Doggett wanted to say that it would be quite safe to go to his house, and there was plenty of room!
However, when he thought about how Alicia's wizarding shop had been attacked and how his home might be at risk of being exposed, he swallowed his words and spoke instead.
"Temporary residence? Of course, come with me!"
About ten minutes later, Doggett led Ivan and the others to a large house in the northwest. They knocked on the door and a middle-aged wizard in his forties with an unkempt beard came out.
"Old friend! It's been a long time!" Dougett threw his arms around her and greeted her warmly.
After a short conversation, Doggett took a bag of Galleons from the pocket of his wizarding robe and forced it on the man.
The middle-aged wizard pretended to give them excuses, but in the end, he accepted them. He smiled and greeted them before leaving…
Doggett turned to Ivan and the others and explained.
"That's a friend I met while gambling. Recently, I was short of money and was willing to let us use the house temporarily.
"Don't worry, he's very tight-lipped. Other than the fact that he's lazy and likes to drink and gamble, he has no other shortcomings. The money I gave him was enough for him to have a good time outside…"
'So what kind of weirdos are your friends?'
Ivan shook his head with an odd look on his face and followed Doggett inside. The room was large and cluttered, with old photographs hanging on the walls.
The topmost photo was of an elderly witch who, upon seeing Ivan and the others enter the house, could not help but curse her unfilial grandson for being a good-for-nothing and renting out the ancestral home to someone else…
However, no one paid her any attention. With a casual wave of her wand, she used the Dust-Removing Charm to tidy up the house and seal up the photos so as not to disturb or eavesdrop on their conversation.
When he was done, Doggett turned to Ivan and asked in a serious tone, "Have you thought about what we should do next?"
Ivan nodded. "I've scouted the inside of Borgin and Burkes, and I know the layout. That's about it!"
With that, Ivan pulled out his wand and gently stirred the table. Wisps of magic connected into a line and formed a clear map of the various important locations and possible escape routes of the enemy in battle.
"How did you find out where they were?"
Doggett looked at Ivan in bewilderment, and even suspected that Ivan had not drawn it out of thin air, as the map clearly indicated the layout of the top floor and the location of the basement!
Alicia was equally surprised. She had known the owner of Borgin and Burkes for years, but she did not know the layout of the wizarding shop.
"I have my ways," Ivan said, not bothering to explain.
The map was based on his memories of his search of Borgin and Burkes before school started.
By then, Borgin and Burkes was completely empty, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.
Doggett and the others looked at Ivan's young face, but they could not bring themselves to question him. They all knew that Ivan was no ordinary young wizard, and thus the map was highly reliable.
Ivan went on when he saw their approval. "I'll sneak in with the Cloak of Invisibility later, check the internal personnel distribution, wait for the opportunity to strike, try to reduce their numbers…
As for you, wait until I give the signal and then attack from these weak points, blocking all of Burke's escape routes!"
"Wait… that's not good! It's too risky!" Alicia interrupted.
If Ivan hadn't knocked her out, she wouldn't have left him alone to risk his life.
Fran and the others nodded in agreement.
Doggett tried to talk Ivan out of this dangerous idea.
The Cloak of Invisibility was difficult to create, but it was not particularly powerful, and its effects were similar to that of a Disillusionment Charm.
It would be easy to be seen through if you tried to sneak into a Dark Arts shop.
"Don't worry!" Ivan said. "I have a very special Invisibility Cloak, so it's not easy to see through. If you don't believe me, you can try it."
He took the risk of trying to recreate the scene he had witnessed in his shop, where an enhanced version of the thunderbolt would explode in a crowd, sending Burke and his men to their deaths.
The landlord of the Leaky Cauldron told him that many Dark Wizards and werewolves had been killed in the Great War, and that the Dark Wizards were either Burke's henchmen or everyone there, including Alicia!
Doggett was dubious, but once Ivan had put on the Cloak of Invisibility, he waved his wand to cast a counter-curse.
As expected, the counter-spell had no effect, and Alicia cast a few probing spells to try and locate Ivan.
It was as if he had vanished into thin air!
"What do you think?" Ivan asked, allowing them to fuss for a while before he lifted the Invisibility Cloak and revealed himself.
Daggett smiled wryly, unable to speak. The Cloak of Invisibility was indeed unique!
Alicia curiously took the Invisibility Cloak from Ivan and examined it.
The Cloak of Invisibility was one, smooth to the touch, as if it were made of water.
The more she looked at it, the more amazed she became, and then she sighed in disappointment. She understood that the level of this magical creation was too high, and that she was not high enough in rank to crack the cloak's secret.
"Where did you get this?" Alicia asked Ivan, returning the cloak.
"Borrowed it from a friend!" Ivan then replied, somewhat surprised that Alicia did not recognise it as the Deathly Hallows.
However, the Deathly Hallows were still a secret to wizards of their level! Only a few wizarding families had records of them…
"You seem to have made some very good friends at school," said Alicia wistfully.
It was because she knew how powerful the Cloak of Invisibility was that she was so impressed with Ivan's willingness to lend her such a powerful magical object.
Alicia then turned to Hermione, impressed with Ivan's eye for friends!
"Of course!" Ivan said, nodding solemnly. He had always thought so.
Ivan then turned back to Alicia. "Now you'll be relieved?"
"That won't work either!" said Isiah, refusing to budge. She felt that Ivan would never have had to take the risk, even with the Cloak of Invisibility.
"Mom… have you forgotten? Not long ago, I single-handedly destroyed the black-robed wizards who attacked the shop. Even if they found out, they wouldn't be able to do anything to me for a while," Ivan said helplessly.
Before Isia could reply, Dougett exclaimed in shock.
"What? You took care of all those black-robed wizards by yourself?"