[The chapter name is wrong. It's chapter 328. The Angel will contact the editor and change it tomorrow.]
Without this time travel, Ivan could not have predicted what would have been worse.
With this in mind, Ivan remembered the attack and spoke apologetically.
"I'm sorry… Mom."
"What's wrong?" Alicia asked worriedly.
"Those black-robed wizards were supposed to have slipped through the cracks during the Ministry's attack on Dark objects last year. If I hadn't come up with the Protective Ring and the Anti-Curse Gloves, you wouldn't have worked with the Ministry, much less provoked them…"
Ivan regretted his decision to travel to this world in place of Alicia's child. Not only had he done her no good, but he had also put her life in danger.
As far as he could remember, Alicia and her son had been safe and sound in Knockturn Alley for over ten years…
As he was thinking about this, Ivan felt a sharp pain in his head and was flicked by someone's index finger. Ivan looked up innocently and saw Alicia staring at him with an expression that said she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"What makes you think that? We're not going to make Galleons just because we might offend them? There's no such thing as making money here without taking risks…" Alicia ruffled Ivan's hair and continued, amused. "How do you think our family business came about?"
Given the small size of the wizarding community, and the smaller market for the sale of Dark objects, it was impossible to conduct business without offending dangerous individuals.
When she first arrived to open the shop, she was met with a lot of pressure, especially from the owner of Borgin and Burkes.
Fortunately, she was strong enough to withstand the other party's continuous probing and, for some reason, got to know Dougett.
As such, Alicia had no intention of blaming Ivan, and would only resent the fact that she had not been aware of their movements in advance.
"So don't think too much about it. Without the protective rings you made, the shop might have been forced to close last year when we were inspecting Dark Magic items. We would have had a hard time…" Alicia saw that Ivan seemed to blame himself, so she teased him.
It's not that bad, is it? Ivan pursed his lips. He remembered how Alicia had spent hundreds of Galleons to get Doggett to give him a Dementor for his Prowler practice…
Alicia reached out and took Ivan into her arms again, whispering in his ear, "You've done enough, done enough! Mummy is so proud of you!"
"If your friends hadn't told me that you dealt with those black-robed wizards alone, I wouldn't have believed such an exaggerated thing…"
Ivan's guilt abated a little, and then he noticed that Hermione had been standing off to the side, watching in silence.
Ivan broke away from Alicia's embrace slightly and spoke to Hermione.
"Mum, let me introduce you to Hermione Granger! She was one of my best friends at Hogwarts, and the best and brightest student in my year! I had to thank her for what I did…"
"Hermione Granger? That's a nice name. I hope I didn't scare you by acting out of control," Alicia said gently, looking away from Ivan.
"No, Mrs. Harls! I know you're worried about Ivan." Hermione shook her head, then added sheepishly, "I didn't do anything to help…"
"Anyway, I want to thank you for accompanying Ivan on such a dangerous mission…" said Alicia gratefully.
"We're friends. It's the least I can do," Hermione said, glancing instinctively at Ivan.
Catching Hermione's eye, a teasing smile spread across Alicia's face, and her purple eyes lit up as she half-jokingly said, "Um…friends? Is that all you have? Nothing more special?"
Hermione's cheeks reddened, and she tried to defend herself, but she couldn't speak under Alicia's intense gaze.
Ivan rolled his eyes and was about to say something when a voice interrupted.
'What is it? Why am I here? Is it raining?'
All three of them turned to look, and Doggett sat up, confused. His clothes were wet from the rain, and he reeked of alcohol.
He clearly remembered that he was drinking in the living room of the mansion. How did he end up here in the blink of an eye?
This inexplicable absent-mindedness lasted for a while, and Doggett soon noticed that Alicia and the others were looking at him…
Doggett's face fell, and he rummaged through his wizarding robes for a wand, which he tapped on his robes.
"Clean it up!"
Under the influence of magic, the stains on the wizard's robes were separated from the rain, and he became much more energetic.
Doggett stood up, cleared his throat, and asked curiously, "Why are you all here? Did I miss something important?"
"Why don't you tell him?" Alicia said to Ivan.
Ivan nodded and explained. "Headmaster Doggart, a group of black-robed wizards have just attacked the Wizarding Shop…"
"What?" Before Ivan could finish, Dougett frowned, realizing the gravity of the situation.
He secretly regretted drinking so much before…
Otherwise, he would have sensed that something was wrong and rushed over to help.
"You and Alicia aren't hurt, are you?" Dougett asked, looking at Ivan and Alicia with concern. He was relieved to see that they were in good condition, and then he said angrily, "Do you know the identities of the attackers? Where are they now?"
"Those black-robed wizards are all dead. As for the owner of Borgin and Burkes who ordered them to do it…" Ivan said truthfully.
Doggett was not surprised to hear that the attackers had been wiped out. After all, he knew how strong Alicia and Ivan were, and the shop was their home ground, so it was not unusual for them to take out a few Dark Wizards.
However, when he heard the identity of the person behind this, he cursed angrily. "So it's him? I knew the old man was up to no good…"
Yvonne silently took in Dougett's reaction, which seemed genuine.
Ivan, however, could not be certain of his own judgement. There was one thing he would not allow Doggett to get involved in if he did not get to the bottom of it.
With that in mind, Ivan quietly took hold of his wand and asked, "By the way, Dean Dougett, you were a Death Eater?"