TITLE:
Our Family Secret
FANDOM: HP/BtVS
AUTHOR: Dizzy Flower
PART: 6/?
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Luna has to research an ancestor for History of Magic. When she
stumbles across one Drusilla Rose Kent, she has to know what happens to her.
Answer to Gidgetgirl's Loopy Challenge.
DISCLAIMER: BtVS and Angel belongs to Joss Whedon. Harry Potter belongs to JK
Rowling. This story is an answer to a challenge by Gidgetgirl, so the plot
belongs to her.
A/N: Okay, a few people have asked about the timeline. Well, it's set in season four, but that Connor/Cordelia thing never happened. Ick. Anyway, Cordelia came back from her higher dimension, basically the same as she left. Confusing? Hopefully not, but I couldn't think of any other period in which my Luna/Connor pairing would work.
Our Family Secret
Chapter 6-
Losing The Tune
The Hyperion Hotel was intimidating. Scary even.
Or maybe it was just scary because Luna knew that it was where Angel lived.
Regardless of why the building was scary, it was, and in a matter of minutes Luna would have to step through those big doors and become a client of Angel Investigations.
Tucked into her backpack was her copy of the Encyclopaedia of Magical Creatures. It was the only thing Luna had with her that was magical, as Hermione had specifically told her not to bring anything in case her luggage was searched. But Luna couldn't resist bringing what was essentially her Bible.
The Encyclopaedia was the largest tome Luna had ever seen- it was even bigger than Hogwarts: A History. It barely fitted in her backpack, and she'd taken everything else out of it. The book had definitions of almost every creature known to man. Hermione called it the Encyclopaedia of Magical Hogwash, but that was only because she thought that over three quarters of the creatures listed were not real. Well, had Luna news for her- the night before she'd gone through the entire book and found the demonic crab, something that Hermione had had trouble believing about when she'd first flipped through the book.
That wasn't the reason why Luna had brought the book to Angel Investigations; all the pictures moved, and when one touched a finger on some of them the reader was pulled into the picture. The Encyclopaedia was on the Ministry's list of banned books for that reason, but this copy had been in the Lovegood family for generations and they'd never bothered to hand it in to the appropriate authorities. Apparently some unfortunates had been sucked in to the picture of the All Consuming Beast and had been (unsurprisingly) consumed. Why was that a reason for the book to be banned? If people were careful with the pictures then they had nothing to worry about. The Ministry of Magic, however, did not take Luna's stance on the Encyclopaedia, and so Luna's copy was possibly the only remaining one left in private hands.
The backpack was a heavy weight on her back, and it was actually rather reassuring. It provided Luna with support as she pushed open the doors of the Hyperion and stepped inside.
It was quite dark, and so it took Luna's eyes a few moments to adjust. She supposed it was dark so Angel could walk around in the daytime, but she thought they could've installed electric lights for those whose eyesight wasn't quite up to vampire standards. Obviously being considerate wasn't a prerequisite for being a private detective.
The spacious foyer made her footsteps echo as she walked and Luna had to admit that the Hyperion definitely had atmosphere, even if it did seem a little rundown.
"Hello!"
Luna jumped as she heard a woman's voice, and she turned around in a tight circle, trying to locate the sound. There were little goose bumps on her arms and Luna wished she wasn't so well –Ravenclaw- and more Gryffindor. Finally she spotted the outline of a woman against a doorway and she blushed with embarrassment at being so scared. "Hello."
"Can I help you?" The woman came out of the office and Luna could see her properly. She was tall and thin, and Luna automatically felt frumpy. Her accent, Luna noticed, though still American was markedly different from those of everybody else she'd met thus far. It was Texan, perhaps. Something Southern anyhow.
"Yes, actually, you can," said Luna, remembering what she came for. As she swung the heavy backpack off her shoulder, Luna reminded herself to act like a Muggle. "Clueless," Luna whispered under her breath.
