82: Horcrux

With nothing else to occupy himself, Ivan pulled out the book Dumbledore had given him, High-end Spell Decryption, and began to read while he waited.

During this time, Fawkes flew onto Ivan's shoulder, as if he wanted to read along with him.

They got along harmoniously until clusters of green flames suddenly rose from the fireplace.

"Ah, I come back to see a sight like this," Dumbledore remarked as he entered. "Quite touching, Fawkes."

Despite his lighthearted comment, Dumbledore quickly grew serious. "What happened?" he asked. He knew that if Ivan was waiting for him in his office, something significant must have occurred.

"It's Voldemort," Ivan responded.

"???"

Dumbledore froze for a moment.

He had long suspected that Voldemort was not truly gone, but had he already returned in full force?

Ivan proceeded to recount the entire encounter, explaining everything that had just transpired.

When he told Dumbledore that he had managed to defeat Voldemort, Dumbledore did not appear particularly surprised.

He knew better than anyone the extent of Ivan's talent and strength.

For a great wizard like Ivan, defeating a weakened and lingering Voldemort wasn't beyond expectations.

"Let me assess his current condition," Dumbledore said.

With that, he walked over to a hidden chamber on the side of his office and revealed a silver basin—it was the Pensieve, the very one from the original story.

"Okay," Ivan responded, placing his wand gently against his temple before slowly raising it.

The next moment, he carefully pulled out a strand of silvery-white thread—his memory.

For the past two months, Dumbledore had not taught Ivan any black magic, but he never withheld knowledge of white magic.

Whenever Ivan had a question, Dumbledore would write him a note and allow him to select books from the restricted section.

The two had developed a mutual understanding: Ivan would not venture into black magic without guidance, and Dumbledore, in turn, trusted him.

Now, as Dumbledore used the Pensieve to watch Ivan's battle with Voldemort up close, he remained calm and observant.

"What is that?" Dumbledore murmured as the memory revealed the end of the battle. He too noticed the flash of gold under Voldemort's hood. "It looks like... a crown?"

Ravenclaw's diadem had always been considered a mere legend. It was said that Ravenclaw's daughter had taken it and hidden it away a thousand years ago. Since then, its whereabouts had remained a mystery.

Dumbledore had never laid eyes on it.

Ivan, having only seen it in the movie from his previous life, couldn't confidently say whether the crown they were seeing was indeed the real Ravenclaw's diadem.

"Is it a magical item?" Dumbledore speculated, stepping into Voldemort's shadow in the Pensieve, examining the crown more closely.

Even though it was just the memory's influence, Dumbledore could still sense the immense magic contained within the crown.

"I don't know either," Ivan replied. "But I suspect the reason Voldemort could wield such power is because of it."

"No, it shouldn't be that simple," Dumbledore said, his gaze fixed on Ivan. The old headmaster continued, "Tom's current state is akin to that of a wandering ghost. With only a soul, even the most powerful wizard cannot cast magic on their own."

Dumbledore stared at the crown more intently, as though a realization was forming, though he couldn't yet fully confirm his suspicion.

"Professor," Ivan asked, "Could it be Quirrell who's providing him with power?"

"That's different," Dumbledore explained. In terms of experience and accumulated knowledge, a hundred Ivans couldn't match Dumbledore's expertise. "Quirrell can only provide Tom with vitality, but the magic power still belongs to Quirrell."

In other words, the Quirrell who had fought against Ivan could only perform at his own level.

Yet, the spells Voldemort had cast were on a different scale, far beyond Quirrell's capabilities.

"Such power is certainly not something Quirrell could possess," Dumbledore said, searching his memory for related information. Gradually, the old headmaster's eyes began to brighten as understanding dawned on him.

It seemed Dumbledore had uncovered the secret behind Voldemort's recovery of power. "Professor?" Ivan asked, "Do you know what's happening?"

Dumbledore remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, "Since his days as a student, Tom has been obsessed with the idea of immortality."

"And in the magical world, there are more than a few ways to escape death."

Throughout history, many brilliant wizards have dedicated their lives to discovering ways to achieve immortality. Numerous magical methods have been developed for this purpose. In fact, there are dozens of such related magics stored in the restricted section of the Hogwarts library alone.

"Are you concerned about me?" Ivan saw Dumbledore's hesitation and smiled, "I think the Philosopher's Stone is great."

