In The Fight To Survive (Golden Trio Era) {4}

Loving Looks

Ron's good feeling about heading further North was right, they found the Lovegood's home towards the Northern edge of Ottery St Catchpole on the top of the hill they appeared on. The house was in a very irregular style, a massive black cylinder which was being hauntingly illuminated by the moonbeams from the ghostly moon in the afternoon sky hanging behind it. "See, their house screams Lovegood, looks like a giant rook." Ron commented as he pointed it out to Harry and Hermione, "that looks nothing like a bird, Ron." Hermione counters his description, Ron having to clarify that he meant a chess rook. "Come on, we want to get back to camp before it starts to get dark." Harry suggests as his eyes were locked on the waxing almost Full moon.

Ron reached the top of the hill first thanks to his long legs, an infectious grin on his face as something caught his eye that proved who lived in this strange house. Harry and Hermione were panting loudly, clutching their waists as stitches started to form in their sides, asking what he's grinning about. "It's definitely theirs, just look at this place." Ron beamed gesturing towards the front yard. The garden was surrounded by a rickety fence, surrounding a chaotically flourishing garden with an array of different kinds of magical plants. As they passed through the garden via a zigzagged path leading to the front door, they could see a multitude of signs tacked onto stacks in the ground by some of the plants.

Some they could read while passing by was 'PICK YOUR OWN SNARGALUFF' or 'GROW YOUR OWN GURDYROOT', against the side of the house was a bush covered in some orange radish like fruit with a sign in front of it that told them to 'KEEP OFF THE DIRIGIBLE PLUMS'. They arrived at the thick and black, iron nail studded front door that had an eagle head as a knocker, clearly inspired by Ravenclaw Tower and a golden plate which had the words 'EDITOR OF THE QUIBBLER, X. LOVEGOOD' etched into it in black lettering. Hermione suggests for Harry to take his Invisibility Cloak off now, "it's you who Mr. Lovegood wants to help, not us." Harry wasted no time pulling off his cloak and stuffing it into Hermione's beaded bag.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all look at one another, giving each other a chance to back out of this plan as they know it has nothing to do with the Horcruxes, but it might help them understand what Dumbledore was trying to tell Hermione. After a moment of silent consensus, Hermione reached up and grabbed a hold of the eagle knocker, rapping the door three times. They didn't speak after Hermione knocked, all of their minds and hearts racing as they knew that this interaction could go either way at the moment. They didn't have to hold their breaths for long, as Xenophilius Lovegood swung the door open seconds later, and he looked like an awful mess.

His long white hair was dirty with grease and looked like it hadn't been brushed in weeks, patches of dirt spread across his neck, forehead, hands and feet which he left bare as he stood on the mat on his floor by the door. He was wearing a white trousers that looked like it had been balled up in the bottom of his wardrobe for months before he put it on, small holes littered around it from the moths that had fed off it. He wore a cream lumpy cardigan that was falling apart from every edge, even the patches were peeling off from where they were sewn. His shirt seemed to be a pyjama top that was almost completely covered in an array of different colour stains that it's hard to tell what it was supposed to look like.

"What is it?" Xenophilius croaks, making it clear that he hasn't used his voice in quite a long time, "who are you?" his voice shakes as she looks at Hermione and Ron, who were coincidentally blocking Harry from Xenophilius' eye line. "What do you want?" He hisses impatiently as no one has jumped to answer his questions in the second between each one. Harry taps Ron and Hermione, silently requesting they give him space to go ahead of them to converse with Mr Lovegood. Xenophilius' jaw drops as Harry stepped forward bidding him a hello, "I'm Harry Potter, we met a few months ago at Bill and Fleur's wedding." Xenophilius doesn't say a word, his hands slightly shaking as his eyes travel to the marker of his true identity, the lightning scar on Harry's forehead.