https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1002-The-Dawn-of-a-New-Era-Part-1-/13455019/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1004-The-Dawn-of-a-New-Era-Part-3-/13455021/
Chapter 1003: A New Beginning (Part 2)
Chapter 1003: A New Beginning (Part 2)
Hearing these words, Ivan’s steps involuntarily halted, a look of surprise flashing across his eyes.
Grindelwald wants to turn Muggles into Wizards?
Why?
Ivan was initially puzzled, but after considering Grindelwald’s situation, he quickly formed a hypothesis.
Since his resurrection, Grindelwald had been striving to create a world dominated by Wizards. However, given the vast number of Muggles and their technological prowess, achieving this goal through force alone was nearly impossible. Thus, resorting to underhanded methods became a necessity.
If Grindelwald could develop a potion to turn Muggles into Wizards, he would gain the support and recognition of most Muggle leaders, turning his most formidable enemies into easily swayed allies.
While Ivan found some of Grindelwald’s ideas extreme, he could foresee that the invention of such a potion would significantly ease the tensions between Wizards and Muggles.
This way, the growth of Wizards would no longer depend solely on bloodline inheritance or random occurrences among Muggles, but would become a power accessible to all!
With this in mind, Ivan eagerly asked, "Did he succeed?"
Fenrir hesitated, unsure how to respond. Just then, another voice chimed in.
"Actually, we succeeded in part..."
Ivan turned to see a bald, portly old man stepping out of a room marked as a laboratory, a dozen people following him with a kind smile on his face.
"Horace Slughorn?!" Ivan quickly recalled Dumbledore’s memories, identifying the man before him—Britain’s renowned Potions Master, who had taught Potions during Harry’s sixth year in the Time and Space.
"Ah, what an honor! I didn’t expect President Sir to recognize me..." Slughorn was both surprised and delighted that Ivan had recognized him, amazed that his reputation in Britain was so widespread that even the newly appointed President of the International Confederation knew him.
Of course, it was also possible that Ivan had reviewed the files of the captured individuals, but the extremely vain Slughorn dismissed this possibility, eagerly shaking Ivan’s hand in gratitude.
In his mind, Ivan had led so many Aurors in a fierce assault on the French Ministry of Magic upon receiving the news, specifically to rescue them.
The other Potions Masters clearly shared this belief, each expressing their heartfelt gratitude to Ivan.
Now, it was Ivan’s turn to feel awkward, as the true objective of this mission was to destroy the Horcrux and eliminate Grindelwald. He hadn’t even considered that Horace Slughorn and the others might be imprisoned here.
Fortunately, years of experience had honed Ivan’s ability to adapt to any situation. He accepted their thanks without a hint of embarrassment and even feigned regret, claiming that he had spent considerable time gathering intelligence and planning the operation, which delayed his rescue efforts, causing them undue suffering.
Horace Slughorn and the others expressed their understanding.
They had already learned from Fenrir about the brutal battle, where nearly half the Wizards had been casualties. Grindelwald had secretly captured and imprisoned them in the French Ministry of Magic, and only his closest confidants knew of this. It was no small feat for Ivan and his team to have discovered their location.
Ivan exchanged a few polite words but dared not dwell on the topic, fearing he might slip up. He then shifted his gaze to the Muggles lying on the beds, groaning in pain, and asked, "Tell me, what's the deal with that potion?"
"It all began six months ago, when we were attacked..." Horace Slughorn paused for a moment before slowly recounting the events. It was around the beginning of the year, just after Voldemort's death was confirmed, that he returned home in high spirits, only to be ambushed by a group of Death Eaters who had appeared out of nowhere.
These ungentlemanly thugs used spells to knock him out and carried him away. When he awoke, he found himself here, along with many other colleagues who had been similarly abducted. Grindelwald then ordered them to conduct various cruel potion experiments, aiming to create a potion that could turn Muggles into Wizards.
"We naturally refused Grindelwald's proposal without hesitation, but over the next month, he subjected us to every imaginable torture, even killing the most resistant among us, Master Good. He also used our families as leverage, forcing us to work for him..." Horace Slughorn spoke of his ordeal with a deep sense of resentment, emphasizing that they had been coerced into participating in these insane experiments.
Ivan gave the Potion Masters a skeptical once-over. They didn't look like they had been subjected to any abuse.
Moreover, from what he knew, Slughorn was far from the noble type, given that he had delved into the forbidden knowledge of Horcruxes in the past.
However, since Grindelwald had kept these people under house arrest in the laboratory, it was clear they hadn't fully aligned with the Death Eaters. Considering their expertise as Potion Masters, Ivan hesitated for a moment before making a decision. He patted Slughorn on the shoulder and said with a smile, "I understand your position, Master Slughorn. The true culprit is Grindelwald, and you are also victims in this ordeal..."
With Ivan's reassurance, Slughorn and the others finally relaxed. They then proceeded to explain their research findings to Ivan.
After conducting thousands of human trials, they had successfully developed a potion that allowed Muggles to acquire magic with minimal risk. However, the effects were minimal, and those who had taken the potion behaved much like Squibs—possessing magic but unable to wield it effectively.
Ivan wasn't particularly concerned about this. Achieving such results in just six months was a significant accomplishment, proving that the approach was viable. What was needed now was more extensive research.
"What is the success rate of the experiments?" Ivan lowered his voice and asked straightforwardly. Although Grindelwald's methods were cruel, Ivan saw no reason to waste the results of their efforts.
Slughorn gave Ivan a surprised look but quickly realized that he wasn't the righteous avenger portrayed in the Daily Prophet. He decided to drop the act of being a moralist and replied excitedly, "Around seventy percent. If a Wizard skilled in healing magic is present, the success rate can be increased to one hundred percent, ensuring almost no failures."
(End of Chapter)
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