Finally at Harry, upon which his mouth fell open in a perfect, comical O.

"Hello, Mr. Lovegood," said Harry, holding out his hand, "I'm Harry,

Harry Potter."

Xenophilius did not take Harry's hand, although the eye that was not

pointing inward at his nose slid straight to the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Would it be okay if we came in?" asked Harry. "There's something we'd

like to ask you."

"I . . . I'm not sure that's advisable," whispered Xenophilius, He

swallowed and cast a quick look around the garden. "Rather a shock . . . My

word . . . I . . . I'm afraid I don't really think I ought to ---"

"It wont take long" said Harry, slightly disappointed by this

Less-than-warm welcome.

"I --- oh, all right then. Come in, quickly, Quickly!"

They were barely over the threshold when Xenophilius slammed the door

Shut behind them, They were standing in the most peculiar kitchen Harry had

Ever seen. The room was perfectly circular, so that he felt like being

Inside a giant pepper pot. Everything was curved to fit the walls - the

Stove, the sink, and the cupboards - and all of it had been painted with

Flowers, insects, and birds in bright primary colors. Harry thought he

recognized Luna's styles. The effect in such and enclosed space, was

Slightly overwhelming.

In the middle of the floor, a wrought-iron spiral staircase ld to the

Upper levels. There was a great deal of clattering and banging coming from

overhead: Harry wondered what Luna could be doing.

"You'd better come up." said Xenophilius, still looking extremely

Uncomfortable, and he led the way.

The room above seemed to be a combination of living room and workplace,

And as such, was even more cluttered than the kitchen. Though much smaller

And entirely round, the room somewhat resembled the Room of Requirement on

The unforgettable occasion that it had transformed itself into a gigantic

Labyrinth comprised of centuries of hidden objects. There were piles upon

Piles of books and papers on every surface. Delicately made models of

Creatures Harry did not recognize, all flapping wings or snapping jaws, hung

From the ceiling.

Luna was not there: The thing that was making such a racket was a wooden

Object covered in magically turning cogs and wheels, It looked like the

Bizarre offspring of a workbench and a set of shelves, but after a moment

Harry deduced that it was an old-fashioned printing press, due to the fact

That it was churning out Quibblers.

"Excuse me," said Xenophilius, and he strode over to the machine, seized

Grubbily tablecloth from beneath an immense number of books and papers,

Which all tumbled onto the floor, and threw it over the press, somewhat

Muffling the loud bangs and clatters. He then faced Harry.

"Why have you come here?"

Before Harry could speak, however, Hermione let out a small cry of shock.

"Mr. Lovegood - what's that?"

See was pointing at an enormous, gray spiral horn, not unlike that of a

Unicorn, which had been mounted on the wall, protruding several feet into

The room.

"It is the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack," said Xenophilius.

"No it isn't!" said Hermione.

"Hermione," muttered Harry, embarrassed, "now's not the moment -"

"But Harry, it's an Erumpent horn! It's a Class B Tradeable Material and

it's an extraordinary dangerous thing to have in a house!"

"How'd you know it's an Erumpent horn?" asked Ron, edging away from the

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 845