Chapter 133 132: Unsatisfied Hope
Hogwarts at night is quiet and peaceful.
Occasionally, one or two calls of night owls break the tranquility. They are either returning to their nests or delivering news from afar. The ancient trees swayed gently in the breeze and cast mottled shadows in the moonlight.
The little wizards have long been asleep in their respective dormitories. The moonlight is like a wash, shining softly on the ancient castle, covering the magic school with a layer of silver-white gauze.
Under the towering tower, Grindelwald seemed to be observing the stars in the night sky. The dim light shined from the windows of the tower onto the open space in front of him.
That light.
The man standing in the light. At this moment, it seems to be guiding Ian in the direction of "home".
"Oh, Professor, I killed someone, what should I do with my soul now." Ian actually had no ups and downs in his heart, but he felt that he still had to pretend to be a little more uneasy due to his age.
Don’t care whether people believe it or not, you have to show off.
“Only murder will cause the soul to be polluted, but the understanding of the act of killing itself will also affect this rule. I think your situation is better than anyone else.”< br>
The person who answered Ian's question was Grindelwald. Perhaps he does have more say than Albus Dumbledore in terms of killing people and the impact of killing people.
"That's because I know that I am eradicating pests in the wizarding world. Yes, I should call it killing to protect lives. That is the Dark Lord who has harmed countless families."
"My good roommate Michael will thank me. His dad died fighting Nose." Ian found some words to defend his moral level.
Albus Dumbledore didn't respond. He looked up and observed the stars like Grindelwald just now. He didn't know if it had anything to do with some knowledge of divination.
Ian has always been a weak subject in this area.
"You will find high-sounding reasons for yourself. Tsk tsk. Aurora is right. You are very talented, at least when it comes to finding legitimate reasons for your actions." Grindelwald seemed to appreciate Ian's eloquence very much. , he looked at Ian with approval and a big smile on his face.
He doesn't look like the kind of person who is ready to "disappear" at all. Not only him, Albus Dumbledore's behavior in urging Ian all the way seemed to be indifferent to his disappearance.
On the contrary, there is a sense of urgency.
This had to make Ian feel admiration and respect from the bottom of his heart. After all, as part of the abandoned destiny, these two people would eventually sink again like other things in this secret realm of destiny.
"It's a pity that I couldn't reuse the recycled Voldemort soul..." Ian's tone was a bit regretful. He obviously didn't expect that Albus Dumbledore would take him there in person. Burn Voldemort.
If he had known that it was so easy to turn Voldemort into fuel and had taken the time to take Dumbledore with him while brewing the potion, he would have lost countless instant improvements.
"Although you do have extraordinary means of increasing your magic power, you have finally reached the peak of your magic power... The rules of the world will not allow your body to carry more magic power, so it is not considered a What a pity." Grindelwald obviously already knew the extraordinary characteristics of Ian [Soul Furnace].
Hear the words.
Ian's mood improved a lot from worrying about gains and losses.
Albus Dumbledore next to him also turned his head at this time and added, "And, as we just said, the cycle you encountered is also a kind of magic in nature."
< br>
"The magic power that maintains it cannot support you repeatedly using Voldemort to improve yourself." After pondering for a moment, he reminded him again with a serious word.
"Ian, your ability is very dangerous, so I hope you will not fall into the excessive pursuit of magic. After all, our black magic is the best negative teaching material."
< br>The old principal’s advice is indeed reasonable.
Ian nodded seriously.
It can be seen from the fact that both Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort have the pinnacle of magic power in the world, but their strength is quite different. Magic power is really not the only criterion for measuring a person's strength.
"I want to pursue it, but I can't pursue it. You all say that I have reached the peak of magic." Ian has heard similar statements from Morgan and Ravenclaw.
Facts have now proved that the wizard's magic power does have a bottleneck. Not only does his personal panel no longer have the word "Growth", there is also no sign behind it that he can continue to upgrade.
“Tsk, tsk, look at how loud his voice is when he speaks.” Grindelwald nodded Ian’s head with his wand, “Of course, you little guy does have the right to show off his loud voice. , after all, you have reached the scenery that many wizards cannot reach in their lifetime before you are an adult."
The voice of the professor of Defense Against Dark Arts was filled with emotion.
Albus Dumbledore was noncommittal.
At this moment, he finally completely retracted his gaze from the sky.
"This situation should be about the same now." The old principal took the sorting hat from Ian's hand and gave it to Ian before. He didn't know why he brought this alchemical creation that was pretending to be dead. .
