Hogwarts’ White Lord

Soon, it was five minutes to three in the afternoon, and the four of them left the castle, making their way across the grounds to Hagrid's house.

Hagrid lived in a small wooden hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, with a crossbow and a pair of large rubber boots sitting outside the front door.

When Harry knocked, they heard some scuffling inside, followed by a few deep barks, and then Hagrid's booming voice.

"Back, Fang, back!"

Hagrid opened the door just a crack, his large, bearded face peeking through.

He was surprised to see four young wizards standing at his doorstep, but as soon as he realized Harry had made friends, his face lit up with a warm smile of relief.

"Give me a sec."

"Back, Fang!"

He let the four of them in while wrestling with the collar of an enormous black hound.

The cabin consisted of just one room.

Hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling, a copper kettle was steaming away on a fire in the hearth, and there was a large bed in one corner, covered with a patchwork quilt.

"Make yourselves at home," Hagrid said, finally releasing Fang.

Fang, the gigantic dog, immediately bounded over to Ronald and began licking his ear.

Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as it looked.

"This is Ronald," Harry introduced Hagrid to his first friend at Hogwarts.

"Ahm.. you can call me Ron, Ron Weas—"

"Another Weasley brother? Right? That red hair is hard to miss ya' know." Hagrid said, glancing at Ronald's freckled face. "I spent almost half of my life chasing those twin brothers out of the Forbidden Forest."

Hermione, on the other hand, was very composed.

She didn't mind the clutter in Hagrid's hut and sat down naturally on the round stool Hagrid had prepared for her, waiting patiently as Hagrid bustled around, bringing out rock cakes and tea.

"Oh, a cute little witch," Hagrid said with a laugh. "No need to be so formal. This isn't Professor McGonagall's classroom."

"Relax, Hermione," Ivan added, looking around Hagrid's hut. His eyes swept over the various objects haphazardly piled up, giving the place the feel of an organized chaos. "Aren't you curious about what's in the Forbidden Forest? Hagrid is an expert. No one at Hogwarts knows the Forbidden Forest better than he does."

"Haha!" Hagrid chuckled, clearly pleased. "I remember you! The little guy who could cast his own spells right after entering—no—even before entering school. I've never seen a young wizard as talented as you."

Ivan accepted the compliment with a nod. He glanced around the room again and asked, "Hagrid, how do you manage all of this?"

"I mean, these things."

Everyone followed Ivan's gaze, but Harry and Ronald both looked as puzzled as ever.

Hermione was equally confused, only seeing what looked like a room full of junk.

"You all..." Ivan sighed, shaking his head slightly. He sat down next to Hermione and picked up the milk tea Hagrid had prepared.

The moment Ivan had entered Hagrid's hut, he had felt the faint fluctuations of magic in the air. Casually using his magic eye, he had quickly scanned the room.

What he found was astonishing—a room packed full of precious magical materials.

It wasn't just the ordinary trinkets everyone else saw. The animal skin used as a carpet, for example, came from a unicorn.

For context, unicorn tail hair alone was worth some valuable Galleons. While the carpet wasn't entirely made of unicorn tail hair, its value in alchemical terms was immense.

To put it simply, with just the materials lying around this hut, Hagrid could easily be considered one of the wealthiest individuals at Hogwarts.

"See something you like, little Ivan?" Hagrid beamed, pleased that Ivan had noticed what the others hadn't. He began enthusiastically sharing stories about his love for magical creatures and the materials they provided.

Hagrid even offered, with a grin, to let Ivan use anything in the room that caught his eye.

Naturally, Ivan politely declined.

The items were indeed valuable, but Ivan knew better than to accept them without earning them. As the saying goes, repaying favors is one of the hardest things to do.

Besides, Ivan didn't need these rare magical materials at the moment.

"That's a pity," Hagrid said with a shrug, clearly not too concerned. Since Ivan had politely refused, he didn't push further.

For the rest of the visit, Hagrid proudly promoted his special rock cakes to the group while listening to their stories about their first week at Hogwarts.

Each of them had encountered plenty of new and exciting things, given their fresh arrival at the school.

Harry decided to bring up Snape's class, sharing his less-than-pleasant experience.

Hagrid, like Ron, quickly reassured him. "Don't worry about Snape, Harry. He doesn't really like anyone, to be honest."

"But it seems like he really hates me," Harry muttered.

"Nonsense!" Hagrid replied firmly. "Why would he hate you?"

But Harry couldn't shake the feeling that Hagrid was deliberately avoiding his gaze when he said that.

Before Harry could press further, Hagrid quickly shifted the conversation toward Ron. "How's your brother Charlie doing?" he asked. "I like him a lot—he's great with animals."

Crack!

Ivan struggled with the rock cake for a while, quickly realizing that it was definitely not suitable as food. It was incredibly hard, almost impossible to chew, and even soaking it in tea didn't help.

What was Hagrid's purpose in making this?

Ivan wondered.

This thing was hard enough to be used for building walls.

