Unbeknownst to the two chatting wizards, a hand holding a wand seemed to reach out from behind them.
"Godspeed Shadowless!" Ivan was about to chant.
Suddenly, Ivan felt as if he had been hit by something, and was thrown to the ground, the spell broken.
Ivan was about to activate the Aura of Magic when he heard a familiar voice.
"Shhh!"
Hermione Yvonne recognised the owner of the voice, but there was nothing in front of him except the feeling that something was pressing down on him.
Was it the invisibility effect of the Disillusionment Charm?
Numerous questions clouded Ivan's mind.
Ivan didn't dare move or speak, as the commotion he had caused had attracted the attention of the two black-robed wizards.
"What was that noise?" one of them asked, turning to look in their direction.
The other black-robed wizard walked over curiously.
Yvonne held her breath, nervous. The Cloak of Invisibility was powerful, but it didn't really vanish. It could be touched.
These two wizards were no threat to him, but since Hermione had chosen this moment to stop him, she must have had a good reason for doing so.
Ivan also felt the witch on top of him tremble slightly as the black-robed wizard approached, and it was clear that Hermione was nervous.
The black-robed wizard moved closer, scanning the deserted alley like a hawk, but there was nothing there.
He frowned. He had clearly heard something.
However, the black-robed wizard knew very well that not being able to see did not mean that there was nothing. It was also possible that someone had cast a Disillusionment Charm and was following them.
Thinking of this, the black-robed wizard suddenly drew his wand and began to read.
"Aparecium ~ (Apparition)"
Magic pulsed from the tip of the wand in all directions, sweeping over Ivan.
Ivan's expression was neutral. He was wearing the Deathly Hallows Invisibility Cloak, so he was not worried about being seen through, but he soon thought of Hermione, who was lying on top of him.
The black-robed wizard retracted his wand in confusion, and the middle-aged wizard next to him spoke impatiently.
"Come on, don't look. They're waiting for us. If we're too late, the old man might start yapping again."
"Why are you so afraid of him? Does that old thing really think he's some big shot?" The black-robed wizard pursed his lips disdainfully, but he still turned around and left with the middle-aged wizard.
Ivan pretended to be dead and didn't move, but the witch lying on top of him sat up, her brown hair floating in the air.
The little witch tried to say something, but Ivan grabbed her head with his right hand in a lightning-fast motion and slammed it against her chest.
The little witch was shocked, but the next moment, she saw the black-robed wizard appear at the end of the alley and quickly covered her mouth.
"That's strange, there really doesn't seem to be anyone…" The black-robed wizard looked at the empty alley and said gloomily.
The middle-aged wizard spoke behind him.
"Even if someone was following you, they would have left long ago."
"That's true. Let's go." The black-robed wizard shook his head and left.
This time, the witch stayed on top of Ivan for several minutes, afraid that he would return.
"They're gone. Come down!"
"Phew… that was close." The young witch pulled a strange silver-grey fabric off herself and let out a slow sigh of relief, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.
"Hermione? What are you doing here?" Yvonne asked suspiciously.
He had already guessed that Hermione was the one standing in his way, but he couldn't imagine how she got there.
And if he had the Cloak of Invisibility, why did Hermione have another?
"To see you, of course!" Hermione scowled at Ivan, annoyed that he had knocked her out, and handed him the book she was carrying.
"I have found the answer to that question on page one hundred and twenty-five of this book!"
A problem? What problem? Yvonne looked strangely at the book Hermione had handed her. The cover read Secrets to Dark Magic.
Ivan followed Hermione's instructions and flipped the book to page 125, where he found a few cruel experiments in the Dark Arts.
One, however, caught Ivan's attention,
The Dark Wizard who wrote this book "Writing Secrets of the Dark Arts" "found" dozens of people to experiment on the changes in the human body after death.
If the subject drank a continuous potion prior to his or her death, the residual magic would destabilise the potion, causing even the slightest effect to interrupt its effects.
Ivan frowned at this as he finally understood why the black-robed wizards he had treated with a Healing Charm in the makeshift stronghold at Knockturn Alley three months ago had returned to normal…
Ivan felt a dark cloud settle over him. He hadn't known this when he brewed the potion, so he hadn't considered it.
It was clear that he had read the wrong book, as experiments that required a lot of killing to understand were not recorded in normal potion books.
Not even sure if his potion would work, Ivan looked at Hermione and said eagerly, "When did you find out?"
"Of course I was going to tell you before you knocked me out!" Hermione said, rolling her eyes at Ivan. Before he could say anything else, she rummaged in her bag and pulled out a potion reagent.
"Thank God it didn't break…" Hermione said, handing it to Ivan. "You gave it to me before we came. It should help!"
Yvonne took the potion and lifted the lid. It smelled like Polyjuice Potion, but not the improved version he was familiar with.
Yvonne was looking at Hermione's chest, where another Time-Turner was hanging.
He immediately understood everything. The only possibility was that his future self had placed these items in Hermione's hands and sent her to him.
Yvonne said excitedly, "What about my guide? I mean, what else did I tell you before we came here? What should we do next?"
Yvonne looked at her expectantly, and the little witch blinked blankly … how could she know what to do next?