"A wardrobe?"
This wasn't the first time Hermione had been in Ivan's bedroom, so she was familiar with the room's furnishings.
"This is a magical item," Ivan explained.
In this world, Hermione was the person Ivan trusted the most—no one else came close.
Because of that trust, Ivan had always made an effort to teach and guide her.
Click.
Ivan stepped forward, twisted the handle on the wardrobe, and cast a special unlocking spell: "Golden Jade Cave Opening!"
The counterpart to this spell, Golden Shackles and Jade Locks, was a type of magical combination lock that required specific magical energy to unlock.
Otherwise, it had to be manually opened bit by bit using magic.
Even a powerful wizard like Dumbledore would need some time to break through this spell.
"Remember this spell," Ivan said.
While the Golden Jade Cave Opening spell seemed simple, when paired with Golden Shackles and Jade Locks, it could generate a vast number of combinations.
Once the connection was established, it could be opened with ease.
"How many spells have you invented?" Hermione asked, feeling amazed. It seemed to her that Ivan had modified nearly every spell he had learned.
"Ahem."
Ivan said, "To learn new spells, you first need to be proficient with the original ones. Once you've mastered enough, I'll teach you."
"…"
He then pushed open the wardrobe door and waved at Hermione. "Come on, I'll show you something."
Hermione was puzzled.
But trusting Ivan completely, she followed him without hesitation.
The moment she stepped into the wardrobe, the dim atmosphere of Ivan's dormitory vanished, replaced by something entirely different.
A gentle breeze flowed around her, and the scent of flowers, plants, and rich soil lingered in the air. Hermione found herself standing in front of a primeval forest—its sheer beauty left her stunned.
"Haa..."
Hermione took a few hesitant steps forward, examining her surroundings.
After confirming that everything she saw was real and not some kind of illusion, she turned to Ivan and asked, "Did you cast a Traceless Extension Charm on the wardrobe?"
She naturally assumed this magnificent space was something Ivan had created within the wardrobe.
Unlike Harry, who might have been too absorbed in the magical wonder, Hermione had read extensively and knew about the Traceless Extension Charm.
However, this time, her guess was wrong.
"This isn't a Traceless Extension Charm," Ivan said, his hands casually behind his back.
Behind him, the door hung open as Yuumi, the cat, strolled leisurely through it, not forgetting to close the door after entering.
Click!
A crisp sound echoed from the door as the wardrobe locked itself again.
"Meow~~" Yuumi, Ivan's cat, purred contentedly.
"If it's not a Traceless Extension Charm, then… could it be a Portkey?" Hermione guessed, but she hadn't felt the familiar tug at her navel that a Portkey typically caused.
"This is an independent space," Ivan explained, deciding not to keep Hermione in suspense any longer. He told her about the secret closet.
As for its origin... "I am a descendant of Merlin, after all. It's not so strange that a few treasures have been passed down to me, right?"
Ivan wasn't about to reveal the existence of the system to anyone, and Merlin's legacy was a convenient explanation—one that Hermione found plausible.
Merlin was the greatest wizard in England. Any kind of magical artifact could easily be attributed to him.
"How did you do this?"
"How big is this place?"
"It's vast," Ivan said seriously. "When I transformed into Obscurus, I explored dozens of mountains around here, and I still didn't find the edge of this world."
"How is that possible..."
Hermione was utterly shocked. "What kind of power can create such an enormous space?"
Magic? But what kind of magic could achieve something like this?
"It's hard to imagine, isn't it?" Ivan smiled. "When I first entered this place, I was just as amazed as you are. The magic of ancient wizards is far more powerful than we give it credit for."
As Ivan spoke, he motioned for Hermione to walk forward with him, while Yuumi followed closely behind.
Cats have a strong instinct for sensing danger.
Whenever there was any threat, Yuumi would immediately warn them.
During Ivan's previous explorations, Yuumi had always signaled caution before danger could be predicted.
Since Ivan had brought Hermione here, he made sure to prioritize her safety.
He instructed her to keep Yuumi with her at all times and to run to him immediately if the cat sensed any danger.
After some time exploring, Ivan had gone from cautiously staying near the entrance to venturing deeper into the secret realm of the wardrobe regularly.
