The Light in the Dark | Neville Longbottom

Chapter 93: The Deathly Hallows

*CW: Violence*

"Prove it." Xenophilius said coldly.

Harry cocked his head, "I'm sorry?"

Xenophilius pointed to his forehead, alluding to the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead. Harry responded accordingly, pulling back his hair and showing Xenophilius the mark. He gasped, almost jumping back in shock, but then he quickly calmed.

"Come, come..." Xenophilius said, ushering us into his home, "It's not safe for you to be outside."

If I hadn't already noticed the madness of the Lovegood residence from the outside, it was even more apparent on the inside. The house seemed to be sorted into the levels: the kitchen being the first. The appliances curved to fit the wall and were covered in various designs of flowers, insects, and birds. Since the space was so small, everything almost felt suffocating; it was very overwhelming. The only thing that stuck out was an iron staircase, like the dullness of the door, that led to the upper-levels of the house.

"I apologize for acting in such ways," Xenophilius said shyly, "It seems that the war has gotten to me!"

"Don't apologize," Harry chuckled, "There's nothing to apologize for. You've done plenty for the order, and we're all appreciative of that. Say... How's Luna?"

Xenophilius whipped around, his smile dropping, "Luna? Yes... Well, she's good."

"Where is she?" Ron asked, "Or has she already gone back to school? I haven't been keeping track of the dates."

"She's... She went back to school this morning," Xenophilius stammered, "I'll tell her that you stopped by... Anyway, follow me."

Xenophilius led us to the second floor of his house, which seemed to be a living room and workspace. The room, itself, was smaller than the kitchen and rounder, making everything seem more crowded. Stacks of books and papers coated with dust covered every surface and models of small creatures that could flap their wings or snap their jaws hung from the ceiling. In the corner, there was a large printing press — presumably what Xenophilius used to print his copies of The Quibbler. I also noticed a strange statue in the corner of the room of what looked like a woman wearing a headdress... Odd.

"WHY DO YOU HAVE AN ERUMPENT HORN IN YOUR HOME?" Hermione shrieked.

Xenophilius abruptly faced Hermione, cocking his head, "An erumpent horn? No, that is the horn of a crumple-horned snorkack! It is very rare."

Hermione inhaled sharply, "No. That is an erumpent horn, and it is incredibly dangerous! A feather could land on it and the entire thing would blow up your home! You cannot have this here, Mr. Lovegood, it is not safe!"

"Don't babble about such nonsense, Ms. Granger!" Xenophilius laughed, "I know what I am talking about! That horn is from a crumple-horned snorkack, and they are not dangerous creatures."

Hermione shot me an annoyed look before dropping the argument. I made a mental note to stay away from the horn on the display. The Lovegoods were notorious for being... loony (hence Luna's cruel nickname), so it wasn't like I believed Xenophilius about his "completely safe crumple-horned snorkack horn".

"Come... Sit, sit," Xenophilius said, gesturing to the seats in the middle of the room, "Now, how can I help you, Mr. Potter?"

As the rest of us took our respective seats, Harry leaned forward, hesitating his next response, "Well, actually... It was about something that you were wearing around your neck at the wedding. It was a symbol..."

Xenophilius reached into his collared shirt, pulling out the necklace, "You mean this?"

Harry nodded, "Yes..."