Ian's magical power was "frozen" and restricted. He tried to struggle, but those hands clamped down on him tightly like iron pincers, holding him immobile.
"Black magic!"
Ian cried out in shock.
"This is damn blacker-than-black black magic!" He really hadn't expected that an Albus Dumbledore in fifth or sixth year would already be using such sacrificial-level dark magic.
Yes.
Sacrificial magic.
Purely evil dark magic.
At this moment, it was actually wielded by a Hogwarts student. Most students wouldn't even touch this kind of magic at this age.
"I'm sorry for making you suffer all this... but I think it's worth it, at least for me," Albus said with a self-mocking smile.
"I just know my brother Tom Riddle; if he knew about your situation, he'd definitely cry his eyes out in the bathroom," Ian's heart showed a trace of panic, though his face didn't reveal it.
"Tom? Someone close to future me?" Albus struggled to stand, still battling the effects of the Draught of Living Death.
"Forget Tom; I admit defeat, okay?" Ian still had some trump cards but didn't want to waste those one-time-use items on this duel.
"I accept your surrender, but... please allow me to apologize to you again," Albus said as he resisted the potion's effects and pulled open Ian's robes.
"Hiss~"
Ian felt a chill on his chest and really started to panic. Could Old Dumbledore really have been a bishop in his youth!?
"What are you going to do to me?" Ian's eyes widened in terror.
"I want to win twice." Albus said this with a feeling akin to stealing Ian's line. Fortunately, he didn't do anything strange but began to draw magical runes on Ian's body with his wand.
Because of the Draught of Living Death, the handsome young man's hands trembled, and his posture swayed, but relying on sheer willpower, he persisted in continuously inscribing the runes on Ian's body.
"I think there's a reason why you came to this time," Albus seemed to be analyzing Ian, revealing the near-demonic intelligence of his brilliant mind.
However, the wisdom he displayed far exceeded Ian's expectations.
"What a rare opportunity. Perhaps the future me wants to use you to convey some message. But to the present me, this is an opportunity I must seize."
"To you, and to the future me... I deeply apologize." Though the words sounded remorseful, Albus's hands never stopped moving.
"What do you mean?"
Ian's heart was already filled with a bad premonition. He was ready to fight back at any moment.
"You told me you are not the Obscurus user who successfully changed fate. That disappoints me but doesn't make me despair... because to me, you could very well be the person I hope to see."
"You only need a little change... plus knowledge and abilities far superior to that Dumbledore of mine, to give you a little help." Albus's hands did not stop.
He looked up and locked eyes with Ian.
"I believe you have extraordinary significance to me... to the future me, so I have to take this gamble." His words were firm and sincere.
Ian's scalp tingled from hearing this.
"Is this still the Albus Dumbledore I know!?" Ian's emotions fluctuated wildly.
Of course, he understood perfectly.
This Albus Dumbledore obviously wanted to turn him into an Obscurus user, then use him along with the future Albus Dumbledore to find a solution to the Obscurus problem!
This was just outrageous!
Not only sacrificing Ian, but also scheming against his future self... How insane must one be to think of such a berserk, twisted plan the moment they met Ian!?
White Dark Lord? Damn White Dark Lord!
This is the real first-generation Dark Lord!
"I think there's really no need for this. We can talk," Ian said, fully aware of why Albus was so obsessed with the Obscurus issue.
If his memory served him correctly, at this point in time, his dear sister Ariana was still alive, and as her elder brother, Albus Dumbledore had been trying to solve the problem she carried.
This young headmaster, clearly troubled and clueless in his research and pressed for time due to Ariana's condition, was evidently treating Ian as a 'sacrifice' to find hope.
"Some sins... I can no longer avoid," Albus sighed deeply. His eyes showed guilt but no sign of struggle.
The magical runes kept increasing.
Some kind of power seemed about to grow.
Ian knew he couldn't wait any longer.
"Kuāng dāng~"
A murky potion slipped from his sleeve.
It shattered on the ground.
