Luna Lovegood's first week was not what she had hoped for. At first, it was good, as she thought she could make some friends, but they never stayed all day with her. She respects when people do not think like her. It is diversity, after all, that makes the world beautiful, and she likes it better when people respectfully decline her point of view. There had been instances when she and her father were attacked because they wanted to investigate things others didn't.
She was okay with her situation, but that doesn't mean she liked it. She was alone in a castle, way far away from her house, from her father. The only person closer enough to a friend while growing up, Ginny Weasley, was not sharing time with her. They were not as close as real friends, but it was the closest she had.
Luna's first impression of the castle made her wonder about its secrets. It was like entering into another world. But now, made her remember her father and especially her mother. She could not help but try to find the spots her mother told her about, the locations where she found the most extravagant creatures. And the most extravagant creature her mother found was her father.
In her first week, Luna heard the name of Harry Suzuki. She remembered that he visited her house. Her father told her that he had invited them to his own house, and they might see him during the winter break. All she knew about him was what her father told her about him: a very cunning and intelligent person.
She saw Harry walking while everybody reacted to him. Some of them looked at him with admiration, others with fear.
Luna realised that although he didn't like the attention, he seemed used to it. She noticed Harry looking at the people's faces in a quick glance, and every time he received any kind of attention from the people not close to him, he tried to evade the contact. When the interaction is inevitable, he just smiles, nods and ends the conversation as quickly and politely as possible.
Luna got interested in him. Not romantically, or at least she doesn't think. She has never had that kind of feeling for anyone, so she is not entirely sure. But his actions sometimes contrast, as if every step was planned, and he follows it, even when he is uncomfortable with it. An inquisitive person. He would be the person who would do something so spectacular, only for him not wanting to get the attention, and still receive it with a smile. A fascinating person.
Harry had realised on occasion that Luna was looking at him and greeted her with a nod and a smile. Luna typically answers the same way.
Pansy Parkinson, on the other hand, unlike Harry, likes attention and is always frowning when she looks at her. Luna is worried about her, as she realised she has a very dangerous case of Wrackspurts and Nargles infestation around her.
Having one of them can be problematic, but together, it can make people do crazy things. Luna had thought about the necessity of sending a letter to her Daddy to ask him to publish information about it. This could prevent a tragedy in the making.
Around Harry are more people with similar problems, but none like Pansy. A Gryffindor girl sometimes went with them, and she is clearer than the others, occasionally some Hufflepuffs, but they are no longer with them. She would need to observe him a little more if she wanted to really know the possible Quibbler friend.
While not perfect, her days were fine and exciting, except for the attacks. Obviously, she has an idea of what may be happening. Maybe they were Heliopaths; it was known that one of their attacks was the use of her litmus body to produce different colours in fast suspension, a beautiful view, but also dangerous.
She would have gone and investigated it, but her father told her she should not. She understood the dangers, but this was an excellent movement to study them. Especially if the Ministry is breeding them and probably would use them to attack them. Or maybe they are using them to attack those who are fighting against them.
It is known that many muggles and muggleborns had a particular love for revolutions. The papers about them usually talk about foreign countries who are doing precisely that. Maybe that's why the Ministry is going against them because they believe that they will want to change the magical world. Would that be racist? Luna didn't know. On the one hand, she thought that traditions should be protected, and on the other hand, Muggleborns also have the right to change the society they will have to be part of.
Luna had thought about that on the two occasions where the students were attacked. And at the end, she ended up sad, not wanting to believe that the Heliopaths were being used to hurt people.
Her thoughts were interrupted one day, while the mail arrived in the great hall, she received a letter. It was just the confirmation about her future visit to the Suzuki family. It was a beautiful letter with golden edges.
A few days later, she was back at home with her father, who told her that he received a similar letter. Luna smiled and started to help him with the house.
"Dad", called Luna while cleaning the table while his father was starting to make dinner.
"Yes?" answered the blond man without looking at the food he was preparing.
"Does Heliopaths can petrify people?" asked Luna.
Xenophilius pondered the question momentarily and then continued with the food, "No, they can put people in danger, yes. But if you survive, you should be able to wake up after a few hours".
Luna frowned for a moment. Was that a good thing? She could believe that it was as she now knew that the Heliopath were not attacking people, but which creature was being used by the Ministry.
"Are you worried about your classmates?" asked her father, reaching for something under a cabinet.
