Hogwarts' White Lord

Chapter 139: 139: Dumbledore's Flexible Bottom Line



Death is another great adventure.

At the end of the original story, Harry encountered Dumbledore at King's Cross Station in a liminal space between life and death.

Ivan suspected that, by that point, Dumbledore might have already transcended the boundaries of mortality, potentially breaking through to the realm of Magic 6—a state beyond life and death.

Similarly, Grindelwald's willingness to face death after Dumbledore's passing raised questions.

Ivan couldn't shake the feeling that the deaths of these two figures were not random but deliberate, part of a premeditated plan.

"How did you feel about your adventure at Gringotts?" Dumbledore asked, steering the conversation in a new direction.

From Snape to Voldemort, mercenaries, and Aurors, Dumbledore had intentionally been shaping Ivan's journey.

By now, Ivan's combat experience rivaled that of seasoned veteran wizards.

"How should I put it?" Ivan said, shrugging.

"A little disappointing."

"That's the state of wizards today," Dumbledore replied with a resigned sigh.

The war against Voldemort had disrupted England's magical traditions, cutting off many lines of knowledge and training.

Countless powerful wizards perished in the conflict, leaving a void in magical expertise and resilience.

Dumbledore's decision not to chastise Ivan was deliberate.

He had already observed one important thing: Ivan had not killed anyone during his confrontation with the mercenaries and Aurors.

As long as Ivan refrained from taking lives, Dumbledore could accept and even understand the methods he employed.

Dumbledore's reasoning wasn't about being a saint; it was a pragmatic understanding of the limited number of wizards in the world. Each wizard represented a valuable resource.

Ivan also agreed with Dumbledore's perspective.

If he chose to kill, it would mean severing the restraints that guided his actions, leaving him unbound in the future.

While killing one or two wizards might not seem significant, taking the lives of hundreds or thousands would deal a catastrophic blow to the entire wizarding world.

Ivan's ability to act with discretion gave Dumbledore a sense of relief.

In contrast, Grindelwald had discarded all restrictions on killing, and Voldemort viewed human lives as utterly disposable.

In the Muggle world, killing was often seen as inevitable or commonplace due to the sheer size of their population.

But wizards were different.

There were only hundreds of thousands of wizards globally, a mere one ten-thousandth of the Muggle population.

By this calculation, every wizard Ivan killed would be equivalent to eliminating 10,000 Muggles.

Killing just 1,000 wizards would parallel wiping out 10 million people in the Muggle world.

The sheer scale of such destruction was staggering.

Imagine if someone were to take responsibility for tens of millions of deaths—it would be an unthinkable atrocity.

Not just in the history of humanity, but even looking toward the future, it seemed unlikely anyone could—or should—ever achieve such a level of destruction.

And this didn't even account for indirect deaths.

The ripple effects of a conflict among wizards would escalate quickly.

Once war broke out, tens of thousands of wizards could die.

If that impact were magnified ten-thousandfold in the Muggle population, the devastation would be unimaginable.

The entire World War II resulted in over 100 million casualties, but not even 200 million.

When considering Ivan's potential, Dumbledore understood that Ivan's magic would inevitably grow to a level that even he would have to look up to.

At that point, there would be no external force capable of restraining him.

The only thing that could guide Ivan would be his own conscience.

"What do you think of my work?" Ivan asked.

"Very good," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "Though the punishment for Fudge and Umbridge was a bit... heavy."

"At least I didn't actually hurt them," Ivan said defensively.

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore nodded in agreement. He didn't seem particularly concerned about the humiliation of the Minister of Magic.

The truth was, Dumbledore had never placed much stock in Fudge.

With so few wizards in England, his choices for leadership were limited.

Fudge had simply been the tallest among the short options available.

But now things were different.

The arrival of Ivan had given Dumbledore a glimmer of hope for the resurgence of the British wizarding world.

Put bluntly, Ivan's presence guaranteed at least a century of prosperity for the magical community.

That alone was something Fudge could never offer, nor could anyone of his ilk even compare.

"They were too noisy," Ivan remarked, his tone frank.

He didn't bother to play the role of a saint in front of Dumbledore. "I don't quite understand why they act so arrogantly."

Ivan's actions were always guided by his own will.

While he might occasionally be influenced by others' emotions, his overall direction remained firmly his own.

"Is it because he's the Minister of Magic that he feels untouchable?" Ivan questioned, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"This is the nature of power," Dumbledore replied, seizing the moment to impart a lesson.

"When someone is corrupted by power, arrogance inevitably follows."

"Magic is power," Ivan retorted.

Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "True, but the status of wizards was never meant to be achieved solely through power."

Many believed Dumbledore to be a saint, a paragon of virtue.

But only he truly understood that this image was far from the truth.

He wasn't above power or strength—he feared it.

Dumbledore feared that, with the wrong choices, he might become an even greater threat than Grindelwald or Voldemort.

His restraint wasn't an act of saintliness but a conscious effort to avoid becoming a monster.

"That said, power can also achieve great things," Dumbledore added, his tone encouraging.

"I hope you learn to use your power wisely, Ivan.

After all, Gryffindor never feared power—they embraced it."

The four houses of Hogwarts represent different kinds of people.

Gryffindor stands for bravery, sometimes recklessness.

They are bold enough to risk their lives for what they believe in, even when facing overwhelming odds.

If Ivan thought he could win Gryffindors over with sheer strength alone, he was mistaken.

Unless he were willing to eliminate every single one of them, Gryffindors would never be conquered by power alone.

They would only follow someone who earned their respect.

"Don't worry. I understand people."

Ivan said with a nod, his tone composed.

Elegance was what he pursued, and for him, true elegance meant not waving a wand around like a fool.

Language, negotiation, emotions—there were countless ways to communicate and influence others without resorting to brute force.

Similarly, to win over people with diverse personalities, one had to adapt their methods accordingly.

"It's good that you recognize this," Dumbledore said, his satisfaction evident.

After a pause, he added, "If you encounter any trouble in the future, feel free to come to me."

Ivan blinked, genuinely surprised by Dumbledore's words.

The message was clear: Dumbledore was removing the restraints on Ivan, giving him the freedom to act as he wished.

More than that, Dumbledore was offering himself as a safety net.

He was willing to stand behind Ivan and help him resolve any challenges he might face in the future.

For instance, during the incident at Gringotts, Ivan had used Path of the Fire God and his magic incarnation form in front of countless witnesses.

While many high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic were complacent and ineffectual, there were exceptions—people like Scrimgeour and Moody.

With their skills, it was only a matter of time before they began piecing together the truth about Ivan.

"But... Why does it feel like you always know ..everything?" Ivan asked, frowning slightly.

It was unsettling how much Dumbledore seemed to know, as though he had been present during the Battle of Gringotts himself.

"There are many ways," Dumbledore replied cryptically, a knowing smile on his face.

"You have to let an old man keep some of his little secrets, don't you?"

"You were there, weren't you?" Ivan pressed, his tone laced with suspicion.

"Who knows," Dumbledore responded with a chuckle, "maybe~"

Ivan was not entirely satisfied with the vague answer, but he chose not to pursue it further.

As long as he was confident that Dumbledore bore no ill will toward him and was, in fact, supportive, the specifics didn't matter much.

"What about the Ministry of Magic's follow-up?" Ivan asked, shifting the conversation.

"Leave that to me," Dumbledore reassured him.

After a brief pause, he added with a smirk, "Didn't you say they can't prove that it was you?"

Ivan couldn't help but laugh softly at Dumbledore's casual confidence.

It was a reminder that even in matters of great complexity, Dumbledore's wit and influence were not to be underestimated.

________

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