It was a sorrowful day for many people in the wizarding world.
Lily was surprised that she'd managed to reach the Lovegoods' house without being swept up by a tide of other witches and wizards who were on their way to offer the same condolences as she was. Xenophilius was on his own.
"You'd better wait outside," instructed Lily to her daughter, who frowned. They'd been trudging across baron heaths for nearly half an hour towards a funny-looking house. It was spooky out here, and probably much more fun inside. Mr Lovegood was bound to give her a Fidgeting Flapjack.
"Please may I go in with you?" Alice begged.
Lily sighed. "No, darling. Not today."
"Why not?"
"Because you might make Mr Lovegood uncomfortable."
"But why?"
"Because..." Lily spun round and dropped to her knees, right in front of her daughter. There was pity in her eyes, right at the back of them. Alice could see it.
"Because today is going to be a very difficult day for him. It always will be, every year. He's upset. He might even cry. He doesn't want a little girl like you to see him cry, does he?"
"But I'm not a little girl..."
"I know, I know. But just for today, please stay outside. For me." Lily grabbed her daughter's hands and kissed them. Alice continued to pout, but Lily just rolled her eyes. Alice had pouted at the smallest thing, even when she was a baby.
"Come inside if it's an emergency. I won't be long." Lily dropped Alice's hands and climbed up the steep stone steps to the front door. Rather than knocking, she pushed it open. Mr Lovegood hadn't bothered to lock it. Alice heard her Mum call for him as she shut the door.
oOoOoOoOo
Ten minutes past. Just ten minutes, and Alice wished she'd never insisted on coming. "You'll be bored" her mother had said. Too right...
She sat cross-legged in the long itchy grass, tugging it and threading it and twisting it out of boredom. No more interesting birds were flying overhead anymore.
Her weak, intangible thoughts transformed into thoughts of Mrs Lovegood. Alice Potter had a remarkable talent for remembering names and faces, and could picture Mrs Lovegood now: her wild mane of yellow hair; her frilly pink dresses and orange dungarees; her scent of tangy fruit and her breezy laugh. Had she really been gone for a whole year? It seemed like weeks since they'd last met. She'd been standing in the doorway, saying a quick farewell to Lily after a nice dinner when Alice had been woken up. She'd crept down the stairs and the two women spotted her. Instead of scolding her for snooping, Janina Lovegood had smiled dreamily up at her and fished out a cactus-flavoured chocolate from her purse to give her...
Her stomach growled. Why hadn't she finished all of her breakfast? Maybe Mr Lovegood would burst out of the house any minute, appalled that Lily had left her outside. He would usher her inside and would feed her a Fidgeting Flapjack.
She really was starving. She looked around pessimistically for something to eat. She'd start eating the grass if she needed to...
What happened next was fascinating, but not astonishing. It wasn't the first time that Alice had performed such magic without trying. The dry, insignificant little seeds in her hand from the long grasses she'd been toying with suddenly clumped together and merged into a pebble. Alice watched with intrigue as the pebble sprouted a shoot, which stretched and reached and grew until it split into a frayed blade. The frayed tips hung down around the shoot as they started to grow small silver fruits.
"How pretty"
Alice gasped and leapt to her feet, brushing the magical little fruit tree off on her dress. A tall, ancient man in lilac-grey robes and hat and a long grey beard was standing in front of her, watching nonchalantly as she became increasingly flustered. A plump, red-faced jolly man stood behind him, along with a lanky copper-haired boy who looked solemn. You're not meant to do magic outside Hogwarts! Harry had warned her before he'd left for Hogwarts. If you do, they'll know!
And here, with some ministry officials, was Albus Dumbledore. She recognised him from the chocolate frog cards.
"I'm so sorry, I..."
"Oh no, don't stop on my account! Do carry on, I was rather enjoying the show..."
"I didn't mean to!"
"I don't doubt you, Miss Potter. You must be exceptionally peckish to conjure such a beauty. It's a pity, I usually keep a handful of liquorice snaps in my pocket for these such occasions, but I've recently stopped. Spending your evenings sewing up the holes in your pockets is no way to live!" Dumbledore spoke wistfully. "Anyhow, must dash. My old friend here, Mr Diggory, is needed indoors," he smiled pleasantly at her again before leading Mr Diggory up the steps. The young boy stayed where he was.
"My mother's in there!" Alice called out to Dumbledore as he neared the front door. He and Mr Diggory turned and looked at her. "If it's not too much of an inconvenience, could you please tell her to hurry up?"
The young boy snorted. Dumbledore looked from Alice to Mr Diggory and chuckled. "Charming... Charming!" he mused, turning back and allowing himself into the house. The door clicked shut behind Mr Diggory. Alice turned back to the boy who she now noticed to be wearing Hogwarts robes.
"Why aren't you at school?" she asked him bluntly. He shrugged.
"Temporary leave. I'm only off for a day. Janina was my second cousin."
The boy did not look sad. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked a tuft of long-grass. Silence permeated the breeze around them and Alice could do nothing but scratch through the rubbish ideas of condolence words in her head.