"What's the situation?" To be honest, Ian still feels a little confused now. Albus Dumbledore did not give him a detailed explanation of the situation and what to do along the way.
"Of course your cycle has reached a weak stage, which is the time for us to take advantage of it." Albus Dumbledore answered the little wizard's question concisely and concisely.
"So, the method I came up with to break the situation is also useful, right? If the foundation that maintains the cycle is constantly consumed, the cycle will eventually collapse because it cannot be maintained?" Ian was still full of curiosity about his discovery. , wants to know what the final result will be if the cycle collapses according to his ideas.
Albus Dumbledore nodded, "In fact, what I asked you to do is consuming the foundation of this cycle. The more things you change, the greater the weakening of the cycle."
< br>As soon as these words came out.
Ian was stunned for a moment.
He remembered that Albus Dumbledore gave him such instructions at the beginning of the cycle, during the first cycle. Could it be that the old headmaster had already seen the nature of the cycle at that time?
"Hey, you actually reacted so early? You couldn't have taken Slytherin's script, right?" Ian could even read Albus Dumbledore's instructions so accurately that he just fell into a loop. That day!
Such ability to judge... can only be described as terrifying!
"This is our White Devil. Do you understand how valuable he is in defeating me?" Grindelwald was obviously a loser, but his emotion was that he only gained Albus Dumbledore. A glare.
"This is not difficult to judge. After all, we know what we are facing, and knowing this can already make us understand a lot of things."
Albus .Dumbledore explained.
Grindelwald’s smile remained the same.
He clearly had the same thoughts as Dumbledore.
"Because you know that what I encountered is a legacy of Slytherin?" Ian also roughly guessed something, and sure enough, Albus Dumbledore in front of him nodded.
"Yes, what we have to deal with is the influence from Slytherin. Although he is a legend, he is still a wizard after all. Knowing this can determine what your cycle is."
“No matter how clever, profound or incomprehensible the methods used by wizards are, their essence is only magic and can never go beyond the scope of magic.”
Albus Dumbledore's analysis is well-founded and clear. It is like a layer of paper covering the truth. After being pierced, people can get a glimpse of the hidden simple truth.
"Got it!"
Ian suddenly understood.
In fact, he doesn’t understand it only now, but the emotional value is in place. After realizing that in each of his cycles, the things he intercepted would begin to weaken in the next cycle, Ian was already aware of the limitations of Slytherin's methods until Albus Dumbledore gave His detailed answer cleared the air for him.
Of course.
This is not why Ian underestimated Slytherin's method. After all, it was indeed beyond the scope of mortals. It not only intercepted a piece of destiny but also cut off his biggest golden finger.
A seven-day appointment with a trance-like world.
Although he was still able to establish contact with the trance-like illusion with the help of magic, he was not able to enter the trance-like illusion even once in so many cycles.
In a certain cycle.
Ian also asked Teacher Morgan with the help of Ali Anna, and Teacher Morgan's answer was somewhat intriguing - time in the world does not change and flow much.
Ian can only guess that the opportunity for him to enter the trance dreamland must be related to the earthly world, and Slytherin's method obviously brought him to an area that does not belong to the earthly realm.
Just like when he entered a trance, after being in the trance for a long time, only a few minutes might have passed in the human world. Even if he stayed in the cycle for several days, half an hour might not have passed in the human world - this is different from Albus. .It coincides with Dumbledore's guess that the cycle is located outside the world.
After digesting Albus Dumbledore’s information in his heart.
"So, is the solution you came up with the ultimate solution to all curses?" The little wizard is not only able to give emotional value, he also knows that excellent professors like students who can draw inferences from one instance to another.
No.
Albus Dumbledore smiled, "The magic we are going to use is indeed based on the idea that all curses will end. However, in order to break this magic, I also modified some of it. ”
Said.
The old principal took out another piece of paper and handed it to Ian.
“The accumulation of several cycles allowed me to create this targeted version of All Curses Are Ending, so you don’t have much time to study it.”
Not only is there not much time to study, it is also clear that you must use what you learn now. I have to say, it was indeed quite hasty. If someone else had come, they would probably have called this a very difficult move. After all, All Spells Are Ultimate is an extremely difficult magic, and most wizards have to learn even its basic version of the spell, Standstill, for a long time.
Of course.
It's not that difficult for Ian.
The little wizard would still mumble just because of the emotion on his lips.
"You are giving me strength! This looks really difficult!"
