Chapter 12 - Dumbledore Again


Lily tried to remain calm as she reported everything she had learned from Martin Andrews to Aunt Hermione. To her surprise and annoyance, her aunt had hardly reacted at all. Instead, she merely said in a patient tone of voice: "Lily, Martin Andrews is certainly not this 'Squib of Fate'."

"But Aunt Hermione, there is a prophecy about a Squib of Fate," Lily replied, trying to keep her response calm.

"It is very dangerous to set store by prophecies, Lily. You need only think of what happened to Voldemort himself to know that."

"But remember what we found at Slytherin's Tomb! Damath himself was afraid—"

"—until we hear the exact words of that prophecy, this is all but speculation atop speculation." She gazed at her over her spectacles. "A reporter such as you should know better."

Lily sighed; obviously there was no point in pursuing the argument any further. "Very well. Do you think the Muggle's information will help us at all?"

"That's Martin Andrews—'Professor' Andrews, no less," Aunt Hermione chided gently. "It is most interesting—indeed, I do not know if we could have come up with the same finding from a purely witch or wizard perspective." She paused, lost in thought. "There's something else, though, something odd about all this."

"What is it?"

Aunt Hermione was silent, then suddenly her eyes bulged open wide. "Of course! It was staring us right in the face!"

"What?"

"Nihilo and Nihila – they were immune to magical attacks by the Aurors. But they themselves used magic as well—to Apparate and Disapparate outside the Ministry. Which means this antimagical weapon they constructed from that artisan's blood has a weakness; somehow, it is not entirely foolproof."

Lily's spirits were buoyed. "Do you think that will help you stop them?"

"We'll see." She stood up. "I must relay your findings and my hypothesis to the rest of the Ministry. In the mean time, not a word of this to anyone, understood?"

Lily nodded. "Then good day, Lily. And be careful"

"Good-bye, Aunt Hermione. I promise I will."


For the first time since becoming involved in this crisis, Lily felt some reassurance that a resolution was at hand. Whoever Nihilo and Nihila are, they are no match for the combined resources of the Wizarding world, she had thought with relief upon leaving the Ministry.

As the days passed by, however, Lily's sense of optimism began to fade. There had been no confirmed reports of additional attacks by Nihilo and Nihila, but plenty of rumored ones. Lily noted with dismay that many of the rumors seemed to be prompted by a wizard and witch with scores to settle against another. They would then whisper that their rival had been turned into a Squib, causing heated denials and recriminations. Others of a more pranksterish bent even seemed to be spreading such stories at random. How can people joke about this now?

Other rumors were spreading like wildfire everywhere—that the corridors of St. Mungo's were overflowing with wizards turned to Squibs, or that the new interim Minister of Magic, Raefus Arstellar, had abandoned his post and fled to a distant Muggle land. Her sister vehemently denied the St. Mungo's rumor, while her father said the rumors about Arstellar were ridiculous and too absurd to comment on. Lily was unable to suppress a sardonic grin when she pointed out that his words were not a denial. In response, her father merely scowled and said nothing.

But it was not the latest rumor that caught Lily's eye one day as she walked down a near-deserted Diagon Alley. It was, instead, the latest edition of The Quibbler, with perhaps the most outrageous headline that had ever been placed on its cover page:

THE WIZARDING WORLD IS DOOMED!

Against her better judgment Lily paid the fifty Knuts and began to read:


Special Message from The Editor:

Fellow Witches and Wizards,

The twilight hour is upon us all. The recent events involving Nihilo and Nihila portend nothing less than the final end of the Wizarding World. Magic itself has forsaken us; after countless millennia, we are no longer deemed worthy of the gift of Magic. All we can do as honorable witches and wizards is to prepare ourselves for the coming end, and reflect on the reasons for our coming fate…


…After reading a few more paragraphs, Lily was literally at a loss for words. I have read a lot of rubbish in my life, but this is Prize Cup of garbage! The editor, none other than her godmother's father (would that make him her god-grandfather?), listed no fewer than 144 reasons for the end of wizards, not one of which made any sense whatsoever.

Lily had no doubt that the current situation was serious, perhaps as or even more serious than what her father had faced years ago. But such rantings, bereft of any measured thought or consideration, was worse than useless; an unneeded inducement to panic. I should go over there and Petrificus Totalus Mister Lovegood until the crisis ends, Lily thought sourly.