"Pardon?" the Texan woman had stepped closer and had obviously heard what Luna had muttered. She had a puzzled expression on her face. Luna had found that that expression was common when people talked to her. She had no idea why, though.
"Nothing," Luna covered her mistake hurriedly, and held her backpack out to change the subject. "I heard you helped in…strange stuff. The paranormal."
The woman beamed, and she instantly became businesslike. "We sure do! We help the helpless, that's our motto." Her expression changed to become one of motherly concern. "Are you helpless?"
"Kind of," Luna gulped. It was time to switch to Muggle mode. "This is going to sound really strange…"
"We specialise in strange," the woman told her reassuringly, as if the fact that they dealt in weird things was going to comfort Luna. "I'm Fred, by the way. Winifred actually, but Fred is so much shorter and easier to say, don't you agree?"
Luna nodded, a little shell-shocked. This was Fred, the woman who Hermione's research had said was as smart as Hermione herself? Luna had been expecting someone a little more…masculine.
"Come and sit down and tell me all about it, sweetie," Fred told her kindly, motioning to the office she'd come out of with a hand.
"Thank you," Luna said softly, and followed Fred to the office. It was plainly furnished, and Luna 's attention was immediately drawn to the only interesting piece of furniture in it, the table. There were mostly files and papers strewn all over that, but there was something silver on top of them. It took her a moment to realise what it was, and when she did she felt as if she'd stepped into another world. They had weapons lying around as if they needed them near at all times…that was a little bit scary. When Fred asked her a question, she had to wrench her gaze away from the ornate dagger lying on the desk to answer. Fred noticed the direction of her gaze and hurriedly pushed it under some files. "A toy," Fred explained, laughing nervously. "Now what can I do for you?"
Luna sat down in a seat opposite Fred and heaved her backpack onto her lap. "I was looking through the attic when I found this book," Luna unzipped her bag and with a bit of difficulty heaved the book in question out. Fred's eyes lit up and Luna giggled a little nervously. "I know this sounds odd, but the pictures move, and I was watching a fly land on one of them and," Luna paused for effect and Fred leaned forward slightly, "it disappeared."
Fred's forehead creased. "Disappeared?"
Luna nodded gravely. "Yes." She flipped through the book and pointed out the exact picture.
"Amazing," breathed Fred, leaning forward to get a better look at the Disembowelling Demon.
"Careful," warned Luna, pleased to see that she'd believed her story so far. "You don't want to touch it, else you'll be pulled in as well."
Fred blanched and hastily moved back. "So, Miss…?"
"Lovegood," Luna answered promptly, "Luna Lovegood."
"What do you want us to do, Luna? You didn't come out all the way from England to ask this, did you?"
"No," said Luna, shaking her head. "But you see, I'm on holiday here, and someone at home suggested that I while I was here I should come and ask your advice."
Fred looked chuffed. "You mean our reputation is known in England?"
Luna nodded and tried not to look guilty. It wasn't a total lie, she reasoned; someone in England must have heard of Angel Investigations.
"Wow." Fred grinned, but her gaze wondered back to the book in Luna's hands. "But I'm still unsure about what you want us to do."
"Well, you see," explained Luna, her eyes widening, "the fly wasn't the only thing that fell into the pictures." Luna tried to look mournful. "My cousin was sent up to the attic to fetch a box, but he never returned. We suspect he opened the book and touched a picture."
Fred gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry! How tragic!"
Luna nodded, and gave a sniff. "Yes. My family have tried to find him, but they never thought of contacting a detective agency. I thought perhaps I could surprise them by finding him. If they don't know what I'm doing then they can't be disappointed if we find nothing."
"We'll try our very best," Fred promised seriously. "What's your cousin's name?"
"Name?" repeated Luna stupidly. Oops- she'd forgotten that little detail. She racked her mind for a boy's name and said the first thing that entered her brain. "Stephen."
"Don't you worry, Luna, we'll find Stephen. This case will become our main priority."