After taking the paper from Albus Dumbledore, he tried it After several spells were cast, and after several failures, the light that represented the stability and continuity of magic suddenly lit up.
“Fortunately, I have a little bit of cleverness.” Ian usually used the tried and true method of first suppressing and then exaggerating to shock others, but he failed to do so with Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald. To what effect.
"Very good."
Albus Dumbledore just nodded without changing his expression. Grindelwald gave a thumbs up and praised him, but his perfunctory tone obviously only made the little wizard more frustrated.
"Don't even think about using the same trick with me twice." Grindelwald said with a smile. The little wizard's disappointed sigh was his source of happiness.
"Okay, now that I have learned this magic, do I need three people to cast it together?" Ian was also helpless. The emotional value he provided was clearly full to the two old men, but they both This old man really doesn't understand what high emotional intelligence means, and he is actually reluctant to provide him with any emotional value.
"Yes, this is Gellert's point of view." Albus Dumbledore nodded and took out his Elder Wand, but one of his hands was still holding the Sorting Hat tightly. .
"What's in it?"
Ian looked at the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor curiously.
"Yes, there is indeed a saying that seven is a magical number, and the same is true for the number three. The most typical example is the Three Hallows of Death that we all know." Grindelwald He raised his eyebrows, glanced at the Elder Wand in Albus Dumbledore's hand, and then turned to Ian and spoke with deep meaning.
“I have spent a lot of time reading history and summarizing history, so in my opinion, seven is the number of destiny, and three... represents variables other than destiny.”
"If you also have time to read history, you will find that in many stories that turn the impossible into possible, there must be three protagonists."
"It was true before, it is true now, and it may be true in the future that may no longer exist..." Grindelwald's voice was really meaningful.
Looking at the face of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor that belonged to someone else, Ian's eyes twitched a little. It was hard for him not to suspect that this old man had recently read the story of "Harry Potter".
Prophets sometimes defy nature...
Because of this, it is not impossible for him to glimpse the destiny after being disturbed. Anyway, Ian always feels that Grindelwald The information received also pointed to Hermione and her two male followers.
"We can verify your view now." Albus Dumbledore did not agree or refute. After all, he was not like a true prophet with the gift of predicting the future.
"What is the function of the Sorting Hat?" Ian felt that he should understand all the processes clearly. He found that the Sorting Hat had been idle since it was taken out by Albus Dumbledore.
Does the Sorting Hat still need to be used to break through the cycle?
"Just in case, kid, when our magic power is instilled in the wand, we always need to have some other means to prevent us from possible accidents."
Abu Si. Dumbledore didn't know whether he was guarding against Arthur King or Salazar Slytherin who was creating a loop.
Nothing more.
Although his words were indeed reasonable, Ian always felt that Albus Dumbledore was not telling the truth, or that he was not telling the whole truth.
This feeling is all too familiar to the little wizard.
He himself is a master at it.
"It's all up to you." Ian looked at Albus Dumbledore carefully, but the old headmaster looked serious at this time, and no trace of inner emotions could be seen on his face.
"I remember you said that Professor Ronnie Ehrlich is also the key?" Ian has not forgotten what the two old men summed up before about how to break through the cycle, you must first really kill Ronnie Ehrlich. Richie, the poor saint.
"This problem has been solved, he has sacrificed his life for us." Albus Dumbledore responded softly, his eyes looking in the direction of Hogwarts Castle were extremely deep and calm.
Ian was just about to continue asking questions.
"In fact, he should have died in the past, so now he can be regarded as dust to dust to dust." Grindelwald's hand suddenly pressed on Ian's shoulder.
He had a somewhat sad expression on his face.
Iainton felt heavy.
"I hope Professor Ronny Erich's next journey goes well." The little wizard could only silently pray for the former professor. After all, he also knew that the other person suffered so much torture because of him.
Originally, death was quite simple.
"Of course, this is what we hope for." Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald looked at each other and took the lead in raising the extremely powerful Elder Wand in their hands.
Ian also raised his wand together with the old principal and the current professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
“All curses come to an end!”
"All curses are over!"
"All curses are over!"
There is no need to insert the wands into the ground, because their wands seem to be connected to the surrounding space. Three loud voices sounded in front of the tower late at night, and a surging magic power began to rage around them. The power was as terrifying as the huge waves in the storm.
Wave after wave hits the invisible boundary.
The wizards standing on the top of the magic mountain possess huge magic power that can move mountains and fill seas. They erupt one after another at this moment, as if they are going to completely involve everything around them in the storm of magic power.
