It was a peculiar happening.
He had not felt a break in his wards.
So a humanoid figure lounging in a chair across from his table had come as a surprise to the middle-aged wizard.
Very peculiar, indeed.
A wisp of a girl had found her way into Dumbledore's warded office.
Curtains of platinum hair tumbled over the back of her chair.
Her focus on a speck of apparent nothingness.
Airy voice talking to a seemingly invisible creature.
"That's not very nice; Dumbledore wouldn't appreciate you messing with his research."
She paused.
"While I agree with your assessment, it's very rude."
Dumbledore walked over to his chair.
She was too deep in her conversation to notice.
"Miss?"
Her head shot over to where the wizard had chosen to sit.
"Oh, you're finally here."
"Who might you be?"
"I'm Luna…"
She trailed off.
"You seem to have a nargle infestation in this room; no doubt they're attracted to your intelligence, sir. You can get rid of them by simply growing Turnips in your window sill."
The wizard chuckled.
He allowed her a moment to gather herself, which she didn't.
She simply looked dreamily at his desk.
Her wide eyes locked on, 'A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration'
"You teach Transfiguration now, Sir?"
"Yes."
Blue met blue as their eyes collided.
"If you would be so kind to explain why you are here, or will you allow me to venture a guess?"
"No, that won't be necessary; I'm from the future—about fifty years into the future, actually."
"I thought as much, Miss?"
"Lovegood."
"Will you tell me how you came to find yourself in this time?"
"I suppose I should start at the beginning."
"That would be for the best."
So she started at the beginning, at least her beginning.
She started when Harry won the tournament.
She moved on to their first meeting and how she got drawn into his world.
She mentioned the D.A., Umbridge's defeat, about her capture, Hermione's screams and finally the battle.
She continued the story calmly, with a smile on her face.
She explained fiery air and how it burned her senses.
Terrified faces of her old classmates, especially Draco Malfoy's, when they saw Hermione killed and their old professors burned alive.
She vaguely mentioned the tears Molly Weasley's shed as she saw her children fall and how she turned and cursed Bellatrix with all her power.
She told him about the sun setting.
How she limped through carnage to get the time turner.
About the red and blue clashing on the battle field as she twisted the mechanism.
She recounted the raised yew wand and outrage on his inhuman face before time shattered.
And finally detailed the conversation she had with Tom.
Her explanation, aside from two times where Luna got off topic, went on without issue.
"Well, Miss Lovegood, we could go about this several ways… you could attend school here, you could work under me as an aide or we can send you to stay at my home until we send you back."
Luna cocked her head to the side.
"I'm afraid that I have no plans on going back."
"Pardon?"
"You know as well as me, that he needs to be stopped."
"Are you suggesting risking the timeline?"
"Perhaps, but I think it's worth it."
A tense pause.
"Are you planning on killing him?"
She quickly shook her head, her hair moving with her.
"No, more violence is never the answer."
"You want to save him?"
"Ah, yes."
"And what if he refuses to be saved."
Luna frowned.
"He doesn't have a lot of choice in the matter."
Dumbledore paused.
"I see, however, I don't think it wise for you to be exposed to him. I'm positive he's killed already."
"Oh yes, you're right, he has killed two or three times already."
She looked thoughtful before continuing.
"Sir, monsters are made, not born. He's still a child and not a monster."
The wizard's eyes sparkled.
Innocent to a fault, that's what this witch is.
But accepting.
And so very self-aware.
She would be the one to fix Thomas.
But Dumbledore already knew that.
He could tell by her wand.
A thin dark brown number with moons and stars carved into the handle.
Black Walnut, a wood that would only choose a master with great instincts and insight.
Only someone who was self-aware and not prone to self conflict could wield such a wood.
He had sensed the core from across the room, abnormally potent in its rarity.
Ivory Bush Coral.
As hard as it was to find in the muggle world it was ten times so in the wizard world.
Much like equally rare Thestral hair, Ivory Bush Coral was very a powerful core.
However, anyone would be hard-pressed to seduce her to the dark-side.
Her wand would not allow such a thing.
Coral is too pure of a substance.
Much like its wielder.
A moment of pause.
"Yes, but there is some chance he is already past that point, what will you do then."
"My Time Turner isn't broken I can go further back, I'll save him as a child if necessary."
Another pause.
"I wish you luck."
Her face softened.
"Thank you."
"I'll talk to Dippet about what would be appropriate for you to do."
Dumbledore stood up and went to walk out the door.
He paused momentarily when he heard her airy voice.
It carried like a light spring breeze.
He almost didn't hear.
"I told you the headmaster was a kind man."