Hogwarts' White Lord

"Gold coins and such aren't important," Fudge said dismissively.

He had no desire to antagonize the goblins, as maintaining peaceful relations with them was crucial to his hopes of being re-elected as Minister of Magic. Stability and steady progress were Fudge's guiding principles.

"We've already reclaimed some of the gold coins," Fudge added.

With that, Dumbledore took one of the cursed gold coins and, along with Ivan, departed the Ministry of Magic to return to Hogwarts.

The officials at the Ministry didn't expect that even Dumbledore couldn't provide an immediate solution to the problem.

Fortunately, they still had time. With Dumbledore's profound magical expertise, it seemed inevitable that he would find a solution sooner or later.

...

Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore and Ivan stepped out of the green flames of the fireplace into the headmaster's office.

Placing the cursed gold coin on his desk, Dumbledore turned to Ivan and said, "You've some ideas about it, haven't you?"

"I have some ideas," Ivan replied. "What about you, Professor?"

"Almost," Dumbledore said with a nod.

Once again, Dumbledore's unparalleled knowledge exceeded Ivan's expectations. Even with only brief exposure to the cursed gold coin, Dumbledore had analyzed the curse and deduced how to break it.

"A bloodline-based curse," Dumbledore mused. "It carries a deep hatred for greed."

"If I'm not mistaken," he continued, "to break this curse, the blood of the person who originally took the coin is required, and the coin must be returned by them personally."

"As expected of you," Ivan thought to himself, impressed.

His mind returned to the Aztec gold coins from Pirates of the Caribbean, as referenced in the system's task.

However, Dumbledore's accurate deduction was based on his vast experience and insight.

'As expected of you, Dumbledore, really' Ivan thought, inwardly marveling at the headmaster's brilliance. Then he asked, "Why didn't you tell them directly?"

"Telling them doesn't mean the matter will be resolved," Dumbledore replied calmly.

It seemed he was well aware of the shortcomings within the Ministry of Magic. He wasn't particularly worried that they wouldn't be able to break the curse—the real challenge wasn't in the curse itself but in addressing the broader situation.

"The problem," Dumbledore continued, "is not that the curse is difficult to break. It's that the cursed gold coins are now in the hands of the goblins, which complicates matters greatly."

"You mean we need to retrieve the sarcophagus and the gold coins from the goblins first?" Ivan asked.

Dumbledore nodded slightly. Ivan understood the concern. These cursed gold coins contained extraordinarily powerful magic, and such items needed to be securely sealed with equally powerful counter-magic.

As for Gringotts, its reputation for being impenetrable was dubious at best. Even someone like Quirrell, a dweeb dark wizard working for Voldemort, had managed to infiltrate it. Its security was riddled with loopholes.

"I'll ask the Ministry of Magic to locate all the individuals who originally took the gold coins," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "The sarcophagus, the gold coins, and the people who took them—all three must be brought together for the curse to be properly broken."

There was another concern as well.

Dumbledore's influence was vast, almost unparalleled. If he immediately provided the correct solution, the Ministry of Magic's own shortcomings would be laid bare.

Rather than being grateful to Dumbledore, Fudge might resent him for overshadowing the Ministry's authority and his own.

"What an asshole.."

"Ivan?"

"Ehm. I don't quite understand," Ivan said, furrowing his brow. "Why would you support someone like Fudge to become the Minister of Magic?"

"He wasn't always like this," Dumbledore said, his tone tinged with regret.

Before Fudge became Minister, there was little fault to be found in his behavior. However, once he assumed power, everything changed. Initially, Fudge frequently sought Dumbledore's counsel, but over time, he seemed to transform into an entirely different person.

It wasn't until later that Dumbledore understood the truth.

Everything Fudge had done before—his self-restraint, his demeanor—had all been an act to gain Dumbledore's favor.

He had carefully molded himself into someone Dumbledore could admire.

But once he achieved power and status, his true nature began to surface.

'If someone can pretend to be a good person for their entire life, then they are a good person,' Dumbledore thought somberly. Unfortunately, Fudge had failed this test. Confronted with the temptations of power, he indulged himself and drifted further and further from the person he had once pretended to be.

"Then should we do nothing?" Ivan asked, concerned.

"We need to prepare in advance," Dumbledore replied. "This curse has many flaws."

"Flaws?"

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded. "To be more precise, the method of breaking this curse is flawed."

He explained, "While the method may appear straightforward, it's riddled with potential pitfalls. There are numerous requirements to break the curse, and each one is fraught with the possibility of failure."

"For example," Dumbledore continued, "there are exactly 888 gold coins. If even one of those coins is destroyed, can the curse still be broken? And what if the person who took a coin dies and no longer has any blood to provide? What then?"

Dumbledore gestured toward the cursed gold coin on his desk. "The negative emotions imbued in these coins are extraordinarily strong."

Clearly, the caster bore deep malice toward those who picked up the gold coins, intending for them to suffer eternal torment.

The Ministry of Magic now faced two urgent tasks: locating all the cursed Muggles and gathering them in one place, and recovering the lost gold coins—along with retrieving the sarcophagus taken by the goblins.

Every single gold coin from the sarcophagus needed to be accounted for.

"The goblins wouldn't be so foolish as to take the gold coins for themselves, would they?" Ivan asked.

"Sigh.. It's not impossible," Dumbledore replied.

The goblins were notorious for their greed for magical items. Though he didn't mention it in front of Fudge to save face, Dumbledore suspected the goblins might attempt to keep the coins.

He planned to address the matter tomorrow, giving the Ministry wizards time to avoid appearing completely inept.

"What will happen to the gold coins once the curse is broken?" Ivan asked. "Will they be destroyed?"

"No, I doubt it," Dumbledore said, not catching Ivan's deeper implication. "No one would willingly destroy treasures of such value."

Even cursed items held significant worth in the magical world. Though dangerous, their value often outweighed their risks.

"Whether they end up in Gringotts or the Ministry of Magic, those are likely their final destinations," Dumbledore added.

Ivan's heart sank slightly at those words. He was beginning to understand exactly what the system's main task wanted him to accomplish.

Breaking into Gringotts or the Ministry of Magic to retrieve the cursed gold coins.

'Am I really supposed to challenge the two largest forces in Britain Wizarding world right away?'

The only small comfort Ivan could take was that neither Gringotts nor the Ministry of Magic had a wizard of Dumbledore's caliber on their side.

In terms of raw magical ability, Ivan was confident in his skills.

'But how do I go about it specifically?' he wondered. 'And what about the aftermath? I can't just storm in recklessly.'

To complicate matters, Ivan needed to avoid exposing his identity. This meant he couldn't rely on some of his more iconic abilities, which only added another layer of difficulty to the task.

'I can't act rashly. I need a proper plan.'

After some thought, Ivan decided to wait and observe the actions of the Ministry of Magic and Gringotts.

Once they made their moves, he would formulate a thorough plan and prepare adequately before attempting to complete the main task.

_________

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