"You see, my companions and I mean you no harm," Ivan explained. "As for what I can offer you… how about blood purification?"
"Blood?" The Thunderbird leader didn't immediately understand Ivan's meaning.
As Ivan explained further, the Thunderbird leader began to grasp the concept. "Are you saying you can restore our Thunderbirds to our former state?"
In American mythology, the Thunderbird is the ruler of the skies, a powerful beast capable of controlling thunder and lightning.
But today's Thunderbirds had lost much of that ancient majesty.
The lightning that once coursed through their bodies had faded.
Although they could still summon storms and shift the skies, that was entirely different from embodying the power of thunder itself.
Ivan had once asked Dumbledore about what Thunderbirds were like in ancient times.
The old headmaster had explained that Thunderbirds were once beings of pure golden lightning.
They could summon storms, navigate through dark clouds, and were among the fastest magical creatures.
"Yes," Ivan said confidently. "I can help you reclaim your thunder!"
The Thunderbird leader would normally have dismissed such claims as empty words.
However, with the Divine Fenix as a living example—the Phoenix that had reclaimed her flame and become a true mythical being—the Thunderbird leader found the temptation of returning to its ancestral bloodline too powerful to resist.
And somehow, it sensed that following this young human in front of it might bring unimaginable rewards.
"I believe you," the Thunderbird leader said. "As long as you don't harm this land, you may take what you need."
"Thank you so much!" Ivan hadn't expected the Thunderbird leader to be so inytellegent.
He wasn't entirely sure how to help the Thunderbird return to its ancestral bloodline, but with his magic eye, he could study the Thunderbirds' physical conditions and identify what might differ from their ancient lineage.
"Oh, and I'd like to borrow two Thunderbirds," Ivan added, explaining his need. This secret realm was so vast that even with his Obscurus abilities, he couldn't cover it all.
Of course, he could use a flying broomstick—but riding a Thunderbird was on an entirely different level.
"Agreed," the Thunderbird leader replied, unfazed by the request. Unlike dragons, which often considered riding a taboo, the Thunderbird saw no issue with helping Ivan and his companion, Hermione. To it, there was little difference between aiding Ivan and playing.
With a few calls from the Thunderbird leader, all but two of the Thunderbirds took flight, following their leader as they disappeared into the sky.
"Huh?" Hermione, seeing the Thunderbirds flying off, asked quickly, "What happened?"
"The deal is done."
Ivan explained the agreement he had made with the Thunderbird leader, and Hermione was astonished to learn that they now had the support of a group of Thunderbirds in this secret place.
"I plan to make this our true secret base," Ivan said.
Hermione sensed the deeper meaning in his words.
While it might seem a bit unfair to Neville and Parvati, she understood that some secrets required caution, especially if they were to keep this place truly safe. She found herself agreeing with Ivan's approach.
"So, what should we do?" she asked.
"First, we'll set up the protective magic."
Ivan continued, "Do you remember the spell I taught you last time?"
"Yes," Hermione replied. "The spell, Protego Ultron—you said it would be very useful. Is this when we use it?"
"Exactly."
Ivan intended to establish a large magical barrier with the entrance as its center.
In the wizarding world, there were many types of protective magic.
There was personal armor protection like Protego, continuous overall protection, and even range-based ultimate protection like Protego Totalum and Maxima.
The purpose of this Safeguard spell was to create a ward that could resist spells.
The Protego Ultron spell can conceal an area so that any sounds or sights within it cannot be detected from the outside.
In terms of protective performance, this spell has the lowest requirements among these types of magic—all in all, it's much less demanding than a Fidelius Charm with somewhat similar results without a secret keeper.
With Hermione's current skill level, she couldn't even cast the simple Protego successfully yet, and even if she managed to use it, the defensive strength would be limited.
"Take Yuumi with you, and one of the Thunderbirds," Ivan said after a pause. "You can give it a name. I think you'll be spending a lot of time together."
"Can I?" Hermione hadn't considered that she could have a Thunderbird as a companion.
Even if it was only temporary, as long as she was here, it didn't feel any different from having a long-term partner.
So, Hermione named the female Thunderbird Renee, while Ivan named the male Rector.
Renee and Rector were siblings, hatched from the same clutch by the Thunderbird leader.
They were gentle by nature, curious about Ivan and Hermione, and more than happy to take them on a tour through the forest.
"Take this," Ivan said, tossing a golden dragon coin to Hermione as they rode the Thunderbirds.
"I've cast a 'Communications Charm' on it—like a short-range walkie-talkie. Our base extends from over there… to here."
