"Is he dead?" Hermione murmured, covering her mouth as she stared at the broken, disgusting body.
"I think so!" Dumbledore nodded, as he had the impression that neither Madam Pomfrey's medical magic nor Snape's potion could save a roasted wizard.
"It's a shame," said Ivan. "We might have been able to get something out of Barty Crouch Junior if we'd caught him alive."
"We can't expect everything to be perfect, at least not now that Alastor has been saved. When he comes to his senses, he should be able to clear up some of our doubts," Dumbledore said soothingly.
He was also on the battlefield during the previous battle, but Barty Junior's suicidal actions took him by surprise.
Yvonne nodded. She would have to hope for the best from Moody.
Dumbledore waved his wand and conjured a white cloth to cover Barty Crouch Junior's body, then turned to Ivan and spoke in a low voice.
"I must say, your progress has always been quite unexpected, Hulse. I thought you might need some help against Barty Junior and Alastor…"
"You're right about that, Professor. If you hadn't come when you did, I would have died there…" Ivan shrugged helplessly, but before he could finish, Dumbledore interrupted.
"There's no need to sell yourself short, Hals. I know all about Alastor's abilities, and with Barty Crouch Junior, who is well versed in the Dark Arts, even a collision between the two would be disastrous."
Having witnessed the entire battle, Dumbledore was able to see that, with the exception of Barty Junior's final suicide attack, Ivan was able to deal with the pair with ease.
He was even more powerful than Severus, who might have been able to subdue Barty Junior and Moody, but not as easily as Ivan.
Hermione said proudly, "Professor McGonagall said in class the other day that Ivan's Transfiguration is better than hers, and not far off from yours."
Ivan was embarrassed by Hermione's praise, as he understood that Professor McGonagall had taken his use of the Transfiguration Charm to be true.
Unfortunately, that was all an act. Even he might not be able to do it now…
Hermione was unaware of this, as she thought Ivan's ability to defeat Moody and Barty Junior at the same time was extraordinary, something even the professors could not do.
In her mind, the only person who was better than the professors was Headmaster Dumbledore.
However, now that they were out of the dark chamber, Hermione noticed Ivan's strange behaviour and hesitated before asking.
"Ivan, your hands and face … is that some sort of special magic?"
Ivan froze for a moment and quickly raised his hand to take a look. Although he had removed his dragon form at the end of the battle, his control over this new bloodline magic was limited.
Perhaps because he had been in dragon form for too long, some of the dragon scales still remained on his arm.
Ivan, embarrassed by Hermione's curious gaze and unable to see himself, said sheepishly, "Something like that? It's sort of my own magic. Is it ugly?"
Hermione stared at Ivan for a moment, then blushed and shook her head. The scarlet scales were not ugly, and the way they covered Ivan's neck and arms gave him a certain charm.
It was the faint pressure that made Hermione uncomfortable, as if she were being watched by a three-headed dog or a dragon.
Hermione had no intention of hiding this from him, and told him how she felt.
Dragon's might? Yvonne raised her eyebrows. No wonder Barty Crouch and Moody were so distracted during the previous battles.
He thought that someone was secretly helping him, but he did not expect the pressure to be from his dragonification. No wonder the transformed Snorkack was so afraid of him.
As Ivan pondered this, Dumbledore spoke, his words harsh.
"I think I need to warn you, Hales, that magic transfiguration is extremely dangerous, especially at your age … and it doesn't seem like the first time you've done it."
Dumbledore's expression was very serious. He had noticed Ivan's strange behaviour during the battle, and combined it with several dragons from this year's Triwizard Cup, he soon realised that Ivan had used dragon blood to complete the magical transformation.
If he remembered correctly, Ivan had unicorn blood in his first year, and in his second year, he underwent a second magical transformation under Tom Riddle's "deception".
It is incredible that a wizard can possess both bloodlines without losing control, and Dumbledore can only attribute this to Slytherin's skill in the field of Potions.
Perhaps … plus Ivan's excellent luck.
The two combined to create a miracle!
He thought it was the end of the line, but Ivan chose to fuse the third blood in a reckless fashion.
Although the transfiguration appeared to be a success, no one could be certain that multiple blood-mergers would not leave serious side effects, and Ivan's insatiable hunger for power worried him.
"Professor, what is a magical transfiguration? Is it dangerous? Is Ivan going to be all right?" Hermione asked before Ivan could reply.
Dumbledore explained in a low voice:
"Typically, wizards can only improve their magical abilities by practicing spells day after day and accumulating knowledge.
However, there are always exceptions. Some wizards and witches modify themselves by means of potions, pacts, alchemy, and certain charms, in order to improve their strength and break through their own limits. I call this transformation of magic."
Dumbledore paused, then turned his attention back to Ivan and continued solemnly.
"Hales, I do not know exactly what magical knowledge you acquired in the Chamber of Slytherin, but I do know that every ritual associated with the transfiguration of magic is extremely dangerous, and that countless wizards have lost their lives in the process! As a result, wizards in the mainstream of the wizarding world from all over the world have abandoned such dangerous attempts…"