104: Loyalty And Spy

From the misty vision, Ivan appeared to be around 15 years old.

Though this was only an estimate based on appearance, the Disguise Charm made it difficult to judge the exact timing of the scene.

Beside Ivan in the vision stood Penelope, poised and natural, reminiscent of how Vinda Rosier once stood beside Grindelwald.

It was evident that Penelope would join Ivan's team in the future, supporting him unwaveringly.

"Ahh! Where is this place?" Penelope asked, noticing the crowd of adult wizards in the image.

They were all focused intently on Ivan, the boy at the center, listening to him speak.

"Père Lachaise Cemetery," Ivan replied.

"Where is that?"

"It's not in England—it's in Paris, France."

This was Ivan's second time viewing this particular prophecy. "I'm not sure why we'd go there, but based on what we're seeing, it seems we're the ones initiating the gathering."

The scene bore an uncanny resemblance to Grindelwald's rally, as Ivan remembered it.

The same location, the same intense attention.

If there were ever another prophecy of the future, Ivan realized it might look strikingly similar to Grindelwald's actions in Paris.

"Looks like we'll be causing quite a stir in the future," Penelope said, feeling a bit of nervousness as she took a few steadying breaths to calm herself.

Fortunately, Penelope wasn't too frightened.

From the moment she saw Ivan take down the troll effortlessly, she knew that this younger student was bound to reach the pinnacle of the wizarding world.

"So, we're really going to stir things up in Paris."

Ivan looked at the villa door just ahead and slowly pushed it open. "But whatever our plans are by then, we have to make sure we're safe first."

Ivan was serious about this.

Reaching the goal was ideal, but if they failed, there would always be another chance.

The last thing he wanted was for any of his companions to be harmed.

Well, maybe except Ronald.

That guy liked being in the spotlight anyway.

The first bird to stick its head out often got shot. If danger arose, Ivan felt Ronald's enthusiasm might just handle it without any issue.

"Then why would I go to the Ministry of Magic?"

"I have a theory," Ivan replied thoughtfully. "You'll be graduating from Hogwarts in two years, and by then, Harry and his friends will only be in their third year."

The team was still young, and Ivan doubted they'd be ready for anything too ambitious just yet.

Rather than going it alone, Ivan preferred to build a strong team and lead them to achieve greatness together.

"Excuse me for being blunt," Penelope said, "but the gap between us and you, Ivan, is huge."

For Ivan, she, Harry, and Hermione often felt like they were just along for the ride. A group of young wizards, lucky if they didn't slow Ivan down.

"That's not necessarily true," Ivan replied with a smile. "The gap is there, sure, but saying you're dispensable is a bit much."

They walked into the living room, and Ivan cast a household charm, setting kitchen utensils and cleaning tools in motion to prepare lunch.

"Is it safe to cast like this?" Penelope asked, watching the enchanted tools go about their tasks.

"Don't worry," Ivan assured her, opening his palm. "Pure wandless magic—the Trace can't pick it up."

"Anything you want to eat?"

"I'm easy to please," Penelope replied with a smile. "Not picky at all."

"Hehe~ Alright," Ivan said, tapping his fingers as he quickly settled on a recipe.

In the kitchen, pots and pans sprang to life. The refrigerator opened, ingredients jumped out, and everything from cleaning to chopping began, as if the kitchen itself were working in perfect harmony.

"I always think this is the magic every housewife dreams of learning," Ivan mused.

One of his favorite things in the wizarding world was these small spells that made everyday life so convenient.

They were easy to learn, and nearly anyone could master them. The only catch was the skill level of the caster—just like cooking itself. A wizard first had to know how to cook, and then magic could fill in the gaps. But the final taste still depended on the chef's real talent.

Tasks like washing clothes and cleaning involved attaching the wizard's intent to the objects, letting them work automatically.

"It's a shame Muggles can't learn these," Penelope said, thinking of her mother's many complaints when her father was still alive.

She found it hard to believe Muggles had to do so many things by hand that could be solved with just a flick of a wand.

"All done," Ivan said as he turned on the TV and settled on the sofa beside her. "Now, let's get back to our earlier topic.

