Ron being back was exactly what they all needed. That combined with now having finally destroyed a Horcrux and had acquired the sword of Gryffindor, it was like someone had flipped a switch. Where everything had once been solemn and quiet, they were now laughing and cheerful. Bryt found herself sitting close to Ron all day, not wanting to stray far from him. They spent the day exchanging stories. Bryt, Harry, and Hermione filled Ron in on the details of all that had happened leading up to their trip to Godric's Hollow. After, Ron gave them news of what was happening in the wizarding world, though most of what he said were things they'd already guessed. Muggleborns were going into hiding. Voldemort still had a strong hold over the Ministry. The one surprising thing, however, was when Ron told them the Ministry had put a Taboo on Voldemort's name. Anyone who said it, instantly protective charms were broken and Death Eaters would be on them. Bryt hated to admit it, but it was a smart tactic. Anyone who were brave enough to use Voldemort's name were the ones who opposed him.
As darkness came, Bryt started on getting dinner done while Hermione sat on one couch to read again. Harry and Ron were currently on the other, and Ron had pulled out a small wireless radio.
"There's this one program that tells the news like it really is," Ron said, starting to tune the radio, "All the others are on You-Know-Who's side and are following the Ministry line, but this one...you wait till you hear it, it's great. Only they can't do it every night, they have to keep changing locations in case they're raided, and you need a password to tune in...Trouble is, I missed the last one..."
Ron sat there tapping the radio with his wand and muttering to himself, but he finally seemed to give up by the time Bryt was done cooking and they all gathered around the table, Hermione bringing her book with her. Bryt noticed it was The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore and she made a face. Why was Hermione still reading that trash?
"I need to talk to you about something," Hermione said, then took a deep breath, "I want to go see Xenophilius Lovegood."
"What?" Bryt asked in disbelief, looking around at the others, who looked just as confused.
"Xenophilius Lovegood. Luna's father. I want to go and talk to him!"
"Er—why?" Harry asked.
"It's that mark, the mark in Beedle the Bard. Look at this!"
Hermione laid the book in the center of the table, hard to do with their plates on the small surface. Bryt leaned forward and saw the picture of the letter Dumbledore had written to Grindelwald when they were teenagers. Bryt frowned, not seeing anything about it noteworthy.
"The signature. Look at the signature!"
Bryt looked down to Dumbledore's name at the bottom, then straightened in her seat. Instead of writing an A, Dumbledore had started his name with a very familiar symbol of a line inside a circle inside a triangle.
"What're you talking about?" Ron asked, looking confused.
"This symbol," Bryt said, tapping the name on the letter, "We keep seeing it. Harry told us Luna's father was wearing it Bill and Fleur's wedding. Harry told us Krum said it was Grindelwald's symbol, but we saw it on a gravestone in Godric's Hollow, it's dated far before Grindelwald was even born. Now it's in this letter..."
"We can't ask Dumbledore or Grindelwald what it means," Hermione shook her head, "I don't even know whether Grindelwald is still alive—but we can ask Mr. Lovegood. Like Bryt said, he was wearing the symbol at the wedding. I'm sure this is important!"
Bryt had a feeling Hermione was right. The fact they kept coming across this symbol...On that tombstone, in Dumbledore's letter, drawn into the book Dumbledore left Hermione—Bryt couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore himself drew that symbol in.
"Hermione," Harry said slowly, "We don't need another Godric's Hollow. We talked ourselves into going there and—"
"I agree with Hermione," Bryt said, "This symbol keeps appearing everywhere, and I bet Dumbledore drew it in the book he left Hermione, how can we just ignore this?"
"Here we go again," Harry rolled his eyes, "We keep trying to convince ourselves Dumbledore left us secret signs and clues—"
"The Deluminator turned out to be pretty useful," Ron said, "I think the girls are right, I think we ought to go see Lovegood."
Bryt glanced at Ron with a grin, though she had a feeling he was agreeing more because he thought he still had to make it up to Bryt for walking out on them. Still, it was nice to have his support.
"It won't be like Godric's Hollow," Ron went on, "Lovegood's on your side, Harry, The Quibbler's been for you all along, it keeps telling everyone they've got to help you!"
"I'm sure this is important!" Hermione added.
"But don't you think if it was, Dumbledore would have told me about it before he died?" Harry asked.
"Maybe he was planning to," Bryt said, "But he never got the chance."
"I really think we ought to talk to Mr. Lovegood," Hermione said, "A symbol that links Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Godric's Hollow? Harry, I'm sure we ought to know about this!"
