https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-513-Ivan-Sigh-It-s-Not-as-Bad-as-You-Make-It-Sound-/13448737/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-515-Weakness-and-Ignorance-Are-Not-Obstacles-to-Survival-Arrogance-Is-/13448754/
Chapter 514: Dawgert: Hals' Strength and Deception Run Deep
Chapter 514: Dawgert: Hals' Strength and Deception Run Deep (Combined)
Dawgert remained silent for a moment but quickly accepted the situation.
He had heard of special Animagi before. For instance, a young girl currently in Auror training was a Metamorphmagus, able to change her appearance at will without any need for training.
Although Ivan's Transformation seemed to be even more unique.
Asia didn't dwell too much on Ivan's Transformation abilities. After a brief moment of surprise, she turned to Dawgert and asked about the matter at hand.
"Dawgert, what about the Wizards from the Nott Family we captured from the manor? Did they talk?"
"That guy was pretty stubborn and wouldn't say a word. I had to knock him out and use Veritaserum to get him to talk", Dawgert explained with a cold laugh, then continued, "But fortunately, he still has some use. A hard-liner like him would be perfect for Young Ivan to establish his authority!"
Ivan was bewildered, completely unsure what Dawgert meant by "establishing authority."
"You did a great job earlier, successfully intimidating them as soon as you returned. That saved us a lot of trouble", Dawgert said, looking at Ivan with clear admiration.
He and Asia had been discussing how to integrate Ivan into the group and create opportunities for him to gain respect. Ivan's young age made it difficult for him to command the respect of others. No one would willingly follow a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old, let alone be loyal to him. They had even considered delaying Ivan's involvement for a few years.
However, Ivan's performance exceeded Dawgert's expectations. Before they could finalize their plans, Ivan had already achieved this goal, and even more impressively than they had imagined!
The scene of the carnage, the four Dark Wizards nearly driven to collapse, and Ivan's youthful figure created a stark contrast that left a lasting impression.
When Dawgert saw this, he suspected that Ivan had deliberately orchestrated it to showcase his power. Otherwise, how could it have been so coincidental?
The only downside was that Ivan hadn't let everyone witness exactly how he accomplished this. While it added a layer of mystery and made people fear him more, it also left room for doubt. Some might question whether a young witch or wizard could have such exceptional strength. Therefore, it was important to capitalize on this moment and further establish his authority.
As he thought, Dawgert pulled out a piece of Parchment from his Wizard Robes and handed it to Ivan.
"Here are the details of everyone. You can take a look!" Dawgert said.
Ivan took the Parchment and saw that it was filled with names, a total of thirty-seven. Next to each name were notes, varying in detail, including Fenrir and others.
Ivan immediately understood that these were the core members Asia had assembled to oppose the Wizarding Market.
Although thirty-seven might seem like a small number, even the Ministry of Magic's Auror department couldn't assemble a hundred fully competent Wizards. Most couldn't even use Protego proficiently.
The entire British Wizarding World, according to the Ministry of Magic's records, had only around three thousand Wizards. Including unregistered Dark Wizards, the total was still less than four thousand!
This was largely due to the last Wizarding War, which lasted over a decade and resulted in a significant loss of life. Some Pureblood Families, with centuries of lineage, now had only a handful of living members, some even facing the immediate extinction of their line. The situation for Half-blood and Muggle-born Wizards was even worse, with entire families being wiped out by Death Eaters.
Thinking about this, Ivan shook his head. The number of Wizards was indeed alarmingly low, and their population growth was slow. Each death truly meant a permanent loss.
Ivan then flipped to the back of the Parchment, where a few more names were listed. These were likely the four surrendered Dark Wizards and the stubborn member of the Nott Family.
To Ivan's surprise, there was another name written in black ink at the bottom.
"Elph-Grindt", Ivan read aloud. He remembered Walker calling out Elph's name earlier and looked at Asia for confirmation. "Is this the one who sacrificed himself?"
"Yes, that's him!" Asia nodded, also feeling a bit helpless. This was already the third casualty in the past few months.
If she hadn't equipped everyone with a protective ring, there would have been even more deaths.
"The report says he still has family in Knockturn Alley?" Ivan noticed that Elph-Grindt had a mother over sixty years old still living.
"Yes, his family has always lived in poverty in Knockturn Alley, so when we recruited people, Elph was among the first to join." Dawgert showed no emotion; there were too many people like that in Knockturn Alley.
"Is there any Compensation?" Ivan continued to ask.
"If the deceased has living relatives, we usually give 100 Galleons as Compensation!" Asia explained.
"Too little", Ivan shook his head. Having lived in the Wizarding World for a few years, he had a general idea of the prices here.
From what he understood from Lupin, the weekly salary for a janitor like Filch at Hogwarts was ten Galleons, about forty Galleons a month.
Professors earned more, around sixty Galleons a month, and if they became Headmaster, they could earn an additional ten Galleons.
In the original timeline, when Dumbledore hired Dobby, he initially offered the same salary as Filch, showing that the old professor treated everyone equally and didn't see Dobby as just an elf.
However, these were all respectable jobs, working in an educational institution with room and board provided!
If you were in Diagon Alley, a regular employee might earn only thirty to fifty Galleons a month, barely enough to cover expenses and save anything.
In Knockturn Alley, the wages were even lower, with ten or even a few Galleons a month being enough to find someone. One hundred Galleons in Compensation could last a person in Knockturn Alley for over a year.
Fenrir and others were good examples; finding a relatively stable job that paid ten Galleons a month was enough to make them happy, as it meant they could eat a few full meals every day!
But this amount of money was clearly insufficient to support a mother who had lost her child in Knockturn Alley.
