mesbooks Chapter 185, Section 184: The Anchor of Fate! The Black and White Kings!
Chapter 185, Section 184: The Anchor of Fate! The Black and White Kings!
Chapter 185, Section 184: The Anchor of Fate! The Black and White Kings!
The tall bookshelves were filled with ancient books and scrolls.
Various rare treasures and alchemical tools were neatly arranged on the workbench, while the enormous clock, symbolizing the mysteries of alchemy, still chimed softly beside Ian.
"Ian, are you alright?"
Harry Potter was overjoyed to see Ian return and stepped forward, saying, "You scared me half to death! I was just wiping my glasses and you vanished in a flash."
"If I could take this bell apart, I'd love to crawl inside and see if you're playing hide-and-seek with me." Mr. Savior clearly still had a Muggle-like way of thinking.
His first reaction wasn't that Ian had been teleported somewhere by some kind of magic.
"Were it you who went to see those two professors?"
Ian looked up at his hands. He had not been able to bring anything back from the past, and the sand that had been on his body had vanished without a trace.
It's unclear whether this is some kind of rule for time travel, or related to some limitations of the House of Requirement.
"Yes, that's right. As soon as I realized you might have encountered some unexpected situation, I went to find Professor McGonagall, and she led me to Professor Flamel and Professor Dumbledore."
"The two of them fiddled with this bell for a long time before they finally managed to turn you back... Can you tell me where this bell took you before?"
Harry Potter had no intention of taking credit; he was simply curious about Ian's ordeal.
"It's a place that no plane or rocket can reach." Ian looked back at the large clock behind him, genuinely ashamed to talk about his experience.
"Perhaps even Ian himself doesn't know where he went. It's just a Portkey, Harry. If you studied your textbooks, you'd know what a Portkey is."
Seeing that Ian seemed about to speak again, Nick Flamel immediately stepped in to smooth things over. The alchemy master clearly didn't want too many people to know the secret of the Great Bell.
"Alright, I'll go back and review my textbooks, Professor." Although Harry Potter sensed something was amiss, he unconditionally chose to trust the authoritative answer.
"Very good, a love of learning, that's a standard quality in Slytherin. ... I would be very happy to tutor you in the future, but for now let's go into the next room and discuss your scars."
"I wasted a lot of our time by going out earlier. I was counting on you to publish a paper analyzing your scars, which I believe will be a great help for your future credits." Nick Flamel certainly didn't care about papers; he clearly wanted to make room for Ian and Dumbledore to talk.
He coaxed and cajoled Harry Potter, who was still a little dazed and wanted to show Ian some more concern, and led him to a wall where he turned the doorknob on the canvas.
What appeared to be just a door to an oil painting was actually opened by the alchemist, revealing a spacious room inside. This magical scene immediately caught Harry Potter's attention.
"Is this some kind of magic?"
He temporarily put everything else out of his mind.
"Of course, if you want to learn, I can teach you. The Potter family has always had a good talent for alchemy... Perhaps I can even tell you about your great-great-great-grandfather stealing my candy."
After speaking with a nostalgic air, Nicolas Flamel led Harry Potter into the room depicted in the painting, but he didn't forget to turn back and activate some kind of recording device.
obviously.
Some people who enjoy entertainment know certain things and don't want to miss out on some great fun. As the door in the painting slowly closed, only two people remained in the quiet alchemy office.
Ian and Albus Dumbledore stood facing each other.
"Professor Dumbledore..." The young wizard looked at the old headmaster in his white robe. He really found it hard to connect this peaceful and serene elder with the cunning young man he had seen before.
It's really hard to imagine.
What kind of life experiences are these?
That's what makes someone who's ruthless even to themselves become the kind old man they are today.
Now Ian finally understands why so many people, when talking about Dumbledore, praise not only his strength, but also fear his wisdom and strategy.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Ian." After a long silence, Albus Dumbledore finally spoke in a low, hoarse voice, turning to look at Big Ben, which was gradually ceasing to function and becoming quiet.
"I should really thank you for your kindness and compassion... I am grateful for your mercy in the past." Albus Dumbledore's tone carried a hint of indescribable emotion.
He was clearly aware of what had happened between Ian and his younger self. At the same time, he also knew that Ian had not used many of the terrible methods he controlled.
Putting aside other things.
Light's mastery of magic.
Ian's talent in dark magic far surpasses his talent in white magic, and this young wizard spends many times more time studying dark magic than white magic.
