Chapter 8
DISCLAIMER - None of these delightful characters are mine, all belong to JK Rowling.
Diagon Alley was everything Luna remembered from the only other time that she had been there. She had been about eight years old then and had accompanied her dad who was looking for some printing supplies. It was the most exciting place she had ever seen and so it proved now.
The Professor had apparated after breakfast, taking her with him and so, her feet touched the ground just outside a fabulously noisy shop, crammed with cages, each containing a different animal.
Luna gazed fascinated at glimpses of ravens' wings, the flash of a pink tail as a rat squirmed on its downy bed, the amber scrutiny of a tabby cat. Then, she felt the weight of the Professor's hand on her shoulder.
"Not just yet, Luna. I sense that a stop in there might well be a lengthy one! Time enough for that when we have attended to our other business," he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling at her.
"Oh I don't need a pet, Severus," she said cheerfully and his expression turned stern.
"Is this another cost saving exercise, young lady?"
"Oh no. I promised Galahad that he could come to Hogwarts with me," Luna looked up at him decisively.
"Who?" her guardian's brows beetled.
"My cat. Well, I say my cat but he's not really mine. He just likes to hang out with me," she replied, her eyes wandering around the bustling commercial centre of the wizarding world.
He shook his head and indicated with a sweep of his hand that they should move along. Luna followed his lead, her interest flitting swiftly from one vibrant and busy shop to the next. She watched as sparks erupted through the door of a quaint little shop with a Victorian window, each square pane so dusty it was quite impossible to see inside.
"Our first stop," Severus said, reaching for the door and holding it open for her, an instinctive courtesy.
Luna read the sign of the door, recognised the name straight away. Olivander's, the most famous wand maker in thewizarding world.
Inside, the gloom made it almost as difficult to see the stock as it had been to in from the outside. Dust motes floated on the spears of light that came in from the fanlight above the door and the gaps in the grime on the windows. Luna did make out another person, about her own height, a girl, who was waving a wand with an uncertain circular movement of her hand. The sparks had been cast by her, Luna realised as she watched while this time, a vortex of air fanned from the tip of the wand, causing her hair to be lifted back from her face, as though she faced a strong gust of wind.
An old man, frail looking, impossibly old and slightly hunched stepped forward.
"Oh no, my dear. Not this one then," he took the wand from the girl and went back to a soaring shelf filled with piles of rectangular boxes.
He searched through the towering piles, reaching at last for a box and returning to his customer.
"Give this one a try, then. Seven inches, hazel with dragon's heartstring," he handed her the wand and turned his attention to the newcomers.
"Professor Snape. I thought I might be seeing you," Mr Olivander set eyes of a faded blue on his tall client. Luna wondered if his eyes were sightless, so pale in colour were they but his gaze was keen when he turned it on her.
"Miss Lovegood, is it not? Starting Hogwarts this year, then. I knew your mother, your father, too, of course," Mr. Olivander said.
Luna extended a hand.
"I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Olivander," she said. "My father hopes that one day, you will talk to him about the troubles of wand rot. He has an excellent piece in his last…. In the last … the most recent Quibbler," she said.
The old man regarded her with a perplexed silence. Snape cleared his throat and Olivander snapped back the task at hand, seemingly relieved to have something to do other than discuss a wand rot interview.
"Ah yes. Let's see, let's see," he shuffled away and disappeared into the darkened recesses of his shop, returning a moment later with a long, thin box containing a sleek wand made of a pale, glossy wood.
""Laurel. Ten inches, unicorn tail at its core. Try this, Miss Lovegood. See how you go," Mr. Olivander said.
Luna lifted the wand and felt a sensation like a current of power running up her arm. A tower of boxes collapsed to the floor.
"Ah, not this one, then," Olivander took the wand, slipped it back into the box and vanished once more.
When he returned he paused to watch the progress of the other girl.
"Yes, Miss Parkinson, I think that's the one," he said as the girl flicked the wand again and the empty box lifted into the air smoothly before alighting back on the shelf, graceful and silent.
"Now, my dear. Another. Rosewood, eight and a half inches. Also Unicorn hair," the wand maker held out another slim box to Luna, who lifted the wand, feeling it light in her hand.