The secret realm was home to numerous magical creatures, some of which were incredibly powerful, ruling over their territories like wild beasts.
These powerful magical creatures were highly territorial.
For instance, the giant Thunderbird Ivan had encountered on his first visit ruled over the lake in the valley, surrounded by towering mountains near the entrance of the wardrobe.
Ivan had fought with it three times.
The first time, he managed to injure and repel it.
At that point, Ivan hadn't yet mastered many spells, relying solely on raw magic to overpower it and using the power of the Obscurus to hold his own against the creature.
Because he feared the power of the Thunderbird, Ivan sealed the secret realm of the wardrobe for an entire month.
It wasn't until he had tested his strength in his duels with Snape, using the many new spells he had learned, that he dared to return to the field.
Boom~~
As they were talking, a sudden rumble of thunder echoed in the sky. Hermione quickly looked up and saw golden figures flying toward them from the distance.
"What is that?" she asked.
"Thunderbirds," Ivan replied calmly.
"Thunderbirds!!" Hermione exclaimed. "But aren't they magical creatures native to the United States?"
She had never seen a Thunderbird in person, only read about them in books.
In those books, Thunderbirds were described as creatures capable of competing with dragons for territory.
Hermione counted the shadows in the sky—there were at least five Thunderbirds flying toward them.
Five Thunderbirds were the equivalent of five dragons.
"Ivan?!" Hermione's voice rose in alarm.
"Don't be nervous," Ivan reassured her. "They're new friends I've made in the secret space."
"Friends?"
"You could say that there's no acquaintance without a fight."
In their second battle, Ivan successfully defeated the giant Thunderbird.
However, the Thunderbird, being naturally proud and arrogant, would never submit to anyone. It preferred death at Ivan's hands rather than bowing to him.
But Ivan wasn't a killer.
Besides, this was the Thunderbird's territory, and he was the outsider here.
Helplessly, Ivan chose to explore other nearby areas, letting the Thunderbird go without killing it.
During subsequent explorations, the Thunderbird came to understand Ivan's strength. When they crossed paths again, Ivan noticed that the giant Thunderbird was accompanied by others of its kind.
It turned out that a whole group of Thunderbirds lived in this area—twelve in total.
The largest Thunderbird was their leader, and Ivan referred to it as the Thunderbird Chief.
Its strength was immense. Ivan estimated that it would take at least several powerful wizards of Snape's level to match it.
At first, Ivan thought the Thunderbird Chief had brought its entire family to take revenge on him.
But, as it turned out, Ivan had misread the situation.
Thunderbirds are extremely proud creatures. While the Thunderbird Chief had lost to Ivan, it had been spared.
Though they remained adversaries, the Thunderbird Chief wouldn't stoop to something as dishonorable as a group attack.
It had its pride to maintain.
"The Thunderbird is psychic; it knows I have no ill intentions," Ivan explained. "And I've shown enough strength. So, the Thunderbird leader has allowed me to explore its territory freely."
"But that was a month ago."
Ivan smiled slightly, then released the Divine Fenix from his body.
The magnificent bird, radiating red and gold divine light, soared into the sky. As she let out a series of calls to the Thunderbirds, they responded in kind.
"Merlin's Beard! Alia is friends with them!?" Hermione exclaimed, standing in the glow of the Divine Phoenix. She noticed that the dark clouds in the sky began to dissipate as the Thunderbirds welcomed the arrival of the Fenix.
"What's happening?"
"A hundred birds pay homage to the Phoenix," Ivan explained. "If it were just an ordinary phoenix, the Thunderbirds wouldn't react like this. But my Fenix is no ordinary one."
After noticing that the Fenix core of his wand and this reincarnated Fenix from within him were not the same but more like mother and daughter, Ivan had given her name: Alia.
Naturally, Hermione and the other members knew about Alia.
"Hey~~~"
...Chii~ Cree~ Eee~...
Ivan greeted the Thunderbird family in the sky and said to Hermione, "The Divine Fenix is the most noble existence among all birds. Even an immortal bird like Fawkes would have to bow before her."
The Thunderbird leader wasn't afraid of the Fenix, but it respected this foreign king of birds.
