All of the wizards present were glaring at Grace and Joseph, silently complaining about why they had not said anything for longer. What if they had received instructions late at night and fallen into a deep sleep?
Otherwise, it would take more than 30 seconds to wash up and get dressed.
Joseph and Grace didn't care about the looks they were getting. They were glad that Ivan had been so kind as to let them go. In fact, they had been prepared to take a heart-rending shot.
Ivan observed the reactions of the assembled wizards and was disappointed to find that they were simply too undisciplined and undisciplined.
However, this was not the time to think about it. After a round of reprimands, Ivan told Flan to take Elf's coffin and go to the graveyard with her.
Yvonne went to the headstone and said the prayer she had memorized herself, in honour of Elfe Grint.
Part of it was for show, and part of it was genuine.
Although he had no previous dealings with the victim, Elver-Grint was one of Isia's titular recruits and had lost his life in the process, and Ivan was not one to take it lightly.
During this time, Ivan also met with Elf's mother, Madam Grint.
The white-haired witch's eyes were filled with tears, and she looked miserable. Her husband and daughter had died in the last Wizarding War, and she had lost her last child.
Ivan sighed, feeling strangely frustrated, but understanding that such a thing could not be avoided. Which of the wizards who lived in Knockturn Alley had a happy family?
Ivan took the purse full of Galleons and approached the witch, speaking apologetically.
"Mrs. Grint, I'm sorry we were too late to save your son. He was very brave, fighting to the very end, a true hero!"
"Also, here's three hundred Galleons, please accept it… there's nothing else we can do!" Ivan handed over the bag of Galleons, prepared to be scolded.
It is normal for a mother to be angry at the loss of her child.
However, none of this happened, and Mrs Grint accepted the bag from Ivan with a sob of thanks.
She knew very well that her child's job was to trade their life for money, and that the least valuable thing in Knockturn Alley was human life. Ivan had been kind enough to give Elf a funeral and three hundred Galleons in compensation after his death.
If it had been any other employer, Elfe would most likely have ended up dead in the wilderness…
Therefore, despite her grief, Mrs Grint did not blame Ivan for Elfe's death.
The funeral lasted over an hour, and it was evening before Ivan returned to Borgin and Burkes with the others.
While Ivan was wondering if he should take this opportunity to have a training session, Doggett brought him good news.
"Old Rosier has agreed to meet you… and he's waiting. He says he has something to tell you that he won't tell you until you arrive."
"So soon?" Yvonne was surprised. He remembered that Doggett had mentioned it to him only that morning. He had thought it would take a few days.
"Heh, I just mentioned it to him and he got scared out of his wits…" sneered Doggett.
Yvonne glanced at him, curious as to what Gert had told him to make the old Rozier so frightened.
However, considering that keeping him waiting for too long might lead to trouble, Ivan did not ask any further questions and used Apparition to head to the agreed location with Doggart.
Anyway, we'll find out when we meet…
When she returned to her senses, she found herself near a ruined house.
It was very desolate, probably in the east corner of Knockturn Alley, with the ruins of the battle against the Regulators visible in the distance.
"Come out, Mr. Rosier. Hiding is beneath your pure-blood family, isn't it?" Yvonne looked around the room. There was no one in sight, but he was fairly certain she was still there.
Ivan's words echoed across the empty rooftop for ten seconds before another voice spoke.
"Forgive my lack of manners, Sir Harls, but I am, after all, here alone, and I must be careful."
A middle-aged wizard in his mid-fifties appeared out of thin air. He wore an apologetic expression and was accompanied by a house-elf.
Ivan frowned. Of course, he understood that the other party must have been hiding in the shadows to check the situation. If there were too many people on his side, or if they sensed that something was wrong, they would have fled.
It was just as Dougett had said: cowardly…
While Ivan was watching him, Rosier studied him.
After a while, Rosier Senior suddenly spoke with emotion.
"You are younger than I thought, Sir Harls! If I hadn't heard it from Doggett, I would never have believed you possessed the power of a Dark Lord at your age…"
Despite all the information he had gleaned from Doggett, he still found Ivan's young face hard to believe.
A young wizard, at most thirteen or fourteen years old, should still be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even if he had been practising magic since the moment of the magic explosion, he could not have been practising magic for more than ten years!
Was such a brat really so powerful that he could rival the Dark Lord?
Rosier wondered if Doggett was just being mysterious.
I have the power of Lord Voldemort? Yvonne gave Doggett a sideways look, wondering if she should get someone else to do this sort of diplomacy next time, or there would be even more outrageous rumours in Knockturn Alley.
Dougett, on the other hand, was unfazed. It was only natural to boast about one's abilities when dealing with pressure.
He also believed that even Lord Voldemort would not be capable of something as bizarre as a snap of the finger, so he was not lying…
Despite Ivan's complaints, he kept a straight face and spoke impatiently.
"I understand you have an important piece of information for me, according to Doggett, but you will only reveal it when you see me?"
"Yes, Sir Harls! The House of Rossier is willing to pledge allegiance to you… on two small conditions, if you would be so kind as to consider them." The elder Rossier's back was slightly hunched, making him seem very humble, not at all like a pure-blood wizard.
"Tell me about it…" Ivan raised his eyebrows. He was not surprised. His side did have the advantage, but the other side was not without the ability to resist. It would not do to convince old Rosier to betray the old camp without paying a price.
"First, I would like your permission to retain the Rosier family's share of the wizarding market," Rosier Senior suggested.
"Of course!" Ivan agreed without hesitation.
Some preferential treatment was necessary for the first pure-blood family to defect.
The Rosier family did not have a large share of the wizarding market, nor did it have much of an impact. If they were stripped of that, no pure-blood family would be willing to surrender in the future.
Upon Ivan's agreement, Rosier was relieved to learn that his primary concern was the welfare of his family, as long as that kept everything else.
"What's the second condition?" Ivan asked bluntly, not in the mood to waste time.
"The second condition…" Rosier hesitated for a long time, as if he was trying to decide if he should say it. In the end, he gritted his teeth and tried to speak.
"You may not know this, but I have been obsessed with powerful magic since I was a child. Fifteen years ago, I was fortunate enough to witness the Dark Lord single-handedly taking on dozens of Aurors. The power of his magic was extraordinary, and I can never forget it…"