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Xenophilius Lovegood’s Ghost



Harry led the way across the grounds with Hermione, Ron, and Ermalene following along to the greenhouses. The windows of the castle were all dark, save for the headmaster's office, and Harry hoped that Professor Vector, the current Hogwarts headmistress, wouldn't notice the pinpricks of their wandlight moving across the grounds. The greenhouses were directly below the office window, though. They were dark and still, as were the windows of herbology teacher's chamber just off of them, except for the tiniest glow from what Harry hoped was Neville Longbottom's bedside lamp. He knocked on the chamber door and the four of them waited in silence.

"Who's there?" Neville's voice was quavering from the other side of the door just a couple of moments later.

"It's us," said Hermione.

Anyone else on the other side of the door and “it’s us” might not have been enough, but being that it was Neville there, he recognized her voice immediately and pulled the door open with excitement. "Harry! Ron! Hermione!" Quickly, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around each of them in turn. Then he saw Ermalene and said, "Forgive me, I forget your name.”

“It’s Ermalene,” she reminded him.

“Yes, yes I remember now. And how did your talk with the Baron go?"

"Awful," she replied, "But the Grey Lady helped us."

Neville looked surprised and ready to ask more questions so Harry cut him off before he coudl, "Speaking of talking with the Hogwarts ghosts, Neville, we were wondering if Xenophilius were about? The Fat Friar said he haunts around here and we really need to talk with him, it's incredibly urgent or we wouldn't have woken you."

Neville shook his head, “Oh you didn’t wake me up, I’m up late at night a lot. What d’you need to talk to old Xenophilius for?” he asked, confused.

"It's about Luna's boy," Ron answered.

"Lysander?" Neville's eyes widened, "Yeah of course, come in. Xenophilius is usually around some place in the greenhouses, messing with the plants and making up mad things they cure or ward off. I got a bit of a nettleberry bush and he’s been on about how nettleberry fruit tea will help keep away something called a pippermingle. I don’t even know what that is, but nettleberry fruit is rather poisonous actually. I’ve got a store of bezoars in the emergency kit now. I had to tell all the first years not to try to eat any of the plants whatever Xeno says to them but they don’t always listen... C'mon in this way, I'll show you in." He ushered them through, glancing up at Vector's window as he pulled the door closed behind them.

The herbology teacher's chambers were humble but comfortable and Harry could see Neville hadn't changed too much since Professor Sprout's days, despite having taught at Hogwarts for some time himself. There were many potted plants hanging around the chambers and adorning every flat surface. He had charts and notes tacked to the walls everywhere, too, and stealing a glance at a couple of the scribbles upon one of them, Ron had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing for they were all reminders for things Neville might forget - like turning off the stove or when his students would be sitting exams. Rememberalls were always hazy red for Neville Longbottom, even now, all grown up.

"So what's got the Scamader case pulled back up?" Neville asked with interest as he led the way to the interior greenhouse doors. "Been seventeen years since Lysander went missing."

"New evidence," Harry said vaguely.

"Did you find a body then?" Neville's voice was grave.

"He's alive," blurted out Ermalene while Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been sharing a look, deciding what sort of information to tell Neville. "I saw his name on the Ravenclaw tapestry in the Hall of Ancestors!"

"You found it then?" Neville's eyes widened, “The Hall?”

"Yes! The Grey Lady showed me where to find it."

"She did?" Neville sounded surprised, "She won't even talk to me at all."

"Well it turns out I'm her several-generations-great granddaughter," Ermalene said, "And as a matter of fact, Lysander Scamander is my father!"

Neville looked around at the Trio standing behind her as though seeking confirmation, "Don't look at us, we weren't there," Ron said.

"The fact that our new evidence happens to coincide with Ermalene’s discovery is… pure coincidence. We knew he was alive because I received a patronus," Harry explained, "Saying he was in the Great North Woods.”

