Chapter 4

Other students and their families quartered in the student dormitories overnight. But Harry was also Professor Potter, and he had his own private quarters where he, Hermione, and Alex had spent the night. After breakfast, students and their families made their way to the graduation pavilion which had been erected.

It was just as boring as any muggle graduation ceremony, and dreadfully anti-climactic. It just couldn't compare to the actual excitement they had felt when they had received their report cards.

After the ceremony, people were taking drinks under the pavilion and milling about. Luna and her father were there chatting with Neville and his grandmother. Xenophilius caught Harry's eye, and he looked stricken. Xeno hadn't seen Harry since the day he had tried to sell Harry out to the Death Eaters in exchange for his daughter. He looked so awful that Harry felt terrible himself. Xenophilius had been his biggest defender until Luna had been kidnapped by Death Eaters. Harry understood completely what he had been going through.

Harry gave Luna a quick hug.

"I think I need a word with your father... Okay Luna?"

"Oh, alright then Harry. I'm sure you've got a lot of catching up to do." She said, smiling serenely before wondering off to look for some blibbering humdingers. She had been searching for a nest on the Hogswarts' grounds for months.

"Mr Lovegood... Xenophilius, just a quick word please." Harry asked. Xenophilius was mortified.

"Oh... erm... Okay! I suppose..." he mumbled in embarrassment.

"I just wanted to say that its alright. I know you were only trying to save Luna. Really, I understand, and I'd like us to be on good terms again." Said Harry. "Really... I mean it."

Tears welled in Xeno's eyes.

"Thank you... thank you very much Mr Potter... I'm so sorry, I truly am..."

"Harry... call me Harry!"

"Er... very well... Harry. Thank you so much for looking out for my daughter when you rescued her... Thank you for everything really. The Wizarding World would be a sorry place without you." Xeno held out his hand and shook Harry's profusely.

"Is it true?" Xeno asked, "Are the American girl and Miss Granger really both your girlfriends?"

Harry appeared bemused by the question and nodded. Most people didn't bother to ask anymore, they just presumed it. Though of course, numerous Daily Prophet headlines may have had something to do with that. But it was the truth. And now that they had all graduated, Harry didn't give a fig who knew.

But there was one thing which Harry and his girlfriends had never told anyone about. Though Professor McGonagall had spotted it their first night back at Hogwarts last autumn. So Harry was stunned into speechlessness when Xeno spoke again.

"So you're this century's Triune then? That's quite a responsibility you know. But I can see that you're all up for it."

"You... How did you know?" Blurted out Harry, with a stupefied expression plastered on his face.

"Any real wizard with a foot in the muggles' occult underground would be able to sense it. It's only because most wizards ignore muggle occultism that they wouldn't know a Triune from a Threesome." Replied Xenophilius with a half-smile.

Harry smirked. that was more or less what Minerva had implied at the beginning of 7th year.

"So do you know a bit about muggle occultism then?" Harry asked.

"Oh but of course!" Xeno exclaimed. "It's my business to seek out all that is Hidden. If you and your partners would care to join me in a drink I can tell you everything I know about Triunes and their place in the Wizarding World..."

"You know, it really is amazing how little attention wizards pay to the other types of magic in the world." Xeno continued. "Stupid really. Muggles have a lot of resources, and access to certain forms of magic that many wizards know nothing about. Much of their technology wouldn't exist without the magic of electricity."

Harry beckoned Hermione and Alex so that they could be part of the conversation. It did concern them directly after all. They sat with Xeno at a table under a willow tree which was swaying in the breeze coming off the lake. Small clouds scudded across the blue sky and the sun glittered on the ripples of the water.

Hermione boggled when Xenophilius had repeated what he'd told Harry so far. She reached into her bottomless bag, pulled out several books on alchemy, occultism, and demonology and plonked them on the table.

"I've been thinking the same thing Mr Lovegood." Hermione said thoughtfully. These books are explicit on the subject regarding muggle 'magic' and demons."

"Well there's not a lot more that I can tell you that you won't find in those books. but I can tell you some things about Triunes that those books may not spell out for you. For one thing, Triunes are a common icon in muggle religious lore. And muggle religious lore, mythology, philosophy, and scientific occultism all share a common purpose and origin."

"You must be beginning to understand the relationship between alchemy, occultism, and demonology if you've been reading those awhile Miss Granger." Hermione nodded attentively and Xeno continued.

"Good! The meaning and purpose of Triunes is not very clear in major muggle religions-but we should remember, that even all muggle religions are a form of magical practice. The practitioners of the world's major religions will often pretend that's not true, but its just a fact."

Occultism and Alchemy are both related to religion, but are more empirical, much more exacting in defining and describing the powers of magic in the universe. The Triune in Christian iconography is associated with what is also called the Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. And who are these Deities set up against? None other than a powerful Demon..."

"Of course, it's all starting making sense Mr Lovegood. I can see it now." Hermione said excitedly, eyes gleaming at the understanding which was dawning on her.

"But don't be too quick to make the same associations that Christianity and many other major muggle religions make regarding Triunes Miss Granger." Xenophilius responded. "They are mostly wrong. What most muggles consider to be Deities are actually in the same class of being as Demons: Inter-dimensional Entities with vast reserves of power and the ability to violate the laws of physics and literally Create matter and energy out of nothing."

"Triunes are human Wizards. They always have been. They are one of the few means that humanity has to counter Demons and other powerfully magical forces which threaten to destabilise the balance of things. Which is why some "Light" Demons are considered evil, because if they had their way they would destroy all Darkness and upset the delicate balance of the magical forces which maintain our multiverse."

Hermione was becoming more and more impressed with the depth of Xenophilius's knowledge of muggle culture and scientific terminology. To the Wizarding community, that alone would have made other Wizards think he was a nutter. Xeno continued,

"It is in the Secret Schools-also known as the Mystery Schools of the ancient philosophies and religions-which you will find the more exacting scientific approach to the workings of magic. It is those schools and their modern successors which are collectively known as the Occult-which simply means 'Hidden'-and it is there where the science of alchemy and the forces of wizardry meet."

Hermione must have restrained herself very well from laughing when Xenophilius mentioned science, thought Harry. He knew that she thought Xeno was a woolly headed thinker with outlandish ideas. But in actuality, Hermione was rapt in awe of the knowledge that Mr Lovegood seemed to possess about this subject. And after Xeno had been proved right about the existence of the Deathly Hallows, she was more than keen to give him a hearing.

"If what you're saying is true," Hermione began, "and if I'm not mistaken, then Wizard Triunes are a way to counter demonic beings, because only Triunes can generate enough magical power to also Create energy and matter from nothing, and violate Gamp's Laws too. "

"Correct Miss Granger. You may have noticed something else about being a Triune though-your type of Triune in particular expresses its greatest power through... er... ah... life affirming rituals..."

"Do you mean Sex Magic Mr Lovegood?" Hermione asked bluntly. Alex chortled as she bit into a juicy red apple. Harry just looked off into the distance and pretended he hadn't heard.

Xenophilius squirmed and flushed. He had tried to avoid being direct in Hermione and Alex's presence, because he found the topic rather embarrassing to discuss openly, especially in front of young women his daughter's age. But Hermione wasn't shy when it came to expressing knowledge in clear language, even if it did sometimes make others uncomfortable. Which was something Xeno rather thought Hermione had very much in common with his daughter, Luna.