Sophia was promptly dismissed, and she dashed to her room with her book at impressive speed.
"Time for serious talk, isn't it?" Ivan asked, unenthusiastically.
"Yes," confirmed his father. "The revolutionaries are stirring."
"Oh," Ivan said thoughtfully, sinking into deep contemplation.
In Russia, "revolutionaries" referred to those who, at the start of the century, had sparked a revolution. But unlike in Europe, the Muggle uprising here had spread to wizards as well. The gap between pure-blooded families and the many Muggle-born and half-bloods, who were generously invited to study at Koldovstoretz free of charge, was just too great. The Ministry, then controlled by pure-bloods, remained passive. The concept of a Ministry in Russia was considered a relatively new fad, so no one took it seriously, allowing educated Muggle-borns and half-bloods to work there without resistance.
It was within the Ministry that the first revolution broke out. It was fairly peaceful, with demands that weren't impossible to meet, and the pure-bloods were considering a compromise... But then came the second revolution, much bloodier this time. Wizards with ties to the Muggle movement through family or friends were enraged by the mild demands of the Ministry officials… and suddenly managed to seize control of the Ministry building, and then Koldovstoretz itself, with the help of sympathizers within its walls.
They even began attempting assaults on the estates of pure-bloods. Naturally, they didn't get far... But it was soon discovered that the revolutionaries had an actual Great Wizard among them. Tikhomir Velenkov, an old half-blood wizard who had long been considered a recluse... And that's when things got much worse.
But still not unmanageable. After bloody years of conflict, they eventually reached a compromise. Russia's pure-bloods lost their ability to influence the country's main policies but were no longer persecuted or threatened with having their estates seized.
The situation back then was dire, and their ancestors had to agree to it, turning their attention to Eastern Europe to build new alliances and political influence there.
"All right, fair enough," Ivan said, snapping back to reality. "Anything specific I need to know?"
"The Muggle Soviet Union has finally collapsed. Officially, it hasn't been announced yet, but it's a fact. The revolutionaries will lose the support they counted on as a reason for regularly breaking the Statute to help their Muggle relatives," his father explained patiently, frowning. "And this will likely push them towards more radical actions to sustain themselves…"
"Just a death rattle," his mother interjected, scoffing with disdain.
"Even so, they'll want to prolong it by any means necessary. Or at least make an impressive exit. So we've discussed it and come to the conclusion that the Romanovs are right — the revolutionaries might be linked to the Unjoined group in your Durmstrang," his father said, observing his son closely.
"Oh… Now that you mention it, I have heard similar rhetoric from those idiots," Ivan replied. At his second-to-last word, his mother glared at him but kept silent, for which he was grateful. "But to be outright connected… I thought they were monitored well enough? Nobody wants a repeat of our history."
"No one does," his father agreed, frowning. "But our East European contacts underestimate the situation. It could explode. And even if it does so unsuccessfully, it will still cause significant damage."
"I don't think my friend is wrong in his assessment," Ivan said casually, recalling Adal's view of the opposition group. "They don't have any real power, and they never did."
"But what if… they find some?" his father asked with a smile, causing Ivan to freeze. "In the form of old, ancient wizards who lived through the Revolution, with decades of experience and power accumulated over a century?"
"Well... It's possible. Very possible. But what does that have to do with me? Isn't it your job to keep an eye on them?" Ivan replied, still trying to read his parents' expressions.
"We'd like you to increase your vigilance over the discontented ones. The situation could escalate at any moment. Through the Romanovs, we tried to warn the Europeans, but they brushed us off, sympathizing with our position but dismissing our words as paranoia," his father sighed, staring at the table. "You, however, have many contacts in Durmstrang, including your best friend, Stahlwolf, who's taken Báthory's place."
"So the Romanovs pawned this off on me, didn't they?" Ivan sneered, well aware of the very "warm" relationship between their families.
"See, you understand it perfectly yourself. Officially, they can't interact with the Stahlwolfs, as blood feuds remain serious business, even in these more peaceful times."
"All right, I'll try to convince Adal. He listens to me, so your plan might work. But that's not all you wanted to tell me, is it?" Ivan's eyes gleamed with interest.
"No. In light of recent events, we'd like to adjust some of our trade agreements with your friend's family. Unsettled times are ahead, and we want greater reliability. You've both proven yourselves competent enough to relay the intentions of your family heads, so listen to what we need…"
Ivan sighed. Great, here we go again with all this tedious nonsense. And the worst part was, once he became head of the family, he'd have to deal with this long, tiresome business much more often. Much more.
"Oh dear, my troubles are heavy…"