"Yes, I thought that they were using Heliopaths, but..."
Her father turned to see her and smiled, "I don't think the ministry is behind this".
"Oh", said Luna. It was like she could read her mind. She smiled and continued cleaning the table.
A few minutes later, she and her father were sat at the table eating their food.
"Tomorrow", her father started. "We will leave early. I don't know too much about the exact location. They offered us transport, but I thought that we could use this opportunity to use Muggle transport".
Father and daughter eat simultaneously and then blow a little steam from their mouth because of the hot food.
"I always wanted to use the transport they call 'cab'", said Mr Xenophilius.
The eyes of Luna illuminated, "That sounds like fun. Do you think that it would be a standing cab, like those they use for their phones?"
"Don't know, really. But they are black and not red. I guess it's to distinguish for what it is from each other", her father replied.
Luna ate some more and then thought for a moment. She remembered when Suzuki arrived with an extended structure he used to move. Maybe that was a cab; it certainly looked like one but horizontally. Perhaps they change how they use them so they won't get tired of standing all their trip.
"Is it going to come all the way here?" asked Luna.
"No. Unless we have their phone numbers, or a phone for ourselves to call them. We will need to go either the Leaky Cauldron or King station".
Luna thought for a moment about the options, "King station, I guess".
"I thought so too", smiled Mr Lovegood. Both think that, unlike the Leaky Cauldron, the King station offers something that only a few other places can give. Access to Muggle papers. Newspapers and fantasy stories. Colourful, and sometimes, way too close to the wizarding world.
After they finished their food, Luna bathed while her father did the dishes. The next day, both used the Floo to transport themselves to the King Station.
Mr Lovegood wore an orange coat, blue trousers and brown shoes. He had a colourful necklace around his neck that stood up above anything.
Luna was wearing a dark copper dress with some figures of stars shining with the light of the sun that went to her knees. Above the dress, she had a dark yellow cardigan. On her hand, she had a white bag with different stickers she had collected every time she went to the muggle world.
When they left the magic side of the station, they walked directly to the same place, a newsstand. Oddly enough, they did not stand out between the muggles, and most of them did not look at them funny. They ended up buying a comic book and a pair of cheap sunglasses. Unfortunately, it did not have any stickers at the moment.
They walked for a while, and then Xenophilius got close to a policeman, "excuse me. Would you mind pointing me where I can get a cab for transportation?"
The police looked at Mr Lovegood and then shrugged, 'a foreign, maybe' thought the policeman, "Just straight that way. Just raise your hand at the edge of the sidewalk, and one should stop for you".
"Thank you", said Xenophilius with a nod and left to where he was pointed. The pair put their feet on the sidewalk's edge and raised their hand while looking around. After a few seconds, a black car stopped in front of them. Both lovegoods smiled.
Mr Lovegood did not know what to do next, but Luna remembered the way Harry entered his cab when he went to her home and opened the door from behind. His father smiled at her and entered the cab. Luna did it after him.
"Afternoon. Where to?" asked the man in front of them.
"Suzuki house", said Luna.
The Driver looked at her with the rear-view mirror. He raised his eyebrow, and Mr Xenophilius only chuckled, "In the letter is the address, my little moon".
"Oh. Sorry", said Luna while opening her bag to search for the letter. The Driver only smiled. Instead of reading the address or giving it to her father, Luna passed it to the Driver.
The Driver took the letter, read the address and nodded, and their trip started.
Luna looked through the window and was amazed not only by how the city was. She was amazed about the muggles. Their way of dress, the way they interact with each other. She saw a boy moving with a table under him. Girls with skirts over the knees. Clothes with patterns that looked interesting. Shirts with different drawings on them, some of them were about a mouse, others had jackets with skulls painted on them. Different colours. She saw people dressed in total black, black dresses, and black makeup, and she also saw people wearing colourful clothes with standing hair.
She loved magic, but then she had always found it fascinating how different the world could be if you just made a few steps away.
Before arrival, the Driver looked at the address again, wondering if that was the correct place. After confirming it, he went and got close to the grates. The door suddenly opened by itself, and a voice said, "Please come in".
The Driver continued and drove to the front of the mansion. He was mesmerised; he was inside the Suzuki mansion. And he was unable to believe it. If he told her wife and kids, they would think he was drunk again, which he has not been since yesterday. At the front of the house was a butler. An old man who looked strong.
