Luna Lovegood

When Luna was younger, she often wondered why people around her were so weird.

For as long as she remembered, she and her father were trying to tell others about nargles, heliopaths and other mysteries of the wizarding world, yet no one would believe them, despite all the evidence they had.

It was always quite puzzling to her why people would close their minds in such a way, unwilling to accept the truth. She didn't hold it against them of course, as they were allowed to have their own opinions and beliefs, but she could never quite understand why people were so willingly ignorant.

She recently got a clue about a possible reason for their weird behaviour though.

During her first day at Hogwarts she met the most unusual boy. Michael Brown, because that was his name, was the first person Luna met who didn't reject the truth laid before him, instead accepting it wholeheartedly, just like her.

His outlook on things was quite unique, he also knew many things that even Luna didn't, like the fact that some of Hogwarts' house elves were infected by aquavirius maggots. Luna found it quite a nice change of pace compared to other people, so she greatly enjoyed his company.

She however quickly learned that Michael's open mindedness wasn't entirely beneficial for him. While he was capable of seeing the world as it really was, it often filled him with fear and weariness instead of wonder and happiness like it was with Luna. Was this the reason why so few people were listening to Luna and her father? They knew that they wouldn't be able to handle the truth? She didn't know, but she wished she could help Michael see the beauty of the unknown and allow him to find happiness in it, just like it was with Luna.

Luna and Michael were currently at the highest level of astronomy tower, attending astronomy class with the rest of Ravenclaw first year students. It was the middle of the night, so most of the students were shivering, their robes not providing them with enough protection to withstand the chilly winds of September night. Luna herself didn't have much problem with the cold though, more interested in the starry sky above them.

Per professor Sinistra's instructions, Luna and Michael were currently using a telescope to find the Orion constellation, located somewhere in the night sky, as knowledge about its location would apparently be necessary for their next class.

Well, Luna was using the telescope. Michael was currently writing something in his notebook at a quick pace. Maybe he was mapping the sky? If that was the case, she wouldn't disturb him, instead focusing on the sky.

True to her name, Luna quite liked astronomy. Despite the late hour and cold wind, looking at the night sky was very calming. Stars on the firmament were beautiful, filling the blackness of the sky with gentle light, creating a mesmerizing picture.

She also knew that looking at the night sky would eventually allow her to see moon people, who liked to sail through the sky with their boats made out of stardust. She couldn't wait to finally see them, as she wished for that to happen since childhood. So far she wasn't able to experience such a sight, but she wouldn't give up.

"Do you think we will be able to see moon people tonight?" Luna asked, looking at the sky in quiet wonder. Michael, who was currently still scribbling something in his notebook, raised his head and looked at her quizzically, question in his eyes.

"Moon people?" Michael asked, his voice suggesting he was unfamiliar with them. It surprised Luna, but she quickly remembered that despite his open mind, Michael was a muggleborn. He actually didn't know that much about the Wizarding world's many wonders.

She explained moon people to Michael, though he didn't react with the same wonder Luna did when she first heard about them from her father. Instead he started murmuring something about "aliens" and "spaceships", whatever they were, before declaring that "aliens are real" and dropping the subject completely, looking more afraid than before.

It was such a shame. Why couldn't Michael see the beauty and wonder of Wizarding World's mysteries? Why did he react with fear, when the proper reaction was happiness and marvel? Luna didn't know, but she decided she would try to change Michael's perception. There was nothing sadder than the thought of reacting with fright upon hearing about moon people.

Filled with determination, Luna decided she would try her best to make Michael more appreciative of the world's many mysteries. She didn't know how to do that yet, but she would find a way.

Tom Riddle

"…so you are saying that it was purebloods' fault that my mother died and I ended up in an orphanage?" Tom asked, quite puzzled by Michael's bizarre theory. He couldn't understand how Michael could suggest something like that. It was obvious it was his filthy muggle father's fault. He abandoned Tom's mother for being a witch, leaving her to die and sentencing Tom to grow in that pathetic place, unaware of his true ancestry. How would that be purebloods' fault?

"Of course. Your mother, as well as your grandfather and uncle, were Gaunts, direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin, right? And yet, despite their supposedly illustrious bloodline, they were living in some rundown shack in the middle of nowhere, forgotten by everyone?" Michael asked, as always possessing information he shouldn't be privy to. From what Tom was able to gather about Michael during the few conversations they had, Michael was just a student at Hogwarts, muggleborn at that, so his knowledge about Tom, chamber of secrets and horcruxes was quite concerning, not to mention suspicious. Tom knew that there had to be some secret connected to that, though he didn't know what it was yet.

"I am sure there was a reason for that" Tom responded, a little defensive after reading Michael's words. While it was true that it was unbecoming for Slytherin heirs to live in such conditions, didn't it just mean that they were weak? But didn't such a statement mean that Slytherin's line, Tom's line, was weak? It would go against Tom's entire worldview, so there has to be another explanation for Gaunts' situation.

"You are right, there was. Purebloods just don't care about one of the most important bloodlines in Great Britain. No matter how much they preach about preserving the blood purity and the superiority of noble houses, they willingly ignored the inglorious fall of their most prodigious house. They let Gaunts degenerate into half-feral savages, most of which ended in Azkaban for casting Cruciatus curse on muggles for fun" Michael replied, as always infuriatingly reasonable. His anti-pureblood stance wasn't unexpected of course, as Michael was a muggleborn, but what really irked Tom was that his arguments were actually quite rational, despite Michael's status " "After your grandfather and uncle were placed in Azkaban and Merope was left with nothing, none of noble houses offered to help her, instead abandoning her to die. In my opinion it just shows how hypocritical and duplicitous nobles are"

As much as Tom wanted to deny it, there was some truth to Michael's words. Why did noble houses, who were supposedly concerned about the blood status above all else, allowed the house of Gaunt fall into ruin? Even during Tom's time they were all praising Slytherin, treating him as some sort of idol, yet none of them did anything to preserve his bloodline. Should he really favour people who let his mother die in labour and make him spend his childhood in some damned muggle orphanage, unaware of his own ancestry? Did his school followers even care about his status as Slytherin's heir or were they just pretending?

He didn't have an answer to that question.

So when his conversation with Michael ended and Tom became alone with his thoughts, he didn't know how to feel. He was far from caring about the fate of some mudbloods, but Michael's words deserved at least some consideration. It wasn't like he had a lot of time to make a decision.

Tom could feel his connection to Michael steadily growing though their regular conversations, which meant he would soon be able to start influencing Michael's mind and preparing for his return to the world of the living. While Tom certainly appreciated Michael's insights, his death was necessary for Tom's resurrection. For that reason the boy would have to die soon. It would of course only happen after Tom was done with absorbing all of his memories though, as they were most likely hiding the reason for Michael's concerning knowledge. After Tom acquired a new body, he would have his revenge upon people who wronged him.

He just had to decide who it truly was first.