Chapter 964: Meeting Xenophilius
Chapter 964: Meeting Xenophilius
Ivan, lost in thought, bumped into Luna, causing the young witch to stumble backward and nearly collide with the wall behind her.
When she saw who it was, Luna's furrowed brow relaxed, and she exclaimed happily, "Hi, Ivan!"
Before Ivan could respond, Luna seemed to remember something and added, "Oh, wait, I should call you Professor Hals now!"
"Please don't, or I'll have to call you Miss Lovegood all day long", Ivan said with a shrug, feigning distress.
They shared a glance and both laughed.
"Are you looking for some information, Ivan?" Luna bent down to pick up the scattered copies of Chronicles of Britain and Ancient Historical Legends, dusted them off, and handed them to Ivan, her curiosity piqued.
Ivan took the books from her, thanked her, and explained, "Yes, it's about some legends of Britain."
"Do you remember The Tale of the Three Brothers?" Ivan hesitated for a moment but decided not to hide his intentions and asked directly.
"Of course!" Luna nodded and recited the fable with a dreamy tone, clearly fond of the story.
"Do you believe the story is true? About Death and the Deathly Hallows?" Ivan asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Why not? We have no evidence to prove that Death doesn't exist, do we?" Luna replied in a singing voice.
Ivan paused, then chuckled to himself, realizing he had asked a silly question. Young witches were always willing to believe in extraordinary things, and this prophecy was no exception.
However, the more he delved into the research, the more uncertain Ivan became about the truth of the legend.
Initially, influenced by the original story, Ivan had not been particularly impressed by the Deathly Hallows, as only the Elder Wand had shown significant power. The other two seemed to be just powerful magical items at best.
But the Invisibility Cloak, which originally only concealed one's form, had been developed by Grindelwald to have more functions. It could change appearance at will and even resist and weaken spells.
Even the Resurrection Stone seemed to have hidden secrets beyond simply conjuring magical illusions.
"Hey, Luna, I remember your father has done some research on this legend, right?" Ivan suddenly recalled a scene from Luna's memories and asked.
"Yes, that's true... After Mother passed away, Father would often look through various materials, but he didn't seem to want me to know about it", Luna said, her voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia.
"Can I visit Mr. Lovegood tomorrow?" Ivan asked hesitantly. According to Luna, Xenophilius had been researching the Deathly Hallows for years, and there might be some useful information.
Moreover, in the original timeline, Xenophilius did know some details about the Deathly Hallows.
"Of course! Father will be thrilled to meet you!" Luna's eyes widened with excitement.
Ivan rubbed his nose, not expecting Xenophilius to be so welcoming.
"I told Father that you helped us find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, and that issue of The Quibbler sold hundreds more copies. He's been looking for a chance to thank you properly", Luna explained with a smile.
"That's not necessary. You helped me solve Rowena Ravenclaw's riddle before. Friends helping each other is only natural", Ivan said, amusement in his voice.
"But it's not me who should be thanking you", Luna said, blinking her eyes seriously.
Ivan was taken aback, momentarily speechless. He changed the subject with a wry smile and agreed to meet the young witches at the top of the Hogwarts Tower the next morning.
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The day passed quickly. The next morning, Ivan woke up in the employee common room, got dressed, and headed to the Tower to meet Luna. Since it was the Christmas holidays, Hogwarts Castle was rather empty, with most students having packed their bags and left on the Hogwarts Express to return home.
Ivan didn't linger in the castle. Once he arrived at the agreed location, he used Apparition to bring Luna to Lovegood Manor.
With a flash of white light, the two appeared on a desolate hill in northern Britain. Not far from them stood a peculiar house, shaped like a giant black cylinder, covered in branches and vines. Ivan had seen it in Luna's memories, but seeing it in person, he couldn't help but admit that Luna's father had a very unique taste.
He had also heard from the Aurors at the Wizards' Market that Xenophilius had transformed the rented house in Knockturn Alley into a similarly bizarre shape, often complaining about the lack of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and Horned Snails in the area. After learning of Voldemort's death, he had quickly moved back to his original home.
With these thoughts in mind, Ivan and Luna walked through the gate. The winding path was lined with various strange plants. Two old crabapple trees, their branches bent by the wind, stood guard at the front door, their leaves fallen but still adorned with small red fruits and mistletoe clusters.
Luna enthusiastically showed Ivan a large clump of Dirigible Plums she had planted herself, even picking one and using magic to string it, replacing her original earring.
"Pretty", Ivan said, finding it interesting as the young witch pinned the small, orange-red fruit to her ear.
"Really?" Luna looked pleased, picked another Dirigible Plum, and replaced her other earring. Then, humming a tune, she pulled Ivan inside.
"Luna, is that you?" A somewhat booming voice called out as they entered the house.
Ivan turned and saw a middle-aged warlock, around forty, descending the stairs. Xenophilius had fluffy white hair like cotton candy and wore a dusty linen robe. Ivan's attention, however, was drawn to the golden chain around his neck, from which a peculiar symbol hung—the mark of the Deathly Hallows.
(End of Chapter)
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