"Don't leave, I told you I wouldn't. So why are you?" Hermione's voice croaked, a mixture of desperation and sorrow in her tone.
"I can't, you know I can't," Y/N murmured, her brows furrowing with a heavy burden of guilt. She felt the weight of her...
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The group shuffled onto the porch of the Lovegood residence. Just by looking at the exterior of the house, Y/N already had a bad feeling. Peculiar objects scattered around and an odd scent lingered in the air.
"Mind your step, and keep off the dirigible plums," Ron read aloud from a sign on the door, casting a puzzled glance at the strange orange fruits in a nearby bush.
Taking a step forward, Y/N knocked on the door, hearing a few rattles from the other side. The door creaked open, revealing a familiar shaggy blonde-headed man in ragged clothing. Xenophilius Lovegood's puzzled expression deepened as his gaze skeptically scrutinized the group.
"Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want?"
"Mr. Lovegood, I'm Harry Potter. We met a few months ago," Harry interjected, cutting through the group to face the man. He lifted his hair, revealing the distinctive scar. "Could we come in?"
Lovegood looked at them hesitantly before he gulped and nodded. "Come in."
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The group settled into the chairs, each clutching a cup of tea, surrounded by an awkward silence. Uncomfortable shifts in their seats punctuated the room, the tension palpable.
Aurora broke the uneasy quiet, inquiring, "Where is Luna?"
"Luna?" Lovegood echoed, a nearly vacant expression in his eyes. "She'll be along."
Another bout of silence ensued. Y/N's gaze flitted between everyone, and she raised her cup to take a sip of her tea. However, the flavor made her grimace, prompting her to set the cup aside. Despite the unpleasant taste, she forced herself to drink it, not wanting to be disrespectful.
"So," Lovegood coughed, breaking the silence. "How can I help you, Mr. Potter?"
"Well, actually..." Harry stammered, waving his hands as he searched for the right words. He then motioned to his collarbone. "It was about something you were wearing 'round your neck at the wedding-a symbol of sorts."
Lovegood reached beneath his collar, retrieving the familiar necklace with the old symbol. "This?"
Y/N reached for it in his palm, examining it with her fingers, and getting straight to the point, she asked, "Exactly, what is it?"
"What is it?" Lovegood echoed, eyeing her as if she were daft. "Well, it's the sign of the Deathly Hallows, of course!"
"And... that is what, exactly?" Seraphina questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"The Deathly Hallows," Lovegood repeated, clutching the necklace tighter in his palm. "I assume you're all familiar with The Tale of The Three Brothers?"
"Yes," said everyone except Harry.
Harry glanced around, looking like a sore thumb. Hermione knew it because she had researched it, and the others knew it because their parents would read it to them before bedtime.
