How was this possible?
Yvonne stared at the two figures in disbelief.
How could they suddenly appear here when they were separated by two worlds?
It's fake, it's fake… Ivan kept reminding himself as Occlumency slowly began to operate, but nothing in front of him disappeared, as if it were real.
When Ivan hesitated, the middle-aged man with dark hair and dark eyes spoke first. "Little Yun…" His familiar voice and address made Ivan miss him.
"How have you been? Your father and I have missed you ever since you left…" The phantom of his mother from his previous life slowly walked forward and reached out her hand. She spoke gently to him, her eyes filled with love.
Ivan took a step back, avoiding the hand on his cheek, and looked at Orlando and the others behind them.
They seemed to have known who they were for a long time, but they did not mind. They just smiled at the reunion.
Perhaps sensing Ivan's silence, his mother pursed her lips and asked in a slightly puzzled tone, "What's the matter, Cloud? Not happy to see us?"
"No, I'm just… so happy," Ivan said hesitantly, staring at the two of them, his mind blank.
As soon as he saw them, he understood how to break the spell cast on the Resurrection Stone, but his anxiety gnawed at him like a viper.
Because this was exactly what he feared the most and did not want to face…
What would his family and friends think if his identity was revealed?
Was he going to accept it as happily as he did, or would he fly into a rage and believe that he had deceived them?
Will Alicia accept me? Or will she turn on me…
Ivan did not know and did not want to deal with the situation, which was why he worked hard at Occlumency, in an attempt to bury his past memories forever.
Now, however, the scar had been torn open by the Resurrection Stone, like a mirror of Eris, forcing him to look straight into his deepest fears, but at the same time giving him the most beautiful sight.
The solution is to break the illusion and face the harsh reality…
Ivan's hand trembled slightly as he held the Resurrection Stone, knowing that he would never be able to break through this barrier, as Dumbledore had.
Forever…
… .
Late at night, Ivan, who had been alone on the cliffs for more than four hours, entered the Novgoode house, his mind replaying the events that had transpired.
In order to truly use the Resurrection Stone, he eventually exposed the false faces of the illusions, only to be met with endless malice.
Everyone he knew, except his parents in his previous life, Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel, and Orlando, was revealed.
His heart was imprinted with Hermione's sharp words and Alicia's desperate, angry, disbelieving gaze… forcing Ivan to close the Resurrection Stone and end things prematurely.
"Not going too well, Ivan?" a disembodied voice asked the moment Ivan stepped through the front door.
Ivan turned to find Luna not asleep as he had expected, but sitting in a chair by the fireplace with Xenophilius's notebook, presumably waiting for him.
As she felt a surge of warmth in her heart, Ivan quietly explained, "Your earlier speculation was correct. Death, or whoever created it, did leave a similar spell on the Resurrection Stone. I'm afraid it will not be so easy to break."
"It's bound to be easy for you. You can always sort things out," Luna added.
Yvonne smiled wryly to herself. The little witch still had a lot of faith in him, but she was afraid it would not work this time. The power of the Resurrection Stone could conjure up the most feared and desired scenes in a person's mind, and ordinary people could not resist it even if they knew it was fake.
Ivan even regretted fighting Grindelwald for the Resurrection Stone in his burial chamber at Nicolas Flamel's.
What if this troublesome Dark Lord had simply committed suicide under the influence of Dumbledore the Illusion?
It would be a happy ending…
Ivan grumbled to himself, then suddenly remembered Luna, who had been summoned by the Resurrection Stone and questioned him repeatedly.
"What's wrong?" the young witch asked curiously, sensing Ivan's rising and falling emotions.
After a long hesitation, Yvonne asked, "Would you mind if I kept something bad from you, Luna?"
The little witch looked at Ivan blankly, as if she didn't quite understand what he was saying…
"Like when I stole the rest of your friends…" Ivan tries to use a metaphor. "Think about it. I'm probably such a cheapskate that I just want you to be friends with me… so I've got rid of everyone else who tries to get close to you!"
The little witch tried to picture the scene, then shook her head.
"That doesn't matter…" Luna whispered.
"Not important?" Yvonne sounded surprised.
"It's great now… I already have my best friend!" Luna said earnestly to Ivan.
Ivan's tense expression relaxed at the little witch's soft words, and he realised that perhaps things were not as bad as he had thought.
Ivan, however, still had no intention of revealing anything. After laughing, he told Luna to get some rest. It was not good to stay up late.
The next morning, when things were back to normal, Xenophilius enthusiastically called out to Ivan and Luna to come and taste his famous Plimpy Soup.
Xenophilius was so affected by the Memory Charm that he forgot all about Ivan's display of the Resurrection Stone the day before, except that they were chatting happily.
Ivan gave Luna an apologetic look and, after a quick meal, continued on to the cliff where he would try to break the spell on the Resurrection Stone.
After two days of trial and error, Ivan was able to remain calm under the harsh words of the visions, but was still unable to activate the true power of the Resurrection Stone.
Clutching the diamond-shaped crystal in his hand, Ivan sighed, understanding that he had not been able to undo the knot in his heart.
On the afternoon of the third day, Ivan was about to perform his usual Apparition when Luna stopped him.
"Can you go somewhere with me, Ivan?"