The bright magical light was like a big net, and then gradually disappeared into the space after emerging. Ian could feel that some kind of hidden strange changes were beginning to happen in the space.
Like an egg.
In the shell of the outer shell.
Although it seems that nothing around him has changed, every ups and down of magic power is like knocking on an invisible barrier, causing ripples all around.
It was as if even space and time itself were trembling. There were two elders and one young man, and their robes were making hunting noises. Ian felt that he and the two elders were being sucked into a terrifying whirlpool.
Everything that could be seen in his sight began to blur. Everything around him was spinning and changing. Colors and shapes were intertwined to form bizarre pictures.
Countless scattered plots were staged in it, which may be other possibilities that were attributed to fate. Ian opened his eyes hard but could not see the scene clearly at all.
The noisy sounds in his ears seemed to be overlapping fates, and the overlapping sounds were comparable to the whispers of the ancient gods. Ian only experienced this feeling slightly in the memory of Professor Ronny Ehrlich. .
“Three people, aren’t they enough?”
Every time Albus Dumbledore’s magic surges, he is trying to break up the chaotic scenes around him, which are just overlapping and intertwined scenes. But there was no feeling of collapse at all.
It is still twisting.
The speed is even increasing.
"It shouldn't be like this..." Grindelwald's face also showed a bit of solemnity. The magic between him, Albus Dumbledore and Ian was linked together. , so we can clearly feel that the magic led by Albus Dumbledore has repeatedly failed after repeated attempts.
"I'm a little dizzy. What will happen if I don't succeed?"
Ian is probably the weakest among the three. He feels that he is about to reach the limit, and the speed of magic power is weakening. Much faster than the other two elders.
"Let's stay in this crack together forever, haha." Grindelwald's voice was not nervous at all, and was a little brisk, so that the little wizard couldn't tell whether he was trying to scare people.
"This is no time for joking, Gellert." Albus Dumbledore was obviously trying his best, and his terrifying control over magic was even trying to guide Ian and Grindelwald Concentrate your magic power to hit the Arrancar. It's a pity that it still failed to stop those extremely chaotic things.
The surrounding things became more distorted. It was as if I had mistakenly entered the world in Picasso's paintings. The night sky and the earth were already connected together as if they were about to crumble into a ball.
"Obviously, we all underestimated Salazar Slytherin's magic, tsk tsk." Grindelwald was still in the mood to shrug in the chaotic scene. Although the magic power flowing out of his wand was not inferior to that of Albus Dumbledore, Ian always felt that this guy's attitude seemed like he was not using his full strength.
Maybe you want to sleep here forever with your old friends?
"Holy shit!"
Ian has never believed the rumors about two people being gay in school, but the current situation makes him worried that he will be trapped with two old men. Here forever.
“Can’t you go back first?”
Ian looked at Albus Dumbledore, who was more reliable.
However.
The old principal's silence made him really feel a little nervous. In an extremely chaotic environment, the sense of crisis in Ian's heart became stronger and stronger.
He felt that he and the two elders were about to be involved in twisted things.
Those twists.
It is the abyss of fate.
As if to swallow everything.
I'm afraid Grindelwald really wasn't kidding.
"Don't worry, I said I would send you back." Albus Dumbledore seemed to be aware of Ian's emotions, and his twinkling eyes seemed to have made some kind of decision.
However.
Just when the old headmaster seemed to be taking some other measures - suddenly, Ian's wand trembled suddenly, which was linked to Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald. The magic power is unstable and erratic. Seeing this, Grindelwald was the first to change his expression and let out a sharp shout.
"Damn it! I won't tease you anymore! Don't try to use other magic!" There was a bit of surprise in his voice, and he suddenly grabbed the little wizard beside him with one hand.
"This will make you disappear completely from history!"
Grindelwald loudly told Ian the seriousness of the problem.
However.
"I don't want to try to use other magic..." Ian found that silver threads began to sprout from the top of his wand, and many of them had sprouted when he finished speaking.
They weaved and gathered between Ian, Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and finally condensed into a beautiful shadow. The girl first looked curiously at the twisted environment around her.
immediately.
Amidst Ian's confusion, Dumbledore's astonishment, and Grindelwald's surprised gazes, Ariana looked at her brother, to be precise, it was Albus Dumbledore who was holding her hand tightly. Sorting Hat.
Her eyes seemed to see something else.
"Ian, Pandro said you need my help?"
The girl floated forward.
then.