"I think we should vote on it," Ron said, "Those in favor of going to see Lovegood..."
Bryt, Hermione, and Ron all raised their hands.
"Outvoted, Harry, sorry," Ron said with a grin.
"Fine," Harry said, looking like he couldn't decide if he wanted to be angry or amused, "Only, once we've seen Lovegood, let's try and look for some more Horcruxes, shall we? Where do the Lovegoods live, anyway? Does anyone know?"
"Yeah, they're not far from my place," Ron said, "I dunno exactly where, but Mum and Dad always point towards the hills whenever they mention them. Shouldn't be hard to find. Oh cheer up, Harry, it's the Christmas holidays, Luna'll be home!"
With the prospect of getting to see Luna, as well as find out the mystery of the triangular eye, the four finished their dinner and returned to bed, Bryt quite eager for the following day. They all ended up waking up early the following day and packed up, though it was nearly noon by the time they finally Apparated to the area where Ron lived, arriving near the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. Bryt shaded her eyes as she stared around, but she couldn't see the crooked house that Ron had grown up in.
"It's weird," Ron said, "Being this near, but not going to visit."
"Weren't you just there?" Bryt asked. After all, Ron had only rejoined them the night before.
"I wasn't at the Burrow," Ron said, "Do you think I was going to go back there and tell them all I'd walked out on you? Yeah, Fred and George would've been great about it. And Ginny, she'd have been really understanding."
"Where were you, then?" Bryt asked.
"Bill and Fleur's new place," Ron said, still staring off as if he could make himself see the Burrow by willing it, "Shell Cottage. Bill's always been decent to me. He—he wasn't impressed when he heard what I'd done, but he didn't go on about it. He knew I was really sorry. None of the rest of the family know I was there. Bill told Mum he and Fleur weren't going home for Christmas because they wanted to spend it alone. You know, first holiday after they were married. I don't think Fleur minded. You know how much she hates Celestina Warbeck."
Bryt reached over, taking Ron's hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. Even though they were wearing gloves, it still felt nice to hold Ron's hand again. Ron looked at her, then turned away from the direction the Burrow was in.
"Let's try up here," he said, pointing off and starting down the hill.
They walked around for hours—Harry hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak—but they were sure they hadn't found the right house yet so they decided to Apparate a few miles away to check there. Almost instantly when they arrived, they knew they'd found the right place now. A tall house rose in the distance, looking like a singular round tower with a large sphere along the top.
"That's got to be Luna's house, who else would live in a place like that? It looks like a giant rook!" Ron said.
"It looks nothing like a bird," Hermione said with a frown.
"I'm talking about a chess rook, a castle to you."
They made their way up the hill, Bryt struggling to keep up with Ron's long strides, and she was a bit out of breath when they finally stopped.
"It's theirs," Ron said with a bright grin, "Look."
Bryt looked over to see three signs were hanging on the broken gate in front of them, reading "THE QUIBBLER. EDITOR: X. LOVEGOOD", "PICK YOUR OWN MISTLETOE", and "KEEP OFF THE DIRIGIBLE PLUMS".
They made their way through the gate and Bryt looked around as they walked along the winding path. Bryt noticed there were several bushes covered in the orange radishes she'd often seen Luna wearing as earrings. She took a guess that these were the dirigible plums. They passed by a couple of old crabapple trees and reached the front door, where Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak before they knocked on the door.
It wasn't long before a tall man with tangled white-blond hair and a lazy eye answered, wearing what looked like an old nightshirt and standing there barefoot. Bryt felt a tug at the back of her mind, recognizing him, but couldn't place quite where. She'd seen Luna at the wedding, but she didn't remember seeing Luna's father...Then she remembered she'd actually met Luna and her father a few years ago on a nearby hill, on her way to the Quidditch World Cup.
Mr. Lovegood looked between them, then his eyes fell on Harry and they widened as his mouth fell open.
"Hello, Mr. Lovegood," Harry said as he held out his hand, "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."
Mr. Lovegood didn't reply. He just stood there, staring at Harry in disbelief.
"Would it be okay if we came in?" Harry asked, dropping his hand, "There's something we'd like to ask you."
"I...I'm not sure that's advisable," Mr. Lovegood said, glancing around them, "Rather a shock...My word...I...I'm afraid I don't really think I ought to—"
"It won't take long," Harry insisted.
"I—oh, all right then. Come in, quickly. Quickly!"