Immortality—who wouldn't want to live forever?

But if it was only about living forever, Ivan thought he could follow in the footsteps of Nicolas Flamel. Given his talent and age, Ivan believed it wouldn't be too difficult for him to create his own Philosopher's Stone someday.

As for becoming old, with his cheat, he is sure he'll find another discovery in his prolonged life.

Dumbledore noticed this thought in Ivan's words, which is likely why he had given Ivan the original Philosopher's Stone for study in the first place.

"You are right, Ivan," Dumbledore smiled apologetically. He understood what Ivan was implying. Voldemort sought more than just eternal life. What he truly desired was everlasting dominance and unmatched power.

This desire of Voldemort's differed greatly from Ivan's philosophy.

It was one thing to seek immortality, but being driven by the fear of death was something else entirely.

If one's quest for immortality was born out of fear, it felt as if they were being chased by the ever-present slave master called "death." True immortality, Ivan believed, was not about running from death but choosing life on one's own terms.

For Ivan, real immortality would mean having the freedom to live as long as he desired. And if there came a day when he tired of living, he wanted to be able to choose when to meet death, embarking on yet another great adventure, as Dumbledore might say.

Compared to immortality, Ivan valued freedom more.

"That is a very dark and terrible kind of black magic," Dumbledore said, after the two had stared at each other for a long moment, considering Ivan's thoughts.

In the end, Dumbledore decided to tell Ivan about the Horcrux.

"Horcrux, huh? Please elaborate." Ivan asked, genuinely curious. He had seen it today that this isn't just a story written by someone but a whole functioning world with its own history and future. He was eager to learn the wisdom of the old bee on this subject.

And showing ignorance was necessary to learn everything from Dumbledore about it; the Horcrux was a concept that didn't exist in any Muggle language. In fact, the term itself was an invention of magical linguistics.

The word "Horcrux" was derived from foreign roots—horsr (meaning "outside" in French) and cruxr (Latin for "cross" or "crucial things"). Together, they meant a piece of the soul that existed outside the body, referring to a particularly evil and forbidden form of magic.

However, just knowing the name of this dark magic wasn't enough for Ivan to fully understand the process behind it.

Anyone who had read the original story would know that making a Horcrux involved taking a life, but Ivan had always wondered: what came after that?

How exactly did the soul fragment get anchored to an object, and what kind of suffering and destruction did it bring to its creator?

What happens after taking a life?

What kind of ritual is required to make a Horcrux?

What spell is needed to tear apart the soul?

These were questions Ivan asked himself. Even details like the timing, location, and environmental requirements were never revealed in the original story.

"Tearing the soul apart..."

Dumbledore's face showed clear disdain as he explained the concept of the Horcrux.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Ivan interjected, "but to me, the soul is the most precious part of who we are."

"To sever a piece of it just to avoid death," Ivan shook his head in disgust, "seems like an incredibly foolish thing to do."

"If Tom had thought like you," Dumbledore said with a bittersweet smile, "perhaps he would not have ended up the way he has."

The headmaster was pleased to see that Ivan could understand the gravity of it all.

"Death," Dumbledore continued softly, "is but a great adventure. We can delay its arrival, but that's all."

"However," Dumbledore's tone became more serious, "this is still just a theory."

Although he suspected the item Voldemort was hiding was a Horcrux, Dumbledore couldn't be absolutely certain.

"Our priority now," he said, "is to find Tom as soon as possible."

And that was the problem.

Dumbledore had no idea where Voldemort might be hiding.

Ivan wasn't afraid of Voldemort.

In Voldemort's current weakened state, Dumbledore could easily handle him with one hand tied behind his back.

But Voldemort wasn't a fool. He understood how powerful Dumbledore was, and now, after being bested by Ivan, Voldemort was likely to slither into hiding, like a maggot burrowing into the bone, scheming and lurking in the shadows.

"I think I might know where Voldemort is hiding," Ivan said, meeting Dumbledore's gaze. The old man's eyes lit up with interest.

"Did you foresee it?" Dumbledore asked carefully.

"Yes." Ivan didn't actually see it, but he didn't mind chalking it up to his Prophecy Magus abilities.

"But before we go," Ivan added, "we'll need the help of our Mr. Savior, Harry."

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