However, Ian did not use a single instance of dark magic during that nearly century-long period, clearly out of concern that once dark magic was unleashed, it might be difficult to control.
after all.
According to Albus Dumbledore's understanding.
The dark magic that Ian learned and improved was all about killing techniques, a matter of life and death, not superiority or inferiority. If those methods were truly used, Albus Dumbledore knew that his youthful self would likely not be able to withstand them.
"Yes, I know what happened."
Seeing Ian's gaze fall upon him, Albus Dumbledore immediately nodded, giving a definite answer.
"Is this something you've always remembered?"
Ian frowned.
He had this question in the past.
"No, that's not it."
Albus Dumbledore shook his head with a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"When you did certain things a hundred years ago, fragmented images began to flash through my mind, and it was only when you came back that I began to retrieve the full memory."
"It seems that the past, which you changed, needs to flow with time to the present so that the events that happened can be synchronized with my side." He gave a brief explanation of the current situation.
I can tell.
In this situation...
Albus Dumbledore was not surprised.
There were just some indescribable emotions hidden in his voice.
"So, what kind of plan is this?" Ian looked directly at his old headmaster, his voice devoid of any complaint or negative emotion.
however.
Nevertheless.
Albus Dumbledore had no choice but to pull himself together, meeting Ian's eyes with utmost sincerity as he offered Ian a heartfelt apology.
"I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you... I did have a certain idea, but it was still being tested, and what just happened was something I never expected."
"I can assure you that there is no...scheming or trickery involved here." Albus Dumbledore gave a bitter laugh, his tone revealing a mixture of shame and self-mockery.
"Now that you know what happened in the past, I think you can understand that after experiencing that situation, I really don't know whether I should trust you."
He was met with Ian's somewhat strange gaze.
"I know you want to curse. Yes, as you can see, I wasn't exactly a good person when I was young." The old principal smiled bitterly, his forehead covered in sweat.
He seemed quite guilty.
"I can swear by magic that there is no deception in what I say." With that, the old headmaster took out his old wand and prepared to swear.
but.
The little wizard stopped him.
"That's not necessary."
Ian knew very well that oaths could not bind people's hearts; only the weak would use such behavior to restrain others. Therefore, he only needed Albus Dumbledore to show such an attitude.
of course.
He made a note in his little notebook—no, he wrote it down on a whole page. He definitely needed to write it down; he'd always been the type to repay kindness and always find a way to get revenge if he was wronged.
Ok.
Sometimes Ian even feels that his personality is similar to that of a corvid.
"If you can teach me the same methods you used to evade my magic when you were young, I think we'll be even for now," Ian winked at Albus Dumbledore.
"For now..."
Albus Dumbledore visibly sweated again.
"Otherwise what?"
The young wizard responded confidently.
"Alright, of course." Albus Dumbledore sighed and immediately nodded in agreement, after all, he was the one who was truly in the wrong.
to be frank.
Looking back now at my current age.
He also felt that he had indeed been a bit unethical and inhuman when he was young... Perhaps those people in the wizarding world were afraid of him, but it was something that should ultimately be forgiven.
"I almost thought I wouldn't make it back, and even now, I still don't know what this thing is. I remember its original purpose wasn't time travel, right?"
Ian wasn't one to dwell on a problem, so he turned back to look at Big Ben. If he remembered correctly, the clock was supposed to simply hold a time that would keep repeating.
How did it become time travel?
"Because of some sudden inspirations of mine, Nick and I made some modifications to it... I must say, it is an alchemical miracle that probably no one can replicate now."
"As you know, it can store data for a relatively long period of time, so based on this capability, we used it as a stabilizer."
"Yes, an insurance policy that ensures that whatever happens, the accident is kept within a controllable range, so that I won't cause too many changes due to mistakes when I travel through time."
As Albus Dumbledore raised his hand and pointed to the top of Big Ben, a device, roughly the size of a palm, was modified and embedded in an inconspicuous spot at the very top of Big Ben.
"Is this the thing you asked Professor Lemaître to restore?"
Ian recognized the device embedded in Big Ben; he had seen Nicolas Flamel repair it more than once when he was studying alchemy with him.
Surprisingly, Nick Lemaître's summer vacation actually allowed him to repair and perfect the damage.
"Yes, what truly allows you to travel through a hundred years is this ancient time-tamper." Albus Dumbledore also frankly admitted this.
not only that.
He also said something that made Ian's pupils shrink slightly.