When Lily returned to The Wizarding Weekly, one of Lily's colleagues did confirm a rumor, to her great dismay: for the first time in almost a hundred years, Hogwarts would be closed down for the duration of the emergency. Magical defenses are as nothing to the powers of these Great Elves, Lily thought morosely. Perhaps it's for the better that they are doing this. And thinking about it further, Lily decided she knew what her next story would be.


From outside the locked main gates, nothing about the Hogwarts castle seemed out of the ordinary. But to Lily's practiced eyes and ears, the peaceful twilight stillness was itself evidence of an anomalous situation. No sounds of students, no magical buzz in the air.

The last of the students had departed a few days ago, and Lily had wanted to interview to a member of the staff about the decision to close the school. Her owl had gone unanswered, so she decided a more personal effort would be needed.

"I know you're in there, please open up!" Even as she said the words she winced at the feebleness of her demand. Why not ask for a second helping of treacle tarts at the same time? Still, it just wasn't her style to be indirect about anything. And making a spectacle of oneself is often the best way to keep from being ignored. 'Never let yourself be ignored', her boss had told her more than once. 'Any reaction, good or bad, is better than none at all.' Unfortunately, being ignored was exactly what was happening.

I can wait. Lily did so, for nearly an hour, until a single solitary figure approached.

"Miss Potter," came the laconic reply.

Lily bit her lip. "Professor Zabini, thank you for your time." Too bad it wasn't Uncle Neville—

"—there is nothing more that need be said, the current emergency left us with no choice but to close the school and send our students home to their families." He frowned. "Any further disclosures of information may jeopardize the security of the school."

Lily pressed him. "Do you really believe the students are safer at home than at Hogwarts? If there is any magic that can stand against the Great Elves, surely Hogwarts would have it?"

Zabini's dark complexion darkened even further. "Never put all your dragon eggs in the same basket, Miss Potter."

Lily got mad at the putdown. Blood rising in her veins, she hotly retorted: "Surely the staff at Hogwarts and the Ministry have better ideas to protect us than mere sloganeering!"

To his credit, Professor Zabini did not rise to the bait. "All I can say is, we are better protected here than you may think. Even so, the risk of failure is such that there was no other option." He paused. "That is all I may say," he said softly. "But if you look at the ramparts, the answers are fluttering in the breeze."

Lily looked up. All atop the fences surrounding the castle were numerous small red flags, evenly spaced, waving gently in the air. She had never seen them before, although admittedly she could not remember the last time ever looking up there in the first place.

"What is it? What are they?"

Zabini said nothing, merely raising an eyebrow. "The answer is closer than you may think," he said in a surprisingly wry tone of voice. Before she could respond, he turned and walked away.

"Wait!" But he was soon gone. Once again alone, Lily pondered his words. Is Hogwarts being defended somehow against Nihilo? And what would those flags, if anything, have to do with it?

The sun was beginning to set. Lily was about to leave when she heard a popping sound: someone had just Apparated, not far from where she was. Even in normal times it was not necessarily a good thing to hear; in these dangerous times, it was a portent of disaster.

It was too late for her to move without drawing attention, so Lily instantly did what her father had taught her to do in such a situation; she cast a Disillusionment Charm upon herself. Immediately she became a glass figure, transparent to everything. Looking down, the ground showed through where her feet and legs were. Holding out her arms in front of her, she saw nothing but orange sky.

Now Lily carefully turned her head to see who had Apparated in—and used every bit of willpower not to scream. Not twenty feet from her stood Nihilo and Nihila: the Great Elves. About her height, they wore nothing but those purple robes she remembered seeing them in back in front of the Ministry. Without saying a word, they approached the front gate.

Say nothing, do nothing. Be still and silent as the night. Nothing will happen if you stay quiet… Despite the words, she shivered, violently.

One of them—Lily thought it was Nihila, since it looked slightly feminine—raised its arm and pointed their fist at the gate. It was an odd gesture, almost as if she was holding something…

…BOOM! There was a flash, but the gate did not open. Nihila looked angry, baring sharp pointed teeth. Again she pointed, and again there was a tremendous bang, but the gate did not open. Back at the castle, lights suddenly appeared, and there was the distant noise of shouting.

