

“People will say that the White Lord of Hogwarts is always watching you. Don’t do anything unforgivable, or he will come knocking on your door himself…” Ivy turned to face the sunlight outside the Forbidden Forest, examining the obsidian sphere in her hand. This sphere contained all the magical fluctuations of the British Isles over the past three years. “You have turned yourself into a weapon, a weapon that stands behind everyone else.”

The old wizard seemed to be lost in thought, and every wrinkle on his face seemed to freeze in place.

“In my view, Albus Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald, Tom Riddle, and Ivy Doom—we’re all essentially the same; we all crave power. It’s just that Gellert was more insane, Tom was more cowardly and ruthlessly concealed it, while you and I are more rational. I thought Dumbledore, who saw his true nature and thus hid in Hogwarts, would be a wiser old wizard. What happened? Why do you seem so anxious?” Ivy asked softly.

For the greater good.

This declaration and slogan is the epitaph of Gellert Grindelwald's life, and also a reminder that Albus Dumbledore used to remind himself.

After his sister Ariana died in the conflict, Albus Dumbledore lost faith in himself. Even as Gellert Grindelwald amassed power and spread dangerous ideas across Europe, he simply hid in Hogwarts, pretending not to see it, unwilling to dabble in the power that was within his grasp.

With both previous Dark Lords gone and his sister Ariana returning from Hades, Dumbledore is displaying unusual anxiety.

Ivy was very curious about what had caused his change.

“War, Ivy,” Dumbledore sighed, replying with a heavy heart, “I see a war brewing…”

"I had always thought that giving patients who had suffered from chronic illnesses a new lease on life would be the most wonderful thing, but now it seems that it is not so..."

“Full Moon werewolves are more powerful than us wizards. They are taller, stronger, faster, and have greater magic resistance, not to mention they can cast spells just like us…”

Dumbledore gave an answer that Ivy never expected: he was worried that the Full Moon werewolves, led by Lupin, would wage war against the wizards.

Ivy didn't notice anything amiss in the principal's office that morning.

The core members of Moonface Magic Unlimited Company are mainly members of the Order of the Phoenix, followed by wolfsbane patients who have undergone the Full Moon Ritual, who are now Full Moon werewolves.

Therefore, when Hermione talked about the major events happening in the wizarding world, Ivy naturally felt that Dumbledore, the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, was on the side of the Full Moon werewolves.

Unexpectedly, what worried him was not the conflict itself.

"The Full Moon Ceremony has transformed the former patients into a race more perfect than wizards. They no longer wish to be discriminated against by the entire magical society and are fighting for their rightful rights in various ways... Lupin is doing the right thing, and so are the Full Moon werewolves... I once thought that the predicament of all this lay in the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Magic, but I have found that reasonably satisfying the needs of the Full Moon werewolves cannot quell their anger..." Dumbledore's blue eyes were full of regret. He thought that with Voldemort dead and the Death Eaters scattered like birds and beasts, the magical world would usher in a peaceful era. But he did not expect that the world would be in turmoil so quickly.

Dumbledore didn't describe the full moon werewolves' rage in detail, but Ivy could guess the gist of it immediately. Werewolves transformed by the full moon ritual were far stronger than ordinary wizards in the magical world, and even with a polite, humble, and restrained leader, they couldn't prevent their companions from becoming arrogant due to their sudden gain of power.

For those who have suffered oppression and discrimination for years, the first thought upon gaining the power to fight back is to retaliate. However, the discrimination faced by werewolves is systemic and social; it is often not an individual act, but rather a prevailing trend throughout the magical society.

When the target of retaliation changes from a specific objective to an invisible yet ubiquitous object, such retaliation can easily spiral out of control and trigger even greater turmoil.

This is the war that Dumbledore was referring to as brewing.

"So you're starting to call for a powerful force?" Ivy glanced at the old wizard, who had spent his entire life worrying about the peace of the wizarding world. Even at over a hundred years old, he still couldn't find peace and actually came up with such a crooked idea. "A powerful force that can suppress all voices? Whether it's a person or a weapon? You should know that those suppressed voices haven't disappeared; they've just not been expressed."

“And we can use this time to heal their wounds and prevent a potential war.” Dumbledore didn’t refute. “You don’t know, Ivy. The first year you were gone was the most carefree and happy time of my life. Everything in the wizarding world seemed so prosperous and orderly. However, the situation deteriorated too quickly, giving me no time to react. It seemed like overnight, all sorts of conflicts surfaced. Although this year is relatively calm, I know very well that the antagonism between the two sides is already very serious. The next bloodshed will not be a small skirmish in Diagon Alley. My intention is to unite the Full Moon werewolves and other groups that are discriminated against in the wizarding world, forcing the Ministry of Magic to make concessions in order to improve the overall social atmosphere.” Interestingly, in the Muggle world, discrimination is usually a large group of people discriminating against a small group of people, but in the magical world, it's the other way around. A small group of pure-blood wizards discriminate against everyone else equally—Muggle-born people, werewolves, Squibs, goblins, and other intelligent races. Half-blood wizards, who are not discriminated against, take sides everywhere. Some look down on the behavior of pure-blood wizards, while others are eager to get into the profession.

