The Great Hall, Hogwarts.
The final day of exams.
The air was thick with nervous anxiety as the first-year wizards shivered, waiting for their practical assessment.
The lineup of examiners was nothing short of luxurious:
Snape (Defense Against the Dark Arts / Potions), McGonagall (Transfiguration), Flitwick (Charms), and Sprout (Herbology).
The four Heads of House sat on the raised platform, their expressions varying wildly.
Professor McGonagall looked restless, glancing at Snape every so often, her eyes seemingly asking: "Is that kid going to blow up the Great Hall today?"
Snape, on the other hand, looked indifferent, perhaps even a little... expectant? He was holding a stopwatch, ready to time Ivan's "demolition speed."
"First candidate, Hermione Granger," McGonagall called out.
Hermione walked up, face pale. She took a deep breath and waved her wand:
"Immobulus!"
A jet of red light hit the troll dummy squarely. The dummy froze instantly.
"Not bad," McGonagall nodded. "Five points to Gryffindor. Next, Harry Potter."
Harry flew a lap on his Nimbus 2000 and caught a Golden Snitch. Although he lacked Ivan's domineering "crushing" style, it was an excellent performance.
"Next," McGonagall's voice was a bit dry, "Ivan Potter."
Dead silence.
Every student turned to look at the Slytherin table.
Ivan stood up leisurely, even stifling a yawn. He didn't bring his wand; he walked to the center of the hall empty-handed.
"Mr. Potter," McGonagall gripped her wand nervously. "Your assessment task is: Survive five minutes without injury under the joint attack of the four professors. Or... you may demonstrate a Dark Magic spell you are most proficient in."
"Joint attack?"
Ivan raised an eyebrow, looking at the four professors on the platform.
"One by one is too slow."
He suddenly raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
"Word Soul · Silence Zone."
Hum—!
An invisible ripple instantly swept through the entire Great Hall!
Everyone's wand tip suddenly lost its luster.
Hermione tried to cast another spell, but her wand only made a crisp click.
Professor Flitwick horrifiedly discovered that, as a Charms Master, he couldn't feel the flow of magic anymore!
"What... what is this?!" Flitwick screamed. "My magic has been sealed?!"
Ivan clapped his hands as if dusting them off.
"Relax, Professors. I just temporarily cut your connection to the magical source. The Great Hall is now a domain of 'Physics'."
He turned to face the four Heads of House, who had all stood up in shock.
"I think fighting one by one is a waste of time. How about this—"
Ivan's lips curled into an arrogant arc:
"All four of you, come at me together. If you can force me back even half a step, I fail."
Boom!
The crowd exploded!
These were four top-tier wizards! Including McGonagall and Snape, the strongest beneath Dumbledore!
Was this kid crazy?!
On the platform, a cold light flashed across Snape's glasses.
"You asked for this, Potter."
Snape didn't use his wand (it wouldn't work anyway). Instead, he pulled a gleaming silver dagger directly from his robes—a relic from his Death Eater days.
McGonagall didn't hold back either. Although she couldn't use magic, as a top-tier Animagus, her physical skills and reaction speed were at the peak of human capability. She leaped off the platform, pouncing toward Ivan like an agile leopard.
Flitwick and Sprout also drew a short wand (used as a baton) and a Mandrake root, attempting to engage in melee.
Four against one!
And they weren't pulling their punches!
Facing the encirclement, Ivan didn't even change his stance.
He simply stood there quietly, even closing his eyes.
"Got you!" McGonagall's claw-like hand was about to grab Ivan's shoulder.
Snape's dagger stabbed toward Ivan's back.
In that split second.
Ivan opened his eyes.
Those pupils had turned into vertical, pure gold dragon eyes!
"Dragon's Dominance."
A roar that seemed to come from the primordial era exploded in the depths of everyone's soul!
ROAR—!!
It wasn't a sound, but pure mental pressure!
McGonagall froze mid-air. She felt like a house cat facing a giant dragon; instinctual fear made her hair stand on end, and she felt an urge to prostrate herself on the ground.
Snape's dagger stopped one centimeter from Ivan's back. His hand trembled violently, cold sweat instantly soaking his shirt. The absolute suppression from the top of the food chain left his mind blank!
Ivan slowly turned around, extended two fingers, and gently pinched Snape's dagger.
"Too slow, Professor."
He launched a kick, hitting McGonagall's... no, he kicked McGonagall's hand away mid-strike.