"Ivan," Hermione whispered, her eyes pleading for help as she glanced at the uneaten rock cake in her hands.

Noticing that Hagrid's attention was fully focused on his conversation with Ronald, Ivan discreetly moved his fingers. In the next moment, the rock cakes in both his and Hermione's hands shrank in size. Then, with the help of a floating charm, they quickly disappeared into Ivan's pocket.

Harry, seeing this, looked at Ivan with a desperate expression, his emerald eyes silently begging for the same relief.

Ivan couldn't help but smile. With another flick of his fingers, Harry's rock cake vanished as well.

Ronald, too engrossed in talking about his brother Charlie, didn't notice any of the little movements happening around him. So, in the end, he was the only one still dealing with the rock cake, fully immersed in his world.

"Oh!" Hagrid exclaimed suddenly, noticing the now-empty plate. "You… you actually finished them all?"

He was overjoyed.

For so many years, no one had ever shown as much "enthusiasm" for his rock cakes as this group seemed to.

"What?"

Ronald was completely confused, unsure of what had just happened. In just a few moments, Ivan and the others had somehow managed to finish off three plates of rock cakes?

"I knew it! I knew someone would like them!" Hagrid's eyes gleamed with joy, as though he had finally found someone who shared his love for his infamous rock cakes.

"You must still be hungry, right? I'll get more for you."

The way Hagrid said it, it seemed like he was ready to stuff all the remaining rock cakes down their throats. Sensing the impending doom, Ivan, Hermione, and Harry immediately chimed in together: "Ah! No, no, we're full!"

"Really?" Hagrid seemed a bit disappointed but determined to be a good host. He was convinced that if he had nothing else, at least he had plenty of rock cakes to share.

"Really!" Harry added quickly. "I—hiccup—really can't eat another bite."

Even Hermione, who usually valued honesty, nodded along this time.

She lied.

But when it comes to rock cakes, if you don't lie, do you really want to end up having to eat them?

"Ehm* Hagrid, what's this?" 

To steer the conversation away from the dreaded rock cakes, Harry spotted a small piece of paper tucked under the teapot warmer. It was a report cut from the Daily Prophet.

—"Latest Report on Gringotts Break-in"—

Investigations into the July 31st break-in at Gringotts are still ongoing, and it is now widely believed to be the work of an unknown dark wizard.

The goblins at Gringotts reiterated today that nothing was stolen and that the underground vault searched by the intruder had, in fact, been emptied earlier that day.

A Gringotts goblin spokesperson said this afternoon: "We have no information on what was in the vault, and it is best not to interfere in this matter."

Harry remembered Ron mentioning the break-in on the train, but he hadn't said anything about the exact date.

"Hagrid!" Harry exclaimed. "The day of the Gringotts break-in was my birthday! We were probably there when it happened!"

Ivan already knew that this break-in was Voldemort's attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone. He calmly sipped his milk tea, showing no interest in the matter.

Hermione noticed Ivan's reaction. Being quite familiar with his habits by now, the little witch quickly realized that there was more to this report than it seemed. She sat quietly, not saying a word.

"Oh, it was just a little thing," Hagrid muttered dismissively, clearly trying to avoid discussing anything related to the Philosopher's Stone.

After leaving Hagrid's cabin, the four of them walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets stuffed with rock cakes.

Yeah. Out of politeness, they were too embarrassed to refuse...

Along the way, Harry remained unusually quiet. He was still deep in thought about the Gringotts break-in. Additionally, he had a nagging feeling that Hagrid knew something about Snape but was unwilling to share it for some reason.

"Ivan."

Suddenly, Harry noticed Ivan walking ahead, holding hands with Hermione.

At that moment, Harry felt like he had found the key to solving the mystery.

'Yes, that's it!'

He couldn't figure things out because he wasn't smart enough—he had always known that. But Ivan and Hermione, they were recognized as the smartest first-year wizards at Hogwarts!

Harry never considered himself particularly talented in academics. Not understanding some difficult problems and puzzling situations was perfectly normal for him.

And if you don't understand something, you ask.

With two little wizards who seem to know everything walking right in front of him, why hesitate?

"What's wrong, Harry?"

Ivan turned around with a smile.

He already knew that Harry had doubts in his heart. However, there were some things that weren't suitable for him to talk about openly.

Harry didn't hide his thoughts and told the group about his suspicions, including the fact that Hagrid had gone to the 713 vault at Gringotts to retrieve something on the same day as the break-in.

'This smells like trouble!'

Hermione's excellent sixth sense picked up on the potential danger.

She was brave and always eager to prove that she was just as capable as any other wizard or witch. But this particular situation involved Dumbledore, and she didn't feel confident dealing with something that significant.

"So, Harry?" Ivan could see that Harry truly trusted him and genuinely considered them friends.

"What do you want to know?" Ivan asked with a knowing smile.

Harry looked at Ivan's mysterious grin, a bit taken aback.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I..."