The two Great Elves looked at each other; Nihila's feral scowl became even more ugly. The two of them stepped back, raised their right arms in the air, and vanished.

Lily raised her wand and undid the Disillusionment Charm; her wand hand was still shaking. Zabini was running towards the gate, along with several other adults; Lily's heart warmed to the fact that one of them was Uncle Neville.

"Potter! What happened?" Zabini asked sharply. "Why did you try to break into the castle?"

"It wasn't me; it was them!" Lily replied in a voice that was much too high for her liking.

"Who?"

"The Great Elves, Nihila and Nihilo! They tried to break into the castle, but they couldn't!"

The adults all stared at one another, the disbelief clear in their faces. Zabini said slowly, "Explain exactly what you saw."

Lily did so. The disbelief on their face faded, replaced by… relief? Lily couldn't say.

There was another Snap! as someone else Apparated nearby. Instantly the others pointed their wands in that direction.

It was her father. "Fill me in on what happened," he said without delay.

"Uh, Harry," Uncle Neville said in a bemused voice. "Look behind you." He turned around and gaped.

Relief flooded Lily's heart. "Hi Daddy!"

His surprised look instantly turned to contorted fury. "Lily! What in Merlin's name—"

"—I was in the wrong place at the right time." Lily then retold the story she had just told the staff. "Looks like Aunt Hermione was on the right track, eh?"

All the adults except for her father stared in open-mouth astonishment. "How did you—"

"—she's a Potter, she's got the knack for knowing things she shouldn't." Her father was simultaneously bemused and exasperated.

"Mister Potter, this is a grievous breach of security," Zabini fumed, "you must discipline Miss Potter at once—"

"—nothing I do will match Ginny's fury, and neither of us can stop her, so all we can do is ask her to stay quiet for now." He stared at her over his glasses in an identical gesture to that of Aunt Hermione. "Can you do that, Miss Potter?"

"Of course, we're all on the same side, right?" Lily suppressed a grin.

His back to the rest of them, her father smiled as he said, "Right." Turning to face them, he said loudly, "Return to the castle and send a message to the Ministry to begin widespread deployment." There was some indistinct mumblings, but the other wizards turned and left.

All except Uncle Neville. "Harry, I had no idea Lily was here—"

"—no worries, Neville, this was one of those unfortunate coincidences." He paused. "Go back to the castle, I'll deal with Lily."

"Alright Harry. Let's hope this works." They shook hands, and Uncle Neville returned to the castle.

When they were alone, her father sighed. "You're either very lucky, or very unlucky, Lily."

"I'm still here, so no telling how long my Felix Felices stash will last," she said in a light tone of voice.

It was entirely the wrong approach to take. "This is not a game, Lily!" Her father's voice was low and tight, a sure sign of how angry he was.

"I know! But they didn't see me, and whatever you did, worked, they couldn't get in."

Her father turned away – a sign that the argument was swinging in favor of her. "You know I told what that Muggle scientist, Martin Andrews, found out to Aunt Hermione. I assume you used it to figure out a defense against the Great Elves."

"Let's go Lily," he said loudly, taking her arm and walking away from the castle. She began to protest, but then understood - he was taking her out of earshot. Once they were far enough away, he spoke softly: "We took some of the blood Hermione found and weaved them into those flags. My guess is, Nihilo and Nihila have done the same with their robes. That's why magic doesn't work against them."

"But how could you do it? Wouldn't any wizard touching it be affected?"

"Not wizards; Muggles." Lily gasped, but before she could say anything he cut her off: "It's no risk to them, if that's what you're worried about. And the bad news is, while it works, we have almost no more blood samples left. So we can't protect anything but a handful of people or places."

"Okay." Lily struggled to process the information.

Her father faced her, a searching expression on his face. "I know your new line of work obligates you to disclose the truth. Would you be willing to suspend that obligation, in exchange for helping me and the Ministry stop the Great Elves?"

"That's a lot to ask of me," she answered truthfully.

"I have to ask a lot of many in troubled times. Sometimes I must even ask good witches and wizards to make the ultimate sacrifice."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. But I'm not asking that of you, all I want you to help us, help me."

"Me?" Lily tried hard to keep the surprise and awe out of her voice. The awe and the fear.

"You. Like a certain young boy who grew up in a cupboard I once knew, you have a knack for finding out vital information that is hard to find."

