Chapter 136: Dumbledore's Expectations

The room suddenly quieted, and the portraits on the walls opened their eyes to see what was happening.

Ivan and Dumbledore sat silently at the ends of the table, neither spoke.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and no one knew what he was thinking; Ivan seemed to be looking at the curious silver instruments on the table that emitted little puffs of smoke.

But in fact, he was thinking about Peter Pettigrew. Peter was at Hogwarts. With Harry's father, James Potter, Sirius Black and Professor Lupin, they were a small group of four, just as they were now with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

The relationship between the four was very good, but due to Peter's betrayal, the fate of the other three was very tragic.

Dumbledore had just said that that was mainly due to their guilt. What did he mean by that? Was it just a simple regret or was there something deeper?

Ivan waited for a while and saw that Dumbledore was still not speaking. He had to try to say, "Although I don't know how it all went, Professor! But I don't think you should blame yourself for Pettigrew. We all choose our own paths, and we all have to walk those paths and endure the joy and pain they bring. If one loses one's way, one has only oneself to blame."

"Though true, but as an elder, before you walk, I must help you as much as possible and guide you in the right direction - that is my duty!" Dumbledore's eyes widened and he continued, "You must know that choosing the right path is far more important than the effort of walking! Peter Pettigrew at first wanted to find courage, but eventually lost his way in his quest for power."

Ivan was surprised because what Dumbledore just said was not much different from what he heard from Luna last year.

"Ivan, when are you and Sirius going to start?" asked Dumbledore suddenly.

"Tomorrow evening at eight o'clock, he's coming to the Gryffindor common room. That's what's planned," said Ivan.

"Well, just do what you think you should do, and leave the rest in my hands!" Dumbledore didn't ask Ivan for more details.

"Wait a moment, Professor!" Ivan hastened to say. "I don't understand, why don't we proceed directly to catch Peter? He's in Ron's room right now. Ron is still under his control. I think the sooner we act, the better."

"That's a good suggestion. But sometimes simple and effective methods are not suitable for dealing with complicated issues." Dumbledore looked at Ivan and said calmly, "Right now I'm more worried about Ron than I am about Black and Peter!"

"You're worried about Ron?" Ivan said. He didn't understand what Dumbledore meant.

If he was so worried about Ron, why didn't he intervene when they were in Lupin's office? Why didn't he tell Ron that he was under the effect of the Imperius Curse?

And now, he doesn't want to go straight to get Peter and rescue Ron.

"As I just said Ivan, I made mistakes in dealing with Peter. Some mistakes we make are mistakes we never get a chance to correct, but they still leave us with important lessons so that we don't make them again." Dumbledore said, "I don't want Ron to become another Peter."

Ivan said, "Professor, you mean..."

"The best way to fight the Imperius Curse is not to find out. It is to have the strong will to resist its invasion." Dumbledore looked at Ivan, "Unlike you and Harry, Ron doesn't have enough willpower. I hope you two can help him."

"Help Ron?" repeated Ivan, "What do you need me to do?"

"Just do what you think you need to do." Dumbledore looked into Ivan's eyes. "Next to Tom, you are the best young wizard I have ever met. I believe in you."

"Okay, I'll try!" Ivan sighed.

Looking at Dumbledore, he knew he was already counting on him. No wonder he was focusing on Peter Pettigrew and blaming himself for what happened to him. He was waiting for Ivan here, hoping this conversion would end with them talking about saving Ron.

Ivan sighed as he watched things become more and more problematic. All he thought he needed to do was catch Peter Pettigrew and clear Black's name. Now, in addition to those things, he must also help Ron resist the Imperius curse.

In his opinion, this was making things more risky. Complicating simple things and making accidents more likely.

Even though Dumbledore had said that everything else could be left to him, Ivan still felt bad about it.

Peter Pettigrew was no mere opponent-he had to be cautious! However, since it was Dumbledore asking him, he had no way of refusing.

Besides, what Dumbledore said made sense. Ivan couldn't watch Ron become a dark wizard who would sell his best friends to Voldemort like Peter, and then end up probably dying at the hands of his new master. Yes, he may not feel much affection for Ron, but for Harry, Hermione, and for the Weasleys' sake, he couldn't just watch Ron continue to fall.

This was the second time Ron was being controlled, there seemed to be no guarantee that he wouldn't be controlled by other dark wizards.

As an extremely evil dark magic, the Imperius Curse definitely leaves its permanent marks on the soul of its victim. The more times it is used on Ron, the less he will be able to resist it in the future. And Ron wasn't turning into an idiot because of the curse; it was actually making him look more like a Dark Wizard!

Judging by the history he knows, with the return of Voldemort, the situation in the next few years should be getting bleaker and bleaker.

'Wait a minute!' Ivan thought, 'Why should I wait for Voldemort's return before thinking about how to defeat him?'

After all, it seemed the most dangerous way to think. More than two years of experience made Ivan convinced that relying on the original story to predict what is going to happen is no longer a safe bet.

Yes, he knew how events unfolded in the original story, but that's not the case in his life as well. Every word he says, every thing he does, has a good or bad impact on the people around him. They will also react and things will be different.

Peter Pettigrew is a perfect example: in the original story, he never controlled Ron.

And compared to Voldemort, he's nothing.

Perhaps, after dealing with this year's incident, he should face the future less passively.

After all, he was doomed to change the future anyway. He had to catch Peter Pettigrew and clear Sirius Black's name. So why not do everything possible to prevent Voldemort's return from happening?