Harry was in disbelief.
What had he just witnessed?
Ivan had fought evenly with Voldemort—the dark wizard that all feared, whose name no one dared to even whisper.
No, to be precise, Ivan should be considered the victor in this battle.
He had defeated Voldemort!
'This boy...'
Snape was equally shocked. He had fought against Ivan before and knew just how hopeless it felt to go up against him.
It was that overwhelming sense of powerlessness—no matter how hard you fought, even giving your all, you could only watch helplessly as the torrent of magic closed in on you.
'He must have been holding back,' Snape thought.
Seeing how Ivan had just suppressed Voldemort like that...
Snape was now convinced that during their previous duel, Ivan had definitely gone easy on him.
"Ivan...
you.. YOU WON!"
"You defeated Voldemort!" Harry cheered excitedly from behind, but Ivan remained motionless.
At that moment, his mind was entirely focused on the golden glimmer he had seen on Voldemort's forehead before he vanished.
'What was Voldemort wearing on his head?'
Ivan had a vague suspicion, but the thought was too terrifying to fully accept: 'Could it have been a crown?'
'No way?'
When this thought crossed Ivan's mind, he immediately took a sharp breath: Ravenclaw's Diadem? One of Voldemort's Horcruxes!
Things were spiraling out of control, completely out of control!
Wasn't the plot of the first part supposed to be a light-hearted adventure where three kids solve everything, and Harry manages to outwit Voldemort?
But now, it seemed that Quirrell had been entirely overtaken by Voldemort's lingering soul.
That powerful Killing Curse.
And Voldemort—suddenly acting like a completely different person, with complex schemes and manipulation.
Piecing all these changes together, Ivan came to a chilling realization: Voldemort has regained control over Quirrell and recovered one of his Horcruxes.
Damn... Things have just gotten a lot more complicated.
Ivan hadn't anticipated that Voldemort would focus on reclaiming his own Horcruxes this early on.
After all, in the original story, during both the first and second parts, Voldemort had entered Hogwarts twice but never sought to retrieve Ravenclaw's Diadem.
"Is it the inertia of thinking?" Ivan muttered.
In the same way, Ivan suddenly realized where Voldemort might have been hiding all this time.
The Chamber of Secrets!
Due to his reliance on the original plotline, Ivan had only been thinking within the framework of the first book, assuming Voldemort would only act within that scope.
But now, the reality was clear: this wasn't a simple story of the first volume—it was the real world.
The original behavior of Voldemort in the story was simply a product of Rowling's design.
After all, when Rowling wrote The Philosopher's Stone, the concept of the Chamber of Secrets was likely still just an idea she hadn't fully developed or written out.
But the Voldemort Ivan was dealing with wasn't a character penned by an author—he wasn't confined to the narrative constraints of a novel.
This realization hit Ivan hard and reminded him of the limitations of relying too much on the plot.
If he continued trusting the original story, he might get by for now, but there could be much bigger issues in the future.
"Ivan, where's Ron? Have you seen him?" Harry's voice pulled Ivan from his thoughts.
He looked up and quickly cast a spell to locate Ronald.
Snape still didn't reveal himself, continuing to remain hidden in the shadows, silently watching over the two.
Soon, Ivan and Harry found Ronald Weasley lying on the ground in the Forbidden Forest, covered in dirt.
Despite being in such a gloomy and dangerous place, Ronald's eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly curled into a contented smile, as if he were lost in a beautiful dream he didn't want to wake from.
"What happened to him?" Harry asked, worried.
"That's what happens when you're under the Imperius Curse," Ivan explained. "It makes you feel like you're floating, incredibly happy."
But after waking up, people under the curse often feel the happiness was hollow, and they end up resenting ever experiencing that false sense of joy.
"Let's take him back and get him to Madam Pomfrey," Ivan instructed.
Since he hadn't yet learned the dark magic necessary to counter the Imperius Curse, he could only use the Levitation Charm to carefully float Ronald back to the castle.
