Hermione looked furious.
"But that, sorry, but that's utterly ridiculous! How can I possibly prove it doesn't exist? What do you expect me to do, gather up every stone in the world and test them all? Honestly, you could claim anything is real if the only proof required is that no one's managed to prove it isn't!"
"Yes," said Xenophilius calmly. "Exactly. I'm glad to see you're beginning to understand."
Hermione spluttered, lost for words, but before she could launch another retort, Harry quickly cut in.
"And the Elder Wand, you believe that exists too?"
"Oh, that one's the easiest of all to trace," said Xenophilius eagerly. "There's ample evidence. You see, the Elder Wand is the most well-documented of the Hallows, because of the rather… distinctive way it changes hands."
"How's that?" Harry asked.
"Well," said Xenophilius, leaning forward conspiratorially, "the wand passes only when one wizard takes it from another, defeats him, kills him, disarms him, it must be won. You must have heard the stories. Egbert the Egregious, who slew Emeric the Evil and took the wand from him? Or how Godelot died in his own cellar, his son Hereward having stolen the wand? Or Loxias the Terrible, who murdered Barnabas Deverill for it? The Elder Wand's bloody trail runs through the very heart of wizarding history."
Harry glanced sideways at Hermione. She was frowning at Xenophilius but, unusually, did not speak.
"So where do you think the Elder Wand is now?" Ron asked.
"Ah, who can say?" said Xenophilius with a sigh. "Who knows where it lies hidden today? The trail grows uncertain around Arcus and Livius. Which of them truly defeated Loxias? Which of them took the wand? And who, in turn, bested them? History, alas, does not tell us."
A silence fell. Then Hermione asked stiffly,
"Mr. Lovegood… does the Peverell family have anything to do with the Deathly Hallows?"
Xenophilius looked astonished.
"So you've been deceiving me, young lady!" he cried, sitting up straighter and glaring at her. "I thought you were novices in the quest for the Hallows! Most true Seekers, of course, believe the Peverells were deeply involved, deeply involved!"
"Who were the Peverells?" Ron asked, frowning. He didn't remember hearing the name before.
"They were the names on that gravestone in Godric's Hollow," said Hermione, still watching Xenophilius closely. "Ignotus Peverell."
"Exactly!" Xenophilius exclaimed. "Ignotus's gravestone bears the mark of the Hallows, that's proof enough!"
"Proof of what?" said Ron.
"Why, that the three brothers in the story were the Peverell brothers, Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus! They were the original owners of the Hallows themselves!"
Ron, Hermione, and Harry exchanged glances. Hermione's expression said quite plainly that she didn't believe a word of it.
"Well then," said Xenophilius briskly, refilling his teacup, "I believe I've answered all your questions."
He leaned forward suddenly, eyes glinting with interest.
"Harry Potter! The Chosen One! Tell me, Mr. Potter, is it true, are you really working against—"
"Don't say—"
"Wait!"
"Oh, no!"
All three shouted at once, but it was too late. Xenophilius had spoken the name, Voldemort.
Instantly, all three of them snatched out their wands, standing alert and tense.
"Mr. Lovegood, we have to leave, now!" Harry said sharply.
"What? Why?" Xenophilius blinked, bewildered.
"Harry!" Ron shouted suddenly. He had looked out of the window. "There, outside!"
Several dark figures in black cloaks had Apparated around the house, wands raised and pointed at it.
"Who are they?" gasped Xenophilius.
"Snatcher squad, Death Eaters and Ministry men!" Ron yelled. "We've got to go! Mr. Lovegood, come with us—"
"But, my house!" Xenophilius cried, looking wildly around. "What about my house?"
"If they catch you, you'll end up in Azkaban! You said You-Know-Who's name, there's a tracking spell on it!" Ron grabbed Xenophilius by the sleeve and pulled him toward the stairs.
"Wait, I need to take a few things!" Xenophilius reached for some dusty trinkets on the table.
BANG!
The Death Eaters outside, hearing no answer, had begun blasting the house apart.
"Listen!" shouted a man's voice outside. "Come out, whoever you are, or you'll end up the same way as your house!"
Another explosion rocked the building. One corner of the house blew apart, showering them with splinters and plaster. A thick cloud of dust billowed through the air.
"Listen to me!" Hermione shouted above the noise, her voice sharp and commanding. "Harry, you have to put on the Invisibility Cloak, don't let them see you! If they spot you, they'll go mad, and Luna could be punished for it! Ron, pull up your hood, people think you're sick at the Burrow, not here!"
She spoke so quickly and clearly that neither boy wasted a second arguing. Hermione raced down the stairs.
"Right!" Harry threw the Cloak over himself. Outside, another explosion made the floor tremble; the roof groaned dangerously above them.
"Ron, get your Decoy Detonators and Flash-Bangs ready! On three, we throw them out, then Disapparate!" Harry yelled.
"Where to?" Ron bellowed back, dragging the stumbling Xenophilius behind him.
"Point Seven! I'll take you, just hold on!" Hermione shouted.
Harry, invisible now, stood by the door.
"One… two… THREE!"
Hermione wrenched open the door.
Four small spheres flew out into the night, and in the next instant, blinding light and thick smoke erupted everywhere. The Death Eaters outside screamed in confusion.
"Decoy Detonators!" one of them shouted blindly, firing Stunners at the doorway. "It's Potter, it must be Potter! Dispel the smoke, NOW!"
But by the time the air cleared, the house was empty. The Anti-Disapparition Jinx had lifted; the four of them were gone.
Furious, the black-robed wizards stormed inside, hurling curses in every direction. One of them, enraged, blasted at random, and his curse struck the horn of the Erumpent mounted on the wall.
The explosion that followed was deafening.
The entire house disintegrated in a blinding flash. Wood, parchment, and stone were hurled skyward in a roaring blast, swallowed by a dense, choking white cloud.
"Bloody idiots!" a Death Eater roared, staggering up from the rubble, his robes in tatters. "Get out, now! Report what happened, immediately!"
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