"I think you can help me, don't you?" Lockhart said, looking at Ivan expectantly. "You must have some sort of skill to get to this level so young!"
"Does talent and hard work count?" Yvonne asked hesitantly, raising her eyebrows.
When he was making the three pieces of magical equipment for Lockhart, Ivan had predicted that Lockhart would fall deeply in love with them after adapting to the rapid improvement of his strength.
This was also the trap he set to empty Lockhart's wallet…
Not only did Lockhart jump in, he wasn't content with it…
Ivan shook his head as he considered this.
"Professor Lockhart, I'm sure you understand that there is no easy way to become a Master of Magic."
"I can't even make you a few magical tools to improve your strength in such a short time!" Ivan said, waving his hands to show that there was nothing he could do.
"Then what should we do? I've arranged with the Heads of House to show the Hogwarts students what a real duel is like at the Duelling Club next week!" Lockhart exclaimed in a panic.
Ivan rolled his eyes when he heard this.
Duelling the three deans? You need my help when you're so capable and courageous?
Professor Flitwick was a duelling champion, Snape's fighting prowess was top-notch, and Professor Sprout was perhaps slightly weaker than either of them.
However, Professor Sprout was qualified to be the Head of House, and even if Lockhart used a magical tool, he would still be beaten…
One exchange and he would be revealed…
"I told you to keep a low profile!" Ivan protested.
"It wasn't exactly my idea this time… Flitwick suggested it first." Lockhart was frustrated. He didn't want to say yes, but there were too many people around and he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Lockhart looked troubled for a moment, but then he seemed to have thought of something. He stared at Ivan for a long moment before speaking again.
"Why don't you take my place?"
"The Polyjuice Potion takes at least a month to brew!" Ivan snapped, rolling his eyes. He knew exactly what Lockhart was planning.
"Another thousand Galleons, that's all I have left…" Lockhart gritted his teeth.
Ivan hesitated, but seeing that he had crossed Lockhart's line, he agreed.
"In that case, it's not impossible for me to replace you!"
It was rare to have a legitimate reason to cross swords with several professors at Hogwarts, and Ivan would have considered accepting the offer if not for the Galleons.
"But didn't you just say it would take a month to brew the Polyjuice Potion?" Lockhart asked, wondering if Ivan would find another way to help him.
"You always have to keep something handy like Polyjuice Potion in reserve…" Ivan explained.
He had brewed a large pot of Polyjuice Potion during his last mission to explore Hogwarts, but he had only used it once because he had learned how to use the Animagus.
Lockhart's mouth twitched. 'So his thousand Galleons were wasted?'
Lockhart's heart went out to her. He didn't earn his money through the wind, he earned it through hard work on his books. He used Memory Charms to collect good story material, and he risked being beaten to death…
However, when he remembered that the wound on his face showed no signs of healing and still hurt, Lockhart wisely swallowed his words.
"By the way, Professor Lockhart, I can't guarantee that I'll win…" Ivan tried to take precautions.
Ivan knew exactly how strong he was.
Without the help of blood magic and props, he would at most be on par with an ordinary adult wizard. There was a clear gap between him and the professors…
"Don't worry, just don't go easy on them. I have faith in you!" Lockhart said confidently, patting Ivan on the shoulder.
He had personally experienced Ivan's strength. He had seen many famous wizards who could not use such powerful magic!
Ivan had a strange expression on his face, and he opened his mouth to explain why Lockhart had such high hopes for him.
However, Ivan had no choice but to keep his mouth shut when he remembered that he needed this strength to deter Lockhart.
…
Ivan left Lockhart's office with a headache and wondered if he had been too good at pretending in front of Lockhart lately.
To the extent that Lockhart believed he was a powerful wizard who could "keep his hands free" against the three deans, Flitwick, Snape, and Sprout!
"I'm not Dumbledore…" Ivan sighed, heading for the Room of Requirement as usual.
Ivan's face fell as he reached the door.
On the wall in front of the Room of Requirement, there was a small, inconspicuous stain, but Ivan, who had been there many times, could clearly see the difference…
'Someone's been here?'
Ivan's face fell and he paced back and forth in front of the door three times before opening it and entering the potion storage room.
Ivan was alarmed by the black fog in the room, so he temporarily moved the Horcrux to the storage room in the Room of Requirement.
Yvonne was worried that whoever might have entered the Room of Requirement was after the diary!
However, it did not take long for Ivan to find the black-covered diary where he had left it.
Ivan was relieved to find the Horcrux safe and sound.
And guess who might have been here? Did the Horcrux not go missing because the person did not find it, or was that not the reason for their visit?
Ivan did not believe in coincidence. He looked at the Horcrux for a moment, then steeled himself.
We can't wait any longer!
Ivan was initially hesitant about agreeing to Tom's proposal to help him regain his life force.
Ivan had now made up his mind that he needed to learn the language of snakes as soon as possible, learn how to fuse multiple bloodlines, and then immediately destroy the Horcrux!
To prevent any more mishaps!
With that in mind, Ivan placed the Horcrux diary on the floor and took a jar out of his pocket. Inside was a spider half the size of his palm, which he placed upside down on the cover of the diary.
A faint black mist suddenly drifted out of the diary's cover, and the spiders in the jar seemed to sense that something was wrong, and began to move about in a frenzy…