It was like hosting an honored guest—the Thunderbirds felt privileged to have such a presence.
As a result, Ivan, who shared the same aura as the Phoenix, was also regarded as a distinguished guest by the Thunderbirds, and they treated him with great respect.
"Creee!!"
Soon, the Thunderbird leader landed in front of Ivan and Hermione with a sharp screech.
The massive creature, more than ten meters tall, made Hermione freeze in place with fear.
"A-Are Thunderbirds really this big?" Hermione asked, wide-eyed.
She recalled that the largest Thunderbird recorded in her books was about seven or eight meters tall.
But the giant before her was nearly 20 meters in height.
The height difference alone was staggering, and the size disparity was even more striking.
The Thunderbirds standing next to their leader looked like mere pigeons standing beside a rooster.
The leader was clearly several times larger—it almost seemed like an entirely different species.
"So, a leader should naturally be this big huh...?"
Ivan: "..."
Hermione nodded to herself. "Yes, what am I thinking! Ofcourse it would be more powerful then others!"
Fortunately, Hermione wasn't a magizoologist like Newt Scamander. She was surprised, but not confused.
"You can go and interact with them. I need to have a little talk with the Thunderbird leader."
"What?" Hermione tilted her head, clearly puzzled.
Letting her go play with Thunderbirds alone was one thing, but talking to the Thunderbird leader?
"Ahem." Ivan noticed her confusion and gestured with his thumb and index finger. "Ever since I awakened the Fenix, I've gained some… understanding of bird language."
"Well, just a little bit," he added, smiling.
Ivan called this ability 'voice imitator,' a rare blood talent similar to Parseltongue.
"Chirp chirp~~ Chirp~~" Ivan made a series of bird-like whistles and chirps, and to Hermione's surprise, the Thunderbird leader seemed to understand, responding with its own chirps.
Meanwhile, Hermione, still trying to process the fact that Ivan could speak bird language, suddenly noticed that Yuumi had leapt from her arms.
The cat ran toward the other Thunderbirds, then with agile precision, used her claws to climb onto one of their backs.
"Yuumi!" Hermione exclaimed, but she soon saw that Yuumi was treating the Thunderbird like a playground, happily sliding down its wings.
"Hermione, you should get familiar with them first," Ivan called over, still communicating with the Thunderbird leader.
"What?" Hermione replied, still baffled by the entire situation.
Hearing Ivan's words, Hermione wasn't entirely sure what he intended to do.
However, the Thunderbirds seemed very familiar with Ivan. Even as Hermione approached, they remained calm and friendly, showing none of the ferocity typical of birds of prey.
Gradually, Hermione became captivated by the majesty and grandeur of the Thunderbirds.
She had to admit—they were truly magnificent, the kind of sky beasts that anyone, boy or girl, would dream of.
Meanwhile, Ivan spoke with the Thunderbird leader.
"Chirp~ Chirp~~ (I want a place to live. It doesn't need to be large, just a corner of the lake)" Ivan said.
While this trip was partially to introduce Hermione to the secret realm, Ivan's main goal was to negotiate with the Thunderbird leader.
He planned to establish a secret base near the entrance to the realm, making it a true haven for him and his closest companions.
No, more accurately, this would be their primary base of operations.
At this point, Ivan fully trusted only Hermione, and bringing someone into the secret realm was his way of extending that trust completely.
However, the Thunderbird leader wasn't too happy about his request.
"This request is too much!" it responded. Animals have a strong sense of territory, and sometimes they would rather fight to the death than give up even a portion of their land.
"I know, I know," Ivan said, trying to calm the Thunderbird leader. "I'm not trying to take over your territory—I'm proposing a trade."
"Trade?"
"Yes."
Of course, Ivan could take the land by force, but he considered the Thunderbirds his friends.
Magical creatures were living beings too. As long as they weren't excessively dangerous or impossible to communicate with, Ivan preferred to coexist peacefully.
For this secret realm to thrive, "there must be a balanced ecological cycle. Destroying any part of it could have unpredictable consequences."
"Protecting magical creatures, preserving the environment, and ensuring sustainable development—that's how we move forward."
__________
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