REQUIEM - [h.p]

IV; the rain dance

| YEAR 4; CHAPTER TWO - PART 2 |
THE RAIN DANCE

     UPON THEIR ARRIVAL, his eyes clamped shut, and he had to raise a hand to protect himself against the blinding sun peeking out from behind a few low mountaintops in the distance. Less than a yard away was the Lovegood abode. There was a cobblestone trail leading up to the dark, cylindrical architecture in front of them. The surrounding area was fairly flat and empty, save for a small tree that could almost be called a bush beside the stone steps leading up to the door. The fruits it bore were orange and dangled from its wiry branches. Well, perhaps not dangled. They were standing up as if hanging to a different force of gravity. There was a sign staked into the ground beside the small tree, but the grass and leaves shrouded it from view.

Mary strode by his side and rapped politely on the door once they reached its vicinity. It took a long second or two, but the door finally creaked open and a man eyed them from behind the crack before pulling the entrance wide open. He had long, wavy blonde hair which was very reminiscent of Luna's own. Though, his eyes opened wide as he stared at them behind fogged-up glasses.

"How may I help you?" He said.

"We're just here for a short visit," Mary told him. She motioned for Edwyn to move closer to the door instead of lurking at the bottom step. "Your daughter mentioned you were alright with her having a friend over?"

The man blinked and then smiled. "Of course, I'll just be a moment." He opened the door just a smidge wider as a welcoming gesture. "Please, make yourself at home in the meantime."

Mary grinned down at him once the man was out of sight. "Well, what's she like?"

They both sat down on one of the couches nearby, and Edwyn looked at her through a narrow-eyed stare. Though, after a moment he realised she wasn't making fun of him and he looked back in the direction in which the man had departed. "She's nice," he said.

Mary tutted and rolled her eyes. She looked over at him again and endowed him with her best unimpressed blank stare. "And?"

Despite his best attempts to decipher Mary's reaction, he found himself shuffling through empty space. After he felt the wildly bewildered look flash across his face, he continued on with a slightly indulgent smile. Though whether it was for himself or Mary, he couldn't say.

"She's really good with animals. I'm pretty sure Creature-Care's her favourite class; she really likes Hagrid--he's a half-giant. And at school, we sometimes hang out at the outskirts of the forest and watch the Thestrals move around. You know, she's always there to offer help, even when I don't think I need any. It's like she just knows."

"It sounds like you've found yourself a good friend."

He smiled. "Yeah."

When the man reappeared from wherever he had run off to, he offered them both a hand, which both Mary and he had politely shook. "Apologies, for leaving you here alone. A pleasure to meet you, I'm Xenophilius, Luna's father."