They all stepped inside and Mr. Lovegood shut the door so loudly Bryt jumped slightly. She looked around the room, staring in shock. She'd been in very few Wizarding homes. The Jonners' place in America, seemed normal enough aside from Wizarding touches all over the place like moving pictures, awards that definitely weren't for Muggle activities, and their worker elf bustling around. The Burrow was very much the same, looking well enough normal, but had those same touches the Jonners had that made it no longer a normal home it seemed on the surface.
The Lovegood kitchen was strange from the start, however. The entire room was round, with everything—from the stove to the sink to the counters—curved along the walls. The room had been painted brightly, covered with flowers, bugs, and birds. Bryt wondered who was the one who had done all the painting.
Mr. Lovegood led them up a spiral staircase that was right in the middle of the room and the floor above was just as strange as below. The staircase was still in the center, moving on up, but this room was smaller and round as well and filled with clutter. It looked like it was both the living room and Mr. Lovegood's workspace where he published The Quibbler. An old printing press sat along one area of the curved all, moving on its own and spitting out copies of the magazine. Mr. Lovegood moved over, covering the machine with an old cloth, slightly muffling the noises it was making.
Bryt looked around the room again, there was so much clutter there was barely anywhere to move, let alone sit. She noticed something nearby, a large gray horn with a spiral-like design along the side, mounted to the wall, and her eyes widened. What in the world was Mr. Lovegood doing with an Erumpent horn? Especially just hanging there. Didn't he know how dangerous they were?
Bryt noticed Hermione let out a cry, but she grabbed Hermione's arm before she could ask. When Hermione looked at her, Bryt shook her head quickly. They were there to figure out what was with the symbol. Most likely, Mr. Lovegood thought this was something belonging to some imaginary creature and if he was anything like Luna, there'd be no convincing him otherwise.
"We need some help, Mr. Lovegood," Harry said, which kept Hermione from speaking up anyway.
"Yes," Mr. Lovegood said, looking towards Harry again, "The thing is...helping Harry Potter...rather dangerous..."
"I thought you were encouraging everyone to help Harry?" Bryt asked.
"Er—yes, I have expressed that view. However—"
"That's for everyone else to do, but not you personally?" Ron asked shortly.
Mr. Lovegood avoided Ron's question, looking between the four of them. Bryt couldn't help but notice he seemed extremely nervous.
"Where's Luna?" Hermione asked, "Let's see what she thinks."
Mr. Lovegood hesitated for a moment.
"Luna is down at the stream, fishing for Freshwater Plimpies," Mr. Lovegood finally said, "She...she will like to see you. I'll go and call her and then—yes, very well. I shall try to help you."
Mr. Lovegood turned away, heading down the stairs and Bryt looked over at her friends.
"Cowardly old wart," Ron said, "Luna's got ten times his guts."
"He's probably worried about what'll happen to them if the Death Eaters find out I was here," Harry said.
"Well, I agree with Ron," Hermione said, "Awful old hypocrite, telling everyone else to help you and trying to worm out of it himself. And for heaven's sake keep away from that horn, it's an Erumpent horn."
Ron suddenly scooted away from that horn, giving it a wary look.
"Look at this," Harry said nearby and Bryt looked up to see Harry was by a bust of a pretty-looking woman, and on the bust was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever seen. It was made up of some type of gold trumpets, those orange radishes from outside, and something that looked like billywig propellers.
"Fetching," Ron said, "Surprised he didn't wear that to the wedding."
Mr. Lovegood came back up then, wearing a pair of rain boots and carrying a tray containing a tea pot and mismatched teacups.
"Ah, you have spotted my pet invention," Mr. Lovegood said, handing the tray over to Hermione, who looked a bit annoyed, and came over to Harry by the odd headdress, "Modeled, fittingly enough, upon the head of the beautiful Rowena Ravenclaw. 'Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure!'"
Bryt nodded, remembering Luna had a habit of giving that little phrase.
"These are Wrackspurt siphons," Mr. Lovegood went on, motioning to the trumpets on the headdress, "To remove all sources of distraction from the thinker's immediate area. Here, a billywig propeller, to induce an elevated frame of mind. Finally, the dirigible plum, so as to enhance the ability to accept the extraordinary."
Bryt made a face at that, but Mr. Lovegood hadn't seen since he'd turned and took the tray back from Hermione, then held it out.
"May I offer you all an infusion of Gurdyroots?" he asked, "We make it ourselves."
Mr. Lovegood put down the tray and started pouring a dark purple liquid into tea cups and handed them out. Bryt took hers, but just off the smell, she had no intention of drinking any.