"We all know you've entered a time loop, and we all know you changed things within it. This new alchemical device seems to me capable of recreating that miracle." Albus Dumbledore gave Ian a deep look, his words revealing a wealth of information.
It is clear.
This was Albus Dumbledore revealing some secrets that Ian was not aware of before.
The reason for the lack of detail is...
Perhaps it's because there are still some concerns, or perhaps there are potential limitations?
"So, did you succeed?"
Ian's eyes were flashing intensely.
"We have tried to make some changes in the past that could be buried under the dust of history, such as bringing back things that were destined to be lost and never be found again."
"This is also why we were able to repair the ancient time converter... Initially, we were just using a regular time converter to travel to some parts of the past that are relatively close to the present."
"As you know, I've been studying similar rules all last semester, so there were no surprises, and we've had a very smooth success in this regard."
"Just in the last few days, we also tried to go back to the distant past, and it was very successful. I have begun to further study whether it is possible to make some changes to the way some creatures die when they are about to die, so that no one can witness them and no one can detect any abnormalities in the death."
Albus Dumbledore spoke slowly, his words carrying a tone of frank honesty. He did not conceal the ultimate direction of his step-by-step research.
The old headmaster knew just how clever the little wizard was.
He believed.
Ian had known about his scheme all along.
"I have a question. If we follow the rule you mentioned, all changes must hide the truth as much as possible and restore the original appearance of history within the surface."
"So, how did our sparring, that altered past, affect you in the present?" Ian's mind was indeed working very quickly.
He noticed some contradictions in Albus Dumbledore's words.
"That's the crux of the matter, child."
Albus Dumbledore didn't shy away, but looked at the young wizard with bright eyes and said, "You've done what Grindelwald and I tried many times and failed to do."
"You have truly changed the past and successfully returned to the present... I think the two unknown doubts in my heart have now been answered definitively."
The old principal's voice became complicated again.
"Isn't this a good thing?"
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Ian noticed the change in the old headmaster's mood.
"A mix of joy and sorrow."
Albus Dumbledore forced a smile. "You've proven that the past can be changed, which is a good thing. At the same time, you've also proven that the future is already predetermined."
"Or perhaps the cause-and-effect relationship in time is not so simple. Maybe the effect came first, and then the cause in the past... This is not very good information." He was obviously talking about Ariana's death. The little wizard guessed that it must be related to his ability to summon Ariana in the past, a state that should not have been a soul.
"Well, that's a pretty advanced question. It's obviously not something a second-year student like me should be dealing with..." Ian yawned, having only just begun to understand what Albus Dumbledore was saying.
It's not a problem that can be figured out in a short time.
A lot happened today.
The little wizard just wants to go back and get a good night's sleep.
They probably noticed the little wizard's fatigue.
"You can go back to your dorm and sleep first. I need to think about it some more... I am deeply sorry for what happened to you today. It was my negligence that led to you experiencing something you shouldn't have had to go through."
Albus Dumbledore escorted Ian to the front door of his office.
"Please remember my contributions!"
Before leaving.
The young wizard didn't forget to remind Albus Dumbledore.
"Unforgettable."
Albus Dumbledore gave a serious answer. After seeing off a satisfied Ian, he returned to his office and stood before the enormous Big Ben, beginning to organize the extra memories that had flooded his mind.
"He shouldn't be so tired."
suddenly.
A voice rang out.
Deep and magnetic.
"What do you mean?" Albus Dumbledore wasn't surprised by the voice; he simply turned his head with some confusion to look at a portrait on the office wall.
All I saw was...
A young voice emerged from the golden wheat field.
Godric Gryffindor.
It was the portrait that Ian had been searching for for a year without success. I never expected that this guy would be hiding in this place. Maybe he had read Sun Tzu's Art of War, which says "This child must not be allowed to live."
Knowing that the most dangerous place in the world is the safest place is a strange truth. He hid in the places Ian frequented but was never found by Ian.
"Changing the past also has an impact on him."
Gryffindor brushed the locusts off his body and responded softly.
"Do you know something I don't?" Albus Dumbledore, sensing something else, raised his furrowed brow in surprise.
Godric Gryffindor chuckled softly upon hearing this.
"I'm not an idiot, and Ravenclaw is even smarter than you... She once told me that the little guy is destiny, and all cause and effect will only spread out from him."
His voice carried a hint of melancholy.
"Um?"
Albus Dumbledore was visibly taken aback.
