https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-973-The-Wager-Decides-the-Future-of-the-Wizarding-World/13454960/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-975-What-I-Already-Planned-to-Control-the-Wizarding-World-Three-Years-Ago-/13454962/
Chapter 974: The Power Has Always Been in Your Hands, Hasn't It?
Chapter 974: The Power Has Always Been in Your Hands, Hasn't It?
After the two of them signed the Pact, the scene constructed by memories quickly dissipated, and the familiar Headmaster's Office reappeared before Ivan's eyes.
The fireplace burned brightly, dispelling the midnight chill, but Ivan's mind remained restless.
He finally understood many of the questions that had long puzzled him.
For example, how Grindelwald managed to discover the location of Nicolas Flamel's Safe House, and how, despite being in a dire state, he managed to defeat Voldemort, who held the Elder Wand, and escape from Nurmengard.
All of this had the shadow of Dumbledore behind it...
Ivan fell into deep thought, and the Headmaster's Office was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping. The usually noisy portraits fell silent; although they couldn't see the scenes in the memories, the subtle oppressive aura emanating from Ivan made them realize that it was best to keep quiet if they didn't want to be thrown into the fireplace and burned to ashes.
Ivan sat in the chair of the Headmaster's Office, silent for a long time, then sighed. "It seems you were right, Professor Dumbledore. The most dangerous person in the Wizarding World has never been Voldemort or Grindelwald..."
If Dumbledore was an enemy, he would undoubtedly be the most terrifying, not just because of his immense power, but also because, among all the people Ivan had encountered, Dumbledore's ability to plan and strategize was unmatched.
Even while suffering from Dark Magic and with his life hanging by a thread, he could still calmly use the limited resources at his disposal, coldly using his own death to help Harry shake off the identity of a Horcrux, outsmart Voldemort, and release Grindelwald, almost single-handedly creating the current situation.
This feeling of being manipulated without even realizing it made Ivan extremely uncomfortable.
"Do you have nothing to say, Professors?" Ivan turned to look at Dumbledore's portrait, his tone slightly reproachful. "Such a brilliant plan, manipulating everyone to achieve your grand design..."
"There is no grand design, Hals. You might be overestimating me. Things have reached a point where no single person can control them... In fact, despite all the preparations I made, events never unfolded as I had anticipated." Dumbledore put down his teacup and spoke slowly.
"Three years ago, while searching for Voldemort's Horcruxes, I was unexpectedly struck by the Dark Magic attached to the Ring. I almost died. It was Severus who saved me, but even Britain's best Potions Master couldn't completely heal such a severe injury. At that time, I was told I had only a little over a year to live."
"In this regard, I am not as fortunate as you, Hals!" Dumbledore looked at Ivan, sighing. "Severus once accused me of having less vigilance than a twelve or thirteen-year-old child. Now, I think he might have been right."
Ivan touched his nose, not responding. He could so easily find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes mainly because he knew the plot. Otherwise, he would have had to rely on Voldemort's character and history to guess the Horcrux locations, just like Dumbledore in the original timeline, which would have been much more difficult.
Dumbledore didn't pay much attention to Ivan's silence and continued speaking. "Although I do not fear death and am willing to accept it, it still disrupts all my original plans."
Originally, he had intended to find and destroy each of Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes, but with only a year left to live, it was clearly insufficient to complete this task.
He was forced to adopt some radical and risky strategies. Fortunately, Tom Riddle made a foolish mistake during his resurrection ritual by incorporating Harry's blood, solving the most vexing problem he had faced.
Using the blood spell within Harry as a foundation, leveraging the Elder Wand's characteristic of not harming its master as a safeguard, and having Snape act as a conduit—this was the entirety of his revised plan...
As for how to deal with Voldemort and the remaining Horcruxes, he had no clear idea until one day he recalled Trelawney's prophecy...
Prophecy?
Hearing Dumbledore's words, Ivan was momentarily stunned, but quickly remembered the true prophecy Trelawney had made during Harry's third-year final exam.
"Darkness is approaching, a great shadow looms over the sky, the Death Eaters will break free, and the Wizarding World will face a great change." Dumbledore slowly repeated Trelawney's words.
The first part clearly referred to Peter Pettigrew and Voldemort, while the latter part, he had once believed, referred to Gellert Grindelwald, given his history. He had even considered using Grindelwald to defeat Voldemort.
However, over the next two years, Ivan's strength grew beyond his expectations, to the point where he could rival Voldemort. This led Dumbledore to have new ideas.
"The current system in the Wizarding World has been in place for centuries, with numerous adjustments along the way, but it is indeed time for a complete change", Dumbledore said solemnly. "Initially, I thought no one could achieve this, but you have given me new hope, Hals!"
"Given your talent, surpassing both me and Gellert is only a matter of time. If there is anyone who can truly change the entire Wizarding World, it would be you."
"So you're treating me like a new pawn", Ivan said with a cold smile.
"I didn't mean it that way, Hals, and I have no intention of controlling your life", Dumbledore replied calmly. "The power has always been in your hands, hasn't it? What matters is not what I do, but what you choose to do..."
Decades ago, when Tom Riddle went astray, he had used forceful means to compel him to repent, trying to set him on the right path, but the result was the opposite.
After their epic duel, he overruled objections to imprison Grindelwald in Nurmengard, hoping to make him see the error of his ways, but all he received was hatred.
The more he interfered, the more things went awry, so this time he did not intend to do so...
"Upon reflection, I don't think I have ever influenced any of your decisions", Dumbledore said as he pulled out a book from the portrait that Ivan found very familiar.
"The idea of changing the Wizarding World was never something I bestowed upon you... Taking control of Britain first and then seizing the opportunity to control the entire magical world—wasn't this the plan you had already devised three years ago?"
(End of Chapter)
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