Because of this, Ivan has been reluctant to meet with Dumbledore, a feeling of powerlessness that he finds difficult.
Ivan, however, found it strange that he had not felt Dumbledore use Dementor since entering the room, and wondered if he had used it on Hermione and Ivan had not noticed…
"Can you tell me why you used the Time-Turner?" Dumbledore demanded.
"It's something personal that I'm not at liberty to tell you… Professor!" Ivan hesitated, then shook his head.
What could he say? That he had returned to Knockturn Alley to save Alicia and killed a group of vicious Dark Wizards?
He was a mere thirteen-year-old wizard, and yet he had killed so many people. It was hard to say what Dumbledore would think of this.
Ivan's words greatly disappointed Dumbledore, but he did not pursue the matter. Ivan insisted that he would not talk about it, and that he could not possibly get anything out of him…
"In that case, I must punish you for this breach of the rules!" Dumbledore declared.
Ivan's heart was in his mouth, Hermione's mouth was pursed in fear…
Dumbledore clasped his fingers together and looked at Ivan with his blue eyes.
"First, you! Hales! You used the Time-Turner to go back in time without permission and violated Ministry regulations. One hundred points will be deducted from Gryffindor House for your actions!"
"And you… Miss Granger!" Dumbledore's eyes went back to Hermione. "You have not been properly supervised, so I will deduct fifty points from Gryffindor House! And confiscate the Time-Turner, as you are not equipped to keep it."
Dumbledore waited for the news to sink in.
Hermione looked down sadly, Ivan looked surprised,
'That's it? A point deduction?'
Ivan was confused, and after thinking about it, he took the initiative to speak.
"What about compensation, Professor? How much gold would I have to pay the Ministry for breaking the Time-Turner?"
Ivan asked Dumbledore about the price of the Time-Turner, and felt sorry for him. Most of the Galleons he had saved up were taken from Lockhart, but they were still hard-earned money!
When Dumbledore did not continue, Ivan's heart sank, and he ventured a question.
"Is three thousand Galleons enough?"
"Five thousand Galleons?" Ivan's heart clenched, and Dumbledore fell silent.
"Ten thousand Galleons?!" Ivan was desperate. He could only afford ten thousand Galleons…
Where did you get all this money? Dumbledore looked at Ivan in surprise, wondering if Ivan had done something shameful when he returned to the past…
"There's no need for compensation. You're in luck. I happen to know a master alchemist who should be able to fix this Time-Turner," Dumbledore explained.
Ivan breathed a slow sigh of relief, and his tense expression relaxed. This way, they wouldn't have to worry about the Ministry coming after them.
Hermione, on the other hand, was baffled, as she had read that the Time-Turner had been lost for centuries, and that no one was supposed to know how to make and repair one.
Yvonne recalled Burke telling her that Nick Flamel might still have the recipe for the Time-Turner.
Nick Flamel happened to be one of Dumbledore's best friends, so he could only be the one the old professor was referring to!
Yvonne was more or less tempted by the idea. It would not be easy for her to improve with her current level of alchemy. Nick Flamel was one of the few people in the wizarding community who could teach her.
Ivan opened his mouth, but no words came out. He had just broken a Time-Turner and was too ashamed to ask Dumbledore for a meeting with Nick Flamel.
Besides, he was not related to Nick Flamel, who had no reason to teach him alchemy.
"Professor Dumbledore, what about our classes?" Hermione asked, suddenly thinking of the schedule for the next morning. Without the Time-Turner, she would not be able to attend several classes at once.
"Then several conflicting courses will have to be cancelled, and you will have to personally apologize and explain to the professors!"
"So I hope you will remember this lesson well…"
When the two men nodded solemnly, Dumbledore waved them off. "Well… if there is nothing else, you may leave!"
"Thank you, Professor!" Ivan said gratefully before he left.
Ivan knew that without Dumbledore's help in repairing the Time-Turner, they would be held accountable by the Ministry of Magic, and it would not be something that could be solved with points deducted…
After the two left the Headmaster's office, peace was restored.
Dumbledore stared at the badly damaged Time-Turner in his hand, lost in thought.
In the portrait at the back, an old man with a long beard chattered on.
"Albus, you have been very kind to these errant students, who have broken a precious Time-Turner and intend to lie about what they have done.
If I were the Headmaster, I would hang them from the roof and whip them! Then lock them in a dark room until they tell the truth!"
"Mr. Black, I need to remind you that the custom of corporal punishment was abolished decades ago! I have to do things by the book…" Dumbledore explained.
In the current school rules, punishment was not unheard of.
However, considering that Yvonne had too many lessons with Hermione and didn't have much time, and that these minor punishments didn't do much good, Dumbledore did not mention them.
As for Ivan's attempts to hide the fact that he had gone back in time, Dumbledore was somewhat frustrated, as he did not want to use Dementor unless absolutely necessary.
In particular, he had detected Ivan's defensiveness, and had even learned to close his mind to create false memories to fool himself.
Forcefully using Dementor in such a situation would only have the opposite effect, increasing Ivan's displeasure and wariness of him…
Dumbledore thought for a moment, then grabbed the Time-Turner, stood up, and turned to Fox. "Fox! Take me to Nick!"