Under Albus Dumbledore's rapid breathing and complex gaze, she pulled out a long sword from the Sorting Hat, and countless golden lines began to appear on the sword.
That is the expression of the seemingly illusory long sword attached to Ariana's waist.
"This is..."
Grindelwald stared at the runes emerging on the sword, his expression began to become a little more solemn, as if he had thought of something, his pupils A sudden contraction began to occur.
"It was a gift from Pandro." Ariana glanced at Grindelwald who looked like someone else, but her eyes reflected Grindelwald's original appearance.
For this old man who once destroyed her family, Ariana's eyes showed a bit of complexity, but she immediately turned around and faced the twisted chaos around her.
"He said this gift is the nemesis of wizards." Ariana also looked a little nervous, but after hesitating, she still waved the long sword in her hand towards the surroundings.
Not violent.
But the speed is extremely fast.
The blade that was swung was as fast as lightning, and seemed to contain some kind of power that must transcend the ordinary world. It tore a gap like a chasm in the shrinking chaos.
The dawn seemed to shine in from outside.
It is the luster of the moon.
The distorted scenes surrounding the three people and one soul began to disintegrate, as if ice cubes of boiling hot water were rapidly melting into stars at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Wait until it dissipates completely.
The bright night sky was revealed again, the moon was bright and the sky was clear, and the stars filled the deep sky. The surging magic power of several people gradually calmed down amidst the ups and downs.
"Did I save your life? Ian?" Ariana's spirit body was floating in the air, her voice was surprised, and she seemed to be unable to believe what she had done.
"That's right! You saved my life! Ariana!" Ian let out a long sigh of relief with lingering fear, and quickly gave a thumbs up to his little friend.
"Is this worth buying ten boxes of chocolate frogs?" The girl may feel that she is a little greedy, and her tone is a little embarrassing, but some people are indeed easily satisfied.
"Hey, in your heart, is my life equivalent to a gold Galleons!" Ian immediately became a little angry and said in an extremely loud voice.
"Ten boxes! Ten boxes every day! Don't let people outside see it! Think that my life, Ian Prince, is not valuable enough!" Such arrogance obviously shocked the floating girl.
“!!!”
The girl’s mouth became an O shape.
Of course. Seeing this, she is probably the one with the most normal expression in this open space now except for Ian - look at the other two old guys next to Ian.
Grindelwald's eyes were fixed on the sword in Ariana's hand, and his eyes almost popped out of his head, while the other old man's face was covered with tears and he was sobbing continuously.
"Of course it would be like this...I knew it...I knew it..."
Under the tower.
Albus Dumbledore had already knelt on the ground, sobbing. His eyes were also staring at the sword in Ariana's hand, and his eyes were clouded by tears with an indescribable sadness.
This is the moment.
For the first time, Ian felt the emotions of the old principal very clearly.
The kind of fragility and...sorrow that belongs to the elderly.
"Why are you crying, Brother Albus, we are all out." Ariana flew in front of Albus Dumbledore and raised her hand to wipe Albus Dumbledore's body. Go to tears.
That gentle hand.
It seems to be helping Albus Dumbledore repair his broken emotions and soul.
"If that thing hadn't happened, if I could have solved your problem earlier... your life would have shined." Albus Dumbledore buried his head deeply.
Perhaps at this moment, the old headmaster of Hogwarts can't help but think about another possibility of fate. After all, he has seen with his own eyes that that possibility can exist.
"I'm quite shining now, right?"
The girl smiled softly and turned around in front of her brother - there is a saying, as the form of the patron saint, Ariana It is indeed the kind of visual effect that allows people to see sparkling lights.
Albus Dumbledore buried his head in silence.
After a while.
"Ian, let her go back first, we have something to talk about." Albus Dumbledore spoke in a hoarse voice. The look he looked at Ian made Ian feel a little heavy.
"Okay."
Ian made a gesture of bye to Ariana. Under Ariana's curled lips, he canceled the magic, and the girl suddenly turned into little stars. Dissipated in the air.
The surrounding scene became a little darker as a result. The Sword of Gryffindor and the Sorting Hat that fell to the ground gradually disappeared after a few seconds, as if they had been cast under a disillusionment spell.
"What are we going to talk about?"
Ian already had a guess in his mind.
"It's time to say goodbye, you already know that, don't you." Albus Dumbledore still maintained his original posture. He raised his head and glanced at Hogwarts in the quiet night.
