Alicia didn't reply. She just smiled casually and placed the black furry ball-like creature on her shoulder.
Ivan, of course, recognized it as Puffskein, an alchemical creature sent by George and Fred last summer!
It was for this reason that Ivan found it strange. If he remembered correctly, this was an alchemical creature based on a magical beast of the same name, and had no other use other than to act cute.
After being modified by Alicia, Puffskin looked even cuter, with large, dewy eyes…
Ivan shook his head in frustration. 'We're going to fight. Why would we bring this?'
However, it was possible that Isiah had made some special modifications to it.
With that in mind, Ivan decided not to pursue the matter any further. He grabbed some useful magical tools, some gold Galleons, and headed back to the rendezvous point with Alicia.
When Ivan opened the door, the first thing he saw was an angry Doggett, talking angrily to Fran and the others.
Hermione listened with an odd expression on her face, as if she were trying to stifle a laugh and trying to look serious.
Ivan felt strangely guilty, but he forced himself to enter and said, "Headmaster Dougett!"
Doggett saw Ivan's eyes light up and hurried over. Before Ivan could say anything else, Doggett patted him on the shoulder excitedly.
"Thank you so much, Ivan! It's a good thing you saved me in time, or I'd be dead by now!"
'Yes? What?'
Ivan, who had been worried that Doggett would challenge him to a duel, was so stunned that he could not think straight.
"Wait a minute…Dean Dougett! What did you just say?"
Ivan looked at Doggett with a strange expression on his face, unable to understand what he was thinking. He had the feeling that Doggett had misunderstood something again.
As expected, Ivan soon heard Doggett shouting angrily.
"When I got back, I found out that old bastard Burke had my house blown up…"
Doggett quickly recounted what he had imagined in his head.
Ivan was a little confused.
'Is that what happened?'
Yvonne wondered if she had been transported to another parallel universe, as Douggart's guess seemed logical.
If he hadn't known better, Ivan would have believed him!
After listening to Doggett's story, Ivan wondered if he should tell the truth.
There was a strange look on Alicia's face. She had not expected Dougett to guess that Burke had sent someone to bomb his house.
When she noticed Ivan looking at her, she shook her head, indicating that it would be better if he kept it a secret.
Yvonne thought this made sense. The war was coming, and it would be best not to upset Dougett.
Besides, there were only three other people who knew about this, and Alicia would never have told them, and Hermione would never have sold herself.
The only one he had to be wary of was Burke. He would have to be ruthless when the time came. Don't give him a chance to explain!
With this in mind, Ivan offered a few words of comfort to Doggett and scolded Burke for being a lunatic!
Ivan then took out the protective ring and the modified Extendable Ears from the pocket of his wizarding robes and handed them out.
"This is a protective ring. By infusing it with magic, one can cast a protective barrier around oneself, similar to an Armor Charm. Of course, the protective effect is limited and can only withstand ordinary magic."
"As for the Extendable Ears, they can be used to send messages. Just hang them on your ears!" Ivan explained, pointing at the items.
After his and Alicia's modifications, the Extendable Ears were no longer restricted by ropes, and could be used to communicate in real time, much like Muggle communication devices.
However, the range was still a little small, and the communication could not be used beyond a few kilometers.
Therefore, Ivan was still not very happy with it. He had always wanted to transform it into a Muggle-like telephone and mobile phone, and if it worked, it would sell like hotcakes.
Even though Ivan was not entirely happy with the tools, they were still very useful to him and the others.
Especially the protective ring, it was a good item that could save their lives in a dangerous battle!
The Shield Charm was not a high-end spell, but many of them were skilled at casting it.
However, the protective ring could be used by injecting magic into it, making it more convenient. One had to know that in battle, one or two seconds could sometimes decide life and death!
Having made all the necessary preparations, Ivan glanced at the clock on the wall. Six hours had passed since he had last used Strengthening Characters.
Ivan quickly put on the Cloak of Invisibility, but was interrupted by a worried Alicia.
"Be careful! Let us know if anything happens!"
Ivan nodded, then concealed himself and headed for Borgin and Burkes.
It was almost midnight, and the sky outside was completely dark.
The vast majority of shops in Knockturn Alley were long out of business, except for Borgin and Burke's, which was dimly lit and the front door ajar.
Ivan had hoped that Burke would die in his sleep, but it seemed unlikely.
As soon as Ivan entered the shop, his guard went up, and he felt a magical wave sweep over him.
Yvonne wasn't surprised; wizarding shops generally had probe-type gizmos at the entrances and exits.
Just as their house's detection tool was the wind chime hanging on the door, it automatically alerted anyone who entered.
Ivan relied on the Cloak of Invisibility, the Deathly Hallows he was wearing. Ordinary probing magic was useless against him, and unless he gave himself away, or the other party had a targeted tool like a magical eye, he would be safe.
As he expected, the magical waves did not set off any alarms, and no one came out to check.
Ivan breathed a sigh of relief as he slowly made his way into the shop.
The interior of Borgin and Burkes was darker than it appeared from the outside, and the only source of light was a roaring fire in the fireplace to the right.
The shelves were filled with a variety of Dark objects, including a large glass cabinet with a long, blood-stained end of a noose hanging from it. Ivan couldn't imagine anyone buying such a thing.
After taking a few looks, Ivan did not stay there any longer. He took a few steps closer to the inner room and heard faint sounds of conversation…