He wanted to ask what had been in the vault, why someone would attempt to steal it, and if it was still safe now. But after a moment's thought, he wondered—what did any of this really have to do with him?

"Hmm?"

After being pointed out by Ivan, Harry immediately realized that he wasn't in a position to get involved with something as significant as the Gringotts break-in.

"I want to know, why is Snape targeting me so much?" Harry asked. Compared to the mystery of the 713 vault, this issue felt more personal and pressing.

"Aha..." Ivan nodded slightly, satisfied with Harry's sense of self-awareness.

According to Ivan's plan, the little wizards of Hogwarts were essential talent reserves and loyal future allies—people he could genuinely build connections with.

Hermione was, of course, the future Minister of Magic in his eyes.

Neville, the sword-wielding Gryffindor and future professor of Herbology at Hogwarts, had considerable potential too.

Then there was Harry, and Luna, who had yet to enroll.

Especially Harry Potter—he undoubtedly had the potential to stand on his own.

If you asked who among these little wizards could lead a charge for Ivan in the future and fire the first shot, it had to be Harry.

After all, no young wizard could go toe-to-toe with Voldemort in their fourth year and ultimately kill the most terrifying dark wizard in England by their seventh year.

Whether it was plot armor or Dumbledore's long-term schemes, these events were bound to happen.

But the fact that Harry could accomplish all of this?

It proved his talent beyond doubt.

Hermione was Ivan's trusted think tank, and Harry was a force to be reckoned with.

Now was the time when Harry and Hermione were still in their most impressionable and uncertain phase.

Ivan could make his move and bring Harry into his fold.

Well, Hermione was already on board.

Next up, it was Harry's turn.

"I do know something," Ivan said with a mischievous wink at Harry. "You see, I'm a Seer, a natural prophet, and I can glimpse fragments of the future."

"But that's not the whole story."

"Actually, it's not just the future."

Hearing this, Harry's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Ivan, can you see the past?"

"Exactly."

Ivan nodded. "Though it's just brief fragments, and it usually has to be something significant, like a key moment in someone's life—a turning point, if you will."

"But I have seen some very interesting things."

Ivan wasn't deceiving Harry—he was telling the truth.

Ever since his soul attribute had surpassed 5 points, his control over prophecy had become more fluid.

He could now glimpse the past and future of anyone as needed.

He could also foresee crises he might encounter in the future or even discover ways to avoid misfortune—almost like making a wish.

Fate is an immensely terrifying force in this world.

Ivan had previously said that the outcomes of a prophecy would inevitably happen and couldn't be changed.

However, just because it couldn't be changed didn't mean it couldn't be avoided.

For example, if Ivan foresaw that Harry would fall down the magical stairs, he couldn't stop the event from happening—it was destined.

But falling down was just the process. What came afterward, the result, and even the cause of the fall were all unclear.

This gave Ivan a lot of room to work with.

For instance, he could let Harry intentionally trip on the stairs to fulfill the prophecy.

Or, after Harry fell, Ivan could cast a Levitation Charm to catch him, altering the outcome.

By supplementing the cause and effect, Ivan could exploit the loopholes of the prophecy, turning what seemed like a bad situation into a farce or minor inconvenience.

'The past is set in stone, but the future... that can still be influenced.'

Ivan didn't worry about whether Harry fully understood his explanation—he simply shared his insights into prophecy and fate.

"Ivan, what did you see?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Snape once knew a girl," Ivan revealed. "Before coming to Hogwarts, they were best friends."

Ivan simply told Harry what he had seen, without revealing the identity of the girl: "Later, Snape was sorted into Slytherin, and the girl went to Gryffindor. Naturally, their relationship grew distant."

The three kids listened intently, their curiosity about the girl's identity growing with each word.

Despite their age, they quickly picked up on the implications of Snape's backstory.

"And then what happened?" They were fascinated—Snape, the cold and harsh professor, actually had someone he cared about?

Ivan paused for a moment, then continued: "The girl eventually ended up with someone else and had a child with him."

By now, the hint was more than obvious.

"Snape... liked my mum?" Harry asked in confusion.

He had just been looking to understand why Snape disliked him so much, but now it seemed he had stumbled upon a far bigger revelation—one about his own mother!

WTF!?

"But why?" Hermione furrowed her brow. "If Snape liked Harry's mother, why would he be so horrible to Harry? Is it because of—love turning into hate?"

Ivan smiled lightly, feeling that he'd already said more than enough.

Although he could directly use glass, crystal balls and other reflective objects to show the predicted scenes, so that the three little ones could see what happened more directly.

But it was about Snape's privacy. Ivan would not do such a ridiculous thing without the consent of the person concerned.

Joking was one thing, and Harry did have the right to know.

So Ivan told Harry about Lily.

But Snape's dark history, such as being almost bitten by Lupin and turned into a werewolf, being bullied by the four people who took the initiative to cause trouble with the hanging bell, and finally hugging Lily's body, vowed to protect Harry and so on....

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