Ivan reached over and picked up the Sword of Gryffindor, which was lying next to his bed.
The ornate sword looked the same as ever, but Ivan had the distinct feeling that the magical power within it had been enhanced.
The original Gryffindor Sword did not have the ability to destroy Horcruxes, as evidenced by Harry's failure to break through Nagini's defences when he first attacked her.
However, its greatest advantage was that it could absorb all beneficial elements to strengthen itself. Now, it seemed that this "beneficial element" was extremely wide-ranging. In addition to the basic substance, it also included the power of the mind and will!
As a Master Alchemist, Ivan was no stranger to this emotional energy, as he had used it to repair his Crescent pendant during his school years.
However, his current level was very limited, and his use of emotional energy was relatively shallow. He only stored it and used it to augment magic when needed.
The Sword of Gryffindor, on the other hand, seemed to be able to recycle this power to permanently strengthen itself.
"I don't know how those goblins managed to make this sword…" Ivan said, stroking the blade.
Thinking of Harry's description, Ivan gripped the hilt of his sword to see if he could infuse the sword with his will, but despite his best efforts, there was no sign of it glowing, and his attempts to summon the Sword of Gryffindor were unsuccessful.
Could she be a fake Gryffindor? Ivan was embarrassed.
No, that's impossible. It must be because I didn't summon this sword with enough determination…
After all, he was a proper wizard and did not have the desire to slash people with a sword.
"Do you remember how you put power into this sword, Harry?" Ivan asked, turning to Harry.
Harry hesitated for a moment, remembering that he had done nothing but rush forward in a fit of anger, intent on getting rid of Nagini.
Ivan didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Harry's statement.
This, however, made it clear that only the purest of wills could resonate with the Sword of Gryffindor.
Perhaps Dumbledore saw through Harry's recklessness and was so convinced that he could kill Nagini.
With this in mind, Ivan put the Sword of Gryffindor aside, as it did not seem to suit a man who fought with his mind, and he believed more in the power of the wand.
"Oh, by the way, there's something else I forgot to tell you…" Harry said, suddenly remembering something. "When I saw the professor in the other world, he told me he was expecting someone, and that if that person was willing to keep their promise, they'd be here soon!"
"Expecting someone?" Yvonne was startled, and her brow furrowed.
"Do you know who he was expecting, Harls?" Snape asked curiously.
"Gellert Grindelwald!" Ivan said with certainty, then seeing their puzzled expressions, he continued, "Professor Dumbledore and he were once close friends, but they became enemies because of some ideological conflict."
Harry was dubious, finding it hard to accept that, in his youth, Professor Dumbledore had befriended a celebrated Dark Wizard like Grindelwald…
This is even more outrageous than Voldemort being a Gryffindor.
Snape was equally incredulous, as everyone in the wizarding community knew how much Dumbledore hated the Dark Arts and had fought against it all his life.
Snape bit back his retort when he recalled that Dumbledore had arranged for him to lure Voldemort to Grindelwald.
Yvonne didn't try to explain herself; Dumbledore was dead and there was no point in picking on him.
There are only a handful of people in this world who can die without a single blemish, and even the first half of his life, when he made a few mistakes, did not discredit Dumbledore's greatness.
"Professor Snape, may I trouble you to take a look at this?" Ivan asked as he retrieved a potion from the pocket of his wizarding robes and handed it to Snape.
Puzzled, she reached out and took it from him. When she looked down at it, she saw that there was some dark red blood in the transparent reagent. It looked very strange.
"It's Grindelwald's blood! He took some of the Dark Magic's damage in Dumbledore's place. Can you tell what condition he's in from this?" Ivan asked grimly.
He had not stayed in Newmengard for a whole hour to set fire to the place, but to collect the blood that had dripped from Grindelwald's cut left hand.
Unfortunately, there was something wrong with the blood. Otherwise, it would be a good ingredient for a Dark Curse and a Polyjuice Potion.
Snape gently opened the lid and used his wand to suck out the tiny drops of blood, which floated in the air as he examined them. Having been Dumbledore's primary physician for two years, Snape was familiar with the properties of this strange, dark magic, and he quickly came to a conclusion.
"If all goes well, he'll last about two months," Snape said as he waved his wand to reattach the blood.
"If you were to treat him, regardless of the cost, would you be able to save Grindelwald?" Ivan asked again.
"No way! The corrosion is too deep, and it's tangled up with the magic. At least, I can't think of any other way." Snape shook his head, feeling somewhat relieved.
Grindelwald was not to be trifled with, and was probably no easier to deal with than Voldemort, and Snape was momentarily relieved to learn that this dangerous man was about to die.
Ivan did not disagree with Snape's assessment, as it was in line with his theory. What could Greenwald do when Dumbledore had spent two years trying to dispel this strange Dark Magic?
"If he was going to die, why did he try to escape?" Harry asked, puzzled.
Ivan rolled his eyes. He was going to ask the same question. With only two months to live, even if Grindelwald had an amazing plan to dominate the world, it would be too late.
As for finding someone to share the burden of the spell with Dumbledore?
It didn't take a genius to see that this was impossible!
Even a powerful wizard of their level could not last a year. If it were an ordinary wizard, they would not be able to hold on for more than half a month under the corrosion of black magic!
Moreover, this plan was only a temporary measure. If he delayed any longer, he would die…