Chapter 896: Ivan: I Know Muggles Better Than They Do
Chapter 896: Ivan: I Know Muggles Better Than They Do
This... is a fireplace made of gold?
Will Granger couldn't believe his eyes, and Mrs. Granger and Hermione, who were standing behind him, were equally stunned.
Ivan frowned as he gazed at the large golden fireplace. He remembered that it wasn't in the living room yesterday. Who had moved it from the storage room?
“Dobby? Winky?”
After a moment, two small, wrinkled house-elves appeared in front of the group.
“Is there something you need, Master?” Dobby stood straight, wearing a garishly patterned little dress and holding a dirty rag, probably in the middle of some cleaning task when he was summoned.
Winky, standing beside him, looked timid and fearful, her eyes fixed on Ivan. “Winky is ready to serve you, Master!”
Ivan nodded at Winky, then turned to Dobby and asked, “Dobby, why is this fireplace here? Didn't I tell you to put it in the storage room?”
“Master moved to a new home, and Dobby... Dobby thought it should be properly decorated. So, Dobby and Winky brought Master's golden fireplace into the living room!” Dobby blinked, looking eagerly at Ivan, as if he had done something remarkable and was waiting for praise.
Winky, on the other hand, was not so composed. She clung to the golden fireplace, banging her head against it in terror. “Winky... Winky shouldn't have hidden this from Master. Winky is a bad elf... a bad elf! Bad Dobby, it was Dobby who convinced Winky to do this...”
Ivan couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. He quickly stopped Winky's self-destructive behavior. “I'm not angry with you, Winky. However, you replaced the fireplace with a golden one. What if it melts when we use it?”
Dobby immediately puffed out his chest, assuring Ivan that he and Winky had set up a temperature-regulating magic in the fireplace, so there would be no problems.
Ivan looked at Dobby, hesitating. The temperature-regulating magic was a minor issue; the main problem was that a pure gold fireplace facing the entrance was too ostentatious, not fitting his usual low-key style...
After a brief moment of shock, Hermione quickly regained her composure. She then noticed that the golden fireplace had a very ancient design, which seemed familiar to her.
“Could this be the fireplace that disappeared from Hogwarts Castle?” Hermione suddenly recalled that a few months ago, a fireplace had vanished from the castle, causing quite a stir and even involving Professor Mcgonagall. They searched for a long time but never found out who had taken it.
“Cough, cough...” Under Hermione's curious gaze, Ivan cleared his throat awkwardly and explained, “I was conducting an experiment one day, and I accidentally turned it into gold. So, I had to move it away.”
Will Granger couldn't resist stepping forward, running his hand over the fireplace. After confirming that it wasn't an illusion, he exclaimed, “Magic is truly amazing, capable of such incredible feats.”
“Hermione, can you turn a fireplace into gold?” Will Granger asked his daughter curiously.
Before the young witch could respond, Ivan interjected, “Transmutation usually requires advanced alchemy skills, but I believe Hermione will learn it eventually, given her talent.”
Hermione, though grateful that Ivan had spoken up for her, still shook her head. She had read many books on alchemy and understood the significance of the Philosopher's Stone. Before Ivan, countless alchemists in the entire Wizarding World had tried, but only Nicolas Flamel had managed to create such an astonishing alchemical construct.
Under Hermione's explanation, Will Granger gradually grasped the enormity of creating a Philosopher's Stone. It was far more difficult than winning a Nobel Prize, especially for someone Ivan's age. He could only be described as a genius among geniuses!
Understanding this, Will Granger couldn't help but worry about Hermione. While his daughter was excellent and very clever, she seemed to pale in comparison to Ivan.
Setting aside Ivan's talent, just the sight of the pure gold fireplace and the enormous, almost unimaginable mansion was enough to make ordinary people like the Grangers feel intimidated.
Ivan, of course, had noticed the Grangers' unease. He felt quite helpless. He had chosen this place for their meeting to showcase the best he had to offer, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect.
"Since it's getting late, why don't we go have dinner?" Ivan suggested.
Will Granger nodded, readily agreeing.
Under Ivan's guidance, the group quickly took their seats at the long table in the dining room. Two house-elves bustled about with great enthusiasm, serving the already prepared dishes one by one.
Hermione watched Winky and Dobby work tirelessly with a pang of sympathy, but she didn't say much. She knew that the cause of house-elf liberation was a long and arduous journey. Ivan treated his house-elves well, giving them wages and holidays.
Faced with a table full of delicious food, Will Granger was initially a bit reserved, but he gradually relaxed and resumed his talkative nature after a few sips of wine.
As the host, Ivan made sure not to neglect his guests, sharing amusing stories from the Wizarding World and even discussing the impact of the Soviet Union's dissolution on Muggle political landscapes with Will Granger.
"If I hadn't known beforehand, I would have thought you, Hals, were a Muggle noble rather than a wizard with magical abilities", Will Granger remarked, looking at Ivan with surprise.
Over the years, while accompanying his daughter to Diagon Alley, Will Granger had met many wizards. They were often ancient, conservative, and mysterious, treating ordinary people with a condescending attitude and a tone of disdain.
Ivan, however, was entirely different. Will Granger had never believed that a wizard could be more knowledgeable about the Muggle world than he, a Muggle, was.
"Actually, I've always thought that wizards are just ordinary people with a rare magical talent. There's not much difference between us", Ivan shrugged, responding casually.
In his previous life, he had been an ordinary person without magic, deeply understanding the power and convenience of technology. While some magic could achieve incredible things, the might of technology was equally formidable. The two were complementary.
(End of Chapter)
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