"You know," he began again. "If you're hungry, I reckon you could give those things a try..." the boy pointed towards the house. Alice turned and saw that he meant the dirigible plum shrubbery that hugged the lower part of the house.
"I've eaten those before," she told him as she approached the bush. . "They're good for your heart. I think you should have one too." She plucked two of the floating, swaying orange fruits and held one out to him.
"What makes you say that?"
"Because-"
"Good morning, everyone!" called a voice. From round the other side of the house, Luna Lovegood skipped into view. Her eyes landed on the fruits in Alice's hands.
"Oh, you poor things!" she cried, rushing towards Alice. At first, she thought Luna had been talking to the plums in her hand. It wouldn't have surprised her. Luna Lovegood's quirkiness meant that she bore the brunt of all jokes at community parties in the wizarding world. Elsie Black found her hilarious and Alice usually avoided her.
"Luna... are you alright?" asked the boy.
"Don't worry about me, Cedric. I'm worried about you two. Why did you never tell me? It's nothing to be ashamed of..."
"What are you talking about, Luna?" asked Cedric. Alice was too intimidated by Luna's intense blue stare to speak.
"It is a sad fact that young people in the wizarding community are still illiterate. I had no idea that so many people close to my family suffered from it."
"Luna," sighed Cedric, stepping towards them. "We're not illiterate. Alice and I can read perfectly well. Now what on earth makes you think we can't?"
Luna looked from him to Alice to the fruits in her hand. "You both must be colour-blind then. It's quite impossible to not see the sign." Luna pointed to the slate of bark that was wedged into the leaves of the shrub: "Keep off the dirigible plums."
"Mum planted those there. They were her favourites."
For a moment, Alice was wracked with guilt. Only for a moment. She knew these plants belonged to Mrs Lovegood. She could remember what she'd told Alice about them...
"Oh, Luna, er... we're really sorry. We didn't know-" he was silenced by the sight of little Alice Potter holding out one of the dirigible plums to Luna, whose blank expression remained just that.
"I used to come here lots when I was little. Your Mum told me that the juice of a dirigible plum helps you to accept the extraordinary. I think that if my Mum died, then I would eat one of these. It's extraordinary how the whole world changes when one person leaves us, isn't it?"
A crow cawed overhead. The breeze whistled around the splintered shingles of the house and danced in and around the wind chimes at the door. Luna Lovegood took a plum from Alice Potter and bit it. Cedric Diggory held his breath. Luna chewed slowly and mechanically, then raised her eyebrows.
"Now that you say it, the world is extraordinary. So was Mum."
Luna took one more bite and lifted the core into the air like a balloon. For a muggle, it would've been strange seeing a dense object such as a fruit core wafting and billowing in the breeze, flying further upwards towards the white sky. For wizards, it is merely a melancholy sight.
oOoOoOoOo
"Thank you, Lily," Xenophilius Lovegood blubbed into his friend's shoulder. She'd been sitting on the arm of his chair for quite some time while he'd sobbed into her arms. "Having a friend makes one feel so very warm."
She pulled away from him. "I'm always here for you, Xeno. You know that."
He nodded, wiping his nose with his own sleeve. The door opened at that moment and in stepped their old school Headmaster.
"Good afternoon to you all," he said, holding the door open for another gentleman to come in. "Mrs Potter, I just had the pleasure of meeting young Alice outside just now. What a delightful young girl she is! Wasn't she, Amos?"
"Oh yes! Quite charming."
Lily smiled. It wouldn't be soon before Alice would join Dumbledore at his school. Lily had mixed feelings of loss and happiness at the idea that her old schoolmaster was now her son's schoolmaster. It was as though she was living in a silly little pre-pubescent daydream.
"Thank you, Sirs," she said kindly. They smiled at her and their eyes landed on Xenophilius.
"Xenophilius, my dear fellow..." began Amos Diggory, approaching his late cousin's husband with open arms. "this day must be painful for you and for your dear Luna!" the two men embraced once Xenophilius was standing. It was endearing that Xenophilius didn't cry.
"Aye, it is quite difficult for us both. Alas, these things must be endured if we are to come out the other side happy."
"Well said, Xenophilius!" commented Dumbledore from the window. He'd apparently watching an exchange between the children outside. "Wise words, indeed. I might use them in the future, if I may?"
"Er... yes, of course..."
"Let's hope words such as those are not needed again in the near future," sighed Lily from the armchair. The men agreed quietly.
"Well, I'd better be going," declared Lily, standing up. The arm of the chair had been rather uncomfortable. "I'm sure my daughter's ripping her hair out with boredom!"
"Oh I wouldn't be too sure of that, Lily," said Dumbledore. "I'll be leaving now too, Xenophilius, if that's alright with you. The Care of Magical Creatures syllabus won't appraise itself!" Dumbledore stepped purposefully into a larger space of the downstairs area. "Watch out for Luna's letter, Xenophilius. It won't be long now. And Lily..."
Lily whirled round just before she was about to open the door.
"Your daughter is an exceptional young witch. I shall be watching her most closely when she joins the school."
With a loud pop, he vanished. Lily grinned at her ambiguous old professor before rushing outside to hug her daughter.