"The waves that shouldn't exist will be smoothed out, and that's us." He obviously picked the right time, and as soon as his words fell, the originally clear figure began to slowly fade.
At the same time, Grindelwald also began to fade.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, as I said before... this is a sacrifice worth making." Grindelwald's voice was as calm as Albus Dumbledore's. The ancient magic robes they wore were swaying gently in the breeze, and their initially transparent bodies seemed to be blown away by the wind at any time.
Ian is also a little sad.
For these two old men who were supposed to be the lost part of their fate, but "lived" in the cycle, but sacrificed themselves to fulfill him, he wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it.
“Do you remember what I often told you?”
Grindelwald’s body disappeared at the same time as Albus Dumbledore, but he and the old man who quietly waited for the ending The principal was different, he was still communicating with Ian with a smile.
"Of course I remember your mantra, for the greater good..." Ian's eyes were filled with tears, but he still responded with a smile.
Albus Dumbledore, who was disappearing, raised his head and glanced at Ian.
"Yes, remember it, we are now demonstrating it to you." As Grindelwald laughed, their bodies had become completely transparent.
Finally.
Grindelwald winked at Ian.
They completely lost the physical touch.
Like clouds and smoke.
The night wind blows.
They are all turned into dreamy bubbles that cannot be traced.
“This has benefited me a lot.”
Ian changed his usual playful attitude, his face was serious, and he bowed slightly towards the empty space that no longer had any trace. After a long time, he turned around and walked towards the castle amid the rustling of leaves and the gurgling of the distant stream.
The night is dark.
Only the stars are witnessing everything.
……
“Dang~Dang~Dang~”
The bells in Hogwarts Castle were ringing, which was the early morning music when Christmas came. Ian finally got his wish and entered the day that he had not been able to enter for a long time.
Just.
But he was not as happy as he imagined. Going up the deserted stairs, Ian looked sideways hesitantly when passing by the principal's office.
Tell the truth.
Ian has always felt that there are still many unsolved mysteries in the cycle. The old principal was very thoughtful, and Ian could feel that there were many things that the other party had not told him.
For example, the Sorting Hat was put on by Albus Dumbledore in the end. It was said to be just in case, but Ian really couldn't tell whether Albus Dumbledore had anticipated everything that would happen next.
It is difficult for others to understand the thinking of a person who is so wise that he is almost a monster.
“Boom~!”
Probably Ian stayed in front of the principal’s office for too long.
The stone statue jumped away as if nervous, revealing the passage behind it. The little wizard stepped inside and followed the spiral staircase to the door of the principal's office.
This is the place he often comes to during his cycle, and now it has Christmas decorations that are somewhat different from those in the cycle, with moving elk and Santa Claus coming to life on it.
"Is something wrong? Ian."
Albus Dumbledore's voice came from the door. Although the little wizard did not knock on the door or make a sound, the old man inside The principal can still clearly know who is standing outside.
This voice.
Ian had heard it not long ago, but it was obviously much calmer and softer, just like how Albus Dumbledore behaved in front of him and others most of the time.
"Uh..."
Ian stepped in and saw Albus Dumbledore sitting at his desk, the old headmaster at the right time, wearing reading glasses and reading a book peacefully.
Because the memory of Albus Dumbledore from before was still in his mind, and looking at the quiet and undisturbed principal in front of him, Ian really felt as if time and space were out of whack.
"Let me think about what to say." The little wizard organized the language in his mind, weighing how to describe his somewhat hasty and confusing encounter.
His tangled tone made Albus Dumbledore raise his head.
"I feel like you want to tell me a story." Albus Dumbledore smiled softly, and the deep and bright eyes under the frames showed a bit of curiosity.
However.
Before Ian could speak.
"If it's a too long story, maybe we should tell it during the day. As you know, an old man always gets sleepy easily." Albus Dumbledore actually yawned.
“……”
Ian had already conceived the words, but he could only swallow them back in his stomach. He raised his head and stared at the past, and saw that Albus Dumbledore did feel drowsy.
"Okay, Professor, Merry Christmas, this is a Christmas gift for you." Ian had no choice but to give up and took out a gift box. What he wanted to say could not be explained in a few words.
"Thank you."
Albus Dumbledore took the gift box and smiled happily. He took out a small box from his desk drawer and wrapped it in the same way. The exquisite gift box was handed to Ian.
“I think I should also give a gift in return.”
Albus Dumbledore put the small box into Ian's hand. The little wizard raised his hand to catch the gift box on the back of his hand. The maggot-like mark on the tarsal bones had long since disappeared.