Then he sidestepped Flitwick's baton strike and delivered a backhand chop to Professor Sprout's wrist, disarming her of the Mandrake.
The whole process took less than three seconds.
Four of Hogwarts' top combatants were frozen in place, stuck in their attacking poses, unable to move.
Ivan dusted off his hands, walked up to the stiff Snape, and straightened the professor's messy collar.
"Professor, you're holding the dagger backward. Also, Professor McGonagall, your wig is a little crooked."
The Crowd: ???
It's over just like that?!
Those were the four Heads of House! Not four trolls!
Just then, the doors to the Great Hall were pushed open.
Dumbledore hurried in, holding a half-eaten Cockroach Cluster.
"Oh my, am I late? I heard someone wanted to fight four at once?"
Dumbledore looked at the scene, shock flashing in his blue eyes.
What did he see?
Snape holding a dagger frozen in mid-air, sweating profusely.
McGonagall stuck in a pouncing posture, looking like she'd seen a ghost.
And Ivan standing in the middle like a king inspecting his territory, toying with Snape's dagger.
"Albus..." McGonagall squeezed the words out through her teeth. "Quick... use magic... this kid... isn't human..."
Dumbledore blinked and waved the Elder Wand.
"Finite Incantatem."
Green light bathed the hall.
Snape and the others finally regained their mobility. But they didn't continue the attack. They stood there gasping for air, looking at Ivan as if he were a monster.
"Brilliant." Dumbledore clapped his hands and walked up to Ivan. "Mr. Potter, I think this is sufficient proof of your strength. Even Grindelwald in his first year didn't have this kind of oppressive presence."
"Grindelwald?" Ivan tossed the dagger back to Snape. "That old man only knew how to set fires; no technique. I call this 'Precision Deterrence'."
Snape caught the dagger, his hand still shaking.
He looked at Ivan, his gaze complicated to the extreme.
The fear he felt in that instant was something he had never experienced in his life.
But he didn't feel shame. Instead... he felt a bit excited?
"You win." Snape said hoarsely, pushing up his glasses. "Slytherin... takes one hundred points. No, two hundred points."
[System Alert: Snape (Completely Conquered + Discovered a New World): Emotion Value +500!]
[System Alert: Professor McGonagall (Existential Crisis + Animagus Instinctual Fear): Emotion Value +300!]
[System Alert: Dumbledore (Watching the Drama + Deeply Wary): Emotion Value +200!]
Ivan looked at Dumbledore and held out his hand. "Headmaster, since I won, shouldn't there be a reward? Like... a pass to the Restricted Section? Or the location of the Philosopher's Stone?"
Dumbledore's smile froze for a second.
How does this kid know everything?
"Ahem," Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Naturally, there is a reward. How about this: tonight, I grant you special permission to enter the deepest part of the Restricted Section to consult a 'special' book. As for the Philosopher's Stone... that's just a legend, isn't it?"
"Whether it's a legend or not, you know best." Ivan didn't press the issue, just smiled meaningfully. "Then it's a deal. Also, Professors, next time you test me, please use some real skill. That taijutsu... was disappointing."
With that, under the awe, worship, and fear of the entire school, Ivan swaggered out of the Great Hall.
Passing Harry, he stopped.
"Harry, don't run around this summer. I'm going to Knockturn Alley. I'll bring you back some 'local specialties'—like Death Eater fingers or something."
Harry nodded blankly. "O... okay, bro."
After Ivan left, the Great Hall exploded.
"Merlin! He beat four Heads of House by himself!"
"Was that Dragon Fear? I felt my soul shivering!"
"With a Prefect like that, who does Slytherin have to fear?!"
On the platform, the four professors looked at each other.
"Severus," McGonagall arranged her collar, still shaken. "When you teach him... is it always like this?"
Snape watched Ivan's retreating back, and the corner of his mouth revealed an extremely subtle, twisted smile.
"No, Minerva. Today, he was holding back."
Snape whispered, his eyes burning. "If he had really wanted to, in that instant just now, our throats would have been slit."
"That's not a student..." Professor Flitwick wiped his cold sweat. "That is a dragon wearing human skin!"
Dumbledore sat in the Headmaster's chair, bit into his Cockroach Cluster, his eyes deep.
"It seems this summer vacation... won't be boring."
"Quirrell, or perhaps Tom..."
"I hope you can last five minutes against Ivan."