"Ivan, why did Ron go to the Forbidden Forest on his own?"
On the way, Harry followed Ivan, asking about the doubts that had been bothering him.
"I think it's the Imperius Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses," Ivan explained.
"People under the Imperius Curse act as usual, but their words and actions are under the control of the caster."
Harry shivered upon hearing about such a spell. The thought of being controlled by someone else and living a life worse than death sounded terrifying.
"I heard that people under the Imperius Curse are not only not in pain but feel very happy," Ivan continued, explaining the Imperius Curse further to alleviate Harry's tension.
"Impervius!"
"Silencio!"
"Feather-light Charm!"
The Forbidden Forest was pitch dark under the night sky, with the wind howling. Though it wasn't raining, the cold wind still made them shiver.
Ivan cast multiple protective spells on himself and Harry, then ventured into the Forbidden Forest.
Both of them were under the Disillusionment Charm, and with the Silencing Charm in place, their movements were silent—so much so that even Hagrid, who was guarding the Forbidden Forest, did not notice them.
"Ivan, where do you think Ronald could be?" Harry asked, holding onto Ivan's hand to avoid getting lost.
With Ivan around, Harry wasn't worried about anything.
After all, Ivan seemed to be omnipotent.
Even if there was a risk of danger, as long as Ivan could win in the end, Harry wouldn't hesitate.
"Not sure," Ivan replied. "Harry, listen to my command later, and don't act rashly."
Ivan was fairly certain that Voldemort's purpose in orchestrating this was targeting him specifically.
Otherwise, how could Harry have found out about Ronald's disappearance with just a note?
It didn't even specify where Ronald was in the Forbidden Forest.
Only Ivan had the ability to locate the exact point.
"Yeah," Harry nodded, well trained by Ivan and prepared to obey his orders.
"Revelio!" Ivan cast the spell, and golden footprints began to appear in the forest, tracing Ronald's path and outlining his figure with magic.
"It's Ron!" Harry clenched his fists.
He was grateful that he had immediately informed Ivan.
"Yeah," Ivan responded, watching the outline carefully.
Ivan took a deep breath.
The darkness ahead couldn't block his sight.
What truly put pressure on Ivan was the impending fierce battle. Face Voldemort. Then...! Ivan's eyes grew more determined. Verify my progress during this period!
Hmm?
Suddenly, Ivan sensed a presence.
He glanced back, and a familiar figure appeared in his magical vision—Snape.
Snape is here.
Ivan's message to Snape was to ask him to conceal his presence and follow behind him and Harry.
With three Heads of Houses protecting the young wizards, Ivan would face Voldemort directly.
With Snape for backup, they had an additional layer of security...
This three-pronged approach was the best response Ivan could devise.
"Ivan Ambrosius..."
Suddenly, a hoarse whisper echoed in Ivan and Harry's ears without warning.
"Ah!!"
Harry, beside him, winced in pain, clutching the scar on his forehead. He clearly sensed Voldemort's presence: "He's here, Ivan... he's nearby!"
"Stop playing these tricks, Professor Quirrell!"
Ivan refrained from mentioning Voldemort's name. As far as he knew, Quirrell was the one behind this entire series of conspiracies.
"Hehe..."
"What impressive magic."
Voldemort's voice emerged from the darkness: "Indeed, it was you who fought with Severus that night."
Ivan looked over and saw a cloaked figure slowly approaching—it was Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort.
"Where is Ron?" Harry asked, suppressing the pain.
"Harry... Potter!" Seeing Harry, Voldemort's tone shifted noticeably.
After all, this was the child of destiny who had ruined his former glory. Voldemort always wanted to understand what made Harry unique.
He had used Legilimency on Ronald and learned everything about Harry since his arrival at Hogwarts.
However, how could he describe it?
Utter disappointment!
Harry did have some talent, but compared to himself, Voldemort found it lacking.
In Voldemort's view, Harry's future achievements would be no more than Snape's.
Yet it was such an ordinary little wizard who had defeated the mighty Dark Lord!
It was incomprehensible, not to mention unacceptable!
"Don't worry, Harry," Voldemort's voice sounded like countless snakes slithering across the ground, "I'll deal with you after I finish handling the matter at hand."
"Don't be impulsive," Ivan stopped in front of Harry, signaling him not to act recklessly.
Harry forced himself to calm down, staring at Voldemort, his eyes full of anger and unwillingness.
"What do you want to do?" Ivan asked. "You brought Ronald Weasley here, now I'm here. What's your purpose?"
"Smart little wizard..." Voldemort was not at all surprised that Ivan had guessed this was a trap for him.
Harry was merely the bait; Ivan was Voldemort's true target.
"You are extremely talented, Ambrosius," Voldemort said. "Staying at Hogwarts is just a waste of your potential. Join me, and I will show you the true meaning of dark magic."
"Huh?" Ivan tilted his head, finding it hard to believe.
So all of this was just to recruit him?
"Did the troll eat your brain?" Ivan sneered.
"What?"
Voldemort hadn't expected Ivan to mock him, and Quirrell's face twitched slightly, anger simmering beneath the surface.
"You want to recruit me? Just a dark wizard?" Ivan asked, his tone filled with disbelief.
Hearing Ivan's words, Voldemort's anger gradually subsided. "Ah, I don't blame you, Ambrosius, because you don't know who is standing in front of you."
Voldemort believed that Ivan had refused because he thought Professor Quirrell's status was too low.
"I would like to hear more about it."
"I am Voldemort!" Voldemort did not hide his identity, revealing it directly.
"What?"
The next moment, Snape, who was hiding in the shadows, showed an incredulous expression, and even Harry was stunned.
The two of them had always thought that the person behind the troll incident was Quirrell himself. But who would have thought that the mastermind was actually Voldemort?
"Are you serious?" Ivan said deliberately. "Pretending to be a dead person?"
"I'm not dead yet!" Voldemort's voice rose sharply for a moment, then returned to its original hoarseness. "You don't understand, Ambrosius. I have gone further on the path of dark magic than anyone else."
'It's really him!'
'He's still alive!'
Snape was very familiar with Voldemort. The way of speaking felt familiar just now, but he didn't expect it to be the Dark Lord himself. 'No, Ivan and Harry can't face Voldemort directly!'
He wanted to rush out and stand in front of Harry and Ivan.
But the problem was that if he did so, he would likely expose his undercover identity completely and would never be able to gain Voldemort's trust again.
Targeting Quirrell and targeting Voldemort were two entirely different matters.
'Ivan, that kid...'
Snape noticed the hint Ivan gave him, telling him not to act rashly.
Helplessly, Snape had to remain calm and wait for the right opportunity to make a move.
In order to protect Harry, whether he was undercover or not was no longer important.
"You.. You are him..."
Hearing Voldemort's name, Harry was filled with shock and anger.
The man in front of him was the murderer of his parents, and Harry wanted to tear him to pieces.
Fortunately, Harry still had some reason.
He knew his own strength, and rash action would only disrupt Ivan's plan.
"Oh."
Ivan was very satisfied with Harry's reaction. This was the right-hand man he wanted. "Then, Mr. Voldemort, you seem very confident."
___________
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