"I think the reason you'll end up working at the Ministry of Magic is probably because I'll ask you to."

"Ah..."

Penelope quickly caught on and asked, "You mean... you want me to go undercover at the Ministry of Magic?"

"Most likely!" Ivan replied. "Have you heard of the Department of Mysteries, senior?"

"The... Department of Mysteries?" Penelope was unfamiliar with the term, given that it was a highly secretive division with virtually no external contact.

"Yes, the Department of Mysteries," Ivan explained. "It's a special department within the Ministry of Magic. The people who work there are called Unspeakables, and they're bound by contract magic that prevents them from revealing any research or findings to outsiders."

"A place like that really exists?" Penelope's interest was piqued, but Ivan had no intention of sending her in just yet—it was far too dangerous.

"The binding power of contract magic is nothing to underestimate," he said plainly. "It's too risky to go in as an infiltrator. If we ever do, I'd lead the team myself."

His tone was firm, and Penelope nodded, showing she understood. "So my role in the Ministry would be to gather information on the Department of Mysteries?"

"Exactly," Ivan replied. The senior realized her task would be to find her way into the Ministry and learn what she could about the elusive Department of Mysteries.

At the same time, she also needed to gather as much information as possible about that department. "I understand," Penelope agreed, accepting the mission.

The senior had her own commitment to her work. Since she decided to support Ivan, she was resolved to follow through. Although going undercover at the Ministry of Magic seemed a little extreme, it wasn't unheard of in the wizarding world. Every pure-blood family had their own spies within the Ministry, so why couldn't Ivan?

Penelope thought proudly, I'll be the spy my junior will place in the Ministry of Magic!

"Let's eat first," Ivan said, noticing that lunch was ready. He levitated the plates, allowing them to float smoothly over to the dining table.

"Alright," Penelope replied, standing up gracefully. They shared a delightful and satisfying lunch, leaving her quite content.

Afterward, Ivan explained his next steps. "I plan to cast the Fidelius Charm, making this manor a secret bound within my soul."

"Wait, you already mastered it?" Penelope asked, surprised. "I remember you only got the spell from Professor Dumbledore just before Christmas break."

In just three days, Ivan had learned the Fidelius Charm, an ancient spell that almost 99% of wizards couldn't master.

At this point, Penelope felt she'd become immune to shock—Ivan was simply on another level.

"I think I'm almost ready," Ivan said, acknowledging that the Fidelius Charm was indeed complex.

However, no matter how challenging a spell might be, it was inevitable that he'd test it eventually. Now, the time had come.

"Don't worry, even if it fails, it won't be a big issue," he reassured Penelope.

Ivan's soul was exceptionally strong; other wizards might suffer backlash if they failed to cast such a spell, but he wouldn't. With a soul attribute of 5 points, his resilience was extraordinary.

In the case of the Fidelius Charm, the magic hides a secret within the soul of a chosen Secret-Keeper. Theoretically, a Secret-Keeper can only hold one secret in their soul, regardless of their magical prowess.

Curious about this limit, Ivan had asked Dumbledore how many secrets one person could hold.

The old headmaster didn't keep it a mystery; he revealed that he had been the Secret-Keeper for many friends. Even now, there were still five secrets kept safely within Dumbledore's soul.

'Yes, the old man is very capable!' Ivan thought, almost in awe of the implications.

The soul of an average wizard might only be capable of holding a single secret, but Dumbledore could hold five! Ivan estimated Dumbledore's soul attribute was exceedingly high, maybe not quite at 5 points but likely very close to 4.

This realization led Ivan to ponder his own potential, especially regarding how many secrets he could guard through the Fidelius Charm.

'I think I could probably hold over 10 secrets!'

The staggering number wasn't surprising when he considered Dumbledore's five.

There seemed to be a substantial leap between 4 and 5 soul points, signifying a profound difference. At 4 points, one could likely keep around five secrets, but at 5, over ten. It made Ivan wonder if Dumbledore's five secrets were truly his limit or if he could hold even more.

"So, do you need me to step out?" Penelope asked, sensing Ivan was preparing for the charm.

