Ivan hesitated for a long time. He did not want to judge their choice.
When their home was in danger, it was necessary for someone to stand up for them without hesitation. Orlando's insistence was understandable, as Sirius, Arthur, and the others described him as a staunch warrior and a worthy hero.
In contrast, despite her self-interest, Alicia was not a British witch or wizard, nor was she obligated to dedicate herself to the cause of anti-dark magic. She was merely acting as a wife and mother…
"What happened then? How did my father Orlando… die?" Ivan asked.
Isiah's voice sounded shaky. "We were separated for a long time after that terrible fight, and all I know is that he was working for the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry of Magic, fighting those dangerous Death Eaters…"
"I was very, very worried about Orlando's safety…I desperately wanted to do something for him…I went through the family books and finally found some records in an ancient alchemy manual.
The ultimate emotion is the most powerful magic, and if an alchemist can infuse it into a magical object, it will greatly enhance its power, even giving the object the ability to resist the Death Curse…" Alicia said in a daze.
"Is that why you made the crescent pendant?" Ivan asked suddenly.
He had previously speculated that the crescent moon pendant was not specially prepared for him.
After all, Nicolas Flamel had told him that this magical object had been made over a decade ago, but Alicia had kept it sealed until he was in school.
"Yes, the pendant I gave you." Alicia nodded and sighed sadly. "It took me nine months and a great deal of material to create it. I worked hard for it, hoping it would protect your father in my place…"
"During that time, I sent him a letter every day, anticipating Orlando's return. I wanted to tell him that our baby was coming and that I had a gift for him…"
At this point, Alicia's emotions became more and more agitated, her clear eyes filling with tears and her voice shaking. "I waited for two days, but Orlando did not return, until the night of the third day, when Albus Dumbledore suddenly came to me with bad news, and a corpse…"
"He told me that Orlando, while on a secret mission to cover for his comrades, was hit by a Killing Curse and died in the middle of a conflict." Alicia's voice broke and tears welled up in her eyes.
She could not forget that dark day, or Dumbledore's apologetic declaration that Orlando was an admirable hero.
From that moment on, she loathed the word, "hero" if it was so good, but why didn't Dumbledore die himself? To be a hero!
Alicia's expression was ferocious as she fiercely questioned Dumbledore about why Orlando had not returned for so many days, and why there had been no response to her letter to Orlando!
However, the response sent a chill down Alicia's spine, and during her argument with Orlando, Dumbledore realised that there was a traitor in the Order of the Phoenix, and that someone was passing information to Voldemort, causing them to lose many members.
"And so I was added to their list of suspects, because I was a selfish Slytherin who caused a scene in the Order of the Phoenix and hated Albus Dumbledore!" said Alicia coldly.
"What about Father? Does he want to believe you?" Yvonne asked, realizing as soon as she opened her mouth that it was too late to change her mind.
"I don't know." Alicia looked suddenly panicked. "I guess I went too far when I tried to stop him from working for the Order of the Phoenix. Anyway, he didn't come to see me for months. He just wrote me letters once in a while, and I always turned him down. Maybe he was still mad at me…"
"Or maybe he's just in love with you and doesn't want you to go out on a limb with him…" Ivan suggested, trying to comfort her. It seemed likely that Orlando was genuinely hoping that Alicia would leave the Order, back out of the fight, or even go to the safety of the American wizarding community on her own and come back when everything was over…
Asia's tense expression relaxed a little, but she was still trembling slightly. Ivan took two steps forward and reached out to hug her tightly, giving her courage and confidence.
This was the first time he had seen his mother so vulnerable. Even in his third year, when he risked his life to fight ten Dark Wizards alone, Alicia was only angry and worried.
"I hate myself. If only I had been tougher and forced Orlando to leave with me…if only I hadn't been so stubborn and waited for Orlando to come to me and apologize…if only I could have broken into the Order of the Phoenix again and put that necklace on him, then he would have…he would have survived!" Alicia leaned against Ivan's shoulder, her voice hoarse as tears streamed down her face.
She hated herself, and she hated Dumbledore, the white wizard who gathered men to serve him in the name of justice, but feared death.
She hated him even more for suspecting her of being an undercover agent for Lord Voldemort, and for not immediately passing on her letter to Orlando…
Therefore, when Dumbledore came to her with Orlando's body and made that heroic statement, Alicia did not hesitate to act. Unable to contain her murderous intent, she cast the Unforgivable Curse on Dumbledore!
She knew that she was no match for Dumbledore and was prepared to die.
However, Dumbledore did not retaliate or dodge…
Alicia could clearly remember the look of guilt in his eyes when he looked at her. Unfortunately, Orlando's death could not be salvaged, and his remorse afterwards was even more hateful to her!
Therefore, even though she was angry, she still hoped that the Killing Curse would hit her.
She didn't care about the future of the wizarding world, or whether You-Know-Who would ever be unstoppable. In her eyes, all of this was meaningless. All she wanted to do at that moment was kill someone!
However, just as the Death Curse is about to hit and the most powerful wizard in the wizarding world is about to die, Fawkes the phoenix appears out of nowhere and takes the fatal blow for Dumbledore…