"Okay, Neville!" Parvati said with a sly smile, "You let us know ahead of time, huh? There's no Abbott in Charms class, but there are in Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Hehe~" Hermione laughed along, adding, "Neville's telling us to be smart and not get in the way of him getting close to the girl he likes."
"Wow!" Ivan really hadn't expected that Neville, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, would have a crush already.
Surprisingly, Neville didn't deny it. Although he blushed from the teasing of the two girls, he still insisted on speaking. "We.. we met in the History of Magic class."
"No wonder you always sit far away in the History of Magic class."
Ivan patted Neville on the shoulder. Of course, he would support his good friend if he liked someone.
"Wait..." Suddenly, Ivan seemed to think of something. "The iron-clad Abbott?!"
"What iron-clad?"
"Ah..." Ivan quickly said, "Miss Abbott, are you talking about Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff?"
'Good boy, after all these twists and turns, we are back to the same person!'
I remember in the original book, Neville ended up with Hannah Abbott.
"Yeah! The first year—there's a second Abbott?"
"Oh, I thought it was a senior," Ivan teased Neville. "Look at Neville's temperament, a weak and pitiful little guy. I heard that many older students like this type."
Neville almost cried hearing this.
Parvati and Hermione also said a few words to Ivan, telling him not to bully Neville.
But, to be honest, even though Neville was a little chubby and round, many older girls did like this type of shy, kind-hearted guy.
"Ivan, Ivan."
The four of them walked towards the Gryffindor tower, talking and laughing all the way, but halfway there, Professor McGonagall stopped them.
"Excuse me, children," Professor McGonagall said. "I want to borrow Mr. Ambrosius from you."
Seeing this, Ivan immediately followed Professor McGonagall and asked, "What's the matter, Professor?"
"Albus is looking for you."
"The Headmaster?"
Ivan didn't know why Dumbledore wanted to see him.
Tonight is Halloween Eve. During the last night class, Dumbledore had mentioned that he would have two days off and suggested he enjoy the festive atmosphere of Halloween.
But now, Dumbledore had called for him again.
'Could it be because of the Mysterious Side?' Ivan thought to himself as he soon followed McGonagall into the Headmaster's office.
"Albus, I brought Ivan here."
"Oh, thank you for your effort, Minerva."
Dumbledore was as kind and gentle as ever. When he saw Ivan, he first apologized, saying he shouldn't have disturbed Ivan's happy time.
"Professor, you should just tell me what's going on." Ivan casually took a muggle candy from the table and tossed it inside his mouth.
After two months of getting to know each other, Ivan and Dumbledore had become familiar with one another.
Privately, they were like close friends regardless of age, and didn't beat around the bush.
"Is it because of the Mysterious Side?"
Ivan got straight to the point. He really couldn't think of any other reason for Dumbledore to find him.
In fact, even if Dumbledore didn't ask, he would tell him about the Mysterious Side.
"Ah..." Dumbledore sighed. "Protecting the magical world and bringing happiness to the younger generation, what a beautiful wish."
"How did you know?" Ivan was sure his friends would never talk about it.
"Well..." Dumbledore smiled and explained, "I am the headmaster, and every Hogwarts headmaster has their helpers."
"Is it the paintings?" Ivan quickly guessed Dumbledore's source of information within the school.
He looked up at the headmasters' paintings on the wall.
"It has nothing to do with me."
"I didn't tell on you, little Ivan."
"Mysterious Side, it seems that you, a young wizard, have great ambitions."
"The Sorting Hat must be broken; the kid should have come to Slytherin."
"..."
The previous headmasters discussed it, with some trying to shift blame and others expressing curiosity about what Ivan was planning.
Ivan ignored them.
Even if the paintings were very realistic, they were not real after all.
They were just fragments of the creator's partial memory. They were good for preserving knowledge, but when it came to future judgments, it was best not to trust them too much.
"You remind me of someone..."
Dumbledore looked into Ivan's eyes and said, "No, two to be exact."
"Let me guess." Ivan wasn't nervous. He moved a chair and calmly sat opposite Dumbledore. "One of them should be Voldemort, and the other one, Grindelwald?"
"You guessed half right." Dumbledore handed Ivan some more candy. Seeing Ivan's confusion, he did not answer immediately.
"Professor, are you worried that I will become the next Voldemort?" Ivan said this, but he wasn't worried at all.
He believed that his soul attribute was extremely high, and Dumbledore had no ill will towards him. Ivan even felt that even if he went astray in the future, Dumbledore would not kill him.
"How could that be! I just want to talk to you."
"You know, an old man over a hundred years old doesn't have much to do on weekdays. He can only sit here and do nothing. It's really too boring."
Seeing Ivan raise his eyebrows, Dumbledore quickly brought the topic back. "Okay, okay, little Ivan, you should be more patient. You see, I'm over a hundred years old."
"Professor, you look at most 99."
"Pfft~ Hahaha.." Seeing that Ivan could still joke, Dumbledore also laughed.
Both knew that what they said just now was a joke. They often teased each other more than just this.
"So which half did I guess right?" Ivan asked. "Voldemort or Grindelwald?"
"You shouldn't call that person by his name, little Ivan."
Although Dumbledore said this, he didn't bring a blaming tone, just gently reminding him to pay attention.
Ivan wasn't afraid, but others would be. There are many ways to prove courage, and it's best not to choose those that would scare people.
"Not that person." Dumbledore sighed. "I never thought that you and Tom had similarities. You are two completely different people."
"Sorry, Professor." Ivan said, "I think we still have some similarities, such as both having great magical talents and both being handsome?"
"Hahaha..." Dumbledore was amused by Ivan, but the old man had to admit that Ivan's appearance was indeed very good.
"Tom's talent is excellent, but compared to you, little Ivan, it's still a little lacking."
Dumbledore never thought that Ivan would become the next Voldemort.
Tom Riddle is the product of dark circumstances. He has extraordinary magical talents, but his heart has long been twisted.
Voldemort does not understand love, does not know how to love, and does not believe in love.
Dumbledore admitted that he had made a serious mistake in Voldemort's education.
Voldemort longed for love, but Dumbledore failed to realize this.
If Dumbledore could have discovered it earlier, Voldemort might not have taken that path, or at least he would not be as mad as he is now.
"Ivan, do you know what the most powerful magic in the world is?"
"It is love. Love is the most powerful magic in the world."
"And you, Ivan."
Dumbledore said, "You know what love is."
Ivan admitted that love does contain unimaginable magic.
But wasn't it a bit too corny for Dumbledore to say that?
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