Lily suddenly found something in her throat was hindering her from speaking. "Alright, what do you want me to do?"

He smiled. "It's time I took you on the actual 'Harry Potter' tour of the Forbidden Forest."


As they meandered through the dark woods, Lily tried to fight off the impression that the tree branches were going to reach out and strangle them.

Her father was ahead of her, illuminated by his wandlight. "How're you doing Lily?"

"Fine, fine!" she said a little too quickly, too sharply.

He sighed. "Well, we've been searching all night, and nothing. Obviously it's not here."

Lily could not repress a shudder of awe. The Resurrection Stone… "You never decided to go back and look for it?"

Her father did not reply for some time. "I thought it was the right decision, just to let it disappear into history. It appears I was mistaken—I hope not."

"Why would Nihilo or Nihila want the Resurrection Stone?"

"Isn't it obvious? To get the secret of Voldermort's antimagic weapon."

Lily processed that startling argument. "So they communicated with the Dark One from beyond death?"

"Apparently."

Lily was stunned into silence at the enormity of the idea. But a problem immediately came to mind: "Hang on, how did they learn the secret in the first place?"

"Dunno." She waited for him to elaborate, but he did not. "Alright, now we have to do one more thing. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. Where are we going?"

"Follow me." She did so, and as the first hints of dawn became apparent, Lily realized with a jolt where they were headed to.

"Dumbledore's Tomb!" The gleaming white structure was ahead of them.

A horrible thought came to her head as they stood before it. "Dad, we're… we're not…"

"Of course not!" he replied harshly. Then he put his hand to his forehead and turned to her. "I'm sorry, Lily, I didn't mean to snap at you. No, we are not going to open the White Tomb. I'm just going to look for signs it has been tampered with."

He began walking slowly around the tomb, pointing his wand at it all the time, mouthing silently. Abruptly he stopped, frowning. "Someone has tampered with the Sealing Charm," he said curtly.

Lily took out her wand, eager to not just stand aside and watch things happen. "May I?" Her father smiled and stepped aside. In a loud voice she cried: "Abierta."

Nothing happened. Lily was confused. "But the Charm is still in place."

"Indeed, but not the Charm we put on it years ago."

"We?"

"Me and a few friends. Magic leaves traces, and this is not my handiwork, I'm sure."

Lily considered further, still confused. "I don't understand, if the charm were successfully broken, an alarm would have gone off in the Ministry, right?" That was how Sealing Charms were supposed to work on, for example, valuable items stored in the home.

"For most charm-breaking magic yes. But we're dealing with a much more powerful anti-magical enemy, as I'm sure you know."

Now it hit Lily like a thunderclap. "They used the blood to break the charm! That means they have the Elder Wand!".

Her father nodded grimly. "But, they wouldn't have its powers, would they? It would still only work for you, right?"

"I think so… I thought so," he said distantly. "This is most alarming. It seems our Great Elves have been planning their revenge for a long time, and they have two of the Hallows to aid them."

"Well, we don't know they have the Stone, do they?"

"No, we don't, and it may be dangerous to assume one way or the other. Still…" her father fell silent again, staring at the otherwise pristine tomb of Dumbledore.

"Now what do we do? Shall we go back to the Ministry?"

"No, there's one last thing we can do."


As dawn turned to day, Lily found it very discomfiting to walk through a completely empty Hogwarts castle. But that was insignificant compared to the unease of what her father had proposed.

"Dad, it's just a portrait, a shadow of the deceased," Lily said as they ascended the stairs to the Headmistress's office. "What could it possibly know or do that would be of use to us?"

"Professor Dumbledore was skilled beyond measure," her father replied. "I have good reason to believe his portrait may be able to help us." He said nothing more, and before Lily could object he turned around and flashed her a warning look. Even though he's made me his partner in this, he's still reticent about talking about the old days.

They stepped into the lavish office and began searching. Headmaster Dumbledore's portrait was at the base of the stairs; he was sleeping peacefully inside. Taking her hand, her father approached. He tapped the portrait with his wand and said, "Excuse me, Professor." With a start the portrait awoke. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, then reached for his spectacles. Staring for a second, a sudden look of recognition burst upon his face.

"Harry? Is that you?"

