What the Eye can't See

'Ouch! Watch it!' Cho sneered, and quickly put the tips of her fingers in her mouth to prevent them from blistering. 'That hurt!'

'Oh, I'm sorry,' said Luna dreamily. 'I forgot what I was doing.'

Cho rolled her eyes. ' How does one suddenly forget she's working with fire-omens?' she snapped angrily. 'You're truly the dimmest star in several solar systems, Loony.'

She understood that Cho had just given her an insult. Given, indeed. Her mother would have told her that threats and insults were merely a person's way to masquerade a weaker part of the soul. "Remember, my dear girl. Every time someone tries to bring you down, they expose a dark and fragile part within. To witness such a vulnerability is a gift within itself," she would say.

Admittedly, sometimes she found it hard to see the gift within, and right now she wasn't sure how to respond since her apology clearly hadn't been accepted. She decided to remain silent instead.

She enjoyed Divination. It was the only subject where her mind was allowed to wander off to the many beautiful places that existed within her without too much interference. Whether they were crystal-gazing, performing tessomancy or looking into scrying mirrors, it only took a brief moment for her to lose herself in the reflective surfaces in order to see the things beyond. It was a peaceful place to be.

Today, they were continuing the practise of pyromancy. She had attempted to light a fire into the bowl of black coals they had been given, only, her mind hadn't really been there when she tried to light it. Ernie and Zacharias were clearly having fun smearing black soot onto each other's faces. Marietta kept talking on and on to Cho about a boy she fancied, and Cedric had fallen asleep in a corner of the room, snoring softly. Her mind had found each and everyone's story just as captivating.

'Is everything alright, miss Lovegood?' Professor Trelawney had appeared behind her. Her many necklaces and beads were shimmering in the fires that had been lit all around the classroom. Luna found it an enchanting sight.

'No, it's not alright,' Cho whined. 'She can't even light up a bloody fire properly without losing herself in the great black abyss.'

'Just stick your fingers in a jar of pickled Murtlap, miss Chang,' said Professor Trelawney dryly. 'You've got nothing to cry about. My inner eye tells me so.'

Cho huffed, but did not respond. In the meantime, the fire had expanded to a decent size, and Luna had started tracing the clouds of smoke with her eyes, higher and higher as it reached the ceiling. Slowly, the corners of her lips had curled into a smile. Cho's insult had brought her back to the voice of her mother. She had figured out the gift.

'Miss Lovegood,' a vague and earily voice called in the distance. 'Miss Lovegood. Are you in there somewhere?'

Luna lowered her head to see where the sound was coming from, and suddenly noticed that the classroom was quiet and empty.

'Miss Lovegood, would you like me to take you down to the hospital wing?'

'No need, Professor,' she said, and turned to look inside Trelawney's large insect-like eyes. 'But I appreciate the gesture nonetheless.'

Professor Trelawney looked sceptically at Luna. 'You are aware that the bell rang five minutes ago, don't you?'

Luna shook her head. 'I hadn't noticed, but that's okay. I needed to listen.'

'Listen to what, exactly?'

'To the voice in the flames of course.'

Professor Trelawney's sceptical frown had quickly been replaced by one of interest. 'Mind if I join you?' she asked softly.

'You are welcome to join me by my fire, Professor,' Luna said with a nod.

Trelawney folded the many layers of her colourful robes into her hands and sat down on the floor beside her. 'What is it that you hear, when the voice speaks to you?' she asked.

Luna gently started to rock back and forth. 'Oh, many things. Usually it's just comforting words. Sometimes it'll tell me where my shoes are hiding this time. They disappear quite often, for some reason. But to tell you the truth, professor,' she said as she leaned in and whispered, 'sometimes I think I just got too many Wrackspurts zooming around in my brain.'

'What is a Wrackspurt, miss Lovegood?' asked Professor Trelawney curiously.

'They're invisible creatures that make your brain go fuzzy,' said Luna nonchalantly. 'My mother suffered terribly from Wrackspurts. Made her go a little crazy from time to time.'

Professor Trelawney smiled. 'And what did she do to get rid of those Wrackspurts?'

Luna shrugged. 'I don't remember much. Dad said she experimented with magic a lot. It killed her when I was only nine.'

The smile on Trelawney's face was swiftly wiped away. 'I am so, so sorry to hear that,' she said with a tremble in her voice.

'Don't be,' said Luna as she stretched herself out. 'I do have some memories of her that I treasure, about her treasure. She used to own this box, you see. It was a very pretty box. I got very curious one day, and so I decided to take a look at what's inside while she was working in the garden. All I found were a few letters that I couldn't read because I was too young to do so, and a large collection of potion bottles. She kept her wand in it, too. Either way, she loved that box very much because she carried it with her wherever she went.'

'Miss Lovegood,' said Professor Trelawney, her eyes leaking with tears. 'Why are you telling me this?'

Luna followed a tear that was on the verge of dropping from Trelawney's cheek. She didn't quite understand why her professor was suddenly crying, but it didn't bother her so she decided not to ask. 'When mum died,' she continued, and wrapped her arms around her legs to stop herself from rocking back and forth, 'dad said it created a void in his life that could not be filled. But for me, it did quite the opposite. When she died, she suddenly became a part of everything. I could see her growing in the garden, smell her apple pies in the kitchen and I could even hear her read to me whenever I went to bed. It is her voice I hear, when I stare at the flames.'

The sleeves on Trelawney's robes were stained with the tears she had wiped off her face and held them near the fire to dry. 'What happened to her box, if I may ask?'

'We still have it,' said Luna as she rested her chin on her knees. 'I convinced dad when she was cremated to put her ashes in the box. It seemed like the right thing to do since she loved that box so much. Funny enough, dad never knew she had it.'

'I am a Seer,' said Trelawney, more to herself than to Luna. 'I see many things, both great and small, good and evil, every day of my life. And yet, I have failed to hear.'

'Would you like to hear her?'

Trelawney forced a smiled and shook her head. 'She's gone dear. How could I ever speak to her?'

'well I didn't say speak, Professor,' said Luna with a tilted eye. 'I asked if you wanted to hear her.'

'And how would I do that?'

Luna unfolded her arms and suddenly jumped to her feet. 'All you have to do is listen and be silent. They are the same word after all.'

Trelawney nodded in understanding. 'Then I'll see if she wishes to speak with me. But before you leave, miss Lovegood, there is one more thing I'd like to ask.'

'Sure Professor,' said Luna as she shuffled around with her feet. 'What would you like to know?'

'What was your mother's name, dear?'

'Pandora,' said Luna proudly. 'It means gift. Thank you for listening Professor. Have a good day.'

A/N Scrying mirrors were mentioned in the Deluxe Illustrated Slipcase Edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone.

A/N For those who don't get it, listen is an anagram for silent.