Chapter 76

The morning sun appears.

On a hilltop a few miles north of the village of Ottery-St. Catchpole.

There is a weird house standing under the blue sky.

Like a huge black cylinder.

There was a broken disc-shaped object hanging listlessly in the sky behind it.

Three hand-painted signs are nailed to the intact courtyard gate.

The first piece: "The Quibbler" Editor-in-Chief: X. Lovegood.

Piece 2: Pick your own bunch of mistletoe.

Block 3: Don’t touch the airship.

This scene.

Not to mention Muggles.

Even ordinary wizards see these signs.

Everyone would think there was something weird about this family.

Squeak! Squeak!

A tall old man with long silver-white hair and beard pushed open the courtyard door.

This time he was wearing a gray and white robe that was very different from usual.

There was a trace of sadness in his blue eyes.

Ignore the two wind-bent old crabapple trees guarding either side of the front door.

Walk alone through winding paths filled with all kinds of exotic plants.

An adult owl with a slightly flat head, somewhat like an eagle's head, peered at him from a branch.

Arriving at the thick black door.

There are iron round nails embedded in it and an eagle-shaped door knocker.

At this time Dumbledore stood for a while.

There was no immediate knock on the door.

After a moment of silence.

Dumbledore knocked on the door anyway.

Not a moment.

The sound of clanging glass products could be heard from inside the door.

Probably half a minute passed.

The door finally opened.

Xenophilius Lovegood was standing in the doorway.

The eyes are empty.

The face is haggard.

His eyes lost the light they used to have exploring the unknown world.

What replaced it was an indescribable sadness and despair.

His robes were disheveled.

It seems like it hasn't been sorted out in days.

A few stray strands of silver hair stick to his forehead.

Looks extremely old.

The sadness in Dumbledore's eyes became even more intense.

"Sorry I'm late, Xenophilius."

"Oh, Dumbledore? Thank you for coming, thank you very much... I thought I would never see you again."

Xenophilius turned sideways in a daze.

"Come in, um, I think I still have some cloud grass roots, um... they taste pretty good."

With that said, he walked back into the house minding his own business.

Dumbledore followed him wordlessly.

Even for Dumbledore.

The kitchen you enter now is also quite strange.

Everything is curved to fit the walls.

Includes stove, sink and cupboards.

There is a little graffiti on the wall.

They look like some weird creatures.

And the color saturation is quite high.

It was a bit dazzling for a moment.

Dumbledore followed Xenophilius up a cast-iron spiral staircase.

The second floor is extremely messy.

If only Devereaux were here.

He had to reconsider whether the messiest place in the world was Goyle's bed or this place.

It was filled with books and various newspapers and periodicals.

There's another wooden guy in the corner.

You can see many gears turning by magic.

It looks like a cross between a workbench and a bunch of old shelves.

Don't know what it does.

Because it was motionless at the moment.

"Wait a moment, um, sit down wherever you want, I'll get some floating cloud grass roots."

Xenophilius's voice was like a veil blown away by the wind.

More vulnerable than before.

It seemed like every word he spoke took all of his energy out of him.

Dumbledore looked around.

Trying to find a place to sit.

But in the end I could only choose a relatively clean location.

Sit down carefully.

He did not try to use magic to conjure a comfortable chair—at such a moment, such an act would be seen as a violation of the owner's dignity.

The silence in the room was like a heavy curtain.

Oppressing everyone.

It didn't take long.

Xenophilius staggered back.

In his hands were two cups filled with warm tea.

The fragrance is weak but enough to penetrate this dull space.

He handed the cup to Dumbledore.

I also found a place to sit down.

His eyes could never focus on any point.

It was as if his thoughts had drifted into the distance.

"Luna...how is she?"

Dumbledore asked softly.

Try to keep your tone as calm as possible.

Xenophilius's hand trembled slightly.

He held the cup tightly in his hand.

It seems that he wants to draw some strength from it.

"She...she's resting now."

His words gradually became choppy.

As if being torn apart by invisible hands.

Incoherent.

"What happened that night happened too suddenly, and I failed to protect her..."

Dumbledore nodded.

Didn't interrupt him.

Just wait quietly.

"She... encountered some misfortune..."

Xenophilius's voice almost disappeared into the air.

Only a faint tremor remained.

"But I believe that as long as we still have a glimmer of hope, we will be able to find a solution. I have started to study the relevant literature, yes... yes, I hope to find a cure."

But when it comes to this.

Xenophilius, who had been very depressed just now, suddenly started to tremble all over.

The tea in my hand had spilled a lot due to shaking.

"But...but..."

When the names of the perpetrators are mentioned.

His originally low tone suddenly became intense.

The body shook violently with anger and despair.

"Those...the demons of Tindaros, how could they do this! She is such a pure and innocent child..."

Anger mixed with pain.

spilled out of his voice.

It's almost impossible to look straight at.

"Oh my God! Luna, my baby, she is only ten years old, how could they do it! Oh my God! What will she do next, my God..."

"she..."

Xenophilius took a deep breath.

Try to control your emotions.

"She is strong, but she is no longer the Luna she used to be. I'm afraid, I'm afraid that she will hate the world and hate those who have hurt her."

Tears rolled down his cheeks.

fell to the ground.

Broken silently.

"I wish none of this had happened."

Dumbledore held Xenophilius's trembling hands tightly with a solemn expression.

"We will find a way, Xenophilius. I believe that no matter what difficulties she faces, Luna will be as brave as her father. And, we will never give up on finding a solution to a problem."

(Return to everyone’s positive comments!!

Today I successfully updated 10,000 words (๑¯ω¯๑)! ! !

Thank you, brothers and sisters, for your support! !

Brother, I really don’t have any left...｡･ﾟ･(ﾉД`)･ﾟ･.

I hope you all will continue to support me. I will definitely not stop updating in the future and will work hard to update! !

By the way, let’s talk about Luna’s arrangements again. Don’t worry, I will never write such outrageous plots! )