"No need." Ivan shook his head, explaining, "The Fidelius Charm isn't that rigid."

After all, if someone were to cast the charm on a house, it wouldn't require them to expel every last snake, bug, or rodent within. The Fidelius Charm was versatile, not an inconvenience like that.

"Everything within the manor will become part of the secret held by the Fidelius Charm," Ivan explained.

"But there's one condition: this secret only applies within the area defined by the Fidelius Charm itself," he continued. "Since you're in the manor now, I'll be embedding the location within my soul as the Secret Keeper."

Once the charm was completed, Penelope wouldn't lose any memory of the manor as long as she remained inside. However, once she stepped outside, any recollection of the place would vanish, unless she learned of its existence directly from Ivan after leaving.

"What an incredible magic," Penelope murmured, her fascination evident. "This is truly the realm of the soul. Sometimes, I wonder when I'll be able to grasp magic on this level."

"You will, someday," Ivan replied, giving her a reassuring look before calling out, "Yumi, bring my wand!"

The Fidelius Charm required immense magical strength, and without his sycamore wand, even Ivan doubted his ability to cast it successfully.

"Meow~~" Yumi appeared from the other side, carrying the sycamore wand in her mouth, padding over to Ivan with an air of purpose.

The little cat was very resentful at this time.

Just now, she first took Penelope's wand into the secret realm of the closet and then retrieved Ivan's sycamore wand from the room over there.

The back and forth made the cat tired.

"Okay, okay, I know you're working hard."

Ivan took out a handful of dried fish and handed it to Yuumi. "Come on, eat up."

"Meow~~"

The little cat then lowered her head in satisfaction, happily eating the tribute from her master.

"So cute."

Penelope stepped forward, picked up Yuumi, and put her in her arms, using her other hand to feed her more dried fish.

The girl sat on the steps in front of the villa, watching her junior holding the wand and beginning to chant.

"Hmm?"

As she watched, Penelope frowned slightly as she noticed something unusual.

It looked like Ivan was holding the wand and casting a spell now.

"Huh?!"

Realizing what she was seeing, Penelope reacted with surprise. "This… this is also possible?"

She noticed it!

The operating principle of the trace thread is that when an underaged wizard casts a spell near the magic wand, it will be detected by the Ministry of Magic.

The magic wand here not only refers to the little wizard's magic wand, but also other people's magic wands.

So In order to break the bondage of the trace, the young wizard needs to use wandless spells while ensuring that there is no wand in a certain area around.

Now, Ivan casts a spell, still holding his own wand to cast the Fidelius spell.

The spell of the Fidelius spell is very complicated and cannot be completed in one or two minutes.

However, as Ivan continued to recite, invisible power began to cover the entire manor.

At the same time, the trace that was supposed to be activated also began to lose its effectiveness after sending out the signal.

"The location cannot be determined..."

A logical judgment appeared in Penelope's mind: "The trace will detect Ivan casting a spell and fed back the information to the Ministry of Magic. "

However, there will be no problem!

That is, the Ministry of Magic cannot obtain any information about the manor!

Because of the Fidelius Charm, everything related to the manor will become a secret, hidden in Ivan's soul.

In a disguised way, this is to directly erase a certain concept from the real world.

Even though Ivan was still casting the spell, once he completed it, the Ministry would lose its target and be unable to track him and forget things related to this place.

Of course, even if Ivan fails to cast the spell, it will not be that terrible.

At worst, he can tell the Ministry of Magic that he is experimenting with magic.

With Dumbledore behind him and being a first-time offender, Ivan, who is familiar with the Ministry of Magic's law enforcement rules, will receive the most serious punishment, which is just a warning letter.

'One magic, testing the reactions of both sides at the same time.'

Feeling the magic that was almost successful, Ivan said to himself: 'Now I just need to test the working method of the trace thread, and also use the trace thread to see if the Fidelius Charm is really that invincible. '

'Hmm.. From what I can see now!'

'It's just as I thought,'

Ivan: 'The secrecy mechanism of the Fidelius Spell still needs to be under the supervision of the hospital!'

__________

Read 15 Chaps ahead of WN:

Patreon.com/HornyFBI