"Always your servant, sir," he said in a surprisingly respectful tone of voice. He even bowed slightly.

The Dumbledore portrait clapped his hands together and let out a happy sound. "What a delightful surprise! I didn't recognize you at first, of course, clearly it has been many years." He paused, scrutinizing him further. "You now wear the handsome features of a mature man of middle age. Twenty years, twenty five?"

"Almost thirty, sir."

He nodded happily, then for the first time turned his eyes towards Lily. "Professor, I would like you to meet my youngest child, Lily Luna Potter."

"What a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Potter!" Smiling, he continued: "You bear more than a passing resemblance to a Ginevra Weasley I once knew. I take it she is your mother, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Lily managed to reply.

"Wonderful. Harry, nothing gives me greater pleasure than to know you now enjoy the blessings and responsibilities of family life."

"Thank you, sir," her father replied, "you're most kind."

The portrait's smile abruptly faded. "Thirty years since last you stood before me, yet here you are again. It is safe to assume this visit is not a social one, then."

"No sir. We need your help for a grave danger to the Wizarding world."

"Oh dear, oh dear." The portrait Dumbledore called out to the other portraits and said, "All of you, find out what you can." The other Headmasters and Headmistresses took off.

"Of course I will do what I can. Please tell me—"

"Headmaster, the school is deserted," came a sour laconic reply from a portrait figure that had appeared by Dumbledore's side.

"The reason?"

"I have been unable to determine it, and without any other portraits to exchange with—"

"—Thank you. Severus, I do believe re-introductions are in order. This is—"

"—Potter! I recognize those insolent features anywhere. No doubt, Headmaster, Mister Potter is once again up to his singular mischief."

"Good to see you, too, Severus," her father said wryly.

"'Severus?' Why you arrogant cur! Address me as 'Professor' or 'Sir', Mister Potter!"

"I would ask likewise of you, too, Severus—sorry, Mister Snape!"

In a weary tone of voice portrait Dumbledore said: "Enough of this bickering, Severus, please, you may go."

"Of course, Headmaster." The sallow, black-haired man stared sourly at them. "Potter," he said sourly, and returned back to his portrait.

"He must have been quite a character back then," Lily said diplomatically.

"You have no idea," her father and the portrait said simultaneously. They all laughed despite themselves.

"One moment, Harry, the other portraits are returning." He was then surrounded by a flock of other portrait figures, all of them whispering furtively. Dumbledore nodded and dismissed them.

"This appears to be a most serious situation, indeed, Harry."

"Sir, do you have know anything that might be able to help us?"

He shook his head sadly. "I'm very sorry, Harry, but I'm afraid I do not."

Her father smiled, but he looked agitated. "Sir, there's no need to withhold information from me anymore—"

"—indeed not, but as I'm sure you've figured out for yourself, there are limits to what I can do for you from beyond the grave."

The words were as odd as they were chilling. Her father fell silent, unable to respond.

"Long ago, after Grindelwald was defeated, I pursued lines of inquiry in certain fields of magic, which may be of relevance to the problem you currently face." Dumbledore's voice was still ever-friendly, but there was a sad demeanor on his face, as if he were genuinely sorry about being unable to help. "But I only left behind that which could help you with the crisis then at hand." He gestured to the frame which surrounded him. "You have grown to become an accomplished, skillful wizard, I have learned. That is all to the good, because from where I am, I can no longer help you, and it is better you realize that now, and do not rely on my less-than-reliable counsel."

"Nothing more you can do to help us, then?" her father asked evenly.

"You have all the help you need, Harry. Don't be afraid to rely on those you trust. With them, I'm sure you will prevail."

Her father said nothing for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you, sir. Even when you can't help, you're helpful. Good day."

"Good bye, Harry. And you, too, Lily." He bowed curtly towards her.

"Bye, Headmaster." She turned to leave, but Dumbledore called out again.

"Lily, one word of advice: continue to question and probe. You will aid your father best by being yourself."

"Uh, thank you, sir." With that, the portrait smiled and went back to sleep.


"That wasn't very helpful."

Her father sighed as they walked out the front gate. "Probably not. But the advice he gave is still correct: we have to rely on those we trust, and not be tempted to do it all on our own."

"Nothing you wouldn't have told us yourself," Lily said with a grin.