This time, a different feeling, the wand sat snugly into the palm of her hand, feeling slightly warm against her skin. Mr. Olivander looked hopeful as Luna flicked her wrist and felt only a vibration, a sense of power contained.
"Ah there we are. A match. Professor, I feel your charge will do well with this one," the wandmaker nodded, pleased.
He turned back to complete the transaction with the Parkinson girl, who gave Luna, with her mismatched ear rings and her hair band made of sea shells a mocking look. This she masked quickly as she caught Professor's Snape's eye, intimidated by the warning flash she saw there.
The wand purchase made, Severus took her across the cobbled street and indicated yet another shop.
"In you go, Luna. Madame Malkin will see to your robes. Tell her to charge them to me and to have them sent to Hogwarts. I have some business of my own to see to and I will also order your books. I will meet you in half an hour, right over there," he pointed to a brightly coloured shop, where children milled about in large numbers. Luna quickly saw why.
"And if you are a good girl, get all your shopping done and are on time, I may even buy you an ice cream," he gave a small bow, almost regal as he made to take his leave.
Looking forward to the promise of a visit to Fortescue's, whose ice creams were the stuff legends were made of, Luna followed his direction to get fitted for her robes, a small smile on her face. This was a good day, she thought and this feeling, well, it was happiness.
Although not a girl to pay heed to the fashion trends of the either the magical or muggle world, Luna none the less enjoyed the purely feminine pleasure of trying new clothes. With Madame Malkin's experienced eye and advice guiding her, she was fitted for her robes, feeling as she wore them that she was a part of new community, a new family, on her way to be a qualified witch.
Then, she took stock of the time and not wanting to be late, she thanked the sales witch and hurried outside to find the Professor.
All about, people milled past her, this was a busy time for the Diagon Alley traders as families flocked to buy goods for students ahead of term resuming. Voices chattered, children laughed, Luna could have simply stayed put to take it all in but for her arrangement to meet Severus at the ice cream shop and so, she made her way in its direction now.
The day was pleasantly sunny and warm, the atmosphere around her was irresistibly joyful and Luna felt better than she had in many days,. It was as if the late summer heat was burning away her troubles, and even if it was for just one day, Luna intended to make the most of it.
She arrived at the ice cream shop, let her eyes roam over the throngs of happy children and smiling parents and realised that her guardian had not yet arrived. Pleased to be the first there, Luna contented herself with watching other people eat their ice cream while she waited, imagining which one she might to choose for herself.
Suddenly, Luna had the sense that she herself was being observed. She looked about, trying to find the eyes she felt upon her and at first, saw only the distracted and anonymous faces of strangers who paid her no heed at all. Then, as she looked, a gap opened between the swarming crowds, a chink between the multitudes of shoppers and through it came a small figure, eyes wide and eager, large ears flapping as it hurried in her direction. It was moving straight towards her and Luna was completely surprised when the little creature stopped before her.
"Ah Miss Lovegood. The trouble Is had to finds you," the house elf gasped, pressing a long fingered hand to her chest. She set her bright, round eyes on Luna and gave a theatrical little bow.
"Me?" Luna bent over so that she was closer to the little elf's height.
"Did the Professor send you?"
Luna had never seen the creature before but she wondered if she was a Hogwarts elf.
"You must look here now, just look here," the aged being said, unfolding the fingers of her other hand, which was fisted around something Luna could not see.
Then, there was shimmer, as gilded dust puffed for a mere heartbeat before Luna's eyes and then it was gone, vanished on the still summer air.
"Oh. Was that gildyduff pollen? What was that?"
Luna blinked, taken aback at the unusual sight. She straightened, her head felt suddenly light.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice sounding like it was coming from a long way off.
Suddenly, an eerie silence was descending, even though Luna could still see the hundreds of people enjoying the shops and the warm day. It was as though the sounds of their voices were being muffled.
Her eyes tingled and her limbs felt heavy. She was quite certain that she would never be able to lift her arms again, move her foot even an inch. Why, even her eyelids were far too weighty to move.
"Luna! Who are you talking to?"
She barely heard the words, they seemed garbled, as if spoken underwater but she knew she recognised the voice that spoke them, even if she could not remember the name of its owner.