"Welcome to the Suzuki mansion", said the butler while opening the door. "Please follow the maid behind me".
Luna and her father left the cab and followed the maid. Meanwhile, the butler stayed behind and paid the cab for his service.
Luna sat on a very comfy sofa. It felt like she could sleep all day, every day, on that couch. Another maid arrived and offered them some cookies and tea. They eat it and savour the flavours as it is a sensation unknown to them. Certainty Mugglefood used different ingredients.
A maid appeared before them and smiled, "If you could, please follow me".
Xenophilius and Luna stood up and followed the maid until they reached a double door. The maid opened the door wide, and a black and purple appeared. It was as if it was a hole in the infinite. Both Lovegoods were amazed by the magic.
"Please follow me", said the maid and walked through the black hole.
The Lovegoods nodded and walked through the black hole, then when they passed it, they were in another place. They were in a hall.
"Wow", said Luna. She made a mental note to ask about the spell; it was a better way to transport, better than floo or apparition.
The ceiling was taller than the ceiling in Hogwarts, the walls were beautifully clean, and the columns had engravements so detailed and beautiful it looked like it was a creature that was really alive. There were some paintings of places that looked from the past and others from the future.
Suddenly, from a door, a moment appeared. Long black hair, white dress, and what appeared to be black wings. Her yellow eyes frowned at them and turned to the maid who was guiding them. They are Momonga-sama's guests," said the maid, and the bloodlust aura that started coming from the black-haired woman disappeared. Instead, a beautiful smile appeared; she nodded at them and then walked away.
"Please, this way", said the maid and the Lovegoods continued. Then, they reach another double door. The maid knocked, and then she opened the door. Xenophilius and Luna passed the door, and then they stopped.
In front of them was a unique vision. Bones as white as the marmol, wearing an elaborate, jet-black academic gown adorned with golden and violet edges. And the eyes, those eyes, they were a tiny dark red glow radiating from inside his empty eye sockets. From his behind was a light, a halo-light that made him look even more holy.
Luna put her hands together and could not do anything but admire the beauty of the being in front of her. Her dad was murmuring something about always believing he existed, but how could he? Indeed, anyone would think that a beautiful thing may exist, but how could someone imagine such beauty that was in front of her.
Luna's father articulated something more coherent, which answered her question about her father.
"I knew you existed. I am a seeker. I am a believer. Oh, great god of Death, it is a pleasure to be in front of you", said Xenophilius.
Luna finally understood. In front of them was Death. She had heard that many fear death; cultures depicted it as a monster or an evil, others only as a natural course. Just a few put it as beautiful, but for some reason, Luna believed that no human word could describe it correctly.
But if she was in front of Death, does that mean they were dead? Maybe when they passed the portal. But why? Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the voice of Death.
"How do you know about me?"
"The hollows", answered Luna's father right away. "You gave them to the Parverals. I wanted to find them. I-I don't believe in that 'master of death', but I do believe that you left us your gifs to us, mortals."
Luna looked at Death, and she saw how he just moved his hand to calm her dad, and then he nodded. "The cloak", said Death.
"Yes-yes. The cloak, the wand and the stone. I have tried to find them with no luck. But I never believed I would be in your presence", Luna's father said. He stood up and walked to Death, but something fell from the ceiling. Giant spiders that could turn invisible at will appear. Luna was amazed; she had never heard about any species of spider that could do that.
Death raised his hand, and the spiders stopped their attack. "You all can leave. I'll stay with Mr Lovegood, and CZ will remain with me. I asked Mr Lovegood to come here after all. Fifth, please escort Miss Lovegood to Harry so they can pass the time".
Luna finally saw the maid behind Death. She was wearing a scarf with different kinds of green. She was short and had long, reddish hair. The maid that guided them nodded and got close to Luna. She looked at her father, and he nodded at her, and then he went and sat at the chair in front of Death.
When she left the room, Harry was already outside. He was with a warm smile, and then he said," Welcome to my home. Are you hungry?"
Harry did not wait for her to answer and just turned and started to walk. Luna followed him behind. She was nervous about the situation and could not have any other thing on her head, so she just blurt out, "Am I dead?"
Harry stopped and turned to see her.
She continued, "Did you come here to help me pass to the other life? I always thought that the people you love would help you, so I assumed that it would be my mom. Although I have watched over you while in Hogwarts, and I thought that maybe I was in love, maybe you being here just confirms it".
