Hogwarts: The Greatest Wizard

Chapter 89: Lovegood House

In fact, it was Phineas who came up with many of the ideas that were later carried out by the twins and Ginny.

But he didn't carry them out himself.

"Are you leaving today?"

Ginny looked at Phineas with some reluctance.

Phineas smiled and replied to the little girl,

"Yeah, I'm leaving today."

Arthur turned to him and asked,

"What are your plans next? Your vacation is only a month long!"

Phineas nodded.

"I have some plans. I'm heading to visit the Lovegood family who live not far from here. I have a few things to take care of there, and then I'm planning to ask Professor Dumbledore to help me contact some people."

As he spoke, Phineas glanced at George and the others nearby, then leaned closer to Arthur and whispered,

"After all, those things didn't just attack me—they attacked Hogwarts. I doubt even someone like Dumbledore would let that slide."

Arthur frowned.

"Phineas, maybe your family background brings you into contact with unusual matters, but don't forget—you're still just a child."

Phineas shook his head and said with quiet determination,

"I may be a child, but I'm not someone who stays silent when being attacked. And like I said, Dumbledore will act. I'll just be supporting—providing some information or maybe funding."

Their conversation was hushed, nearly a whisper. Molly, George, and the rest of the family looked on with curiosity. Fred and George, ever inquisitive, came over and slung their arms around Phineas's neck.

"Phineas, what did you say to our dad?"

"Why are you keeping secrets from us?"

Phineas only smiled and didn't answer. Instead, he waved toward Molly.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm heading off now. I'll come visit again soon."

Molly nodded warmly.

"You're welcome any time."

With a nod to the rest of the family, Phineas called out,

"Puff!"

With a snap, Puff, who had been keeping an eye on Phineas, appeared beside him, took his hand, and led him away from the Weasleys' Burrow.

But they didn't travel far. Instead, they arrived at the top of a mountain near the Burrow.

Looking back, Phineas had the odd feeling he'd forgotten something important during his stay—but if it was forgettable, it probably wasn't urgent. He turned and began looking for the Lovegood residence.

He knew the Lovegood house was nearby, but not its exact location.

And, just like with the Burrow, it would be impolite to Apparate directly into someone's home on a first visit. If he knew their fireplace, he could have used Floo Powder—but he had voluntarily disconnected his fireplace from the Floo Network for safety, as the house was protected by a Fidelius Charm.

On a hill just north of the Burrow, Phineas spotted the Lovegood house. It was a massive, black cylindrical building—like a giant stone chess piece.

Phineas walked toward it.

As he drew closer, he saw three hand-painted signs hanging on the somewhat dilapidated garden gate.

Sign One: The Quibbler – Editor-in-Chief: X. Lovegood

Everyone knew the editor was Xenophilius Lovegood, but he still used a pseudonym to publish the magazine.

Sign Two: Please choose your own bouquet of mistletoe

An old legend claimed mistletoe could repel witches, bad luck, and dark magic. Carrying it on a visit supposedly showed you were yourself—not cursed or controlled. Hardly anyone believed in that anymore, Muggle or magical, but it was still associated with love and happiness.

Sign Three: Don't touch the dirigible plum

A simple warning. The plant grew strange upside-down fruits that looked like turnips. Some fringe herbalists claimed it improved openness to unusual ideas—but those opinions were rare and not mainstream.

Phineas pushed open the creaky gate. The garden path was lined with odd plants beyond just dirigible plums—there were knotgrass vines, old crabapple trees with red fruits, and a large mistletoe wreath studded with white berries.

He gently plucked a bunch of mistletoe, held it, and continued down the path.

Soon, he arrived at the front of the black house and knocked three times with the eagle-shaped knocker on the heavy door.

A few seconds later, the door opened. A man with long, marshmallow-white hair hanging to his shoulders emerged, looking slightly confused.

He wore a tasseled hat that hung straight down to his nose, an egg-yellow robe, and no shoes. But what caught Phineas's eye was the necklace around his neck—the golden mark of the Deathly Hallows.

"Who are you?" the man asked, looking puzzled.

Phineas gave a respectful bow.

"Hello, Mr. Xenophilius Lovegood. I am Phineas Black. I've come to visit the lady of the house—Ms. Pandora Lovegood."

Xenophilius frowned.

"I don't remember my wife knowing anyone from the Black family."

Seeing his wariness, Phineas smiled slightly. He understood.

His current reputation in the wizarding world wasn't great. Dumbledore's allies and the neutrals suspected he had ties to the Dark Lord and was a Death Eater. Meanwhile, the Death Eaters and most pure-blood families thought he was a traitor aligned with Dumbledore.

So for a quiet, independent household like the Lovegoods, a visit from Phineas might be more alarming than welcome.

Still smiling, Phineas raised his right hand and showed the ring he wore.

"I believe Ms. Lovegood has a similar ring. If you're unsure, feel free to ask her. I don't mind waiting here."

Xenophilius narrowed his eyes, staring into Phineas's face.

After a pause, he turned and went back into the house.

(The original book only mentioned that Pandora died when Luna was nine years old, without an exact date, and Wikipedia said it was a day around 1990. For some considerations, the book set the time of Pandora's death at the end of 1990, before Luna's birthday on February 13, 1991.)