https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-787-Education-Decree-Number-Twenty-Three/13454651/
Chapter 788: The Second Parcel
Chapter 788: The Second Parcel
The quiet Headmaster's Office suddenly became bustling with noise as many headmaster portraits began to chatter about the current headmaster's prolonged absence from the school.
"Has he returned a few times?" Ivan mumbled to himself, stroking his chin.
For the past few days, he had been frequently checking the Marauder's Map, but he hadn't seen Dumbledore's name at all.
Perhaps he just missed it...
Thinking this, Ivan looked at the portraits on the wall again and asked, "Did Professor Dumbledore make any arrangements before he left?"
The portraits all shook their heads, indicating they were unaware.
However, Ivan wasn't entirely convinced. His gaze fixed on the portrait hanging on the right wall, where Dumbledore was leisurely sipping a cup of tea, not participating in the discussion at all.
Noticing Ivan's gaze, the portrait of Dumbledore slowly put down his teacup and waved his hand, signaling that he was just a portrait and knew nothing...
Ivan narrowed his eyes, half-believing, half-doubting.
The moving, thinking portraits in the Wizarding World were very special, often closely linked to the wizards they depicted.
Typically, the artist would cast a unique spell on the portrait and place it in a location where the wizard frequently spent time. The portrait would absorb the wizard's magical aura and adapt to and simulate their behavior and mannerisms.
This is why some of the portraits' actions could be so similar to the wizards they depicted.
For instance, Dumbledore's portrait had even guided Snape's actions in the original timeline, and it was said that the Sword of Gryffindor was hidden behind a secret compartment in the portrait.
Despite this, Ivan couldn't do much with the portrait.
Even if it was enchanted with powerful magic, it was still just a painting. Legilimency wouldn't work, and he couldn't exactly throw it into the fireplace to burn it if it refused to talk.
Ivan felt a bit frustrated, but since he had come all the way to the Headmaster's Office, he didn't want to leave empty-handed. He immediately took out the Pensieve from the cabinet and said to the portraits, "When Professor Dumbledore returns, please inform him that I will be borrowing the Pensieve for a few days!"
"Oh, right, I almost forgot about the Crown! This is what Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter wants. I'll borrow it too!" Ivan smacked his forehead, suddenly remembering his promise to Helena. He reached up and took the Ravenclaw Diadem from the branch where it hung.
The headmaster portraits on the wall all puffed up in indignation, clearly unhappy with Ivan's decision to take two items without permission. Even the portrait of Dumbledore looked a bit helpless...
...
After leaving the Headmaster's Office, Ivan immediately went to the Room of Requirement to temporarily store the Pensieve.
With the excess magic in the castle being drained, the once-famous Room of Requirement was no longer able to fulfill requests.
Fortunately, the spaces that had already been created remained intact, so finding a place to store the items was still easy.
The reason he specifically "borrowed" the Pensieve from the Headmaster's Office was to expose the lies the Ministry of Magic had carefully woven.
After all, he had promised to reveal the truth to the students at the next gathering—what could be more direct and effective than witnessing Voldemort's return firsthand?
Of course, he would make some adjustments to the memories, as some details were best kept hidden.
"Where has Professor Dumbledore gone?"
As he walked back to the Common Room, Ivan kept pondering this question. He couldn't even be sure if Dumbledore was still alive, as the portraits had last seen him over a month ago.
But no matter what, without Dumbledore's interference, the plan's execution would be less complicated.
As he thought, Ivan pushed the door open and stepped into the Dormitory. He was a bit curious to see Harry, Ron, and others gathered around the table by the window, staring at an open black package.
"Another package? Is it the same as last time?" Ivan asked as he quickly approached.
"Yes, it's from the same Owl", Ron nodded in response.
Looking at the candies and small items inside the package, Ivan frowned, somewhat displeased. "I should have reminded you to be cautious with such packages. Don't just open them without thinking."
"But... the person who sent us the package probably didn't mean any harm", Harry hesitated, then handed Ivan a note. "It says Umbridge already knows about the D.A. (Dumbledore's Army) and that we should be careful."
Ivan took the note with some surprise and glanced at it. The content was indeed a warning about Umbridge, but unlike the last time, this note explicitly stated that the package was for him.
As Ivan pondered this, Harry, Ron, and Seamus huddled together, speculating who might have leaked the information.
If Umbridge knew they were organizing secret Magic practice, she wouldn't let them off easily.
"It must be Pansy and those Slytherins. Hermione didn't invite them that day... They must have told Umbridge about the meeting", Ron said confidently.
Harry and Seamus also thought this was a possibility.
However, to their surprise, Ivan shook his head, dismissing their guess.
"No, this has nothing to do with Pansy."
Ivan knew Pansy Parkinson wouldn't dare betray him, so the information couldn't have come from her.
As for who it could be, that was harder to say.
After all, too many people had attended that meeting, and without a Magic Pact or similar binding measure, it was easy for someone to slip up during casual conversation.
In fact, Ivan wasn't particularly concerned about the leak... What he cared about more was who had sent this package.
Ivan turned to look out the window, where a grayish-white Owl was flying rapidly toward them. It flew through the open window and landed directly on his shoulder.
"Did you track the Owl's movements, Maca?" Ivan gently scratched Maca's neck, asking hopefully.
After receiving the mysterious package last time, he had instructed Maca to keep an eye out for any Owls carrying strange packages and try to follow them.
"Gugugugu~" Maca pecked Ivan's cheek with her beak, hopping around on his shoulder and chirping incessantly.
Ivan, whose Owl Language skills were already at their peak, quickly understood Maca's message. "So, the Owl was in the Owlery, and you saw a student in Slytherin robes there? Good... Thank you..."
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(End of Chapter)
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