The Potions Master's Daughter (Book Six)

Chapter 30

The next three weeks we were more able to keep our emotions in check and stay out of trouble with the Carrows. I had promised both Severus and Molly that I would try to calm down and not get in as much trouble, and Ginny and Neville had made that same promise. I only spoke up for other students when they were getting hurt, and for now I let any comments slide by. We were all nervous, Luna hadn't shown backup to school following the holidays. I hadn't seen her name in the paper, and we haven't heard anything about her.

One day Ginny came into the common room after studying in the library with her friends that evening, "I got a letter back from Mum. We were right, something did happen to Luna!"

"What?" Seamus asked her concernedly.

"The Lovegoods house was destroyed the other day apparently, and she thinks it was by Death Eaters. You know how we can get to their house fairly easily from the Burrow. Well apparently Fred and George apparated over to see what was the problem and they heard her father shouting at the Death Eaters, and get this-they both said they saw Harry, Ron and Hermione leaving!"

"DId they hear what he was yelling?" I asked her.

She leaned in closer, as if she had a big secret to share, "They said he was yelling 'I have him'. I reckon he means Harry wouldn't you think? But why would Xenophilius betray Harry?"

I shrugged, "Maybe it has something to do with Luna. If they have Luna, and he could trade Harry for Luna I'm sure he would. But the three of them got away then?"

Ginny nodded, though apprehension shone through her eyes, "THey got away just fine it seemed. Lovegood was too busy with the Death Eaters attacking his house. I just hope Luna is okay, and i hope harry, Ron and Hermione are alright too. I wonder what they needed to see Lovegood for?"

Neville spoke up hesitantly, "Well if they're seeking people out for answers it means they have questions, and that's good right? That means they're getting closer to finding another. And since they have the sword, they can even kill it."

Hermione had contacted me through the mirror after destroying the first Horcrux and I was able to share that information with Ginny, Neville and Seamus without it seeming suspicious that I knew.

It wasn't until nights later that I thought of the only connection between Xenophilius Lovegood and anything else to do with their quest. He had been wearing the same symbol that I had seen on the grave Hermione wiped off at Godric's Hollow. The symbol must be important to risk going to see Lovegood. I didn't recognize it though, I needed to figure out what it was. It was too dangerous to risk contacting Harry or Hermione right now, I'm sure they were being tailed by Death Eaters that had seen them at the Lovegood's.

It took me nearly a week holed away in the library to find anything out, but I finally found a book referencing a thing called the Deathly hallows. It was buried deep within a book about Grindelwald, who Dumbledore was friends with according to Rita Skeeter.

I hadn't told anyone else what I was working on, and I knew it was starting to annoy Neville that I was spending all my extra time in the library without letting him come. I had been being a pretty bad girlfriend lately, but this ended up being more important.

"I know I've been acting strangely this past week," I started off the conversation, once we were all seated comfortably on the couch in the Gryffindor common room that evening.

"That's an understatement," Seamus muttered.

I put on an apologetic grin and continued, "Yes, well sorry about that, but what I've found out is super important. I wanted to make sure it was actually important before I trouble you all with it."