Albus Dumbledore looked increasingly sleepy.
Ian also took the gift box and left quickly. He weighed the contents of the gift box, and he already knew in his heart that it was the lamplighter that Dumbledore in the cycle had shown in front of him.
At that time.
Dumbledore in the loop said that he would give him the lamplighter.
"I guess there's a lamplighter in here."
While standing at the gate, Ian wanted to show his foresight one last time. After all, after leaving the loop, he could no longer continue to pretend happily. A prophet.
"Yes, it is indeed a lamplighter."
Albus Dumbledore just responded with a smile, but did not let Ian see the surprised expression he wanted to see. The little wizard could only sigh and left the office with no interest.
After a while.
"The gift you gave to that little guy is really valuable. I saw that you spent a lot of time refining it." On the wall, a principal who may have been stingy during his lifetime said with emotion.
Albus Dumbledore closed the book in his hand again.
"After all, I promised to give it to him." Albus Dumbledore's words were calm and gentle, and he put the book titled "Fool's Play with Destiny" back on the bookshelf.
After sending the little wizard away, Albus Dumbledore seemed no longer sleepy. Perhaps he was not sleepy in the first place, and Albus Dumbledore was reading other books until a few hours later.
"The Secret of the Time Converter"
"Secret Words Traveling Through Time"
"Proof of Legend: The Age of Ending Law"
...
The old principal seemed to be waiting for someone.
Soon.
Late night comes.
He also raised his head as if he sensed something and looked at Grindelwald who walked in without knocking, with a slightly questioning expression on his face.
"I had a dream."
Grindelwald simply responded.
Albus Dumbledore immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Very good, it seems that there was nothing wrong with the part I was responsible for." Albus Dumbledore stood up and put all the books piled in front of him back into the bookshelf.
"Where's that part of you?"
He looked back at his old friend.
"Huh? When did I fall off the chain?" Grindelwald shrugged and walked towards the sleeping Fox. Albus Dumbledore also immediately walked up to wake up Phoenix who was eager to wake up.
"We could use a little help from you..."
He comforted his partner.
Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald disappeared into the office.
This is the ability of Phoenix.
It took two people to another place.
Early morning in Austria.
It has a delicate and moving picture slowly unfolding in the morning light.
When the first ray of sunshine gently brushes over the snowy peaks of the Alps, the whole world seems to be dyed with a light golden color. The mist in the mountains lingers in the morning light, adding a bit of mystery and softness to this magnificent mountain range.
“Brush~”
Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald appeared in a manor. They came to a tomb and looked at what looked like a grave. Empty tombs visited by grave robbers.
"Mr."
There was a voice coming from a house not far away. It was the voice of Ronnie Erich. He seemed to be very weak. He was sitting in a wheelchair and slowly approached Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore.
“Look, there is no problem.”
Grindelwald greeted Ronny Erich with a smile. He turned around and saw Albus Dumbledore's hands trembling, as if he was suppressing some strong emotion in his heart.
“Very good.”
He responded in a low voice, and after adjusting a little, he hurriedly stepped forward to check on Ronnie Ehrlich - except There is no difference from normal people except for being physically weak.
"I feel like I'm fine now... Everything before seemed like a dream." Ronnie Ehrlich looked up at Grindelwald, with a hint of doubt in his tone.
"You can just regard it as a dream, but starting from today, you still have to change your identity, give up the dead identity and use a new one."
Grinder Waugh pushed Ronnie Ehrlich, who wanted to stand up, back into the wheelchair.
“Am I a part of your plan?”
Ronnie Erich nodded, his eyes a little confused and a little fiery. Grindelwald turned his head and looked at Albus Dumbledore before whispering in a low voice.
"Take a good training, you have a more important mission." As he said that, under Albus Dumbledore's eyes, he and Albus Dumbledore walked towards the empty tomb.
“I don’t think this can be hidden from him.”
Albus Dumbledore’s words meant something.
“It’s not a big problem.”
Grindelwald didn’t care too much. He stared at the empty tomb, his eyes turned white, and there were things covered by the mist in his eyes. There is something looming in his eyes.
"After all, the challenge has just begun, hasn't it." Grindelwald's tone was filled with emotion, "I didn't expect that little guy would find us such an opportunity, so I knew it was right to invest in him. ”
Obviously.
Some things are not completely without impact and change.
"Ian is not the only one you should be grateful for." Albus Dumbledore sighed softly. Grindelwald beside him nodded and responded with a somewhat serious voice.
