As soon as the contract was signed, the memory-created scene collapsed and the familiar Headmaster's office came back into view.
A roaring fire burned in the fireplace, driving out the midnight chill, but Ivan could not find peace.
This was because he finally understood the many questions that had always baffled him.
For example, how Grindelwald was able to find out the location of Nicolas Flamel's safe house, and how he was able to escape from Lord Voldemort with his Elder Wand, despite his poor condition.
There is something of Dumbledore behind all of this…
Yvonne was lost in thought for a moment. The Headmaster's office was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, and the noisy portraits were all silenced. They could not see what they remembered, but they could tell from the faint pressure on Yvonne that if they did not want to be thrown into the fireplace and burned to ashes, they should keep their mouths shut.
Ivan sat in his chair in the Headmaster's office for a long time in silence, then sighed. "It seems you were right, Professor Dumbledore. The most dangerous man in the wizarding world was never Lord Voldemort or Grindelwald…"
When it comes to the enemy, Dumbledore is without a doubt the most fearsome of them all, not only because of his strength, but also because, of all the people Ivan has ever met, Dumbledore is the most adept at scheming and planning.
Despite being under the influence of the Dark Arts, he was able to calmly use his limited bargaining chips to his advantage, using his own death layout in cold blood to help Harry escape from being a Horcrux, kill Lord Voldemort, and free Grindelwald.
Ivan was uncomfortable with the feeling of being manipulated without even knowing it.
"Don't you have anything to say, Professor?" Ivan asked, turning to look at the portrait of Dumbledore, his voice slightly disgruntled. "Such an elaborate set-up, including everyone else, in order to complete your magnificent plan…"
The portrait of Dumbledore put down his tea and said slowly, "There is no grand plan, Harles. You may have overestimated me. Things have come to a point where they are beyond the control of a single individual… In fact, despite all the preparations I made, things never went as I expected."
"Three years ago, when I was searching for Voldemort's Horcruxes, I was struck by a bolt of Dark Magic that had been placed on my ring, and I nearly died. It was Severus who saved me, but unfortunately not even the finest potion-maker in Britain could heal such a serious injury, and I was told that I had little more than a year to live."
"I'm not as good as you at this, Harles!" Dumbledore exclaimed, looking at Ivan. "Severus once accused me of being less vigilant than a child of twelve or thirteen, and now that I think about it, he was probably right."
Ivan scratched his nose but did not reply. He was able to locate and destroy Voldemort's Horcrux so easily because he was familiar with the plot. Otherwise, he would have had to rely on Voldemort's personality and experience to determine the Horcrux's location, as Dumbledore did in the original timeline.
Disregarding Ivan's silence, Dumbledore continued, "Although I am not afraid of death, and am willing to embrace it, this has, in any case, upset all my plans."
Originally, he wanted to find and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes one by one, but his remaining year of life was apparently not enough.
He had no choice but to resort to some radical and risky tactics, but Tom Riddle did something stupid in order to revive Harry, by adding Harry's blood to the resurrection ritual.
Using the Old Devil's Staff's non-harmful properties as insurance and the Blood Charm in Harry's body as the basis, as well as Snape's connection, as the basis for his revised plan…
He had no idea how to deal with Lord Voldemort and the remaining Horcruxes until he recalled Trelawney's prophecy…
A prophecy?
After hearing Dumbledore's words, Ivan was stunned for a moment before remembering that Trelawney had made a True Prophecy during Harry's invigilating session at the end of his third year.
"Darkness approaches, a great shadow hangs over the sky, and the servants of the Dark Lord break free… the wizarding world is about to change…" Dumbledore slowly recounted Trelawney's tale.
The first part is obviously about Peter Pettigrew and Lord Voldemort, and the second part, which he once believed to be about Gellert Grindelwald, is about the former's criminal past, and his desire to use Grindelwald to defeat Voldemort.
Over the next two years, however, Ivan's power grew more than Dumbledore had expected, to the point where he was able to compete with Lord Voldemort.
"The existing wizarding system has been in operation for centuries, and there have been many changes, but it is indeed time for all changes to be made," Dumbledore said solemnly. "At first, I thought no one would be able to do it, but you have given me new hope, Hulse!"
"With your talents, it's only a matter of time before you surpass me and Gellert. If there is one person who can change the entire wizarding world, I think it can only be you."
"So you used me as a new pawn," Ivan sneered.
"I don't mean to, Hulse, nor am I prepared to manipulate your life," Dumbledore said quietly. "The power has always been in your hands, has it not? It is not what I do that matters, but what you wish to do…"
Decades ago, when faced with Tom Riddle, who had gone astray, he violently used forceful means to force him to repent, in an attempt to put Tom Riddle on the right track.
After the Battle of the Worlds, he chose to hold Grindelwald against all odds in Newmungard in an attempt to bring him to his senses.
The more he interfered, the worse things got, so he had no intention of doing so this time…
"Come to think of it, I don't think I influenced any of your decisions," Dumbledore said as he took a familiar book from the portrait.
"I never gave you the idea of changing the wizarding world… first taking control of Britain, then taking control of the wizarding world. Isn't that the plan you came up with three years ago?"