Upon returning to Hogwarts, Ivan immediately sought out Professor McGonagall.
Thankfully, Hermione had stayed close to the professor, just as Ivan had hoped. He had been concerned that this could be another ploy—using Harry to lure him away while capturing Hermione to use as leverage against him.
However, it seemed Voldemort had grown overly confident.
He believed that once he confronted Ivan directly, his mastery of magic would easily overwhelm him.
But Voldemort hadn't anticipated that Ivan possessed enough power to match him, or even defeat him while he was in a weakened state.
"Professor McGonagall, has Headmaster Dumbledore returned yet?" Ivan asked, his voice calm but alert.
"Not yet," McGonagall replied, her concern growing as she listened to Ivan recount what had just transpired.
When Ivan revealed that Voldemort had returned and that they had engaged in a battle, Professor McGonagall's face went pale, nearly frozen with shock.
"Are you certain it was ...him who returned?" she asked, struggling to fully comprehend the weight of his words.
McGonagall didn't want to believe it, but Ivan's judgment was rarely questioned. The other professors trusted him enough to take his words seriously.
"It's basically true," Ivan said. "You know my magical power. Although I had some advantages in the duel with him, the difference wasn't that great."
Ivan was a naturally gifted wizard, and there were only a handful of people in the British wizarding world who could match him today. "It was him, no mistake," he confirmed.
"Yes." Snape added, "Even if he turned to ash, I could still recognize him."
Ivan appreciated Snape's support but couldn't help but think, Turned to ash? He chuckled inwardly, Professor, you do remember that Voldemort is possessing Quirrell, right?
"Where is Dumbledore?" Snape's frustration was clear. "The Dark Lord is not something we can deal with alone. Where did he go at such a critical time?"
Snape's irritation with Dumbledore's absence was shared, and Ivan took the opportunity to explain what Dumbledore had told him before leaving.
"In other words, Dumbledore should be back in about ten minutes," Ivan noted, checking the time.
With that, Ivan suggested that Snape and Professor McGonagall return to protect the other students, while he stayed behind to inform Dumbledore about Voldemort's return.
"Good evening, Fawkes," Ivan greeted, walking into the headmaster's office and settling naturally into Dumbledore's chair, as though he belonged there.
The portraits of the former headmasters and headmistresses hanging on the walls observed Ivan's actions and began to murmur among themselves.
"Look at how comfortably he sits there," one of the portraits said, with an amused tone.
"You can see the ambition in this boy."
"Albus has already given his approval," another voice added.
"Perhaps we should nurture a good relationship with him. He might just become headmaster someday."
The paintings continued their chatter, watching Ivan with curiosity and anticipation.
Ivan ignored the portraits and continued to play with Fawkes.
"Chi~"
Perhaps Ivan was onto something—his bloodline might indeed carry not only Merlin's lineage but also the ancestors of the Dumbledore family. Otherwise, how could Fawkes, a phoenix known for its loyalty to Dumbledore, be so friendly toward him?
After spending time closely observing the two phoenixes, Ivan noticed a few distinct differences between Dumbledore's Fawkes and his own Fenix.
Firstly, in appearance, both phoenixes were stunning, but Fawkes had darker plumage, whereas Ivan's Fenix had a brighter, more radiant glow. Fawkes also had a larger wingspan, while Ivan's Fenix boasted five elegant, vivid tail feathers.
The most important difference lay in their abilities.
Fawkes seemed to specialize in healing and defensive magic, while Ivan's Fenix was geared more toward offense. Whenever Ivan used his Sycamore wand and resonated with his Fenix, the magic he cast was noticeably more powerful—by at least 50%.
This difference wasn't as simple as holding or not holding a wand; it was more nuanced. It was as if holding the same wand with the Fenix's magic dormant versus holding it when the Fenix's power was fully awakened made all the difference.
"Old Dumbledore sure is taking his time," Ivan muttered, feeling a bit restless.
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