Chapter 2 – Lovegood Lore
Delphicpigeon
Harry, Ron, and Hermione apparated into a sea of gently swaying grass. The sky was a blinding blue with fat, white clouds drifting lazily while birds sang nearby. Hermione could almost understand why Luna always seemed in a daydream. This place was like something out of a calendar. Even the chess piece shaped house with a babbling stream nearby breathed out a soothing aura. The trio looked around cautiously for any signs of Snatchers or obvious protective charms. Hermione cast a quick Homino Revealio and determined only one occupant was inside.
Odd. Why not two?
She shrugged off the feeling and quickly rapt on the wooden door. The door slowly cracked open and a raspy "Who's there?!" was barked out. Harry stepped out from behind Ron and Hermione and gently asked, "Mr. Lovegood, it's Harry Potter. We need your help". Xenophilius Lovegood's pale face appeared with his silvery blue eyes darting about rapidly.
"Hurry,", he ushered the Trio inside, "Before someone sees you!"
After adjusting their eyes to the semi-darkness of the home, Hermione was able to evaluate Xenophilius Lovegood's physical appearance. He appeared to be exhausted with deep, dark circles under his eyes, white-blonde hair hanging in a stringy and tired manner, and incredibly wrinkled tunic and trousers. An equally crumpled robe hung nearby. Mr. Lovegood's eyes moved rapidly between the Trio as if he were assessing them.
"Why are you here?!", he demanded, a slightly shrill edge to his voice.
"Mr. Lovegood," Harry replied, "On the night of the wedding, you were wearing a necklace with a symbol. We were hoping you could tell us about it.". Mr. Lovegood stared at them silently for the better part of a minute and slowly begin removing a long, silver chain from inside his tunic.
"Don't you know of the Deathly Hallows?" he asked softly, the ghost of a smile on his thin lips.
After recounting the Tale of the Three Brothers and explaining the meaning of the symbol, the Trio sat silent as they processed the actual existence of these items. The invisibility cloak was very much real along with the Sorcerer's Stone. Harry had personally seen both these items. If Mr. Lovegood was right, all that remained was the Elder Wand. Mr. Lovegood stood and again, inspected the witch and wizards in front of him with an odd, appraising expression. Hermione felt Mr. Lovegood's eyes on her and when she looked up, he smiled and offered her a hand.
"Ms. Granger, could you assist me in making another pot of tea?"
Hermione took Mr. Lovegood's outstretched hand and felt a tiny but still noticeable magical spark at the touch. She looked up confused and Mr. Lovegood tilted his head in the direction of the kitchen. Hermione followed him into a cheerful and quaint sunny yellow kitchen full of chipped teacups, an array of magical herbs, and a variety of knickknacks that could only collected by Luna Lovegood. As Mr. Lovegood begin filling the kettle with water, he spoke.
"Ms. Granger, what is your magical heritage?"
Hermione bristled, secretly disappointed that the father of pure and welcoming Luna Lovegood was potentially concerned about blood purity.
"I am Muggleborn, Mr. Lovegood. Is that a problem?" She snapped. A small chuckled escaped from Mr. Lovegood.
"Oh, you mistake me Ms. Granger. I have the upmost respect for Muggleborns. However, there is something in your blood that sings to me." He turned to face Hermione and placed the kettle on the stove with a faraway look in his eyes.
"My Luna has the gift of sight. It was passed down to her from her mother, Pandora. I also harness that power, but it is not nearly as strong. In fact, it only happens when I am in the presence of formidable and ancient magic. What magic are you hiding? I can hear it calling.", he spoke, his voice almost strangled by the gravity of the question.
Eyes refocusing, Mr. Lovegood stood patiently waiting for a response. Hermione blinked rapidly, confused. What did her Muggleborn blood have to do with formidable and ancient magic? Why was Mr. Lovegood professing the Gift of Sight to only Hermione and not to Ron and Harry? Honestly, she never considered prophecy a true magical art since the whole Astronomy Tower debacle with Trelawney. In fact, the whole exchange was making Hermione particularly uneasy. She stared up at Mr. Lovegood, attempting to formulate a response, when she noticed he was starting to creep towards her while reaching with fingers extended and a cloudy look transforming his eyes. Alarmed, Hermione began edging back towards the sitting room where Harry and Ron had remained.
"Mr. Lovegood, thank you for all your support and the tea but we really must go." Hermione stammered, slowly reaching for her wand holster.
Xenophilius Lovegood paused momentarily at her abrupt attempted departure, with his arms frozen in the air before lunging towards Hermione.
"YOU CANNOT LEAVE!" Lovegood roared while Hermione sprinted, avoiding Lovegood's touch and ran into the parlor screaming at Harry and Ron to escape. Harry and Ron immediately jumped up and placed themselves between Lovegood and Hermione with wands raised.
"They've got my Luna!" He choked out, the utter loss in his voice tore at Hermione's heart. "I've already alerted them. Handing you over means they will give her back to me!". He gripped his head as if in immense pain and released an anguished sob. The Trio paused at this incredible revelation. Harry and Ron looked at each other, uncertain of how to react. Hermione cautiously pushed by Harry and Ron to observe Mr. Lovegood. He slowly lifted his head, eyes completely clouded over, and his mouth contorted open as if in a silent scream.