"Thanks," said Luna, a little overwhelmed at their eagerness to take on her case. She really hadn't expected them to take her so seriously.
"I'll introduce you to Angel and the rest of the team right now," Fred said, standing up. Luna did the same after tucking the book back into her bag. "We'll get started pronto."
"I'll do anything I can to help," Luna told Fred as she followed her out of the office. "Stephen is my cousin after all."
"Fair enough," said Fred. "We won't stop you, but this is a very dangerous business."
"I won't get in your way," said Luna. "I promise."
They crossed the foyer and made their way down into the basement. Luna's heart was thudding rather painfully. In moments she would meet Angel, the man –vampire, actually- responsible for murdering her ancestors and turning her aunt several times removed.
She'd never been more nervous in her entire life.
What would he look like? Would he know who she was? Or would he-
Fred opened the basement door and all Luna's thoughts flew out the window. The basement had been converted into some kind of training room, with dummies, pommel horses, and weapons hanging on the wall. The four people lounged around the room had been talking, but at her entrance they'd fallen silent and were looking at her curiously.
"Hey guys," Fred said easily in the sudden silence. "This is Luna Lovegood, our new client." She pushed Luna forward gently.
Luna smiled nervously. "Hi." Her eyes flicked around the group. There was a tall black man, a pretty woman who was leaning against a pommel horse, and a man who Luna knew must be Angel. He was tall, solidly built, with brown hair. Luna didn't look at him for more than a second, as she didn't want to draw attention to herself, but his face imprinted itself on her brain. Her eyes moved to the fourth member of the group and she gave a start.
Fred laughed and laid a hand on her shoulder. "This is Lorne," she introduced, and the demon waved at her. "Hi, Sugar."
"Hello," said Luna confusedly. Angel Investigations employed a demon. A green demon with red horns.
"He's friendly," Fred said with a grin, as if reading her mind.
"As harmless as a kitten," Lone smiled. "Now Angelcakes here-" he patted Angel on the shoulder, "now this kitten was claws."
"What can we do for you, Miss Lovegood?" Angel said, ignoring Lorne.
Luna was entranced. Angel, one quarter of the Scourge of Europe, terror of the demon underworld (and the world in general) had just spoken to her, Luna Lovegood. Luna Lovegood, insignificant being and nerd of Hogwarts, had just been asked a question by Angel. Fred have her a little nudge and Luna realised that she'd been entranced just a little too long. She gave a weak smile at the four people staring curiously at her before plunging into her tale.
As she ended her story she looked around to see three faces, pity plainly shown on their features. Only Angel seemed relatively unmoved by her story.
"How did you get the book from England to here without your family noticing it was missing?" he asked suspiciously, brown eyes narrowing.
Luna blinked in surprise at the question, but she had an answer ready. "My family locked it in a trunk, and it was very easy to open. I don't think that they're going to open up the trunk and discover it's missing anytime soon."
"I told her we'd make this case our priority," Fred cut in. "Seeing as we're kind of familiar with parallel dimensions and that stuff." There was an uncomfortable pause after this statement, and Luna couldn't help noticing that there seemed to have been a sudden drop in temperature.
Lorne eventually broke the silence. "Well, mooncalf," he said, addressing Luna with a smile. "You know Fred and I, but everyone else has yet to be introduced."
The woman picked up on Lorne's less than subtle hint to change the subject. "I'm Cordelia Chase," she said, smiling at Luna. "Secretary for that musclebound brute." She pointed at Angel. "He's Angel, by the way. And he," Cordelia's finger swivelled around to point at the black man, "is Gunn."
"Gun?" Echoed Luna. Wasn't that a type of Muggle wand?
Gunn grinned, misinterpreting the reason for her confusion. "My full name's Charles Gunn, but only Fred calls me Charles."
"Girlfriend privilege," said Fred, giggling and exchanging a look with Gunn.
