"The stone belonged to a good friend of mine, Nicolas Flamel, who had received word that Voldemort might be after it, and asked me to protect it on his behalf.
This was why I brought the stone to the school and placed it in the Mirror of Eris."
Dumbledore had to explain the origin of the stone to Ivan, in case he was still thinking about it.
At the same time, Dumbledore revealed that he had obtained the consent of Nicolas Flamel to destroy the stone, in an attempt to stifle Ivan's unrealistic hopes.
Despite knowing this outcome, Ivan still found it a pity.
In her previous life, she did not think much of the Philosopher's Stone when she read about it, but now that she was in its presence, she realized how tempting it was to be rich and to live forever.
This is the ultimate dream of the absolute majority!
Dumbledore saw the disappointment in Ivan's eyes, and had to remind him.
"It may be hard for a young wizard like you to understand, but there are many more things in the world that are more precious than wealth and life. For example, the courage to take risks for your friends, or the wisdom shown in times of danger, are the real treasures.
By contrast, while the Stone is powerful, it is not without limits, just as we cannot create things out of thin air."
Dumbledore's blue eyes under his half-moon spectacles are fixed squarely on Ivan, and he sees many rare qualities in Ivan's recent actions.
He had seen so many gifted wizards, obsessed with power, wealth, power, immortality, Grindelwald, Tom Riddle…
Even… his younger self was no exception.
Had it not been for Ariana's death, he feared the wizarding community would have gone to war against the Muggles under his and Grindelwald's combined control…
Ivan nodded, unable to disagree, although he did not share Voldemort's fanatical quest for immortality and power, nor did he share Dumbledore's disdain for such things.
Even if the Philosopher's Stone had any limitations or side effects, it would not be able to hide the fact that Nicolas Flamel had lived for over six hundred years!
Fortunately, he now had the recipe for the stone, and perhaps in the next few years, as his alchemy level increased, he would have his own stone.
Because of this, Ivan was able to compose himself quickly, and this was noted by Dumbledore, who was pleased with Ivan's reaction, and intended to say something happy.
"Word has got out that you and Harry defeated Quirrell in the Chamber of Secrets, and I'm afraid it will be all over the school in a few days.
Also, your actions gave Gryffindor the highest score of 860 house points in the school's history, nearly double that of Slytherin, which was second place! It's a pity that you fainted and weren't there, or you would have been surprised to see the young wizards…"
Ivan rolled his eyes. 'Can you give me something more solid than bonus points?'
'Besides, who else could have spread the news?'
Ivan, well aware of Dumbledore's attempts to boost Harry's reputation, would not bat an eye if given dozens or hundreds of points, and would simply drag him along.
"Well, now that we've had our fun, it's time to talk about something else," said Dumbledore, changing the subject with a laugh.
"You know, two days ago, when Miss Granger and Mr Weasley suddenly ran up to me, out of breath, and asked me to hurry to the trapdoor to rescue you and Harry, I was horrified.
Fortunately, when I arrived, you were safe and had defeated Lord Voldemort who had possessed Quirrell…"
"That's Harry's doing, Professor! He touched Voldemort and his body collapsed." Ivan took no credit, trying to make himself invisible.
"Of course, I know. It's the protective spell in Harry's body. It's the power of love!" Dumbledore nodded. Having seen the scene, he knew exactly what was going on.
"But I'm more curious as to how you managed to hold Voldemort back for so long on your own, as I was able to glean information from Harry that was not thorough enough," said Dumbledore.
Voldemort may have been weak to the point of having only a soul left and controlling a broken body, but he was still more than a match for a first-year wizard.
He was also interested in the sudden change in Ivan two days ago.
Yvonne was dying to ask Dumbledore what Harry had told him so she could think of something to say…
However, Ivan seemed to have known that Dumbledore, the sly old fox, would never tell him, and would have to come clean.
Ivan sighed, trying to think of something to say, then composed his words.
"Professor, have you ever experienced the feeling of suddenly being able to do anything, as if you could perform all kinds of charms without a wand or spell, within the range of your magic?"
"Is that what you mean?" Dumbledore asked, placing his empty left hand gently on top of a white porcelain cup.
The cup suddenly twisted and stretched, and a few seconds later, an owl with snow-white feathers appeared in front of Ivan.
The owl's eyes were very intelligent. When it discovered that it was in an unfamiliar place, it was so frightened that it tried to fly out of the hospital wing. However, it crashed into the glass and fell to the ground, flapping its wings.
Ivan was speechless. He could tell that this was no ordinary Transfiguration Charm, otherwise the owl would have been reduced to a cup when it hit the glass.
Dumbledore's tactic, while somewhat different from his long-range Transfiguration Charm during a magical outburst, worked the same way.
Similarly, without having to wave a wand or cast a spell, one could perform a high-end biological transformation with their magic alone.
He had initially wondered if he would be able to challenge Dumbledore in such a magical state. He had not expected Dumbledore to be able to do so. Now that he thought about it, he had been too arrogant…
"It's just a trick, not much use in actual combat," Dumbledore explained, seeing Ivan's surprised expression.
'You call that a trick?'
Ivan was surprised to find that Professor Dumbledore, normally so modest and reserved, was actually quite the show-off.
What Ivan did not know was that Dumbledore was not lying to him.
While it felt good to be able to cast magic at will, it was far less powerful than when you were holding a wand.
In particular, he was holding the Deathly Hallows — the Elder Wand!