The splattered potion hit the black hands, which suddenly lost their power and dropped Ian like withered branches, hanging low toward the ground.
"Swoosh~"
Just as Ian withdrew wildly and raised his wand, the serious-faced Albus Dumbledore flicked his wand, dispersing the potion droplets on the black hands and controlling them to re-wrap around Ian.
Black mist filled the air.
An outsider would think Ian was fighting Voldemort.
"Expecto Patronum!"
There was no other choice. Ian could only cast the Patronus Charm.
Silver-white light soared.
Like a shower of shooting stars, the lights rapidly intertwined to form a dazzling net of light. The silhouette of a young girl began to appear faintly.
Yes.
This magic had not failed.
And it would not fail.
Ian had felt and been surprised since arriving at this time, clearly sensing a connection between himself and Ariana.
He originally wanted to discuss things a bit more with Albus.
But unexpectedly, he didn't give Albus Dumbledore any surprises.
Instead, this Albus gave him a full scare.
"Ariana! Quick! Defeat your evil and dark elder brother!" Ian frantically tried to break free and erase the magical runes on his body while shouting loudly to his fully formed friend.
Ariana, in the form of a Patronus, slowly stepped out from the glowing light.
She wore shining silver armor, her long hair cascading like a waterfall, gently flowing in the breeze, holding a slender and exquisite longsword that emitted a faint sacred light.
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh~"
One by one, the black hands howled toward her but were chopped into pieces. When they touched Ariana's longsword, it was like touching ice at high temperature, completely powerless to resist.
The sky-darkening black hands.
The girl didn't have to swing the sword many times.
Because after her appearance, the black hands began to fall one after another, as if they had lost control.
"Huh? Elder brother?" Ariana finally saw the opponent's face clearly.
She looked surprised.
"What... what... what's going on!?" Albus took several steps back, staring at Ian's Patronus with shock and disbelief.
"Impossible! Impossible!"
The handsome young man's wand dropped toward the ground. His strained body half-kneeling on the floor.
"Elder brother, how did you become young again, and still want to... deal with Ian?" Ariana clearly didn't understand the situation well, drifting over to the young Dumbledore, who looked completely drained.
The girl raised her hand and touched the handsome young man's forehead, as if trying to check if Albus had a fever.
"Ariana... so..." Albus Dumbledore's body trembled violently.
"I understand now, so it was to verify... this..." His eyes began to darken, becoming vacant.
As if he had lost the will to keep going, the Draught of Living Death finally took effect, and Albus's whole body went limp, collapsing backward.
"Albus, elder brother?" Ariana quickly supported her big brother's neck.
"Ian, is he being controlled by an dark wizard?"
She anxiously glanced back at Ian.
"Bullocks! That dark wizard is the biggest threat himself! He's the Dark Lord!" Ian said, a little flustered, using all his strength to completely erase the magical runes on his body.
Even so, he still felt unclean.
"Ah?" Ariana was clearly stunned. She wanted to say something, but suddenly Ian's entire body began to emit a strange light.
The Patronus girl vanished in an instant, along with Ian, who was still a little dazed.
"Going back now?"
Ian felt a strong dizziness, as if an invisible force was suddenly pulling him into a bizarre, kaleidoscopic world. The strange light wrapped tightly around him, pulsating with odd colors and patterns like a kaleidoscope, making his vision unable to focus.
Surrounded by this light, the scenery around him twisted and became strange; space and time seemed meaningless, everything sinking into an indescribable chaotic state.
"Buzz buzz buzz~"
Ian's ears were filled with a deep, long buzzing sound, like ancient spells echoing beside him. Suddenly, everything calmed. The strange light gradually faded, replaced by a familiar and warm atmosphere. Ian suddenly opened his eyes and found himself in a spacious and bright room.
It was his very familiar office of Nicolas Flamel.
The grand clock stood right beside him.
Also present were an anxious and worried Harry Potter, the somewhat peculiar-looking Nicolas Flamel, and an older Albus Dumbledore holding his chest, visibly relieved.
The older version.
(End of chapter)
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