In that careless moment, Lovegood's hand darted out and gripped Hermione's right wrist. Excruciating pain like fire bloomed at his touch and Hermione screamed in agony while trying to rip her arm from his surprisingly strong grasp. Lovegood jerked Hermione towards him and placed his lips to her ears. In a voice not his own, as if many voices were speaking at once:
Hear me child and know me for who I am.
The Dark Goddess of ancient blood, the Sorceress that shall not be ruled.
Through the despair of the Fallen Prince and rebirth of the Foretold, you shall bring about the Pretender's annihilation.
Seek her within the swirling depths of Llyn Tegid and you shall be transformed.
Hermione gasped as tears streaked down her face from Lovegood's painful grip. Lovegood jerked back, blinking rapidly with confusion written on his pale features. Hermione took advantage of Lovegood's confusion and tore her wrist from Lovegood's grasp and scrambled towards Ron and Harry.
Spurred by Hermione's sudden movements, Ron quickly shot a disarming spell and Harry grabbed Hermione, attempting to usher her out of the house while she shivered in pain. Lovegood shouted and fired a stunning spell towards Harry, red sparks narrowly missing and striking a large horn-like object behind them. Suddenly, it felt as if the air has been pulled from the room and there was a moment of absolute silence. Then a deafening explosion echoed, and the Trio flew out of the house as it began to collapse inward. The thick black smoke of incoming Death Eaters pierced the tranquility of the blue sky. Hermione's vision began fading into black as she was sucked into the void of Side-Along Apparition with the sounds of Xenophilius Lovegood's guttural screams echoing in her mind.
The sound of muffled voices woke Hermione with a start. She sat up sharply and looked around wildly with her wand drawn. Harry and Ron held their hands up in surrender.
"Mione, it's ok. Your safe." Ron said soothingly. He gently pushed her wand hand down.
"No one followed us here. I can't believe that bastard sold us out. Did he hurt you?" he asked, concern written across his face.
It was only then that Hermione remembered the searing pain at Mr. Lovegood's touch. She lifted her wrist to inspect for burn damage, but remarkably, found none. She shifted her wrist to inspect for any other missed damage when a very faint shimmering caught her eye. Just barely visible in the light, several lines crisscrossed across and spun their way across her skin. Three concentric circles containing three dots with lines expanding out from them, almost like rays of light. Hermione squinted to focus on the fine lines, but it appeared to be slightly shimmering in and out of sight.
"Hermione," Harry asked, alarmed. "Is everything ok?"
Hermione opened her mouth but stopped. She couldn't tell them. Not right now. She knew they would be concerned, and it wasn't exactly hurting right now. No, it was definitely NOT the time for another magical mystery. She looked up at Harry's concerned expression.
"I'm alright," she lied, "Just tired. Don't worry." Forcing a small smile, she dropped her wrist, and took a breath.
"So, what should we do about the Deathly Hallows?"
After several days of intense discussion and Hermione going through every book she had stored inside her magical beaded bag, the Trio was no closer to an answer on the Deathly Hallows. Everyone had treated the Deathly Hallows as magical folklore and nothing more. At the same time, Hermione was secretly researching magical burns and symbols but had not found any clues. Transference of magical scars through non-verbal contact was not very common apparently. It wasn't a scar though. Not like Harry's. It was actually very lovely and had an almost opalescent coloration when viewed at the right angle. Hermione had attempted to cast a Notice-Me-Not to keep Harry and Ron from noticing the mark, but quickly found out no spell would stick to it. She had ended up using a small dab of Muggle concealer to hide it. She frowned at this discovery. Any mark that couldn't be covered by magic, like Harry's scar or the Death Eater's mark, couldn't be good magic.
After another cold and dismal day without answers or movement, Hermione suggested the group go restrengthen the perimeter charms in an effort to soften the growing tension around camp. Harry and Ron had almost dueled the previous night over guard duty and which spot was most ideal. Hermione did her best to avoid their arguments and continued to bury herself in her books. But even she had to admit that the days were becoming increasingly frustrating and their hope was dwindling.
As they walked among the dark pines covered in a light dusting of snow, Hermione was thankful for the quiet peace that filled the woods. Only the gentle hum of a nearby river and the brisk wind through the tress could be heard and Hermione pretended this moment was normal. That there was no war. There was no dark lord to be defeated. Just a group of friends quietly enjoying a winter walk through the woods. The moment was broken by the CRACK of Apparition behind the Trio. Hermione felt large hands grip her from behind and hot, acrid breath breathed into her ear.
"What have we here?"
She landed in a crumpled heap on cold, damp earth. Powerful hands yanked her upright and began pushing her forward. Hermione looked around wildly and found both Harry and Ron had been snatched as well. Ron had fury written on his face and was thrashing wildly against the grip of a massive Snatcher. Harry's face had gone eerily vacant, his bright green eyes dulled. As the Trio was shoved forward, Hermione began observing their surroundings. They were traveling up a long, gravelly drive flanked by towering ancient oaks. They continued walking up this path until a massive, ornate gate came into view. As the group approached the towering iron gate, the spires of a massive manor begin rising from the horizon. Those spires gave way to an ancient stone building shrouded in mist with creeping ivy and stunning turrets that was simultaneously breathtaking and sinister. As they arrived, a group of witches and wizards turned to view the newest batch of snatched creatures. Hermione was so engrossed in marveling the structure into front of her that she almost didn't notice Ron's quiet whimper. She was abruptly brought back to reality. That's when Hermione looked through the elegant iron design and into the dark and glinting eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange.