"Yes, of course!"
Ivan nodded without much hesitation at Luna's invitation.
Although his mood had been dampened by the near-stagnation of his research into the Resurrection Stone over the past few days, Ivan was not about to refuse a rare request from the young witch.
With Ivan's approval, Luna happily pulled him away from the Novgoode house and into the woods.
The sun had already set, and the bright moon hung high in the sky. Some moonlight shone through the forest, illuminating the path ahead.
It was only then that Yvonne noticed the difference in Luna's attire. She was wearing a beautiful bright yellow robe, and the wreath she had seen before, made of vines and flowers, was pinned at an angle to her head. With her fair, delicate profile, Yvonne almost mistook Luna for a Muggle fairy.
They ran for what seemed like an eternity until the Novgoode House disappeared from Ivan's sight. There was nothing but thick forest around them, and then a loud "yoo-yoo" came from ahead.
Instinctively, Ivan stepped in front of Luna and pulled his wand from his belt, but a moment later he lowered his guard, as a moose had come out of the forest, and it did not seem to be an Anima.
"Hi, Teenie!" Luna was so happy that she walked up to the elk and stroked its furry neck. The elk seemed very happy, too, and rubbed its head contentedly in the little witch's arms.
Ivan smiled and put away his wand as he saw the warm scene before him.
After comforting the elk, Teenie, Luna happily turned around and introduced them to Ivan.
She found this elk in the woods six years ago, when Teenie was a young deer of average height and got separated from her mother and her herd.
Yvonne listened quietly as the young witch told her amusing tales of the past, and then, with Luna's help, made the acquaintance of other friends in the forest — several cute squirrels and strange-looking Transforming Lizards.
Luna gave each animal beautiful names, telling Ivan stories about them over and over again.
They walked slowly along the path through the forest, and by the time the story was finished, Ivan was standing in front of a wide lake.
A gentle breeze blew across the lake, causing ripples to appear on the clear water. Luna sat down on the grass by the lake with Ivan, and together they looked up at the brilliant stars. In the distance, the mountains were stacked on top of each other, and under the cover of the mist and the night, they looked like a double image of the lake…
The elk, whose name was Teenie, ran happily through the grass. When she was done being crazy, she slowly lay down next to them and nibbled at the grass.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Luna gazed dreamily at the lake, which reflected the stars and the moon, and her disembodied voice echoed around the lake.
"Yes, it's beautiful!" Ivan said, nodding in agreement. The view of the lake and the cold wind blowing in from time to time had temporarily taken his mind off the unpleasantness of the past few days.
"Dad used to bring me here to catch Plimpies when I was upset…" Luna said wistfully.
Ivan couldn't help but chuckle. The last time Xenophilius cooked Plimpy Fish Soup, he had discovered that it was a very ordinary freshwater fish, but since Luna thought so, he didn't argue.
"Did you bring me here to catch another Plimpy?" Yvonne asked curiously.
"No, maybe next time." Luna shook her head gently and looked off into the distance for a long time before asking again, "Do you have anyone you want to revive, Ivan?"
"Maybe…maybe not," Ivan said uncertainly.
It is true that he had no one in the world who wished to be brought back to life, and despite the fact that Orlando was his father, Ivan had no memory of Orlando, and thus did not hold him in high regard.
Not to mention Dumbledore, who, despite dying in a duel with Dumbledore, voluntarily accepted his death, according to subsequent reports.
After all, if Grindelwald could use a Horcrux to counteract the Dark Arts, Dumbledore would surely have thought of something else, but was reluctant to do so.
Ivan is also willing to respect Dumbledore's choice.
He was even more obsessed with his parents in his previous life and wanted to see them again to find out what had become of them.
"The Resurrection Stone is very confusing," Ivan said, sounding troubled. "It can dig out one's worst fears and expectations, and if you can't break it, you'll never be able to use its true power."
Luna was curious as to what Ivan's worst fears and worst fears would be, but she did not ask, as she knew that Ivan would share them with her if he could.
Now that he had not mentioned it to her, it must be something that he could not reveal.
"Will you let me try?" Luna asked, holding out her hand in anticipation.
Ivan looked at her for a moment, then said hesitantly, "But your mother—"
Ivan realised he had said the wrong thing as soon as he opened his mouth, but was still worried that the witch would be bewitched by the Resurrection Stone.
When Xenophilius conjured his wife, the little witch could tell at a glance that something was wrong, but as long as she had a shred of hope, she would not be able to break the spell.
However, Luna's reaction was strange. When Ivan mentioned her mother, a blank look appeared on the witch's face… She thought for a moment, then took out a transparent glass bottle from the bag in her robe. Wisps of white mist floated in it…
Yvonne looked at the bottle, vaguely aware of what was happening, and stared at Luna in surprise.
"I seem to have forgotten some important things, but I've kept them safe…" The witch clutched the glass bottle of memory threads to her chest and turned her head. Her silver eyes swept across the calm lake, the brilliant stars, and finally focused on Ivan.
"Now I have everything I ever wanted … and here it is!" Luna's disembodied voice echoed around the silent lake.