Harry was stunned. Aside from himself and Ron, the only one who knew about the Invisibility Cloak was the person who had sent it. Could Sean possibly know that person?
"How do you know I received the Invisibility Cloak?"
"It's not exactly a secret. I know who gave it to you," Sean said.
"Who?" Harry asked eagerly.
"I'll tell you if you lend me the cloak," Sean replied.
Harry nodded. Sean leaned in close and whispered Dumbledore's name into his ear.
"It really was Dumbledore?" Harry asked in disbelief.
Sean shrugged. "Who else could it be? Now, can you go get the cloak?"
"I'll get it right away." Harry dashed back to the dormitory and pulled the Invisibility Cloak out from his trunk under the bed.
Meanwhile, the four Heads of House were instructing all students to remain in the Great Hall and not wander anywhere. There were already very few students staying over the holidays. Snape glanced down at the list and noticed that out of the six Slytherins remaining, five were present.
"Sean." Snape let out a cold snort.
"You lent the cloak to Sean?" Ron had just found out. He looked over at the Slytherin table and, sure enough, Sean was nowhere to be seen.
"He didn't sneak out, did he?"
"I don't know. He didn't tell me what he needed it for," Harry said.
By now, Sean had already slipped out of the castle under the cloak. Following the direction Dumbledore had flown in, he headed toward the Valley Forest.
Ogadis and Dumbledore landed deep within the forest. Fawkes circled above, letting out a rare, piercing cry.
"Before we begin, I have a few questions," Dumbledore said.
"Go ahead," Ogadis replied easily.
"Why did you break into Nurmengard?" That was Dumbledore's first question—and the one Minister Soria most wanted answered.
Ogadis smiled faintly. "There's a wizard named Gellert Grindelwald imprisoned there. I heard he was powerful, so I went to challenge him."
"But the reality disappointed me. He looked like a dying old man with no fighting spirit." Ogadis shook his head.
Indeed, Grindelwald had long lost his will. The rest of his life had been spent in regret. For a once-great figure to fall so low was truly tragic.
"Where are you from?" Dumbledore continued.
"Greenland. I'm traveling the world, seeking out powerful wizards to defeat," Ogadis said.
"I've heard many say you're a wizard of immense power. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Though Dumbledore now knew Ogadis came from Greenland, it didn't provide much useful information. He wanted to ask more, but Ogadis interrupted him.
"Let's fight first. If you win, I'll answer anything you want."
"Very well," Dumbledore said, drawing his wand. When he saw Ogadis make no move, he asked, "You're not using a wand?"
"A wand? I've never used one," Ogadis said calmly.
A wandless wizard sounded absurd—but Dumbledore instantly became more cautious. If that was true, then the man before him was an unparalleled master of wandless magic.
Ogadis bent down and picked up a small stone. He tossed it lightly in his hand before saying, "When this stone hits the ground, the duel begins."
Dumbledore nodded.
The two stood more than ten meters apart—far beyond the usual distance for a wizard's duel—but for them, it made no difference.
Ogadis tossed the stone into the air. It arced downward, and the moment it touched the ground, both of them attacked simultaneously.
Ogadis clenched his fist, using the same technique he had used to crush the walls of Nurmengard. If that blow landed, even Dumbledore would likely be reduced to fragments.
Sensing the overwhelming surge of magic, Dumbledore instinctively dodged and immediately cast "Reducto." Ogadis simply raised his hand and blocked the spell with ease.
The forest erupted into chaos. Blinding flashes of magic lit up the valley one after another—blazing flames, razor-sharp ice, writhing vines, and pure magical force clashing violently.
Sean didn't even need to search. The location of their battle was obvious. He flew at full speed toward the dazzling bursts of light. As he drew near, he landed, threw on the Invisibility Cloak, and approached quietly.
"Hm? Something's not right."
The moment Sean touched the ground, the forest fell silent. The deafening explosions of magic had ceased.
He walked forward for three minutes. Not a single sound of spellcasting could be heard. The duel… seemed to be over.
When he finally reached the battlefield, his heart sank, and his entire body froze.
Within a hundred-meter radius, the forest had been reduced to wasteland. Trees were either toppled or burned into charcoal. The once-level ground was now riddled with massive craters.
The scale of destruction far exceeded anything Sean had imagined.
He scanned the area—but Ogadis was nowhere to be seen.
Only Dumbledore remained, slumped against a fallen tree trunk.
Gone was his usual composure. His face showed clear signs of age. His hand still gripped his wand—but through the Magic vision, Sean could see that Dumbledore's magic had been completely exhausted.
"Did he win… or lose?" Sean couldn't tell. He didn't even dare approach to ask.
Suddenly, Dumbledore slipped from the trunk and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Professor!" Sean cried out.
He tore off the Invisibility Cloak and rushed over. Dumbledore slowly lifted his head, surprised to see Sean there—but now wasn't the time to question it.
"Professor, are you alright?" Sean asked urgently.
"I lost," Dumbledore said weakly, blood at the corner of his lips. "He is the most powerful wizard I have ever encountered. He doesn't use a wand, yet his casting speed and power are no less than mine."
Sean froze.
To defeat Dumbledore using wandless magic… what kind of monster was Ogadis?
"Professor… is he working with Haerpo?" Sean asked, most worried about that possibility.
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't believe so. He comes from Greenland, traveling the world to challenge powerful wizards."
A thought struck Sean. "Could the one who broke into Nurmengard have been him too? To challenge Grindelwald?"
Dumbledore didn't answer—but his eyes said everything.
The two returned to the castle. Sean immediately informed Professor McGonagall and Snape to come to the Headmaster's office.
"You went to watch the duel?" Snape asked coldly as they walked.
"That's not important, Professor. What matters is… Dumbledore lost," Sean said grimly.
McGonagall, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned around in disbelief. She wanted to believe she had misheard.
How could Dumbledore possibly lose?
To Read 60+ ahead advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146