"Luna is down beyond Bottom Bridge, she is most excited that you are here," Mr. Lovegood went on, "She ought not to be too long, she has caught nearly enough plimpies to make soup for all of us. Do sit down and help yourselves to sugar. Now," He paused to push away some papers and sat in an armchair, "How may I help you, Mr. Potter?"
Bryt straightened up a bit, glancing to Harry nearby.
"Well," he said slowly, "It's about that symbol you were wearing around your neck at Bill and Fleur's wedding, Mr. Lovegood. We wondered what it meant."
"Are you referring to the sign of the Deathly Hallows?"
Bryt blinked in confusion, looking at her friends. They seemed as clueless as she was.
"The Deathly Hallows?" Harry asked blankly.
"That's right," Mr. Lovegood said, "You haven't heard of them? I'm not surprised. Very, very few wizards believe. Witness that knuckle-headed young man at your brother's wedding," Mr. Lovegood paused to look at Ron, "Who attacked me for sporting the symbol of a well-known Dark wizard! Such ignorance. There is nothing dark about the Hallows—at least, not in that crude sense. One simply uses the symbol to reveal oneself to other believers, in the hope that they might help one with the Quest."
There was a pause and Bryt sat there for a moment, trying to figure out what Mr. Lovegood was talking about. She was just completely confused.
"I'm sorry," Harry said slowly, obviously not understanding either, "I still don't really understand."
"Well, you see, believers seek the Deathly Hallows," Mr. Lovegood said.
"But what are the Deathly Hallows?"
Mr. Lovegood looked between them as he put down his teacup.
"I assume that you are familiar with 'The Tale of Three Brothers'?"
Bryt and Harry said 'no' while Ron and Hermione said 'yes'.
"Well, well, Mr. Potter, the whole thing starts with 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'...I have a copy somewhere..."
"I've got a copy, Mr. Lovegood," Hermione spoke up, pulling out her The Tales of Beedle the Bard from her bag, "I've got it right here."
"The original?" Mr. Lovegood asked and Hermione nodded, "Well hen, why don't you read it aloud? Much the best way to make sure we all understand."
"Er...all right," Hermione said, looking a bit awkward, as if she didn't like the idea and she started flipping through the pages of the book. Bryt noticed she stopped on the one that had the triangular eye drawn in.
"'There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight—'"
"Midnight, our mum always told us," Ron said, then on Hermione's glare, "Sorry, I just think it's a bit spookier if it's midnight!"
"What does it matter what time it is?" Bryt asked, looking at Hermione, "Go on."
Hermione glared at Ron again, then turned back to the book.
"'In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.
"'And Death spoke to them—'"
"Sorry, but Death spoke to them?"
"It's a fairy tale, Harry!"
"Right, sorry. Go on."
"'And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.
"'So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.'"
'Who would want an unbeatable wand?' Bryt found herself thinking. Part of life was the risk, the adventure. When there was no challenge, there was no chance of learning and growing from mistakes. When all you did was win, you stopped trying, stopped keeping yourself on alert.
"'Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.'"
'Now that's just creepy,' Bryt thought. Sure, the idea of having back people they lost...Bryt's grandparents, Sirius, Dumbledore...But she'd read about Inferi. She'd heard Harry talking about them at the lake in the cave. She was just so...unnatural.
"'And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.'"
"Death's got an Invisibility Cloak?" Harry asked. Bryt glanced at him. An unbeatable wand and a stone to bring back dead, and he questions the only thing that actually exists?
"So he can sneak up on people," Ron said, "Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking..."
Bryt laughed, which gained her a glare from Hermione before she turned back to the book and continued reading.
"'Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death's gifts. In due course, the brothers separated, each for his own destination.
"'The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, he sought out a fellow wizard with he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he basted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and how it made him invincible.'"
'Idiot,' Bryt thought. How come those who were power crazy were always so determined to let others know exactly how much power they had?
"'That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat.
"'And so Death took the first brother for his own.
"'Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he'd lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.
"'Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her.
"'And so Death took the second brother for his own.'"
Bryt found herself reaching for Ron's hand at that, squeezing it lightly. This was just depressing. And this was a children's story? How did children not end up with nightmares?
"'But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him, gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.'"
Hermione slowly closed the book and Bryt sat there, staring at it. The wizarding world had depressing children stories. And how was any of this supposed to link to that triangular eye, or the Deathly Hallows as Mr. Lovegood said it represented?