Ivy was following Dumbledore and Snape toward the Headmaster's office on the eighth floor of the main tower.
"Surely a lot has happened in the British wizarding world over the past hundred years, right?" Ivy's question broke the silence that had settled in the air.
No one responded...
After two turns of the staircase, Dumbledore finally spoke slowly, "Any account is subjective, so how about we treat the changes in the wizarding world over the last century as a puzzle, and explore it through our perspectives, Mr. Doom?"
Perhaps because Ivy's question was too broad, Dumbledore didn't know where to begin. More importantly, he wasn't sure what Ivy learned about the wizarding world.
"Alright..." Ivy responded vaguely, but quickly posed a second question, "Has there been any change in the mission of Hogwarts? What about the teaching methods?"
"Nothing special. Except, we keep trying to open up those fools' minds and stuff more knowledge into them..." Snape said without turning around, his voice flat and monotonous.
"What I mean is, can I return to Hogwarts and continue my studies? You know, I only attended for a year, and I didn't even take the regular wizarding exams!" Ivy got straight to the point. To him, Hogwarts was a place of immense opportunity, and now it was 1991—the story was about to begin! How could he possibly miss out on all that?
"Once we have a clearer understanding of the situation, we'll make proper arrangements for you. Trust me, Mr. Doom," Dumbledore stopped and turned to face Ivy with a serious expression. "Once we reach my office, we can have a proper conversation."
"As you wish, Professor." Ivy politely closed his mouth.
"Lemon Snowball." As Dumbledore spoke the incantation, the bowing statue by the door to the Headmaster's office stepped aside, and a stone staircase appeared, rising in steps.
The Headmaster's office was a round room, and Ivy felt that it hadn't changed much since more than a century ago.
Aside from the bookshelves filled with books, there were display cases containing various strange magical artifacts, and the walls were lined with portraits of past headmasters. However, what set Dumbledore's office apart from Phineas Black's office was the glass case containing the Sword of Gryffindor and the phoenix Fawkes perched atop a gilded branch.
"It's supposed to be summer break, so why is there a young wizard standing here? Albus?" A portrait of a former headmaster spoke up; Ivy didn't recognize him.
"Even with probation, no one stays during the summer. Something unusual must be going on. I've heard that Harry Potter is starting school this year..." Another portrait chimed in.
Ivy couldn't resist interrupting: "Harry Potter? Is he famous?"
"That's none of your business," Snape's cold, dismissive voice cut off the portraits from responding. He conjured a chair for Ivy and roughly shoved him into it.
"Phineas! Phineas Nigellus Black?" Dumbledore called out as he searched through the portraits on the wall. "Excuse me, could you help me find him?"
"Oh! The greatest white wizard of the twentieth century is asking for my help? How strange," came the voice of someone who wasn't very well-liked, from another portrait on the far side of the room. All three living beings in the room turned their attention toward it.
"Ah, there you are, Phineas!" Dumbledore said with relief as he spotted the portrait of Phineas Black. He sat back down in his chair and introduced Ivy, "This is your student, Ivy Doom. Do you remember him?"
"Ivy Doom?" Phineas Black's voice was full of confusion. "The professors reported that you were dead. How have you survived until now... and become... so young?"
"Well, it was some sort of magical accident that none of us understand," Ivy shrugged, then countered, "But I'm curious why Headmaster Black would use such an aged portrait as proof of his time as headmaster."
"It seems you two are familiar with each other. In that case, Mr. Doom's status as a Hogwarts student is confirmed," Dumbledore said, his wise eyes gleaming. He casually grabbed a candy from a plate that was making a clicking sound and popped it into his mouth. "Chew, chew~ Can you tell me about ancient magic?"
"Hmph," Phineas Black's portrait sniffed, "Though it sounds like something, compared to modern magic, it's not that impressive. Anything that ancient magic can do, modern magic can do just as well, and frankly, ancient magic is more difficult to control—wild and primitive. Isn't that what happened to that boy? He turned out like this because of ancient magic, didn't he?"
Ivy rolled his eyes. "It was a necessary sacrifice to stop the goblin Ranrok, and even if I had to do it again..."
"I noticed you mentioned sacrifice?" Dumbledore interrupted Ivy's explanation. "What would require a child to sacrifice themselves?"
"Well, the situation is quite complicated, but I'll try to keep it brief," Ivy tried to organize his thoughts. "I'm an ancient magic affinity wizard. Professor Figo found me and guided me to Hogwarts. Around the same time, a dark wizard with the last name 'Lukewood' teamed up with the goblin Ranrok, both of them after the power of ancient magic."
"Among the professors at Hogwarts, there had been a secret inheritance of ancient magic's secrets. They had established a secret vault beneath Hogwarts, the very same vault you found me in."
"Ranrok controlled many magical creatures using goblin-made magic silver, and through the goblins' building the vault, he learned its exact location. In the end, he used a drill to tunnel through the mountain and reached the depths of Hogwarts."
"At that time, all the professors at Hogwarts joined the battle. They held off Ranrok's followers on the outside while Professor Figo and I confronted Ranrok in the deepest part of the vault. To defeat him, I had to release the power stored in the vault."
"After that, I saw you guys, and... my body ended up like this."
Snape looked at him skeptically. "A Muggle who never received any magical education, learning for only a year, yet defeating a major threat to the wizarding world? Maybe I should take my students on a field trip to visit your brain. It might help them earn a few more OWL certificates."
"Because I have special learning tools!" Ivy pulled a book out of his robe. "The Wizarding Combat Handbook!"
"Wow! What happened to it?" Ivy marveled at the magnificent, magical book in his hands. The original Wizarding Combat Handbook was just a plain notebook covered in leather, with parchment pages, but now it had become a beautiful, gem-encrusted tome, decorated with gold and silver threads—elegant and striking.
"Maybe it should have a new name!" Ivy scratched his chin. "Ivy Doom's Spell Tome!"
"The Doom Spell Tome?" Snape frowned, sensing that things were not as simple as they appeared.
"Oh! That name works too. I like it!" Ivy clapped in appreciation of Snape's misunderstanding.