Noticing this, Ivan tightened his grip on his wand and quickened his pace, as if he were making casual conversation.
"Good evening, Professor Moody…"
Moody's stiff body finally moved, and he slowly turned his head to study Ivan with his strange magical eye. His voice was calm as he asked, "Hales, what are you doing in my office in the middle of the night?"
"You don't say? To find you, of course…" Ivan said casually, glancing around for Barty Crouch Junior, who might be in hiding.
However, it was very dark around here, and the light from the candle was very limited. Ivan could just make out a bed in one corner, and a large cupboard on the right, both of which were likely hiding places.
"Aren't you going to explain, Professor?" Yvonne asked, looking around before returning her attention to Moody.
Ivan did not rush into action. He had been in the office for several minutes, which was enough time for the opposition to prepare.
Moreover, Moody knew that he was coming in, yet he was standing there, clearly trying to lure him into an attack.
"There is no need for explanation, Hulse… I was surprised to find you here today, but as it happens, I was wondering how to lure you here…" Moody spoke slowly, his scarred face illuminated by the flames.
Yvonne's pupils contracted, and before she knew what he meant, the door to the cabinet to her right burst open.
"Avada Kedavra ~ (Avada Fatal Curse)"
The hoarse, shrill voice echoed through the enclosed space, and a blinding green light flashed in midair.
Ivan instantly used his Dragonification and rolled away, creating a crater in the wall behind him.
Moody raised his cane as Barty Junior did, but before he could cast a spell, he was interrupted by an inexplicable pressure.
Even Barty Crouch Junior, who was standing to one side, was affected and slowed down.
Unsure of what was going on, Ivan waved his wand and pointed it at the Sneakoscope behind Moody. Under the effects of the Flying Curse, the Sneakoscope flew over and crashed into Moody, sending him staggering.
Ivan was relentless, striking a second spell almost at the same time.
"Petrificus ~ (All petrified)"
Given that Moody was merely under control and not a real enemy, Ivan did not resort to violence, instead attempting to subdue him with relatively mild spells.
A brilliant beam of light flashed through the air, and Moody grabbed the Sneakoscope to block it, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he noticed the petrifying effect creeping around the edge of the mirror, and his face fell as he kicked the Sneakoscope aside.
Barty Junior had now adapted to the inexplicable pressure, and his bloodshot eyes were fixed on Ivan as he and Moody closed in on each other in a pincer movement.
Ivan relied on his protective ring and dragon scales to deal with the two of them. He knew very well that a two-on-one battle was extremely disadvantageous to him. He had to restrain one and deal with the other first.
Fortunately, this happened to be what he was best at!
"Expecto Patronum ~ (Expecto Patronum) " Ivan tapped his wand, and wisps of white mist rapidly emerged from the tip of the wand, condensing into a proud unicorn in less than a second.
With a sharp hiss, the Unicorn's Shadow charged through the mist towards Barty Junior.
"Reducto ~ (Shattered)!" Barty Crouch Junior did not understand why Ivan was casting a Patronus Charm there, but he was not going to sit back and watch as Ivan's Patronus approached.
However, to his surprise, the spell beam passed right through the Unicorn's Shadow, creating white mist.
Is this really just a Patronus?
When Barty Junior saw that his charm was not working, he began to wonder if she was trying to distract him.
With that thought in mind, the illusory unicorn closed the distance between them. Its speed was astonishing as it raised its hooves high and stomped down.
The distracted Barty Crouch Junior was unable to dodge in time and was barely able to cast a protective charm on himself before being sent flying by a pair of hooves.
On the other hand, Ivan was multitasking, and as he manipulated the Unicorn's Shadow, he turned on Moody. Several rings lit up on his fingers, and multiple charms shot out like cannon fire, not giving Moody a chance to breathe.
However, the old Auror was unexpectedly agile. Under the effects of the Transfiguration Charm, his wooden legs were more agile than his real ones. With a few rolls, he managed to dodge Ivan's continuous spells, and kicked down a cabinet as cover to block the Sleeping Spell.
Its beady eyes darted around, taking in Ivan's every move. It used its spell-casting gestures to predict the spell Ivan was about to cast and find a way to counter it.
Ivan, having been unable to win for a long time, no longer held back. With a wave of his wand, an invisible blade of magic flew past and cut the heavy cabinet in half.
Moody, who was hiding in the back, felt his hair stand on end. He pushed himself up and rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack, but his fake leg still grazed the wood and broke in half.
Moody, unable to get to his feet, retaliated, and the cabinet that had been cut in half transformed into two monstrous cheetahs that charged at Ivan.
Ivan smiled. This was the first time he had ever seen anyone compete with him in terms of Transfiguration. With a casual lift of his finger, the two wild cheetahs expanded rapidly and exploded.
Chunks of wood rained down from the sky, then, following Ivan's instructions, began to levitate and crash down on Moody.
"Impediment!" Unable to move or dodge, Moody cast an Obstacle Charm to ward off Ivan's magic.
Chunks of wood hit the barrier and broke through.
"Expellarmus ~ (Expelliarmus)" Ivan raised his hand to cast another spell, and a scarlet beam of light hit Moody, sending him flying.
Moody flew sideways and crashed into the wall behind him, his wand flying out of his hand and crashing to the floor.
"You stay here and reflect on yourself… Professor!" Ivan teased Moody as he knocked him out with a Stunning Spell.
The Imperius Curse does not have a counter-curse, and it would be very troublesome to get Moody back to normal, so it would be better to just knock him out…
(PS: The plot is more difficult to write.