As she pulled Ivan out of the room, Luna told him everything that had happened.
Ivan listened and learned about Luna's childhood.
The Novgoods were workaholic and research-obsessed,
Xenophilius's main occupation was as an editor-in-chief of The Quibbler, and he enjoyed reading up on strange rumours in his spare time.
The witch's mother, on the other hand, was very interested in the study and improvement of Charms, and spent the rest of her time teaching Luna and taking care of the house.
"Business was bad at the time, and Dad had a headache trying to find news material… but his readers weren't buying it, and if it kept going on like this, the family was going to lose money."
"It just so happens that my mother is developing a new explosive charm. If she succeeds, it will be big news!"
Luna's ethereal voice carried to him on the breeze, and Ivan looked from her to Xenophilius, who remained in the workshop, writing.
"So your dad didn't know?" Yvonne asked curiously.
"She wouldn't let me talk to Dad about it…" Luna shook her head. The spell was dangerous, and there had been some mishaps during the previous experiments. Her mother had nearly been injured, and her parents had had a rare row over it.
Xenophilius did not approve of his wife's dangerous research.
Yvonne wondered why Luna's mother had brought her daughter along for the experiment. Wasn't she worried that the spell would get out of control?
Could it be that she wanted to record some data as an assistant? But Luna was too young.
Ivan's doubts were soon answered.
The witch took Luna, who was young, into the dense forest not far from their home. After applying an Armor Charm on herself, she took out a package and handed it to her daughter, reminding her to stand further away.
A sharp-eyed Ivan noticed that the package contained a green potion, which he, with his knowledge of potions, could immediately tell was intended for burns.
From this, it could be deduced that he was using Luna as his last resort.
Apparently, the witch understood the dangers of the experiment and remained vigilant.
Normally, the Armor Charm's protection and specialised healing potions were more than enough to deal with most emergencies, not to mention the fact that Luna had been watching over her since she was a child.
"Mother said that this was the last experiment, and that her charm was about to be completed…" Luna looked on, stunned, and sighed sadly.
Ivan did not know how to comfort her,
As Ivan expected, the witch's Exploding Charm went out of control on the last word!
The magic that was supposed to be targeted at the enemy ended up backfiring on itself. The flames that burst out illuminated the forest, and a loud explosion echoed through the sky.
The Shield Charm's defence failed to do its job against this force and was easily torn apart. The witch's body was thrown up like a willow catkin and fell lifelessly to the ground.
The body was a muddy blur, which Ivan believed was caused by Luna's shock to her mind, forcing the memory of her mother's death to blur.
He could only imagine how traumatic it must have been for a nine-year-old girl to witness her mother's death in an explosion.
Yvonne turned to look at the young Luna, whose face was a mask of terror and shock. She staggered over to the witch's body and stood there, shouting something in a low voice, reaching out her hands but not daring to touch them.
It was so pitiful that it made Ivan's heart ache.
A few seconds later, Xenophilius Apparated upon hearing the explosion. He fell to his knees in front of the witch's corpse, crying uncontrollably and shouting something.
Ivan could not hear clearly, presumably because Luna could not remember it in her youth.
"I'm so sorry!" Ivan said with a sigh. He would never have asked Luna to practice Legilimency if he had a choice.
"It's not your fault. I'd like to see her again…" Luna pursed her lips and shook her head, even if it was only in memory.
"Dad also told me that if I wanted to believe it, I would have a chance to see my mother again, not just in my memories or in my dreams… He would never lie to me! Never…" Luna's melodious voice echoed through the forest.
Yvonne started to say something, then stopped herself. It was not impossible for the dead to be brought back to life in the wizarding world, but it was very difficult to save a witch who had died in an explosion five years earlier.
Xenophilius was undoubtedly lying to Luna, offering her a vague hope as an emotional crutch in the hope that time would heal the damage.
Yvonne could see that Luna believed her, or she could only believe her…
The memory continues, with no more laughter in the Lovegood mansion after the death of Luna's mother.
Xenophilius devoted himself to the study of legends in an effort to forget his pain. He was not very good at housekeeping, so he made a mess of the house, always relying on simple magical tidying.
Despite his love for Luna, he was too busy with his research and work to spend much time with her.
Without a playmate of her own age, the forest was Luna's childhood home!
Like an elf in a Muggle story, a young witch with long blonde hair wanders alone through the forest.
She knew every animal in the forest, was able to call out their scientific names, and even named a deer and a few squirrels.
Every time a new creature was found, it was like finding treasure for the young witch.
"Oh, by the way, Dad said there were still Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, but they were probably too scared of me to show their faces," Luna said regretfully.
Yvonne looked at Luna, and although the little witch's face was calm, almost wistful, he sensed a deep loneliness in her.
"Were you lonely then?" Yvonne couldn't help asking, and then she thought her question was stupid and prickly.
"Sometimes, not anymore…" Luna nodded, then shook her head and giggled.
Ivan looked at her in confusion, unable to understand Luna's meaning.
The little witch seemed to be in a trance. She turned her head and stared at Ivan with bright eyes. "There are two people in this memory now, aren't there?"