Harry raised an eyebrow but did not make fun of her, so Luna thought she really died. Then Harry started to talk, "No, you have not died. Like I said, you are just at my home." Then he turned again and continued walking.
"Oh", said Luna, relieved and with her cheeks pink.
They continued walking until Harry opened a door and let Luna enter. Inside was a hall, a dining hall. Three times larger than the great hall in Hogwarts, at least. Six large lines of tables were accommodated with significant space between them, and each of those line was as large as the house tables.
"Welcome to the Staff Canteen. It's always open", said Harry while walking to one of the tables, and Luna was behind him. Women were already there; some were eating, others were talking, some were carrying their plates to a table, and others were just leaving.
"Hey! Ry-chan! Over here!"
Harry turned to the person yelling. Luna looked in the direction and saw a brown-skinned maid waving. When both arrived, Harry sat, and Luna sat beside him.
"Ooh. You finally decided to invite a girl home? Just remember to leave the door of your room open", said Lupusregina.
Suddenly, the hand of a small girl with long reddish hair punched Lupusregina's head as if it were a hammer falling, "let Ry-chan alone". The girl said; she then turned to see the girl next to Harry, "Who are you?"
Harry only sighed. "Lupu, Chizu, this is Luna Lovegood. It seems she is part of the supreme being plans".
The short girl with a reddish girl nodded and sat next to Lupusregina. "Luna, they are Lupusregina and CZ2128".
The short girl then said, "Chizu is ok".
"Ok, I'll grab something to eat", said Harry. He then turned to Luna, "You want me to take something for you or want to come with me?"
Luna thought for a moment; what would be the best thing to do? She does have many questions, and she is intrigued by the girls in front of her. One seemed to have animal ears, and the other had an eye patch and a particular iris. At the same time, she had seen the food the people were eating, and all of them looked different. Nothing she had seen, and everything looked delicious.
"Could it be something sweet?" Luna asked.
"Oh! Curry for me! Thank you, Ry-chan!" said Lupusregina. Harry sighed and nodded. He was going to ask CZ, but she has already a plate in front of her, given by the maids.
"Sure, give me a minute", Harry stood up and walked to one side of the room where a big bar was.
Luna then turned to the other two and, with a smile, asked, "Have you ever encountered any Crumple-Horned Snorkack in this place?"
Lupusregina shrugged, "Can't say I have. Describe it".
"They are purple with spiral horns and a pig nose," said Luna with a smile.
Lupusregina and CZ looked at each other, "I don't know. It sounds like a baby demon dragon. But I have never seen one. The best that can answer you is Aura". Lupusregina answered.
Harry arrived with three plates, two on one arm and one on the other. He looked like a professional butler when he came.
He gave a plate to Lupusregina, then placed two similar plates in front of Luna, both with white rice with a brown sauce over some potatoes and chicken. "You can choose, one is curry and the other is mole, both have chocolate".
Luna took the one already on her side, and Harry took the other. Luna took her first taste of the food, and she felt delighted. Sweet chocolate with chicken, how has she never tasted something so magical as this. Every time she eats, she likes it more and more. She smiled at Harry and then asked him something she was worried about, "Harry, will my dad die?"
"Don't worry. If the supreme being has chosen you and your family, it means that everything will be perfect for you", Harry explains with a smile.
She nodded and continued enjoying the food.
Suddenly, a tear ran from Luna's cheek, but her face was not sad. Was she that worried without noticing? The tears of knowing her dad would live, that he wouldn't leave her alone.
"He wanted to find the stone", said finally Luna. "He wanted the resurrection stone to speak with my mom. 'To say his farewells, he said." Luna smiled and continued eating.
Harry frowned, "When did that happen?"
"Two years ago. She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment, and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. Yes, it was rather horrible", said Luna. "I still feel very sad about it sometimes. But I've still got Dad. And anyway, it's not as though I'll never see Mum again, is it?"
Harry nodded and continued eating. "Uncle Demiurge would have loved to meet her. He is a spell crafter of sorts", commented Harry.
'Maybe', started tp think Harry. He thought for a moment if he was on the correct conclusion. But then he disperses his thoughts, knowing that he would never be able to understand fully the plans of the supreme being. Harry continued eating, thinking they may have finally found a test subject for the wands they already have.
"Either way. Do you have plans for Christmas?"