He shoved it onto his own head at lightning speed, looking completely dumbfounded, and instantly felt the Phoenix Fox beneath his butt squirming in discomfort, clearly wanting to flap its wings and escape from atop Ian's head.
"That's the nesting fee! You have to hatch eggs for me!" Ian anticipated Phoenix Fox's reaction, pressed down on Fox with one hand, and the Phoenix Fox ultimately gave up on trying to escape his evil clutches.
"Caw caw~"
It sounded like it was swearing.
And swearing in a really nasty way, too. Apparently, Ian and Phoenix Fox's antics had finally disturbed Dumbledore, who had been fixated on the Golden Cup. At last, Dumbledore lifted his head.
A flash of sharp light passed through his eyes, awe-inspiring and powerful. Though it vanished in an instant, Ian still felt an involuntary shiver under his gaze. Of course, with his [Soul Stealing] and [Thought Perception] abilities, Ian knew that he wasn't the most terrified of Dumbledore in the room.
The will in Hufflepuff's Cup was almost cowering and shaking. Who knows what Dumbledore had done to the shard of soul inside the Hufflepuff's Cup just now?
"Good evening, Ian."
Dumbledore put down the Golden Cup and smiled kindly at Ian. "It's quite a lively evening. I really didn't expect you to come visit me tonight."
He took off his glasses and started polishing them with a handkerchief,
"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. Has Professor Snape been corrupted already? He hasn't taught us in days! I think you ought to do something about this Hogwarts freeloader. Not only does my uncle shirk responsibility, this afternoon he even made me miss a Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
Ian tattled without any hesitation the moment he walked in.
It was obvious he was still sulking about what he missed that afternoon.
"I heard from Severus that you brewed quite a lot of Owl Laxative in the Potion Classroom in secret. I doubt our Potions Master could stoop quite that low." Dumbledore put his glasses back on, his voice teasing and full of banter, instantly freezing Ian's righteously indignant expression in place.
"Caw caw~ caw caw~"
The Fox on his head cawed at its master a few times, full of resentment, as if even Dumbledore's assessment of Ian was far too polite.
"He's slandering me!"
Under Dumbledore's profound gaze, Ian averted his eyes in embarrassment, "Actually, I only made a little bit… Just enough for the Slytherin students' owls, at most."
"It's too bad I rushed here and missed the spectacular raining-birds scene, but Senior Sister Penelope promised to take pictures for me." His tone was tinged with regret.
"A long-planned prank—because you still haven't gotten compensation from those kids, am I right?" Dumbledore bringing this up himself caught Ian completely off guard.
"You've already tried to get compensation for me? They definitely don't want to pay! I haven't received even a single Galleon!" There was obvious indignation in Ian's voice.
Dumbledore chuckled softly. "I sent them a letter by post. Maybe they didn't pay much attention before, but after tonight, I expect you'll get what you're owed very soon."
Dumbledore's words made Ian pause.
The little wizard couldn't help looking again at Hufflepuff's Golden Cup.
"Is it because of this?"
Ian pondered as he walked forward and stood opposite Dumbledore's desk. Hufflepuff's Golden Cup was placed right there, its pure golden body carefully crafted, gleaming with a warm, gentle glow. The surface was etched with intricate designs: wreathed vines, blooming flowers, and grains symbolizing abundance and prosperity.
As Ian gazed at the Cup,
He seemed to feel the warmth flowing from its surface—a power that could smooth the creases of the soul, if not for a mingling of many discordant, negative emotions inside.
The taint and violation from that noseless freak.
"Yes, that's right."
Dumbledore nodded.
"I went to Azkaban to visit Riddle's past. That woman is still fiercely loyal to Riddle, but in the end, I got the answer I wanted."
"That answer led me to this… hidden in Gringotts." Dumbledore's offhand summary made Ian's eye twitch and his face spasm a few times—he thought of tonight's breaking news, and combined with what Dumbledore was saying now, the truth couldn't be more obvious.
"Merlin Bodhisattva above! So it was you who broke into Gringotts, and while surrounded by goblins and wizards hunted on every side, you plucked an important item right out of someone's vault as if you owned the place!" Ian wasn't praising Dumbledore here; that's exactly how the breaking news was reported this evening.
Even though Ian hadn't paid close attention, when William brought over the paper, he stole a glance—there were even pictures of goblins and wizards running for their lives.
"No one will say it was me. I did a bit of disguise—with their consent, of course—so…"
Dumbledore winked at Ian. "It was Grindelwald's Saints who broke into Gringotts. There were plenty of eyewitnesses. Didn't you see the photos in the paper?"
His words simply left Ian speechless.