"The Great North Woods!" exclaimed a voice from behind Neville, deep in the greenhouse, "I used to go there to hunt for the Crumple Horned Snorkack!"

They all turned to see the apparition of Xenophilius emerge from the dark, a reminiscent look on his face. "Why, I haven't been in years. The weather must be terrible about now there, though, with all of the whipplenots doing their rain dances," he grinned merrily at them. "The wood is full of them, you know."

"Xeno, you haven't changed a bit!" Ron announced.

Hermione jabbed him with her elbow. "Ronald.”

Ron glared, “What? I did nothing wrong to deserve that!”

She made the hush motion with her fingers as Xeno came closer, looking over the group that had come into the greenhouse at the unusual hour. He smiled at each of them, but his expression changed when he saw Ermalene. His eyes widened. “Luna?” he whispered.

“No sir,” she said, “My name is Ermalene.”

Xenophilius stared at her, looking as dazed as a ghost could. “You look exactly like her,” he commented.

Harry had to admit that now that the resemblance had been pointed out, he was unsure how any of them had failed to see it before. She looked exactly as Luna had in their sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts. It was uncanny. The only thing she was missing was the crazy radish earrings that Luna was so fond of wearing.

He took advantage of Xenophilius’ pause. “I know we’ve talked to you about it before, Mr. Lovegood, but do you happen to have remembered anything more about the day you died since we last spoke? Who did it, if Lysander was with you or what happened to him?”

Xenophilius glanced at Harry for a fleeting moment, then turned back to Ermalene. He reached out a ghostly hand and brought his intangible palm to her face, like he were cupping her cheek. An unbelievable cold shot through Ermalene’s body and she shivered, but didn’t pull away even as the chill made her teeth chatter. She stared up at him. He seemed to be searching her face for something, staring directly into her eyes.

Suddenly, he looked up, dropping his palm and gaze from Ermalene and said, “We were hunting snorkack and we heard one in the trees. The snorkack had come up behind me and --” he shrugged. “That’s it. That’s all I remember. The next, I was here.” He looked back at Ermalene sadly. “I haven’t gotten to see my Luna…”

“She hasn’t come?” Harry asked, astonished. He looked at Neville, who shook his head.

“She’s been afraid to, hasn’t she?” Neville replied, “This is the first time he’s remembered her since he’s been here. He’s talked a lot of gibberish about wrackspurts and whipplenots but this is the first time he’s mentioned her name.”

Xenophilius returned to staring raptly at Ermalene.

Tears were filling Hermione’s eyes. Ron reached into his pocket and produced a handkerchief, which he handed to her and she dabbed her eyes with it as he put his arm around her.

“Mr. Lovegood,” Harry said, clearing his throat, “We’re trying to find Lysander. Are you sure that’s everything you remember? Anything - any little detail at all - will help us.”

Xenophilius shook his head, “That is all that I remember. We were walking along, talking about --” he paused, “Felicity Cooper was pregnant.” His eyes showed recollection of memory and realization dawned as his eyes swept the height of Ermalene. “Has it really been so long since I’ve died that you’ve been born and grown so large?” he questioned.

“Yes,” Ermalene answered.

Xenophilius frowned, “I hadn’t any idea it’d been so long. Time is so different when you have all of it.” He looked at one of the plants to his side. “I don’t remember any details,” he said, “Only that we were walking, talking, the woods were silent around us, and then quite suddenly the snorkack was wailing.”

“The caterwauling charm,” Harry mumbled. “You must’ve set off the same charm as I did. It must be like an alarm system.” He rubbed his chin as he turned to Hermione and Ron. “She must have gone to where he was and snuck up behind them, killed Xeno and taken Lysander hostage. It must not be far from her house.”

Ron and Hermione nodded. “How do you s’pose we get close to the house if there’s a caterwauling charm surrounding it?”

“Finite Incantantum will turn the charm off,” Harry said, “That’s how I silenced it the first time. We need to set it off and…” He paused, the wheels of his mind grinding hard. “I have a plan.”