Chapter 830: You're More Dangerous Than Me, Hals!
Chapter 830: You're More Dangerous Than Me, Hals!
"Apparition!"
With a spatial shift, Ivan vanished from Knockturn Alley. When he regained his senses, he found himself in an abandoned village, with a tall church directly in front of him.
However, it appeared that this place had been deserted for a long time. The streets were empty, with no sign of anyone around. Green weeds sprouted from the cracks in the stone bricks, and the yellowing walls were covered in moss and vines, exuding an aura of decay and ruin.
Ivan walked up the steps and entered the church, quickly spotting Dumbledore's figure.
After a few days, the white wizard's condition seemed to have worsened. His right hand, now devoid of sensation, hung limply by his side. The strange curse had spread to his neck, and his emaciated body looked as if it would collapse with the slightest breeze.
The golden-red phoenix, Fawkes, was also present in the church, circling overhead. Upon seeing Ivan, it let out a series of loud calls.
"You're quite a bit later than I expected, Hals..." Dumbledore turned stiffly, looking at Ivan as he entered the church, and spoke calmly.
"I wasn't planning to come at all... Given your injuries, it seems we might not even need to fight in a few days..." Ivan shrugged, his tone tinged with sarcasm.
"You're right. Perhaps I should thank you for that..." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. As Ivan had pointed out, his body wouldn't last much longer. If Ivan had deliberately avoided the duel, there would have been little he could do.
Ivan sighed. If he could, he wouldn't want to duel Dumbledore. After all, he wasn't the real "Ivan Hals", and he didn't have the same deep connection to Orlando's death.
"I heard from Mother that Minister Barnard once invited you to serve as Minister of Magic, to become the leader of the resistance... Could you tell me why you refused the position of Minister of Magic?" Ivan asked, puzzled. This was something he had never understood.
Dumbledore fell silent for a moment, gazing intently at Ivan before speaking slowly.
"It's because the most dangerous person in the wizarding world has never been Grindelwald or Voldemort..."
"It's me!" Dumbledore said softly, his tone matter-of-fact, devoid of any arrogance, as if he were merely stating a simple truth.
Ivan's eyes widened in shock, but Dumbledore's words continued.
"A powerful wizard who is unrestrained is dangerous. Grindelwald and Voldemort were like this."
"I possess even greater power than they do, making me far more dangerous..." Dumbledore said frankly, stepping down from the magical podium, his thoughts drifting.
He had always known he wasn't a selfless or noble person and couldn't remember how many terrifying thoughts had plagued his mind over the past hundred years.
After Ariana's death, he desperately sought the Deathly Hallows, partly to bring his accidentally slain sister back to life and atone for his sins...
But the whereabouts of the Deathly Hallows were unknown, and a simpler method lay before him, tempting him like a devil: Dark Magic!
Dumbledore was certain of this. His mind held at least three Dark Magic spells that could bring Ariana back to life, but each ritual was incredibly evil, requiring immense power from the caster and the sacrifice of others to obtain sufficient life force.
He had the profound magical knowledge to perform these rituals. All he needed to do was cross that line, and Ariana could be brought back to life...
Dumbledore couldn't recall how he had managed to shake off that thought, but he remembered the agonizing feeling vividly.
This feeling had haunted him throughout his life, making him oscillate between good and evil...
"I once resented fate, believing in my exceptional talent and the need to make my mark, to do everything I desired and shape the wizarding world according to my will..."
"This is not a difficult task. If I am willing to step out of Hogwarts and resolve to do something, no one in the Wizarding World can stop me..." Dumbledore began.
He was well aware of the power he possessed. The last time he decided to use his full strength was decades ago, during the Duel with Grindelwald.
In that Duel, Dumbledore emerged victorious without hesitation, even though Grindelwald wielded the most powerful wand. Despite this, Dumbledore still triumphed.
After defeating Grindelwald and gaining the Elder Wand, his power became even more unparalleled.
Dumbledore keenly realized that, compared to temptation, the restrictions on him were almost negligible. At times, his malevolent and greedy desires would overshadow his good intentions, leading him to commit irreparable wrongs.
For instance, Ariana's death, and the fact that he borrowed James Potter's Invisibility Cloak but never returned it, which ultimately cost Harry's parents their only chance of escape...
These mistakes made Dumbledore realize how dangerous some of his thoughts could be. Grindelwald was like his darker side, doing what he had always wanted to do and serving as a warning about the consequences of excessive ambition...
"To this end, I made three vows to restrain the growing desires within me..." Dumbledore took a few steps toward Ivan and spoke solemnly. "I will not involve myself in power unless absolutely necessary, I will not use Dark Magic unless absolutely necessary, and I will not kill unless absolutely necessary!"
Because of these vows, he tolerated Fudge's antics and ignored Voldemort's chaos in the British Wizarding World.
Only when Voldemort's actions became unbearable did Dumbledore cautiously form the Order of the Phoenix to guide those righteous Wizards in their fight against him.
He declined the position of Minister of Magic several times, knowing he could not maintain his integrity under the corrupting influence of power...
"However, today I fear I must break some of these vows... Hals! You are even more dangerous than I am!" Dumbledore's forward movement halted, his aura reaching its peak. The Church was engulfed in a storm of Magic, the impact of which rippled through the air.
Ivan did not yield an inch. He ignored the Magic's force, raised his wand, and replied, "I must say, you are an extraordinary Wizard. Few can impose such strict self-restraint as you do..."
"But I must also say that fearing one's own power is a sign of weakness!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