"Oh spare us," muttered Cordelia, rolling her eyes. She caught Luna looking at her and grinned. "You'll get used to us, soon."
"I've never gotten used to them," Lorne told her in a stage whisper, and Luna giggled.
"We're not that bad, Lorne," Fred protested, and Luna was reminded of Dumbledore's Army. There was that same sense of camaraderie, of family. The faces of Ginny, Hermione and even Neville flashed before her, and Luna felt the first pangs of homesickness shoot through her.
Fred must have caught sight of the look on her face, for her smile instantly faded. "We'll start now," Fred told Luna, placing an arm around her shoulder and leading her back up the stairs. Don't you worry about a thing- Stephen will be back before you know it."
&&&
Luna was beginning to get a little worried. Angel Investigations were throwing themselves into this case, and sooner or later they were going to realise that some things just didn't add up.
When they found out that she'd practically wasted their time, Luna doubted they'd be happy. On the upside, she'd managed to spend some time with Angel.
But her original plan was not going as she'd imagined it to be. Angel Investigations had believed her story hook, line and sinker, and they were far more interested in researching and making plans than they were about idle chitchat. She supposed she ought to be proud of how good an actress she was. Gilderoy Lockhart would certainly be proud of her. He'd always said how her blonde hair was only slightly less striking than his own, and perhaps, just perhaps, she might have potential. Acting abilities aside though, things were not going as planned.
Not to mention the fact that she'd found more questions than answers.
There was something seriously odd going on between the members of Angel Investigations, and Luna would have had to have been blind not to have noticed. There were strange silences, just like the one when Fred had mentioned other dimensions. And there was also the matter of Angel's son. She'd wrangled that bit of information out of Fred as they'd gone down to get something called tacos. Incidentally, they were actually rather nice, but Luna was too caught up in the slip of info Fred had told her to concentrate on the taste. She hadn't said much- a few mutters about Angel's son and how he'd been taken away from him.
Luna was more observant than people thought her to be.
Other Dimensions Missing Child ?
The answer was obvious, and Luna didn't need Hermione to spell it out for her. That was why Angel seemed so touchy about her case. Even the name, Stephen, made him scowl, though she didn't know why.
She'd overheard various conversations, and she knew that Angel's son had come back from this other dimension, and tried to kill him. She'd also heard from her hiding place behind a potted plant that one of Angel's friends had been the one to betray him, to take his son away from him. Fred and Lorne had walked off at that moment, and so Luna had never been able to find out the friend's name, though it did sound as if Angel had forgiven him.
And she'd thought Hogwarts was a hotbed of gossip.
Luna was jolted out of her thoughts by Lorne's voice. "Er, pardon?" Luna asked, blushing a bit at being caught unawares.
"I said, sweetie, maybe you'd like to sing for us? You know, break the monotony a bit."
Luna shook her head with a grin. "I'm not a very good singer."
"Everyone can sing well when they try," said Lorne. "Except maybe Angel."
Luna hesitated. She hadn't been lying when she said she was a bad singer. But on the other hand, why not? It would be fun. "Okay. But I don't know what to sing."
Lorne gave a shrug. "Doesn't matter what you sing, only how you sing it."
Luna thought for a moment. She didn't know many Muggle songs, but would it really matter if she sang a wizarding one? They wouldn't know. "Alright then. I warned you though- I'm a terrible singer." Luna took a deep breath and started singing. She was a little wobbly at first, but as Luna got further into the song she became more confident. The song itself was one of her favourites, a little ditty her mother had sung to her at night to get her to sleep.
As she finished Fred, Gunn and Cordelia burst into applause. "I thought you said you couldn't sing," Fred accused, her eyes twinkling.
"I wasn't that good," Luna said, blushing. She turned to Lorne. He was sitting very still, and he hadn't clapped with the rest when she'd finished. Luna's smile faded when she saw how grave his face was. She gave a little gulp, and suddenly she wished she hadn't sung.
"I think you've got a bit of explaining to do, missy."
