As expected, a sullen Snape decisively declined Dumbledore's offer of candy. "Oh, that's a shame — it tastes wonderful... Mr. Elias?" the old wizard said sadly, then looked at Ryan.
"Give me one, please." Ryan readily accepted the candy from Dumbledore. Upon opening the candy box, an illusory leprechaun immediately flew out. He tap-danced, but accidentally fell and turned into a piece of delicate toffee.
"Cool," Ryan exclaimed, popping it into his mouth. The rich aroma of caramel and cream filled his nostrils, and Ryan's eyes lit up instantly. He nodded repeatedly. "It tastes really good."
He still stood by his opinion — the wizarding world a thousand years ago might have surpassed the wizarding world of today in all aspects of magic, but when it came to food, especially desserts, it undoubtedly fell short.
He even believed that Hufflepuff would be willing to pay a large sum to acquire Honeydukes. In fact... Ryan was willing to do so now.
"Indeed." At this moment, Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction. "Mr. Elias has excellent taste."
"You can just call me Ryan, Mr. Headmaster. As for taste, I think the caramel flavor is a little too dominant, somewhat overshadowing the rich, smooth cream..."
"Oh, that's a perceptive observation, Ryan."
Snape's face darkened as the old man and the young man seemed about to debate the optimal ratio of ingredients in the candy. "Headmaster Dumbledore, perhaps you should first focus on the trouble Mr. Elias has caused." The man voiced his dissatisfaction. "He broke into the Slytherin common room today and injured his classmates and seniors... extremely despicable behavior!" Snape sneered. "I believe the Board of Governors will come to you tomorrow. They may ask for Mr. Elias's expulsion..."
He glanced at Ryan, but found that the young wizard remained calm even at this moment. He simply looked at Dumbledore. And the latter did speak now. "Don't be so hard on the child, Severus." Dumbledore's blue eyes turned to Snape. "I know about what happened today. I mean — Fawkes heard about it when he was out for a walk."
Young wizards are always full of energy and do things that are beyond your expectations... it's perfectly normal... He smiled and stroked the feathers of the phoenix on the table. Snape rolled his eyes.
"Energetic? Normal?" Snape sneered. "He challenged the entire Slytherin freshman class to a duel alone. He easily defeated them, and even managed to defeat a fifth-year prefect with a single spell..."
"What!?" His words pierced the portraits of the headmasters in the office. "The entire Slytherin freshman class!?" One portrait's voice grew even more shrill. Ryan saw the portrait. It showed a man with a thin, long face and dark hair. He had a carefully trimmed black goatee, his hair was jet-black and slightly curly, meticulously combed back, and he wore dark green velvet robes.
Hmm... judging by the color of the robes and his aristocratic attire, he was clearly a Slytherin.
Ryan also saw his name at the bottom of the frame — Phineas Nigellus Black!
"How dare he insult the noble Slytherin like this!" He was furious. He glared at Ryan with an angry, icy gaze. "If I were headmaster, he would have been expelled. I wouldn't tolerate a piece of shit..."
But just then...
"Phineas," Dumbledore interrupted. The old wizard's knuckles tapped the tabletop, making a quiet thud. To be fair, the sound wasn't particularly loud, but the air in the office seemed to freeze at that moment. Fawkes paused in his brushing, and Ryan sensed a vast, commanding, and stern aura.
He knew it wasn't an illusion — it was the magical power of powerful wizards, the natural transformation of their surroundings as their moods shifted. And so, the furious and incessant Phineas Black paused.
"I remember we talked about certain words and the ethics of a headmaster..." Dumbledore began softly, his gentle blue eyes piercing with a rare sharpness. "I hope you haven't forgotten." And with that, Phineas fell silent.
He silently vanished from the frame, no trace left.
Ryan noticed that several of the headmasters seemed to smile. This included even two other Slytherin headmasters, whose frames were clearly marked with green markers. "It seems this Headmaster Phineas isn't very popular — but that's understandable..." Ryan glanced at the other person's name.
To be honest, he was a little angry at that moment. This anger far surpassed his previous anger towards the Slytherins. He could hardly imagine what Hogwarts would be like if the headmaster of Hogwarts adhered to that foolish so-called pure-blood doctrine, treating Muggles and half-bloods in the same way. He couldn't help but feel furious at the thought.
However, considering how obviously unpleasant Headmaster Phineas was, it's possible that during his tenure, the relationship between the Lion and Serpent Houses was actually good.
"Black..."
He noted the family's name and resolved to give them a more serious lesson if he encountered any of their members in the future.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore had already returned to his chair. "Oh, sorry — Phineas is just sleepy... What were we talking about?" His demeanor returned to a gentler tone. "Yes, a duel, a wonderful duel!" He winked at Ryan. "A brilliant and sophisticated Shield Charm, covering only one hand to conserve magic power, and a perfect and ancient control of magic."
"And that particular ancient spell... I presume you learned all this from the books in your family vault?" He said this, and Ryan was a little surprised. It was clear that Dumbledore knew more than just dueling; he knew many of the details.
For example, what Ryan had done before, something that seemed almost unimaginable to other young wizards. Grabbing the spell and crushing it — it seemed incredible. But at its core, it was just a simple Shield Charm. Just like Ryan's use of the Levitation Charm. As an ancient wizard, he had no particular rules or regulations when it came to the Shield Charm.
He concentrated his already limited magic power into his left hand and shaped it into a solid, powerful force, making it far more effective than a normal Shield Charm.
In fact, the ancient magic "Ghost Protection," the prototype of the Shield Charm, itself uses this very technique.
Furthermore, the resistance to spells, such as the scales of a dragon or the skin of a giant, stems from a similar structure.
"Wizards themselves are magical creatures," That was what Salazar Slytherin said in the past. He believed that dragons, giants, and indeed all magical beasts, were essentially the same as wizards in terms of magical power. What they could do, wizards could also do.
Therefore, Ryan could easily crush the spells cast by the young wizards — their spells were inherently unstable!
As for the spell Ryan used to defeat Macall Dolohov, it was, as Dumbledore had said, an ancient spell called the Star-Vault. It was a mind-affecting spell that caused the victim to see a vast starry sky and fall into a coma from a sense of insignificance.
This spell was one of the few ancient spells Ryan could cast, due to its inherent power and the magical energy required. Even after being cursed, the victim could easily recover after a day's rest. A wizard with sufficiently strong willpower could easily resist the spell.
But it was clear that Macall Dolohov lacked such strong will.
Dumbledore's knowledge of so many details only made Ryan more suspicious... "He's not been watching through some means, is he?" Ryan looked at the headmaster with some suspicion.
"Oh, Fawkes told me all that." Dumbledore seemed to see through Ryan's thoughts. He pointed to the phoenix beside him, indicating that Fawkes was its name. "The phoenix is a clever magical creature and a loyal companion, especially for someone over a hundred years old who shouldn't move around much... It brings me fresh news every day."
Only a fool would believe that, Ryan rolled his eyes inwardly.
Over a hundred years old, not suitable for much movement—that was like Gryffindor saying he was old and could no longer lift a sword. Despite his disbelief, Ryan answered without hesitation.
"Yes, Headmaster," he said calmly. "I read those spells and how to control magic in my family books."
---
Author's note
Shoutout to Mj Regan who has become the new member of the Patreon community! Thank you for your support!
If you want to read more chapters of this story, please visit patreon/achmz . You can read this story up to chapter 56! Thank you for your support!