Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Chapter Twenty:
Xenophilius Lovegood

"All's fair in love and war, and this is a bit of both."

Notes by Michele L. Worley
Page editor Belinda Hobbs

U.S. hardcover edition: pages 388 - 404
U.K. hardcover edition: pages 315 - 328
Timeframe: 27 December, 1997

Chapter synopsis:
In which Harry and Ron bring each other up to date on their adventures, Hermione finds the triangular mark in a photograph of Dumbledore's letters, and the trio seek out Xenophilius Lovegood at his home for further information about the mark.

Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter:

I don't even know whether Grindelwald's still alive
As we are to learn later, he is, but not for long (DH23).

You know how much she hates Celestina Warbeck.
Because Fleur spent the previous Christmas at the Burrow with them, and failed to conceal how much she disliked the constant playing of Warbeck's songs, which Mrs. Weasley is very fond of (HBP16).

bore a knocker shaped like an eagle
This, coupled with Mr. Lovegood's evident fascination with Ravenclaw's diadem, suggests to me that he, too, was once a Ravenclaw, like his daughter.

the Room of Requirement on the unforgettable occasion that it had transformed itself into a gigantic labyrinth comprised of centuries of hidden objects
I confess that JKR slipped this little clue right past me.

an old-fashioned printing press, due to the fact that it was churning out Quibblers
As our own readers may be aware, we here at the Lexicon have wondered about how printing was handled in the wizarding world, given their tendency to use magic where Muggles use machinery.

Characters introduced in this chapter:

• none
  

Characters returning in this chapter:

• Granger, Hermione
  
• Lovegood, Xenophilius
  
• Potter, Harry
  
• Weasley, Ron
  

Characters mentioned in this chapter:

• Delacour, Fleur
  
• Dumbledore, Albus
  
• Grindelwald, Gellert
  
• Krum, Viktor
  
• Peverell, Ignotus (reference to his grave)
  
• Ravenclaw, Rowena
  
• Riddle, Tom (as Voldemort, You-Know-Who)
  
• Shacklebolt, Kingsley
  
• Skeeter, Rita
  
• Tonks, Nymphadora
  
• Warbeck, Celestina
  
• Weasley, Arthur (as Ron's dad)
  
• Weasley, Bill
  
• Weasley, Fred
  
• Weasley, George
  
• Weasley, Ginny
  
• Weasley, Molly (as Ron's mum)
  
• (unnamed) "delightful young wizard" who sold an Erumpent horn to Mr. Lovegood as a Crumple-Horned Snorkack's horn
  

Settings and locations introduced or returning in this chapter:

• Burrow, the
  
• Forest of Dean, the
  
• Lovegoods' house
  
• Ottery St. Catchpole
  

Settings and locations mentioned in this chapter:

• Bottom Bridge
  
• Godric's Hollow
  
• London - Tottenham Court Road
  
• Room of Requirement
  
• Shell Cottage, Tinworth
  

Exceptional character moments:

• The relationship between Ron and Bill - that Ron felt he could go to Bill more easily than he could go home and face Ginny and the twins with the admission that he'd left Hermione and Harry.
  

Spells:

• Disapparition
  
• Engorgio
  
• Expecto Patronum (mention of Patronus)
  
• (not named) Levitation Charm
  
• Reducio
  
• Taboo, the
  

Links and Resources:

• Bestiary
  
  • billywig
    
  • Crumple-Horned Snorkack
    
  • deer
    
  • Erumpent
    
  • lynx
    
  • owl
    
  • phoenix
    
  • Plimpies, Freshwater
    
  • spider
    
  • unicorn
    
  • Wrackspurt
    
• blood status (Muggle-borns)
  
• books
  
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
    
  • Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, The
    
  • Tales of Beedle the Bard, The
    
• Death Eaters
  
• items and devices
  
  • action figures
    
  • chess set
    
  • Cloak, Invisibility
    
  • Deluminator
    
  • Hallows, Deathly
    
  • handbag, Hermione's
    
  • Horcruxes (Ravenclaw's diadem)
    
  • printing press
    
  • Snitch, Golden
    
  • sword of Gryffindor
    
  • tent
    
• Ministry of Magic
  
• Ministry regulations
  
• music
  
• Order of the Phoenix, the
  
• plants
  
  • blackberries
    
  • blackthorn
    
  • crab apple trees
    
  • Dirigible Plums
    
  • Gurdyroots
    
  • mistletoe
    
  • mushrooms (yes, I know, not actually a plant)
    
  • Snargaluff
    
• Quibbler, The
  

Memorable lines:

• "Listen, I've got a feeling you'd be able to tell who lived there if you looked through the Lovegoods' window."
  

Strictly British:

• bloke
  
• cupboards
  
• hacked off
  
• holidays
  
• keen
  
• mum
  
• pepper pot
  
• rucksack
  
• tea tray
  
• tuft
  
• Wellington boots
  
• wellingtoned
  
• wireless
  

Timelines/Calendar:

Begins the morning after the previous chapter, which therefore dates the action of this one as 27 December 1997.