She tried to look around at the speaker, found she could not. Then , there was a shadow falling over her, the deepest black and a puzzled set of obsidian eyes were looking at her worriedly.
Luna knew she knew who it was and she wanted to open her mouth and tell him that something had happened, something was wrong but she could not do it.
She looked but where the elf had been, there was only a patch of empty cobbles.
"Severus!"
It took every ounce of her fading strength to utter the words but his hands were already on her shoulders, his eyes roving over, fierce and intense.
Then, he reached forward and swooped her up into his arms, holding her tightly to him as he moved through the shuffling crowds. People parted before him quickly, his steps were urgent and the expression on his face would have turned back an army.
Luna felt the air rush about her as he carried her, knew he was moving fast. Still the awful, languorous stupor persisted, threatening to consume her completely. She longed to give in, to sink under the velvet darkness that drained her muscles and froze her bones.
"Keep your eyes open, fight, Luna, fight it," she could hardly determine the words Severus was saying but the insistencey in his tone just reached her, held the lethargy at bay.
She knew she was inside, now, she did not know what the building was or even how long she had been there. The room was dark and she knew she was lying on a couch, old, possibly antique, it's red upholstery faded and worn to the thread in parts.
The Professor was standing over her, his face grimly set, his eyes burning as though he had a fever. His wand was in his hand and he was speaking to someone she could not see, words she could not hear.
Then, a second figure moved into her line of vision, an old witch, her face wrinkled and her eyes almost sunk into the hollows of their sockets. The crone held something out to Severus, who took it in his fingers and then reached out to press it between Luna's lips.
A tiny stone? She did not know but it was round, smooth, cool in her mouth and then, it was softening and the worst taste she had ever known filled her mouth, pervaded her senses. So strong was it that the inertia dispelled under the force of her need to cough, to clear her throat of the foul taste.
She spluttered, her eyes watering and she wondered if she had been poisoned. Surely, it was acid searing her tongue, her insides, all the way to her stomach. She was gripped with a violent need to expel the substance and she heaved, sitting forward before her mind had caught up with her reflex.
Severus' arm was around her shoulders, supporting her.
"That's it, good girl, get it out," he whispered and she realised that she could hear him properly at last.
For several seconds, she retched, the muscles of her stomach clenching forcefully and unstoppably.
Finally, it eased and the embarrassing display ended, leaving her gasping for air but able to move, free of the invisible chains that had almost choked her.
She leaned against the Professor, humiliated by the sickness that had rocked her. His coat front felt rough against her cheek and he smelled of spice and old powder. It was the nicest scent in the world, as far as Luna was concerned.
"Luna, are you alright?"
He held her a little way from him, leaning forward so he could see her face, strands of dark hair falling forward to almost hide his eyes. He cupped her cheek with one hand, his other still clutching his wand. The gesture was gentle but there was a deadly expression on his face.
"Yes, yes, I am now," she flexed her fingers, wriggled her toes, everything moved as it should.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I was about to ask you the same question," he drawled.
"I don't know. A house elf came up, said something to me and then there was this gold powder," Luna recalled.
He exchanged a look with the old witch.
"Brugmansia, alright," she said with a nod of her head.
"Yes. She was almost fully paralysed when I found her," Severus said, his jaw clenching.
"If you hadn't spotted the signs, she would have gotten much worse. It's not easy to identify and I know of cases where full petrification can happen inside of five minutes. Quick thinking to bring her here. Lucky I had that mule stone," the woman went on.
"I think the young lady can hear very well now. We hardly need to talk as if she is not here," Severus looked down at the mystified girl, a mixture of horror and gratitude swirling in his blood.
"Where are we?" she asked, her eyes roving around the murky room.
"Knockturn Alley. A supply store I often visit for ingredients for my potions. Thankfully, we were not far away," Severus told her.
"You inhaled a very strong herb, Luna. It is deadly and works by calcifying the subject until they can no longer breathe or their heart beat. It in known as Devil's Breath, This house elf, did you recognise it?" his brow was cleaved by a deep frown as he looked at her.
"No. I thought you sent her. She said she had been looking for me."
