章 999: Meeting with Xenophilius
編集者: Atlas Studios
Xenophilius, coming down the stairs, naturally noticed Ivan's presence.
Though they had never actually met before, Xenophilius had seen enough of Ivan in the papers to recognise him.
"Hales, what brings you here? What a pleasant surprise!" Xenophilius exclaimed as he enthusiastically patted Ivan on the shoulder.
"Pardon my intrusion, Mr. Novgood, but I have come to ask you something," Ivan politely replied.
"Come, come, come, let's talk inside!" Xenophilius stepped aside and beckoned Ivan and Luna to join him.
After entering the house, Ivan looked around curiously. The interior was decorated in the same eccentric style as the courtyard outside. Everything was curved and painted with flowers, insects, and birds in bright primary colours.
The second floor looked like a cross between a living room and a workroom. It was a mess, with old books and sheepskin papers piled up on tables and chairs.
An old printing press was rattling, spitting out copies of the latest edition of The Quibbler.
Seeing this, Xenophilius was embarrassed. He patted his head and mumbled, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming. I forgot to tidy up…"
Xenophilius pulled out his wand, and Ivan and Luna worked together to cast the spell. The scattered newspapers quickly piled up, and the books were sorted and placed on the shelves.
The previously cluttered drawing room was now much tidier and more spacious, and Xenophilius pulled out a few chairs and invited Ivan to sit.
"Speaking of which, I have to thank you, Hales, for the fact that every year before you found the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, there were letters from readers questioning the existence of this magical creature, claiming that I was lying to get their attention… My God, how could these people think that? It's pure slander!
Now, however, it's different. No one will ever question the futility of my research and reporting, and many witches and wizards have travelled a long way to see this Crumple-Horned Snorkack for themselves. Who wouldn't love a little cutie?"
Xenophilius rambled on, looking very pleased with himself. He even showed Ivan a hand-made scale model of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, based on Luna's description.
Even three months ago, he travelled all the way to Sweden, one of the potential habitats of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, in search of more.
Unfortunately, after more than a month of searching, he was not as lucky as Ivan, but he was not about to give up, and was planning to visit the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts this summer to see if he could find anything useful.
Ivan rolled his eyes at Xenophilius's words. He was the one who had transfigured the Crumple-Horned Snorkack to make Luna happy. Even if Xenophilius searched the wizarding world, he would never find another one!
Ivan, however, knew that even if he told the truth, the stubborn Xenophilius would most likely not believe him, and the two might even start arguing. In the end, he could only tactfully suggest that the Crumple-Horned Snorkack might be very precious, and might be close to extinction…
Xenophilius nodded in agreement. Over the years, he had tried to find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, but to no avail, which was probably the only explanation.
Perhaps believing that he had found a kindred spirit, Xenophilius was very chatty, talking about everything from the Crumple-Horned Snorkack's habits to Hook's eating habits…
Ivan's head was too heavy to follow Xenophilius's train of thought, and he had no interest in finding out what the natural enemies of hook and pestilence were, but was polite enough not to interrupt.
Fortunately, the little witch saw Ivan's distress and interrupted softly, "Dad, Ivan is here to talk to you about something…"
"Ah, yes!" Xenophilius exclaimed, coming to his senses. He poured Ivan a cup of Gurdyroot tea from the teapot on the table and patted his chest. "You may speak freely, Hulse, if I may!"
"I'd like to ask you something about the Deathly Hallows…" Ivan said, looking down at his teacup, which was filled with a dark purple liquid like beetroot juice.
Ivan took a small sip and found the tea to be very strange, slightly sour and slightly bitter, as if Xenophilius had made it by mistake.
Xenophilius raised his eyebrows as if he was surprised by Ivan's question, but after recovering from his surprise, he spoke freely.
"You know that… ah, yes, that is not surprising. Many good wizards seek the power of the Deathly Hallows…"
"As a matter of fact, my knowledge of the Deathly Hallows is limited, so I can only give you a few clues…" Xenophilius said slowly. "The Cloak of Invisibility and the Resurrection Stone are not well documented in historical sources, so I have not been able to discover their whereabouts, but the Elder Wand is different. Its history is well-documented, and it is full of blood and murder…"
"It is not the whereabouts of the Three Hallows that I wish to know, Mr. Novgood!" Ivan interrupted before Xenophilius could introduce them.
Xenophilius looked at Ivan in surprise. Why would Ivan ask such a thing if not to find the Deathly Hallows?
Suddenly, Xenophilius seemed to have thought of something and asked suspiciously, "Could it be… you have a Deathly Hallows?"
"I've had more than one, but they don't seem to be as powerful as I thought they would be!" Ivan explained succinctly.
"Is it the Elder Wand…the Cloak of Invisibility, or the…Stone of Resurrection?!" Xenophilius was suddenly very excited. He grabbed Ivan's wrist and asked eagerly.
Ivan understood why Xenophilius was so agitated, and naturally did not care about the other's offence.
"I have acquired all three Hallows… the Wood-Bone Wand greatly increases the power of the charm, allowing the holder to gain the upper hand in a duel, worthy of the name of the Strongest Wand… and the Cloak of Invisibility allows the wearer to hide from all detection by magic…"
"What about the Resurrection Stone? Can it… can it bring back the dead?" Xenophilius asked, his voice trembling.
Luna looked at Ivan expectantly. According to legend, the Resurrection Stone could bring back the dead!
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