Michael Brown

I spent the last week of July having fun with Luna and showing her around Muggle London. Since Luna was quite unfamiliar with London's sights, I decided to take her on a sightseeing tour of London to show her the most famous landmarks...

...Well, we were actually not alone, as we were apparently a little too young to travel around London on our own. We were constantly accompanied/monitored by Agent Father, who controlled our trip by taking us to the right place and giving us money for food and tickets. But that was beside the point.

Together we saw London's various attractions, such as…

The Tower of London

"Michael, can I ask you a question?" Luna asked, looking around the castle in quiet contemplation.

"Of course." I replied, tearing my gaze away from the exhibition and looking at her.

"This is a famous prison that for centuries was used to hold the most important prisoners, correct?" she asked, clearly confused by something.

"I...think so?" I replied hesitantly. I didn't really know much about English history, since I had finished my mundane education at the age of ten, but it matched with what I knew. I looked at the agent's father, who just nodded in confirmation.

"If that is the case, where are the dementors? Have they all moved to another prison?" Luna inquired, the reason for her confusion finally becoming clear.

"Muggle prisons don't use dementors. The prisoners are guarded by other humans." I replied, trying to be as vague as possible. Agent Father was listening to our conversation, so I couldn't exactly reveal that I knew about Muggle prisons being even more nightmarish versions of Impel Down from One Piece, only with genetically modified abominations and psychic users as guards. Instead, I added, "Besides, this prison is no longer being used, so there is no need for guards."

My answer seemed to interest the Father Agent though, as he turned to us with a confused expression on his face.

"Wait, magic prisons aren't guarded by people?" he asked bewildered. I couldn't really tell if his confusion was genuine or not though, since he was a trained government operative. "Also, what are dementors?"

As I pondered how to answer this question, Luna outdid me and spoke up without any hesitation.

"Dementors are immortal, dark abominations, most likely created by the dark wizard Ekrizdis through some dark ritual." Luna explained with her typical serene smile on her face, "Since they can't be killed or permanently dealt with, it was decided that it would be better to just let them guard Azkaban, a wizarding prison, and feed on the prisoners, devouring their happiness and sometimes even their very souls."

I couldn't exactly decipher the expression on the Agent's father's face, but strangely he didn't seem to be very satisfied with this explanation.

The Natural History Museum

"So..." I began slowly, looking excitedly at the very specific exhibit in front of me. Luna was standing next to me, watching it with the same passion in her eyes, no doubt thinking exactly the same thing as I was. I was sure that the same plan had already hatched in her mind, so we just had to...

"No, Michael." Luna replied immediately, stopping me in my tracks. When I looked at her, confused and shocked by her answer, I saw something horrible in her eyes: total rejection. I felt despair overwhelm me as my dreams and hopes shattered under the boot of the person I once called a friend. I had been betrayed in the most foul way, abandoned by my precious companion in my moment of greatest need.

"Please, no one will even notice! We just have to..." I tried once again, hoping that maybe, just maybe, my desperate pleas would ignite a spark of compassion in Luna's dead, cold heart. That she would show mercy after remembering all we had gone through together. However, when I looked her in the eyes, I immediately knew it was all for naught. Her gaze remained unwavering, uncaring of my pleas.

"No, Michael. This is someone else's property. We can't take it away." she declared, shattering my last hope. She then began to walk away, apparently seeing some other exhibit that caught her interest. "We should keep going, as there is still so much to see."

I cast one last, sad glance at the T-Rex skeleton in front of me, mourning the wonderful moments that would never come, and followed Luna, heartbroken and defeated.

Buckingham Palace

"And this is where the queen and her family live." I said, pointing to the huge building behind me. As usual, Buckingham Palace was off-limits to the visitors, so we had to view it from behind a metal fence. Still, it was quite a nice view, especially with the Victoria Monument nearby, so I wasn't complaining.

Then something completely unexpected happened.

"The Queen?" Luna asked confusedly, causing both me and the Agent Father to look at her in surprise. What?

"...You know, Queen Elizabeth II, the ruler of the United Kingdom?" I explained very slowly, suspicion already forming in my mind.

Luna's only response was a blank expression.

I... didn't know how to process it. Judging by Agent Father's expression he was unable to do that as well.

...and many more.

Although I enjoyed showing Luna around London and having fun together, her stay at our house soon came to an end and it was time for me to spend a week at Luna's house, experiencing firsthand what it's like to be a real wizard.

It turned out to be quite a novel experience for me. Not because of any difference in living standards, but because of the security I felt for the first time in, well, forever. Xenophilius, as befitted an experienced rebel, knew perfectly well how to protect the three of us from the Ministry, setting up various wards and trinkets throughout the property. He assured me that they would be able to stop any dangerous Ministry agent from entering, and I had no reason to doubt him.

After all, he was Luna's father, and she trusted him completely.

The fact that I didn't have to worry about either the Ministry or Muggle government while staying at the Lovegoods' home, although sanctuary was a better name given the security it provided, made me realize how long it had been since I could just sit and enjoy myself without having to constantly worry about my life and health. It was a thoroughly pleasant feeling that I wanted to experience for as long as possible.

That was why I spent most of my visit to Lovegoods Sanctuary just reading Luna's various books, wandering through the woods with her in search of magical creatures, and simply enjoying every second of my well-deserved rest. The time spent at Luna's house was simply perfect...

...Well, except for that one time when Xenophilius, usually so nice and relaxed, conducted what I'm pretty sure was just a shovel talk disguised as an interview about Luna and me fighting Lockhart, which he suggested (threatened) to repeat next year...

...But other than that, it was perfect. I couldn't wait to visit them again next year.

...Though I was slightly afraid of having another 'interview' with Xenophilius. That guy could be really scary when he wanted to be.

I really hope I haven't made any mistakes when it comes to British sights/history/culture. I haven't visited the UK since I was in middle school, which was a long time ago, and I don't know if all the information I've found online is actually correct.

Next stop, Tom Riddle!