Luna's face was so pale, she might as well have been a ghost. She still rested against him, glad to feel his arm around her, his nearness was solid and strong and that made Luna feel very safe.
"No chance of finding a house elf here. She'll have vanished, gone back to whoever sent her," the witch said from behind him, as though she had read his thoughts. Severus's hands itched to tear the street apart searching for the creature. But the witch was right, the elf would be long gone by now and his anger spiked several notches as frustration boiled.
"I am very sorry, Severus," Luna looked up at him, eyes wide and sorrowful.
"What are you apologising for, silly child? You have done nothing wrong," he chided softly.
"I made a mess," she made face at the thoughts of the sickness that had almost rent her in two moments before.
"Forget about it. That I can fix in a blink of an eye," as if to underline his point, he waved his wand and the remnants of the illness that had gripped her vanished.
"If anything had happened to you, I could never have undone it. If I hadn't left you, if I had gotten there a little sooner," he clutched her to him a little harder, dropping his head to shield what was in his eyes.
"You didn't do anything wrong, either, Severus. You saved my life. You're much more than my guardian, you know. You are a hero," Luna gazed at him, her face open and honest and it hurt him physically to hear the words.
His lips curled, the loathing he felt at himself, his own ineptitude, his helplessness roared within him like a hungry beast.
"That is shock talking. I am no one's hero, Luna. But I am not going to argue with you while you are looking no stronger than a dandelion seed I could blow away with my breath," he shook his head at her.
"Come, I am taking you home. Are you able to stand now?"
She planted her feet on the ground and with his arm supporting her, she rose.
"I'm ready to go, now," she met his eyes.
He saw her grit her teeth at the effort to stand and remain upright, felt her lean a little more heavily against him than was normal. But her eyes were clear and her expression determined.
"I am fine, now Severus," she said firmly.
Yes, he had always thought it, there was more to this one than met the eye.
She took hold of his arm and a dizzying second later, they were standing in his hallway at Spinner's End.
He led her to the living room and flicked his wand at the fireplace, where a flickering blaze lit at once.
"Right, sit there and get warm," he said, making it sound more like an order he rapped out. He had no experience of nurturing anyone but a vague memory of his own mother tending to him when he had been ill as a child surfaced in the recesses of his mind.
She obeyed and it felt nice to sit, to be in familiar surroundings, to have him close. With him here, no threat seemed frightening.
"If you are up to it, tomorrow, we pay a visit to Crouch. There are too many loose ends, here Luna. I cannot see where the danger is coming from. Time to get some answers, I think," he said.
"I will be ready," she nodded.
"The Crouch family have a house elf working for them. I want you to make sure to make its acquaintance. If it is the same one that attacked you, tell me at once. Am I clear?" he paced before the fire, scowling rather fiercely.
"Yes," she acquiesced again.
He paused in his prowling, looked down at her.
"You were very brave today, Luna. There are not many who could have battled the effects of Devil's Breath as you did," he said.
"I am only sorry that I got ill and shortened our lovely day," she said, dropping her eyes.
"Ill? Lovely day? You could have died! And stupidly, I left you, as if restocking my store cupboard was more important than your safety!" he thundered.
"None of this is your fault, Severus. I don't know why these things are happening to me. What I do know for certain is that you are on my side. And that's how I know I'll be ok," she said.
He stared at her, part of him wanted to take hold of her and shake her, another part wanted to fall on his knees and plead her forgiveness.
She rose to her feet, steadily, though her skin was still pale, almost translucent.
"I will not let you down, again, child. You have my oath on that," he said.
He turned away, unable to face the trust in her eyes, the lack of blame on her face when he had so much of it for himself.
He was almost out of the door when her voice came to him, the sound of his name stopping his exit.
"Severus? For the most part, it was a lovely day. The best I've had in a long time. You bought me my first wand. And lovely robes and I never even said thank you. But I want you to know I'll never forget it," she said.
She walked to where he stood, framed in the doorway and reached up to drop a feather light kiss on his cheek.
He let his eyes fall down on her, his face drawn into pained lines.
"You are a tiny idiot! I have long suspected it!" he growled but she continued serenely towards the stairs, leaving him standing in his own hallway and a world away from all he thought he knew.