"Well, now you know my secret – for better or worse, Dumbledore has been a role model for me in many things." He smiled and gave her a hug. "Including being a father."

"Dad, please—"

"—I know you're disappointed we didn't get all the answers we'd hoped for here, but that's alright, whenever you're trying to solve a mystery inevitably you'll run into a few dead-ends. As a reporter, I'm sure you know that better than me."

"So what next?"

"I think Nihilo and Nihila are still looking for something, otherwise they would have carried out their threat. That's good and bad news: good because they haven't found it, bad because if they do find it they may be able to do their worst. We need to figure out what they're looking for, because we can't protect everything."

"That's what I'll follow up on, what they're looking for." Before her father could object, Lily said: "I know, it's dangerous, but as a witch of age, it's my right to fight to save our world, just as you do. We're partners, now, right?"

"Until your mother finds out."

"Dad…" Lily folded her arms in front of her and stared at him patiently, saying nothing.

Her father fidgeted, then finally relented. "Be careful."

"Of course." They hugged. "Love you!"

"Love you too. Take care."


More days passed by, but there were no more exciting (or terrifying) encounters such as that at Hogwarts. Lily was burning with curiosity as to the details of how they stopped Nihilo and Nihila outside Hogwarts. Does this mean Nihilo and Nihila have been neutralized? Lily wanted to believe, but there was so much information she did not have, it was impossible to say.

As she went to bed each night, over and over those outlandish words from The Quibbler kept echoing in her brain. The Wizarding World is Doomed! The dreams were indistinct but fearsome, yet oddly enough, every morning when she woke up, the fears instantly abated. "Maybe so, but I'm not going to take the Quibbler's word for it!" she chuckled to herself in the morning.

And yet… Mum and Dad never said a word about the Deathly Hallows growing up. I knew that he had an Invisibility Cloak unlike any other, and that Voldemort had the Wand of Destiny, but that he was defeated… somehow, by my dad. I never heard about the Resurrection Stone from either of them, yet my godmother told me the story when I was growing up. She said whoever had all three of them would be Masters of Death.

Now I discover the Resurrection Stone is real, and therefore the Deathly Hallows all exist. Is that what Nihilo and Nihila want? Does that mean what Godmother Luna said about them was true? And maybe my godmother's father, Xenophilius Lovegood, knows something even my father doesn't?

It seemed crazy, impossible… but in these topsy-turvey times, who was to say the insane were not sane? Dad did say pursue every lead, leave no stone unturned.

"Albertsworth would kill me if I gave The Quibbler any credibility," Lily mused to herself. But I got involved in all this craziness thanks to reporting on a celebrity witch. Maybe Xenophilus Lovegood is worth listening to after all.


Lily stood outside the unremarkable house of Xenophilus Lovegood. Her godmother had told her stories of their previous home, destroyed by no other than her father, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron when they were pursued by Death Eaters. Luna had then persuaded him to move to a more conventional structure, but evidently it did not affect his predilection for reporting the outrageous or the absurd. Let's hope this isn't a wild goose chase.

As she stepped onto the front porch, a whispery apparition appeared before her: "Please state your business."

"My name is Lily Potter, and I'm here to speak to Mister Xenophilius Lovegood. Editor of The Quibbler," she added at the last minute.

The apparition replied, "Enter," and vanished. The door then swung open.

Hesitating a moment, she stepped inside. The house appeared deserted. "Mister Lovegood?" she called out. There was no response.

Just in front of her was a small podium with an odd item floating atop it: a triangle with a circle inscribed within, a line bisecting both of them. The symbol of The Deathly Hallows…

She was about to reach for it, then paused. No one's here, and all I find is a symbol of the Deathly Hallows. This is most suspicious. Lily withdrew her hand. "Mister Lovegood?" she called out again; no response.

Alright, this is bad. She turned to leave—

—and was hit by a Petrificus Totalus curse.

You idiot, Lily! Like a plank of wood she fell to the floor, fortunately not landing on her head. Staring up, she heard someone run to her side. It was an elderly man with long unkempt hair. Mister Lovegood!

There was a wild, panicked look in his face. He said nothing as he peered over her, pointing his wand. Lily felt herself levitated; she floated over towards the podium, whereupon Mister Lovegood grabbed her hair, then grabbed the floating image of the Deathly Hallows. Idiot!

They Apparated away.