"Ian's divination grades were all achieved by copying other people's exam papers." He clearly knew everything about the young wizard's grades in all subjects and was aware that the young wizard had cheated on exams.
"Foolish Albus, a wizard who is almost omnipotent, yet performs so poorly in a certain area—don't you realize that this in itself is strangely suspicious?"
Godric Gryffindor wore a look of disappointment and frustration.
"Looks like you want to be caught by Ian."
Albus Dumbledore wasn't annoyed by this; he simply spoke softly, his expressionless face. His words immediately made Godric Gryffindor's expression freeze.
"Is this how you treat the founders of your alma mater?!"
The young man in the portrait looked somewhat exasperated.
"You're not the real Godric Gryffindor, and besides, I can be ruthless enough to hurt even myself, you've seen that, haven't you?" Now it was Albus Dumbledore's turn to laugh.
"Damn it! I shouldn't have reminded you!"
Godric Gryffindor thought that what old Dumbledore said made a lot of sense, and he didn't dare to refute it. He could only glare fiercely at Albus Dumbledore.
"Fate and karma, huh?"
Albus Dumbledore, however, didn't care about that.
He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
After a while.
"This is not the time to think about this. I have something more important to do first." Albus Dumbledore clearly felt that he was restless and unable to calm down and think.
He turned to leave.
"Aren't you going to think about your dragon-slaying plan? Where are you going?" Godric Gryffindor, seeing this, also poked his head out with great curiosity.
It can even pop its head out of the portrait, which is definitely different from most portraits.
"I need to relocate my old home... relocate the place where my ancestors and family are buried... just to be on the safe side, because if you don't take precautions, something big is bound to happen."
Albus Dumbledore's steps seemed rather hurried. As soon as he stepped out, he summoned his phoenix, Fawkes, and the next moment, he left Hogwarts under Fawkes's guidance.
His anxious demeanor.
It was as if he was afraid someone would beat him to it.
obviously.
Ian's "forgiveness" did not truly put the old headmaster at ease.
……
Actually...
Ian really just wanted to go back to his dorm and sleep.
Albus Dumbledore was clearly overthinking things, or rather, overthinking them far too soon. Feeling unusually exhausted, Ian yawned as he walked up the stairs.
however.
He was unable to return to his dormitory as he had hoped.
As Ian passed the entrance to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office, he saw Aurora standing at the door waving at him. He could only force himself to walk toward his good friend.
"Why aren't you asleep so late? Are you practicing your Animagus form as an owl?" Ian was quite surprised to see Aurora holding a cup of strong tea.
"My grandfather told me to wait for you here, and I can't go to sleep until you're here." Aurora sighed helplessly and shoved the half-finished cup of strong tea into Ian's hand.
"Fortunately, I'm free now."
The German girl smiled easily.
Ignoring the little wizard's astonished expression, she dashed towards the spiraling staircase, as if she couldn't wait to return to the Slytherin common room.
"That's called abandoning your comrades!"
Ian looked helplessly at the strong tea in his hand.
"Coo coo coo~"
He downed it in one gulp.
Somewhat annoyed, he walked toward the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office—as if the door had known of his arrival beforehand, it opened to the side at just the right moment.
"My dark magic professor even altered this office over the summer?"
Ian walked in, somewhat surprised.
immediately.
He then saw Grindelwald, who was wearing Lockhart's face, sitting upright with his arms crossed on the table, looking at him with a strange expression that was neither a smile nor a frown.
"I think Dumbledore has told you some things and asked you about some things," Grindelwald said slowly, his magnetic yet elegant voice carrying a light touch.
"Yes, Professor."
Ian's gaze remained fixed on Grindelwald the entire time.
He even swallowed.
His eyes looked quite incredulous.
"Very well, now I also have some questions that I'd like you to answer for me." Grindelwald looked down at the thing he had placed in front of him that Ian had been staring at.
"I can tell you recognize this treasure."
He raised his hand and gently fiddled with the object in front of him. The golden apple rolled slightly on the table, and Ian's gaze followed the rolling apple.
"I carried Dumbledore on several trips, and on this last one, I was almost killed by a madwoman, but she spared me after reading my memories."
"This is clearly not because of my identity as a time traveler."
Grindelwald's expression was somewhat annoyed.
"So, Ian, my apprentice, could you please tell me what terrible secret you've been hiding with Dumbledore all this time, a secret I don't know about?"
He stared at the little wizard in front of him.
Try to speak slowly and calmly.
(End of this chapter)