"Just when I was filled with worry, something even more unexpected happened. A few days ago, I told Fudge that you would be returning to Hogwarts today to discuss a deal to purchase magical creatures. Then, all the commotion in the wizarding world seemed to vanish. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, wanting to see what kind of influence you would have here before considering their next move." Dumbledore gave a complicated smile. "Lucius wanted your support, and Lupin certainly did too. As if by prior arrangement, the conflict that could have easily turned into a large-scale bloodshed was resolved peacefully. The Full Moon werewolf who injured the Auror was imprisoned in Azkaban without trial, and the Full Moon werewolf's raid on Azkaban was explained as a misunderstanding..."

"And all of this happened simply because of one piece of news: Ivy Doom was about to return to his alma mater."

Dumbledore's clear blue eyes, peering through his half-moon spectacles, gazed at his student, his former colleague: "I am not calling for a powerful force, Ivy. A recognized powerful force has already emerged in the wizarding world, and I merely wish to preserve that influence."

“I know very well that your ambition is not to rule anything, but the influence you exert on this world far exceeds ordinary rule. You once told me that there are countless worlds beyond this one, like drops of water in the ocean, and that you will not remain stagnant in one place forever, but that there are even more magnificent landscapes waiting for you. But I beg you—” The old wizard took a deep breath, “You can certainly do what none of us can, me, Gellert, and of course Tom. I beg you to heal the divisions in our world and guide it in a better direction.”

After hearing the old wizard's words, Ivy was speechless for a moment.

He had never imagined that he wielded such influence in the wizarding world that Albus Dumbledore, the former headmaster of Hogwarts, founder of the Order of the Phoenix, pioneer in the fight against the Dark Arts, chief wizard of Wizengamor, and the White Lord, would so humbly plead with him to exert more influence over the wizarding world in order to ensure that the world moves in a more peaceful direction.

However, Dumbledore's request may not necessarily meet Ivy's expectations.

He's right, Ivy wasn't after power.

Becoming a powerful figure in the magical world was merely a byproduct of his pursuit of greater power and his ascent to the pinnacle of magic.

To have a positive impact on his goals, he can certainly use some political maneuvering, which is exactly what he did in Grellion.

But there's nothing left in the magical world that truly interests him. Ruling such a world might provide a stable source of industrial goods, serving as a pioneering means of opening up markets in other worlds.

However, Ivy Doom is not a champion of free trade, and being a middleman in the multiverse means nothing to him.

Magical knowledge was the only thing he valued. His time travel to gather talent and send them to Strelhaven was all for this purpose.

Creating a stable magical society may not necessarily have a positive impact on his goals.

It's important to understand that the era of greatest technological advancement for humankind was also the era of the greatest and most widespread conflict. Before World War I, humans couldn't even fly; after World War II, during the Cold War, humans were even able to land on the moon—and all of this occurred in just over sixty years, roughly half the life of the old wizard Dumbledore.

The last large-scale war in the wizarding world dates back to the era of the Goblin Wars. Hogwarts' magic has stagnated for far too many years!

However, it was Dumbledore who stood before Ivy and made the request, and the world beneath their feet held a pivotal position in the origin story Ivy had written for himself. To simply watch it erupt into war, or even to fuel it, would indeed seem rather unethical.

Ivy chuckled softly and said, "I assure you, I will handle this matter properly."

Dumbledore seemed much more at ease, and the smile on his face became much lighter: "May I ask about the specific method?"

“It’s very simple. I will make the Full Moon Werewolf disappear from this world in a physical sense.”

The old wizard's vision went black for a moment, then he immediately realized what Ivy meant and gave a wry smile: "You're planning to send them to another world?"

“Exactly, the best way to prevent a conflict from erupting is through physical separation.” Ivy shrugged. “Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?”

Geopolitical conflicts exist precisely because they cease to exist without geographical proximity. The University of Tokyo and Akita, which is doing relatively well, have conflicts mainly because of their proximity. But what about conflicts with Cuba, on the other side of the world? When the first island chain in the Pacific disappears, those conflicts will naturally vanish as well.

The magical world is so narrow and so crowded that the same contradictions occur almost daily.

Ivy's departure from this world with the Full Moon werewolf will naturally greatly alleviate the tense atmosphere in the magical world.

He had even decided where to go. There were only a few thousand werewolves in the entire magical world, which would be perfect for keeping company with the seven thousand vampire clones living in Dawnstar City. Who knows, they might even be able to create a Faerûn version of Twilight.

Moreover, there are countless races living in Faerûn, so a group of Full Moon werewolves wouldn't make much of a difference. Dawnstar City has only just been established, so there's no question of native inhabitants. The native inhabitants of Rasven were all wiped out by Shar's Shadow Curse long ago; everyone here is an outsider.

(End of this chapter)