Ivan gestured to outline the boundaries of the territory for Hermione, then instructed her to set up security and defense: "The barrier doesn't need to be overly intricate; just make sure it covers a large area."
"I understand,"
Hermione quickly understood Ivan's plan.
He had her set up security and defense markers in various locations, so that, standing in the center, he could cast a massive magical barrier to cover the entire area at once, using the magic markers Hermione left as his guide.
With Ivan directing from above, Hermione rode on Renee with Yuumi beside her, moving swiftly through the forest.
With the Thunderbird as her protector and Yuumi's keen sense for danger, Hermione's safety was assured.
If anything unexpected happened, Ivan would Apparate in immediately to provide backup.
As he observed Hermione's progress, Ivan focused on preparing the Ultimate Guardian Charm, an advanced protective spell.
The Ultimate Guardian Charm's unique ability is to bind together individual sources of magic, uniting them into a single, cohesive shield.
According to Dumbledore's teachings, the Ultimate Guardian Charm is often combined with the Universal Protection spell, which joins multiple protective barriers into one enormous shield capable of covering vast areas.
But this version was a freeform product, Ivan thought, recalling Dumbledore's words: "The true Ultimate Guardian Charm requires tremendous magical power. Only a rare few in the wizarding world can create a complete shield with one spell."
Dumbledore himself was one of those few.
The Ultimate Guardian Charm's incantation was lengthy, and its numerous segments allowed for customization to suit the caster's needs.
For instance, the Ultimate Guardian Charm Ivan was casting now was infused with the magic of the Fenix.
This Fenix magic carried ancient Eastern runes, representing benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness.
These virtues, common in Ivan's previous life, hold immense significance in the wizarding world and are considered the pinnacle of Eastern magic.
However, these five forms of magic demand a lot from wizards.
Without a righteous heart, an understanding of propriety, and a sense of faith, it's impossible to cast magic connected to these virtues.
Fortunately, this wasn't an issue for Ivan.
The Fenix possessed its own runes for these five virtues.
Rather than Ivan casting the spell alone, it was as if the Fenix itself was leading the way.
"I'm exhausted," Hermione said, wiping sweat from her forehead. She raised her wand high and shot a magical firework into the air.
Pop!
Seeing this signal, Ivan halted his chanting.
The Fenix sensed her master's will and quickly ceased her supporting flow of magic.
"Excitare The Ultimate Guardian! PROTEGO ULTRON!!!"
As Ivan raised his wand, an immense surge of magic seemed to envelop the entire area.
Boom!
An earth-shaking roar filled the air, like a massive dome slamming down over the surrounding forests and lake.
Buzz… Buzz…
The shimmering light of the barrier rippled, then gradually dimmed and faded until it became invisible.
Hermione, watching in awe, reached out toward the now-invisible barrier.
She attempted to step in, out, and even jump around within the boundary.
"Why didn't anything happen?"
Hermione couldn't feel the presence of the Ultimate Guardian at all. "Did the spell fail?"
"No, it worked," Ivan replied, landing beside her on Rector and explaining, "Magic can hold a piece of the caster's mind, and many of our spells carry the personal will of the one who casts them."
In other words, Ivan hadn't just set up a simple magic barrier; he had created a protective system.
This system was semi-sentient, like enchanted paintings, wizard chess pieces, or Mr. Weasley's car.
However, compared to those often unpredictable enchantments, Ivan's barrier was much more refined.
The five virtues imbued it with positive qualities, making the barrier both loyal and highly perceptive.
"It can recognize the intentions of anyone within or approaching the barrier and respond accordingly."
Since Ivan had imbued it with his will, the barrier saw Hermione as an ally, allowing her to come and go freely.
"But if you ever find you can't leave," Ivan warned, "don't worry. It likely means the barrier detected some danger outside and is protecting you."
In addition to this, the barrier came with many other functions.
Ivan instructed Hermione to cast a spell on the nearby trees.
The little witch didn't hesitate and quickly complied.
She cast a Blasting Curse toward the trees, but just as the spell flew forward, a flash of light intercepted it, causing the curse to vanish before it even reached the tree, as if it had never been there.
"What happened?"
"Hahaha! It's really working! The barrier intercepted your Blasting Curse," Ivan explained.
"The barrier assesses any changes within it on its own. It can intercept not only spells but also defend against physical attacks."
In other words, it was like a room managed by intelligent magic.
What can and cannot happen within its bounds is decided by this Ultimate Protection system.
"The barrier's intentions won't update automatically, so there's no risk of it going rogue."
In fact, even if the barrier encountered any issues, Ivan had left several safeguards in place.
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