"Yes, it is a bit less!" Dawgert nodded in agreement and suggested that Ivan could offer double or even higher Compensation this time.
After all, you couldn't just use intimidation; after a beating, you had to offer some rewards to show tangible benefits and gain their trust.
Ivan's quick realization of this surprised Dawgert, who had thought he might need to remind him.
Asia didn't object either. She had deliberately left Elph's case unhandled so that Ivan could show his kindness.
As they chatted, there was another knock on the door. This time, it was Fenrir, informing them that everyone had gathered in the meeting hall and was waiting for them.
"Alright, we'll be right down!" Dawgert nodded and then turned to Ivan and Asia, speaking softly. "If you have anything to say, say it quickly. Don't keep them waiting too long."
After that, Dawgert followed Fenrir downstairs.
After a few more words of advice, Asia also led Ivan down.
"Mom, are you planning to have me manage these people?" During the descent, Ivan hesitated for a long time before finally asking.
He wasn't stupid; the implications in Asia and Dawgert's conversation were clear and unambiguous. Ivan could see that Asia intended for him to manage and command these thirty-odd subordinates.
But Ivan was acutely aware of his own limitations. In his previous life, he had only ever been a class officer at school and had no experience in management.
Suddenly being tasked with managing thirty-odd people, most of whom were rather unruly Wizards, made Ivan feel quite at a loss.
"Relax, just do what you think is right. You did a great job before!" Asia saw Ivan's nervousness and offered some reassurance.
If possible, she didn't want to put too much pressure on Ivan, but since her son had such aspirations, she could only encourage him.
However, Asia believed that these small challenges were nothing for Ivan; he was always so smart!
As they walked down to the meeting hall, Asia let go of Ivan's hand and whispered, "We're about to go in!"
Ivan's heart was pounding with anxiety, fearing he might mess things up.
Especially when he entered the meeting hall and over thirty pairs of eyes turned to look at him, filled with surprise, skepticism, amusement, and gratitude, Ivan felt the pressure even more.
This was different from when he had disguised himself as Dumbledore. Back then, he had to face a group of young children and professors he knew all too well.
Even the more challenging Fudge was someone he knew inside and out, and he knew exactly how to deal with the Minister of Magic. But this time was different; he had to step up as a leader and face these unfamiliar Wizards.
Fortunately, years of honing his acting skills paid off. Ivan was nervous inside, but he didn't show it on his face. He walked straight to the main seat and sat down.
What should I say now? Should I greet them? How exactly should I start?
After sitting down, Ivan faced the crowd, not knowing how to begin. He tried to recall how Dumbledore and Voldemort handled similar situations in the original timeline but found no comparable scenarios.
Ivan slowly drummed his fingers on the armrest, remaining silent for a moment. His gaze involuntarily swept over each person in the room.
Based on the Parchment he had seen earlier, Ivan vaguely noticed that the thirty-odd people in front of him could be divided into three camps.
First was the group led by Fenrir, consisting of seven Werewolf Wizards. Thanks to the Improved Wolfsbane Potion, they were the most trustworthy of the bunch!
Next was Dawgert and his friends, a group of eleven. Most of them were not short of money and were likely here only out of respect for Dawgert. They might not follow orders and could be the most difficult to handle.
Lastly, there were the people Asia had recently recruited in Knockturn Alley. They were the largest group, but a few months was not enough to instill a sense of belonging. They seemed more like mercenaries, hired for a job, and were very unstable.
Ivan couldn't help but feel a bit worried. He didn't know how powerful the Wizarding Market and the Pureblood Families were, but for Asia to need to gather so many people to oppose them, it must be a formidable challenge!
No wonder Asia needed his help to establish authority. She likely lacked the power to bring them together effectively.
While Ivan was deep in thought, the thirty-odd Wizards below were also sizing him up.
Occasionally, someone would lower their voice and whisper.
"Dawgert, he's the Ivan Hals you told us about, right? He looks even younger than you said!" A male wizard in his thirties, Gryson, glanced at Ivan a few times before turning to Dawgert.
"Age isn't an issue, Gryson!" Dawgert shot him a look and continued with a sigh.
"Hals's power and cunning are unfathomable, even surpassing that person! Once you spend some time with him, you'll be glad you made this choice."
Dawgert looked at Ivan in the main seat, feeling quite reflective. This child was truly unpredictable. Every time they met, Ivan surprised him, and his strength improved dramatically each year.
He had previously thought it would take Ivan at least a decade to become as powerful as Voldemort, but now he realized he had underestimated the boy. By the time Ivan came of age, his strength might rival that of the Dark Lord!
Gryson was about to protest after hearing Dawgert's words. He had experienced the Wizarding War fourteen years ago and knew just how terrifying the Dark Lord was.
To say a young kid could surpass Voldemort was absurd!
Before he could argue, Gryson suddenly remembered what his friends had told him. If the young witches and wizards in front of him could indeed single-handedly crush a group of Dark Wizards, then Dawgert's statement wasn't entirely wrong.
At the very least, Ivan had the potential to match the Dark Lord!
The murmurs in the meeting hall grew louder.
Ivan frowned, about to use the noise to his advantage, when the side door of the hall opened again.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the entrance, where Walker entered with several Dark Wizards who had surrendered and another wizard in a luxurious robe.
The Dark Wizards, upon seeing Ivan, fell to their knees in fear, tearfully confessing their sins and begging for Ivan's forgiveness.
The other wizard stood proudly in place, his expression full of disdain. He looked at Ivan, seated in the main seat, with a mix of surprise and confusion, trying to speak but unable to make a sound.
Ivan immediately recognized that he was under a Silencing Charm and gestured for Dawgert to remove it. He was curious to hear what the wizard had to say.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
