"Disillusionment!"
With a spatial shift, Ivan disappeared down Knockturn Alley, and when he returned to his senses, he was in a small, deserted village with a towering church in front of him…
However, it seemed to have been abandoned for a long time. The streets were empty and there was not a soul in sight. Green weeds grew out of the cracks in the stone tiles, and the yellowed walls were covered in moss and vines. There was an air of decay and decay…
Yvonne made her way down the steps into the church, where she soon spotted Dumbledore.
After not seeing him for a few days, the condition of the white wizard's body seemed to have worsened. His right hand, which had lost all feeling, was hanging by his side, and the strange curse had spread to his neck. His thin body looked as if it would fall to the ground if the wind blew.
Fawkes, a golden-red phoenix, was also in the church, hovering over it and letting out loud cries the moment he saw Ivan.
"You are much later than I had hoped, Harles…" Dumbledore said quietly, turning stiffly to face Ivan as he entered the church.
"I didn't want to go to the appointment… but looking at your injuries, it seems that there won't be a need for us to fight after a few days…" Ivan shrugged and teased.
"You are correct. Perhaps I should thank you for that…" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. As Ivan had said, his body would not last more than a few days, and there was little he could do if Ivan avoided him.
Ivan sighed. He did not want to fight Dumbledore if he could help it, as he was not really "Ivan Hals" and did not feel Orlando's death that deeply.
"I heard from my mother that Minister Barnott repeatedly offered you the position of Minister for Magic, to become the leader of the Resistance… . Can you tell me why you turned it down in the first place?" Ivan asked, puzzled, something he had never understood.
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, looking at Ivan intently, before speaking slowly.
"That's because the most dangerous person in the wizarding world was never Grindelwald or Lord Voldemort…"
"It is I!" Dumbledore said softly, his tone normal, without a trace of arrogance, as if he were simply stating a fact.
Ivan's pupils contracted, and he froze in shock, but Dumbledore continued speaking.
"A powerful and unrestrained wizard is dangerous, as were Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort."
"I am more powerful than they are, and naturally more dangerous…" Dumbledore said frankly, his thoughts drifting as he walked away from the dais.
He had always known that he was not a selfless or noble man, and had lost count of the number of chilling thoughts that had crossed his mind over the past century.
After Ariana's death, he desperately sought the Deathly Hallows, one of the most important reasons being to bring his sister back to life in order to redeem himself…
However, the location of the Deathly Hallows was impossible to find. In contrast, there was a simpler method that had been placed in front of his eyes, disturbing his mind like a demon.
Dumbledore is convinced of this, as there are at least three Dark Arts in his mind that can bring Ariana back to life, each of them extremely evil and demanding of the caster, requiring the sacrifice of others to gain sufficient life force.
He happened to have a deep enough knowledge of magic to perform these rituals, and by crossing that bottom line, he could bring Ariana back to life….
Dumbledore can't remember how he got rid of the idea, but he remembers the feeling of torment.
Because this feeling had almost enveloped his entire life, causing him to dwell on good and evil thoughts…
"I once resented fate and believed that I was gifted enough to do everything I wanted to do to make the wizarding world work under my will…"
"It will not be difficult to accomplish, and no one in the wizarding world will be able to stop me if I am willing to step out of Hogwarts and set my mind on something…" Dumbledore began.
He knew exactly what he was capable of, and the last time he decided to go all out was in a duel with Grindelwald decades ago.
Dumbledore won the duel very decisively, even with Grindelwald's Strongest Wand.
After defeating Grindelwald and gaining possession of the Elder Wand, his power became even more unstoppable.
Dumbledore was shrewd enough to find that his own limitations were almost negligible compared to temptation, so that his evil thoughts and greed sometimes overwhelmed his good intentions and caused irreparable harm.
Such as Ariana's death, or his reluctance to return James Potter's Cloak of Invisibility, causing Harry's parents to lose their only hope of escape…
These mistakes taught Dumbledore how dangerous some of his ideas were, and Grindelwald was like a different side of him, doing what he had always wanted to do and warning him of the consequences of over-ambitious ambition…
"To this end, I made three vows to myself, to repress my growing desire…" Dumbledore said solemnly, striding up to Ivan. "I will not touch power, will not use the Dark Arts, will not kill!"
It was for these three reasons that he put up with Fudge jumping up and down in front of him and ignoring Lord Voldemort's antics in the British wizarding community.
It was only when the other's actions became intolerable to him that Dumbledore prudently formed a Order of the Phoenix to lead righteous wizards against them.
He repeatedly refused the position of Minister for Magic because he knew he would not be able to keep his true heart under the corruption of power…
"But today, I fear, I will have to break some of my vows…Hales! For you are more dangerous than I am!" Dumbledore stopped in his tracks, his momentum reaching its peak, and a storm seemed to hang over the church as the magical energy dissipated…
Ivan did not back down. He ignored the magic and gently raised his wand in response.
"I must say, you are a remarkable wizard. Not many people are as self-disciplined as you…"
"But I must add that it is for a coward to fear his own strength!"
(PS: The speculation about Dumbledore's Oath comes from the book King's Cross Station, in which Old Dumbledore states that he could not contain his ambition and desire and did not deserve power.
There is also the undeniable fact that Old Deng was the book's ceiling of combat power, and that, in keeping with his non-murderous oath (which Voldemort mentioned before going to war with Old Deng: Dumbledore disdained to do such a cruel thing to himself), he led Harry, a burden, to victory over Voldemort — a clear victory, judging from the details of the battle).