I wonder if this is considered bullying a sick, lonely old man? Ivan thought spitefully, but then pushed the thought aside.
Dumbledore was no ordinary old man, and while this was a bit of a mean trick, integrity and life were certainly more important…
Having formulated the appropriate tactics, Ivan's tense mind relaxed, and he remembered the memory threads Dumbledore had given him. Hesitantly, he retrieved the Pensieve from the Room of Requirement…
… .
A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and the Christmas holidays arrived. The castle, which had been crowded and lively, suddenly became exceptionally deserted.
During this period of time, Ivan went all out in his preparations for war, with hardly a moment's rest, striving to integrate his newly acquired abilities into the existing combat system before the final battle.
In addition, Ivan would spend an hour or two each day looking at the threads of Dumbledore's memories, which were so numerous that it took him several days to sort through them.
As he had suspected, they were all memories of his father.
"Orlando Hals…" Ivan whispered the man's name as he stared at the rippling water in the Pensieve after tossing the last empty glass bottle aside.
It had been five years since his transmigration, and although he was essentially a visitor from another world, Ivan had always been curious about his father.
However, Isiah always tried to hide things from her and avoid all topics related to him, so it was only now that Ivan truly understood his father in name.
However, even after scanning through these memories, Ivan still had little understanding of the conflict between Alicia and Dumbledore.
While it is true that Dumbledore was responsible for Orlando-Hales's death, there was a reason for it, and Alicia would not have hated the white wizard so much if she had only seen him in memory.
Looks like I'll have to go home to get to the bottom of this… Dumbledore may not have tampered with the memory, but he may have been hiding something…
With this thought in mind, Ivan gently placed his hand on the Pensieve. The rippling water inside slowly calmed down, and the image on the Pensieve disappeared.
"This could be a good opportunity to test my theory…" Ivan muttered to himself as he placed the Pensieve back in place. He closed his eyes and began to sense the Phoenix power within him.
Hot flames soon surrounded Ivan, enveloping him.
"Now is the time…"
Ivan's eyes snapped open, and he waved his wand. Flames exploded all around him, filling the sky with flames that quickly engulfed him.
The world spun, and when the flames finally died down, Ivan found himself outside Hogwarts Castle, in the Wizarding Market.
As expected, Hogwarts' Anti-Phantom Transfiguration Array only worked on wizards.
Ivan confirmed this. He had tried to use the power of the phoenix to assist, but had easily broken through the protective array and successfully performed a spatial shift.
This proved that there is more to the power of the blood than meets the eye, and, combined with Dumbledore's warnings some years ago, Ivan guessed that the blood magic listed in the system column was merely a rudimentary ability.
For example, the phoenix's blood gave him the ability to control fire, and at the same time, it enhanced his spatial magic. If he continued to dig, he might be able to resist the Death Curse and be reborn like Fawkes…
Unfortunately, he would have to fight Dumbledore to the death tomorrow, and even if he had the potential to fuse his blood, he would not have the time to develop them.
They would have to wait until the battle was over before trying again.
Ivan thought about this with disappointment as he headed for the safe house.
Along the way, the enforcers greeted Ivan warmly, their eyes full of admiration, awe, and fear.
Such mixed emotions are naturally due to Ivan's record of repelling Lord Voldemort, capturing the Ministry of Magic, and killing the Minister for Magic in public…
Ivan knew exactly what these people were thinking, but he believed that everyone's opinion of him would soon change. With his current strength, he no longer needed to put on an act, nor did he need to rely on fear to increase his control over his subordinates.
"Sir Harls, what can I do for you?" Flan, who was in charge of guarding Ivan, immediately rushed over with a few werewolf wizards and asked cautiously.
"What about my mother, Alicia?" Ivan asked.
"Mrs. Harls isn't in the safe house right now," Flan said. "She's probably gone back to the wizarding shop. Should I send someone to inform her?"
"No, it's fine. I'll go myself…" Ivan nodded, unsurprised.
Although they were still under threat from Lord Voldemort and needed the protection of a safe house, the place was too dark and cold for long-term habitation.
"By the way, according to Piers, the Ministry of Magic is in the process of reorganising itself to get rid of any high-ranking officials who have ties to the Dark Lord. There are many important positions that will be left vacant, so do a good job. I have high hopes for you…" Ivan said with a smile as he patted Flan on the shoulder.
As one of the first to join him, he was seen by Ivan as capable and loyal enough to take on higher office.
However, Knockturn Alley still needed to be guarded, and Pierce had just stabilized the situation, so it would be unwise to immediately attack high-ranking officials from important departments.
Efraim's words excited Fran and the others. After the Battle of the Ministry of Magic, Doggett, Macnair, Gleason, and the others were all promoted to the post of Head of Department.
After all, they were not bad at taking credit, and were the first to join. Now that Ivan had made his stand, Fran and the others were relieved.
This shows that Ivan has no intention of burning the bridge after crossing it, and will not be harsh on them because they are werewolves…
After placating Flun, Ivan went straight back to the Wizarding Shop to meet with Alicia.
Asia was pleasantly surprised to see Ivan, and she happily went up to him and gave him a hug. She tapped his forehead affectionately and said teasingly, "What a rare occasion. I thought you weren't planning on coming back for Christmas this year."
(PS: One more chapter to post later)