He swiftly stuffed it onto the top of his head in no time, feeling a bit baffled, only to notice that the Phoenix Fox beneath him was immediately discomforted and wanted to flap its wings to leave Ian's head.
"This is the nesting fee! You have to hatch eggs for me!" Ian anticipated Phoenix Fox's reaction and pressed Fox down. Ultimately, Phoenix Fox didn't continue attempting to escape his grasp.
"Squawk squawk~"
It seemed to be cursing.
And in a particularly nasty way. Apparently, Ian and Phoenix Fox's interaction disturbed Dumbledore, who had been focused on the Golden Cup, as Dumbledore finally looked up.
There was a fleeting gleam in his eyes, majestic and powerful. Though it quickly vanished in an instant, it still made Ian, who was under his gaze, feel a terrifying chill. Of course, through the abilities of [Soul Stealing] and [Thought Perception], Ian knew that the one most afraid of Dumbledore present was clearly not himself.
The strand of will inside Hufflepuff's Cup was trembling uncontrollably, and who knows what Dumbledore did to the remnant soul inside Hufflepuff's Cup just moments ago.
"Good evening, Ian."
Dumbledore set down the cup, smiling kindly at Ian, "Tonight is a lively night, I didn't expect you to choose to visit me."
He took off his glasses and began wiping them with a handkerchief,
"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore, has Professor Snape gone astray? He hasn't taught us for days, I think you should deal with this Hogwarts salary thief. Not only is my uncle neglecting his duties, this afternoon he even made me miss a Defense Against the Dark Arts Class."
Ian immediately lodged a complaint.
He was still a bit upset about his afternoon regret.
"I heard Severus say you secretly concocted quite a bit of Owl Laxative in the Potion Classroom, I think our Magic Potion Class teacher wouldn't be that bad." Dumbledore put his glasses back on, his tone filled with teasing banter, causing Ian's indignant expression to freeze.
"Squawk squawk~ squawk squawk~"
The Fox on his head squawked a few times at its master, its voice filled with resentment, as if it thought Dumbledore was too conservative in his evaluation of Ian.
"He's slandering me!"
Under Dumbledore's deep gaze, Ian, feeling a bit embarrassed, averted his eyes, "Actually, I only made a little, just enough for the Slytherin students' owls."
"It's a pity I hurried to see you, missing the scene of birds raining from the sky, but Senior Sister Penelope promised to take photos for me." His tone carried a hint of regret.
"A long-planned prank, I suppose you haven't yet received the compensation from those children?" Dumbledore bringing up the matter truly caught Ian by surprise.
"Have you already negotiated compensation for me? They surely don't want to pay! I haven't received a single Golden Galleon yet!" Ian's voice carried a hint of displeasure.
Dumbledore chuckled softly, "I sent them a letter, perhaps they didn't take it seriously before, but after tonight, I'm sure you'll soon receive the compensation you're hoping for."
His words made Ian pause slightly.
The little wizard's gaze unconsciously returned to Hufflepuff's Cup.
"Is it because of this?"
Ian thoughtfully walked forward to the other side of the desk. Hufflepuff's Cup lay on the desk, crafted from pure gold, adorned with intricate and meticulous patterns: entwining vines, blooming flowers, and symbols of harvest and abundance.
As Ian gazed at the cup.
He seemed to sense the warmth flowing from the cup, a magic power that could smooth the creases of the soul, yet marred with numerous discordant and negative emotions.
A desecration and defilement from that noseless freak.
"Yes, exactly."
Dumbledore nodded.
"I visited Riddle's past in Azkaban, that woman remains unwaveringly loyal to Riddle, but in the end, I got the answer I wanted."
"That answer led me to find this thing... in Gringotts." Dumbledore's nonchalant description made Ian's eyelid and face involuntarily twitch several times — he thought of tonight's breaking news, and combined with Dumbledore's words now, the truth behind the evening news was already self-evident.
"Merlin Bodhisattva above! So it was you who broke into Gringotts, and amidst the chase and blockade of elves and wizards, you nonchalantly grabbed the important item kept in someone else's vault!" It wasn't Ian flattering Dumbledore, but this was exactly how the evening's breaking news was reported.
Though Ian hadn't focused too much on it, when William handed him the newspaper, Ian glanced at it, and there were pictures of elves and wizards cowering with their heads in their hands.
"No one will say it was me, I made some disguises with personal consent, so..."
Dumbledore winked at Ian, "It was Grindelwald's Saints who broke into Gringotts, and there were many witnesses. Didn't you see the photo in the newspaper?"
His words left Ian speechless.