Lovegood House

• Type: Residence
• Location: Near Ottery St Catchpole, Devon, England
• Owner/Residents: The Lovegood family (Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna Lovegood, Pandora Lovegood (deceased))
• Key Features: Cylindrical 'rook-like' structure, eagle-shaped door knocker that poses riddles, The Quibbler printing press, eccentric decorations

The Lovegood House is the eccentric and uniquely designed home of Xenophilius Lovegood and his daughter, Luna Lovegood. Located on a hill near the village of Ottery St Catchpole, the house is described as resembling a giant black rook, a chess piece, due to its cylindrical shape. A winding path, flanked by peculiar plants including Dirigible Plum trees, leads to the entrance. Two signs are posted at the gate: one advertising “THE QUIBBLER. EDITOR: X. LOVEGOOD” and another warning visitors to “KEEP OFF THE DIRIGIBLE PLUMS”. The front door is thick, black, and studded with iron nails. In place of a handle or bell, it features a large, eagle-shaped bronze knocker. When a visitor uses the knocker, it asks a magical riddle that must be answered to gain entry. When Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger visited, the riddle was, “Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?”, to which Luna Lovegood had determined the answer to be, “A circle has no beginning.” The interior of the house is as unconventional as its exterior. The ground-floor kitchen is perfectly circular, with all furniture curved to fit the walls. It is brightly painted with intricate designs of flowers, insects, and birds. A large, clanking printing press, used to produce The Quibbler, dominates much of the room. A rickety spiral staircase leads to the upper levels. The floor above the kitchen serves as a combined living room and workshop. It is extremely cluttered with stacks of books and papers. It was here that Xenophilius Lovegood displayed what he claimed was the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack. Hermione Granger correctly identified it as the dangerously explosive horn of an Erumpent. This room also contained a stone bust of a beautiful witch wearing a strange headdress, which Harry later recognized as Rowena Ravenclaw wearing the lost Diadem. At the very top of the house is Luna's bedroom, also a circular room. Its ceiling is painted with beautifully rendered, life-like portraits of her five closest friends: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. The portraits are linked by a fine golden chain made of the word “friends” repeated over and over in gold ink. Tragically, the house was also the site of Pandora Lovegood's death. She was killed when an experimental spell she was casting backfired, an event witnessed by a nine-year-old Luna.

The Lovegood House plays a pivotal role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Seeking information about the mysterious symbol seen on a necklace worn by Xenophilius and in a book by Albus Dumbledore, the trio travels to the house. There, Xenophilius explains the symbol represents the Deathly Hallows and recounts The Tale of the Three Brothers. This visit turns into a trap when Xenophilius, desperate to secure the return of his kidnapped daughter Luna from the Death Eaters, attempts to betray the trio to the Ministry of Magic. As Death Eaters Travers and Selwyn arrive, a fight ensues. To create a diversion and ensure the Death Eaters knew Harry had been there, Hermione cast a Blasting Curse that detonated the Erumpent horn. The resulting explosion destroyed much of the house, allowing the trio to Disapparate to safety in the confusion. The visit was crucial as it formally introduced Harry to the concept of the Hallows, temporarily diverting his focus from the Horcrux hunt.

• Kitchen: The ground-floor, circular room containing kitchen utilities and the printing press for The Quibbler.
• Workshop/Living Room: A cluttered second-floor room used by Xenophilius for his work, where the Erumpent horn and the bust of Rowena Ravenclaw were displayed.
• Luna's Bedroom: Located at the top of the house, with a ceiling famously painted with portraits of her friends.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, the house's design closely follows the book's description, appearing as a tall, narrow, and whimsical structure. The destruction of the house during the Death Eater attack is depicted as a dramatic and violent event, with the entire structure collapsing in on itself from the force of the Erumpent horn's explosion (film).