Potter's Girl / Butterfly Effect.

100. Xenophelius Lovegood

CHAPTER ONE-HUNDRED;

VISITING XENOPHELIUS LOVEGOOD.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Hermione had forbade Cassie and Harry from sleeping in the same cot, so they made up for the separation by pushing their beds as close together as they would go and falling asleep with their fingers intertwined. When Cassie awoke the following morning, their hands were mere inches apart, fingertips so close to touching yet not all the way there. Cassie reconnected them without a moment's thought.

   Harry awoke soon after Cassie, and Ron, not much later – Hermione had been awake since the break of dawn, surrounded by a pile of books. Her bitter temper had not yet disbanded, but Cassie had not expected it to simply vanish overnight. Hermione, according to Harry, was not speaking nearly as much as she used to, before Ron had returned. She merely communicated in small eye rolls and scoffs of disapproval every time Ron spoke.

   However, it was no secret that Hermione was being suspiciously more gentle towards Cassie and treating her with fragility, despite how angry she seemed to be at the world.

   Ron, on the other hand, was overcompensating for the fact that he had disappeared for weeks. He was much too enthusiastic for Cassie to handle so often — sure; once or twice, a bright comment would have been appreciated, but it was obvious he was just trying to make it up to Harry and Hermione. Ron had his sights set on how the Patronuses had to have been been cast by a witch or wizard, which meant in turn, they had someone on their side.

   And sure, they had someone on their side: Lee Jordan, Fred Weasley, and George Weasley.

   "So, let me get this straight," said Cassie one afternoon, leaning against Harry's chest as Ron tapped the tip of his wand to an old radio, "they've started a channel called... what, sorry?"

   "Potterwatch," said Ron, brow scrunched together in concentration. He continued to tap his wand on the radio and muttered random words like 'phoenix' or 'Dumbledore.' "It's got a password that you've gotta hear from them at the end of each segment, only I missed the last one.."

   This continued for ten minutes or so; Ron tapped and muttered, Hermione flipped pages of her book, and Harry practiced with Cassie on his new wand — it had not proven useful and didn't perform minor spells easily, so Hermione subjected Harry to train with it and see if it improved.

   Cassie's eyes trailed to Hermione after a few minutes of training with Harry; she was reading from The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, a book that Cassie had heard many things about – none too good. Apparently, Dumbledore had many secrets in his youth, proving him to not be such a twinkly-eyed, trustworthy old man. If one had asked Cassie, she would have stated very firmly that she had known since Cedric's death that Dumbledore could scarcely be trusted.

   Hermione flipped to a certain page in her book and her face contorted — as it always did when she made a discovery whilst reading. She stood, shutting her finger in the book to keep her place, and approached Harry and Cassie, not even giving Ron a second glance.

   "We need to talk."

   "About what?" said Harry, pocketing his wand.

   Hermione held up the book, offering the cover to Harry and Cassie. "I want to go and see Xenophelius Lovegood."

   "Sorry?" said Cassie after a short moment of silence, exchanging a look with Harry.

   "Xenophelius Lovegood," repeated Hermione. "Luna's father. I want to go and talk to him."