The Hogwarts Descendant

Chapter 53

[A/N - got excited so here's a double update for you guys today :) ]

The four of them arrived at the Lovegood residence three days later. It was a very strange home located in the middle of the marsh. It appeared as though the house had been built over time, with strange additions expanding oddly at all angles until it towered high above them. The most miraculous thing was that the house remained standing despite it's nearly forty-five degree tilt. Dahlia had thought the Burrow was leaning; it had absolutely nothing on the Lovegood estate.

Looking at the home of Luna's childhood, Dahlia felt she understood the girl completely. This house and Luna made perfect sense, from the mismatched windows to the strange trees with odd looking fruit that drooped down on vines that surrounded the house.

Dahlia approached the door hesitantly, glancing back over her shoulder to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ron and Harry seemed the most skeptical, but Hermione only seemed determined. She huffed and strode up to the door, brushing Dahlia aside. She rapped smartly, and waited for a response.

After a few moments, the sound of feet shuffling could be heard, and then the sound of many locks being undone. Dahlia shared a wide-eyed look with Ron - that didn't bode well. Finally, the door swung open to reveal Mr. Lovegood.

He looked ten years older than when they'd seen him at the wedding. He'd let himself go, and that was putting it nicely. His clothes were stained and wrinkled like he hadn't bothered to change in days. His skin hung on his bones as though he hadn't eaten a proper meal in months. He was pale, his skin looking almost paper thin. His eyes were hazy red, opened wider than normal giving him a crazy expression. His pale blonde hair was stringy and tangled - direly in need of a good wash and combing.

"H-hello, Mr. Lovegood," Hermione began hesitantly. She was the only one of the four of them who managed to contain their shock at his condition. "We're friends of Luna's... we were wondering if we could come in and talk?"

Mr. Lovegood lit up at the mention of Luna, or perhaps it was just the same moment that he laid eyes on Harry. He opened the door a little wider, gesturing them inside as he rambled. "Oh, friends of Luna... yes, yes, come in."

"Where is Luna, sir?" Harry asked kindly as he stepped into the dwelling. Dahlia followed closely behind him with Ron on her heels. She half expected some strange, unidentifyable creature to attack them upon their entry, but the dwelling was suspiciously quiet.

"She's... out," Mr. Lovegood's face darkened for a moment before he plastered a falsetto smile on his face and shuffled forward. "Come, come - I'll make tea!"

Dahlia followed him, regretting their decision to come already. Harry's expression told her he agreed, and Ron simply looked on edge. The entire house was odd - there were strange gadgets, and half finished inventions littered on every surface. Random items were tossed on the floor as though a child had thrown them around. Clothes, tools, silverware, it was a mess.

Dahlia tried to pay it no mind as they followed the erratic man into the kitchen. Thankfully, this room was in better shape than the others. The counters were clear, though the table held what looked like the makings of a time turner on it. Dahlia spared a moment to pray that an man as eccentric as Xenophilius never managed to make that time-turner operational. Mr. Lovegood immediately started a pot of tea while the Gryffindors filed awkwardly into the room.

"What can I do for you?" Mr. Lovegood asked eagerly as he shuffled around the small room.

Dahlia, Ron, and Harry all looked to Hermione, silently deaming her their spokesman. She huffed at being the elected one to speak, but she stepped forward regardless. "I wanted to ask you a question about the Rune you were wearing at Bill and Fleur's wedding."