Given the choice between learning alchemy or watching football, Ivan chose the former, as he was not particularly fond of flying.
The only good thing about going to the scene is to set up a trap to catch Barty Crouch Junior early!
Capturing a single Death Eater would be pointless, as it would only serve to alert Lord Voldemort, who was hiding in the shadows, to greater caution, and might even lead him back to life.
In that case, things would be completely out of his control. It would be better for everything to proceed as usual. He would secretly destroy the remaining Horcruxes and bring people to surround Voldemort to give him a surprise!
Not to mention, he had lived in the wizarding world for three years, and it was uncertain if the Death Eaters would cause a scene at the World Cup due to the Butterfly Effect!
Dumbledore, unaware of Ivan's thoughts, was surprised.
If he remembered correctly, Ivan was a very good Quidditch player, having won the Gryffindor Cup twice in a row.
The bald wizard, who had also heard this, suddenly stood up in surprise. His drunken face was red as he screamed at Ivan.
"Oh! Jeez, you've got to be kidding someone around here about not being interested in the Quidditch World Cup, right?"
The wizards in the Leaky Cauldron turned their heads in surprise.
"If you think so, take it as a joke…" Ivan shrugged helplessly. He had no intention of arguing with an alcoholic, so he followed Dumbledore out of the Leaky Cauldron.
"English wizards love Quidditch, Harles!" Dumbledore explained once they were out of the door. "Especially during this time, there have been a number of irrational Ballists at the Leaky Cauldron, and if you don't want to get into trouble, you'll have to show an obvious interest in Quidditch!"
Ivan thought of the English football maniacs of his previous life and understood, so he asked curiously, "What about you? Do you like playing Quidditch too?"
Dumbledore smiled but did not reply. He looked up at the sky and saw a golden-red phoenix flying towards them.
"Just in time. Hold on to me and I'll get you there!" Dumbledore said, raising his left arm.
Ivan nods and does as he is told, grabbing Dumbledore's outstretched forearm.
The Fawkes in the sky were getting closer and closer, their bodies wreathed in golden flames.
Yvonne forcibly stopped herself from trying to avoid Dumbledore's gaze; he would not have gone to the trouble of trying to harm her.
The next moment, the fireball hit Ivan, and he felt as if his entire body had been set on fire. The only difference was that he didn't feel as if he was being burned.
Ivan did not panic, as they had used similar methods to transport themselves to the Ministry of Magic.
To Ivan's surprise, as the flames engulfed him, Dumbledore spoke.
"Remember, the place we're going is—"
'What is it?'
Ivan's mind went blank for a moment, then spun as Dumbledore's voice trailed off, making it impossible to hear any further.
When Ivan emerged from the flames, he saw that the place had changed. It looked very desolate, with nothing but dirt and sand.
Yvonne had no time to look at it, and turned anxiously to Dumbledore. "Professor, the place you asked me to remember, can you repeat that?"
"It's in your head already, isn't it?" Dumbledore said earnestly. "Think about it!"
Ivan was so confused that he could not understand what Dumbledore was saying, but then he found himself with a set of coordinates in his mind, which he had no idea what they were for.
"These are the coordinates, and they're very important! Next time you can try Apparating yourself, but you'd better not do it too often!" Dumbledore growled.
It was then that Ivan realised, having learnt some contractual magic, that it was easier to keep one's location a secret.
"Let's go!" Dumbledore patted Ivan on the shoulder, glanced around to make sure they were heading in the right direction, and then headed off toward the clearing.
Ivan hurried to keep up, but after only a few steps, he felt as if he had encountered an obstacle. It was as if he were in a quagmire, and every step was an effort.
As Dumbledore vanished from sight, Ivan was left with no choice but to press on.
After taking a few steps forward, the desolate scene in front of him seemed to have been erased by a mysterious force. A vast courtyard appeared in front of him.
A strange house stood in the middle of the courtyard, as if it were alive, with what looked like windows staring out at him.
Could alchemy actually bring an entire house to life?
Ivan couldn't help but wonder if the house would stand up and hit someone like a Transformer if an enemy came in.
It couldn't be that bad, could it?
Ivan grumbled to himself, then turned to Dumbledore and asked, "Professor, something seemed to be stopping me when I came in. Is this the protective mechanism?"
"Yes, Nick concealed the house and set up traps that changed the exact location of the entrance at regular intervals," Dumbledore replied.
Yvonne frowned. How was he supposed to find out where the entrance was when he came himself?
"Keep an eye out for signs of magic, as it is bound to leave behind traces, especially of such persistent magic," Dumbledore explained, seeing Ivan's confusion.
Ivan looked embarrassed. He could not sense the traces of the so-called spell-casting. The last time he cracked Voldemort's trap, he was only pretending because he knew the original plot.
"There's no need to rush, you'll see one day!" Dumbledore assured her, realising that Ivan might not be strong enough to do so.
The two of them walked along the limestone path in the courtyard towards the central house.
Ivan looked around curiously, interested in the residence of the Master Alchemist, passing by hordes of alchemical creatures, giant, snoring doors… It was all very magical.
It was like a fairyland in a fairy tale, and Ivan saw Muggle objects that had apparently been bewitched.
"I heard from Sirius that you destroyed a Horcrux in the Black family home?" Dumbledore asked suddenly as they were walking.
He had wanted to ask about it at the Leaky Cauldron, but there were too many people there and it was not a good place to discuss it.
"Yes! That's right! I came into contact with the diary two years ago and nearly died in the Chamber of Secrets. I was so impressed that I knew something was wrong when I found the locket…"
Ivan had known that Sirius would report the Horcrux to Dumbledore, so he had a rough idea of what was going on.
"Anyway, that's it! After we destroyed the Horcrux, we went to the cave where the fake Horcruxes were kept and brought Regulus, who had turned into an Inferius, to be buried in the Blacks' graveyard," Ivan concluded, leaving little to the imagination.
He even told her about how he lost control of the Fire Incantation in the cave.
Ivan knew that Dumbledore would hear about it from Lupin and Sirius, even if Ivan didn't say anything, and would only make Ivan more suspicious.
Dumbledore listened quietly, and when he saw Ivan's relaxed tone, as if it was no big deal to destroy a Horcrux and then sneak into the cave where Voldemort had placed it, he smiled wryly to himself.
Snape's sarcastic words from a few months ago came back to him…