"Of course, thank you...us." The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's voice was low. The situation between him and Albus Dumbledore was obviously different from what Ian had imagined.
"You have a chat with Ronnie and tell him what he needs to know. I have some other things to delay." Albus Dumbledore's expression was quite complicated.
He walked quickly outside the manor.
Grindelwald did not stop.
On the other hand, Ronnie Erich, who was approaching in a wheelchair, was quite confused about this.
"Didn't you say there are still a lot of things to prepare? Why is he gone?" The former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor looked into the distance, Albus Dumbledore's figure was a little hurried.
"Because he has other things that he cares about more than us." Grindelwald looked at Ronnie Ehrlich beside him, with a hint of emotion in his tone.
"I knew he couldn't be trusted."
Ronny Ehrlich obviously still maintained a great prejudice against Dumbledore.
"On the contrary, after today, he will definitely make us trust him more than before." And Grindelwald is obviously the person who knows Albus Dumbledore best.
His tone was firm and his voice was meaningful as he whispered to Ronnie Erich, "You know, we are in the current situation because of the boldness and courage of my old friend. ... Arrogant. He wants to achieve what he wants to achieve, and for this, any method can be used as a means."
Ronnie Ehrich was a little stunned by the first generation's words.
"Is this still the Dumbledore everyone knows?"
The saint was quite puzzled.
"Of course not."
Grindelwald smiled softly, his voice reminiscing.
"He is now the Albus Dumbledore I know."
Otherwise, among the people who know Albus Dumbledore best, there must be Grindelwald. While they were talking, Albus Dumbledore had already Apparated again.
In Hogsmeade.
Albus Dumbledore walked out of the Hog's Head pub, holding a broken ancient object in his hand, which was taken from the wrist of Aberforth Dumbledore, who was knocked down by his punch. Things that were untied.
"Ancient Time Converter..."
This was a long time ago.
What Aberforth Dumbledore had hoped for and found was now directly snatched away by Albus Dumbledore. What does it mean to truly do whatever it takes to achieve the goal?
Albus Dumbledore, who even treated his own brother cruelly and made him fall asleep, once explained it with practical actions. Of course, he also had Aberforth to let go of his own brother. Dumbledore wouldn't listen to his explanation.
"In the past, living in the future..."
Albus Dumbledore apparated again. He came to an extremely remote manor, where a group of alchemical creatures with all kinds of tricks appeared. He was immediately surrounded.
Among them are soldiers who look like Lego, and mechanical girls who look like clockwork demons. These alchemy creations are filled with a variety of highly dangerous weapons.
Not just magic items.
There are even fire sticks that may occasionally work better than wands in the Muggle world. From the huge caliber, it is not difficult to see that they are also some kind of specially modified deadly weapons.
“Everyone stop.”
Soon, with the sound of footsteps, a skinny white-haired old man walked out. With just one word, he made everyone appear from all over the place. The "guards" who came returned to their secluded hiding place.
"You have more guards here than before." Albus Dumbledore looked at the skinny old man in front of him. This was his other friend, the master alchemist Nick Flamel.
Nick Flamel, who felt a little haggard, sighed helplessly, "Even if I hand over the Philosopher's Stone to you, there are still many people who are trying to get the treasure from me."
“Why is it so difficult for us to have a purer old age.” Nick Flamel walked tremblingly, but his walking speed was not slow at all.
Osteoporosis may seem scary, but in fact, you are still full of energy.
"I hope my arrival did not disturb you." Albus Dumbledore said apologetically, and he looked at the large, quaintly decorated house in front of him.
Inside, an equally aging old lady was directing a group of alchemy creations to cook.
“The visit of an old friend is not an intrusion.”
Nick Flamel looked very happy, but he also had a discerning eye consistent with his age, “I think you are Are you in some trouble and want to ask for my help?"
said.
The great alchemist looked at Albus Dumbledore's pocket.
"You have tried to dissuade me from some of my impulses, but now this impulse has appeared again, even stronger." As he said that, Albus Dumbledore took out the damaged converter.
"You two brothers showed me this thing. I still say the same thing. It is very difficult to repair it. We have lost many key materials and technologies."
< br>"Of course, what I am most concerned about now is what happened to you again?" Nick Flamel took what Albus Dumbledore handed over.
Albus Dumbledore's pupils swayed slightly.
"I think what affects me...is a hope that I have verified."
His voice rose and fell with unusually intense emotion.
In the eyes.
There is real light.
(End of this chapter)