Laima's icy hand woke her in gentle movements so that Luna slowly found her way out of the shallowness of her body and her senses returned. Her numb flesh awoke. But the darkness of the room barely showed her the way. The moon was covered in clouds.
Unsure, the witch pushed the blanket off her and felt her way to the cool floor with her feet. In the background, she heard Laima's fluttering, which resembled soft breezes, so that the Ravenclaw raised her hand to reach for the sound. She got hold of something as thin as four matchsticks – shaped into something round that felt like a leg.
It had little strength, but Luna followed the faint resistance, making her stagger through the blackness in little steps. Each move was vague. Her breathing quickened, matching her pulse, which fell into a consumed rush; until she reached the door and silently disappeared outside. The darkness lingered until around the common room. Only then did she hear Laima's voice summon light.
Lumos gave them brightness, so Luna spotted her cloak on the nearest table.
"I thought I'd bring it here because it's too dark for anything else." The sylph immediately interpreted the witch's look. "That being said, I found a place for the items and put everything we own so far there ... except for this doll." She pointed to the cloak. "As far as I think I understand you, I think you want to keep it."
Knowing Rowan was with her was the best option. She'd figured out a way to help, and maybe she'd get back to her when she saw a way out.
"Thank you." With a soft smile on her lips, Luna took her cloak and threw it over her nightgown. The flutter of fabric had something of a proper witch about it and when she touched the inside pocket, the doll and wand were waiting there.
She was ready to look for an answer. One book would surely take her further. So she left the common room and woke the paintings in the corridor.
Curses and hisses filtered through to her, but few made any genuine effort to respond. Fatigue had bathed the castle in deep silence.
Her legs carried her carefully across the cold floor. Her feet were bare. She didn't want to create an echo, and the rock was at least as magical as she was. Luna thought she felt the tingle of magic on her soles. To perceive safety that only existed in places like these.
Lumos shrouded everything in a ghostly glow; as if she were looking through a frosted glass. Only the warm, alien glow of light at the other end tore the castle from its fascinating appearance.
Instantly, Luna straightened her shoulders. Laima's spell of light was stifled. Hasty steps carried her to the first door, straight into a room that echoed the sound of her feet. She left the barrier open a crack to keep the hallway in view. Her breath faltered, making it impossible to move from the spot. Instead, the Ravenclaw remained rooted to the spot in front of the wood, her eyes firmly on the corridor.
Footsteps approached hurriedly, in an unsteady beat. They were swaying sounds as if someone couldn't lift his legs. But they weren't shuffling. She listened closely. Heard every sound that snaked along the walls, while her eyes fixed on the shadow that seemed to flicker under the torches.
And then a figure stepped into view.
Argus Filch, caretaker of the school. A man who tolerated no rule-breaking and had no problem enforcing old punishments when Dumbledore wasn't looking. Luna had heard of it; of the mean method of hanging students by their wrists from the ceiling for a few days. It wasn't a punishment that was condoned and yet it existed because Argus knew this castle almost better than anyone else and also because he was a master at making students disappear.
For a moment, Luna remembered students disappearing and eventually reappearing – just like that – and it put Filch in a different frame of mind.
His shuffling footsteps passed by and it took barely two blinks of an eye for him to disappear from her view. Shortly after, his shadow moved away too, and it was only when the Ravenclaw was sure his footsteps reigned in the far distance that she slipped out of the room and followed her path.
"What an unfriendly sight." Laima's snort filtered through to Luna barely audibly as her feet scurried wisper-quietly across the floor. "I don't understand why Dumbledore gave him the place as the caretaker."
"Because he really likes his job," Luna replied. "It's hard to get someone excited about something, my mother once said. You need to be cut out for it, to feel good about it."
"Lovely." Laima's enthusiasm was in check. The sigh on her lips proved it, and also the fact she didn't say another word about Argus Filch and his strange figure.
The library came to the fore hardly later. The doors were still open, but darkness engulfed every inch of the room. Not even the moonlight could trace more than the vague outlines of the shelves.
Cautiously, Luna pushed forward, venturing deep enough into the darkness until the sylph created another small ball of light. Her Lumos lit up spines of books, clinging to the dark wood of the shelves and giving the Ravenclaw a second-guessing sense of where she was.
The shelves and aisles passed her by like a gloomy dress. The silence released a beeping in her ears and besides her own silent breathing, there was nothing that got through to her. Even the fluttering that followed Laima's wings with a soft sound was absent – as if a shroud had been placed over her, trying to smother everything.
"Where do we want to start? Where we left off?" Without further ado, the sylph turned to her and raised her brows. Light shimmered in her eyes, the black of her hair shimmered magically, and for a moment Luna forgot her goal and lost herself in sight of the unknown. Until Laima waved her hand as if to wake Luna.
"Where we left off," the little witch whispered in the end. The corridor where she had had to part from Ginny Weasley was already within her grasp. She still knew where they had stopped looking. From there, she just had to keep going.
Her soundless footsteps stopped barely a minute later in front of the books, whose thick leather covers suggested treasure – and it was nothing but the truth. The records were precious. They were works that passed down knowledge in every generation that couldn't be lost. Not like some writings that had been wiped out in great fires decades ago.
Her fingers glided attentively over a few spines. The stamped words burned themselves onto her skin, mesmerising Luna with magical jolts that spellbound her. But the enchantment didn't last long. Every word that crept into her senses didn't resemble what she was looking for. None of the books seemed to address her problem. They were special, but in those seconds, in her hands, useless.
Her hand lowered, finding distance from the shelf and its works, at the end of which she had arrived. There were two more rows she could go through, but the aisle to her side, the darkness inconspicuously lit by the sylph's light, beckoned her. Somewhere behind the gloomy curtain waited the Restricted Section. Knowledge to which only teachers had access and which, according to her father, had only found a place at Hogwarts because Dumbledore had decided it so. He had simply snatched these books there and never returned them – without consequences.
Maybe it helped to keep away magical beings who were up to no good. After all, everyone knew Dumbledore was a powerful wizard. A wizard who knew every spell there was in the world.
Luna sauntered a little closer, her wide eyes fixed on the entrance, its wiry door firmly shut. Nothing that a light spell wouldn't solve. She just had to approach unseen and gain access.
It was tempting to solve the mysteries of the castle, and yet she couldn't stop looking around. The breath on her lips was silent, yet quick, and her heart thumped audibly in the darkness.
"Do you really think you will come across answers there?" Laima's sudden whisper made Luna flinch and hastily turn her head to the side, only to catch sight of the sylph's soft face.
"I don't know," Luna confessed, barely audible. "But anything is possible, isn't it?"
Inches away, the Ravenclaw advanced up one bookshelf to get a glimpse of the main corridor. The castle was still in darkness and only a few scattered torches in the corridor outside drew dim lights into the library. None of the shadows that stretched in through the entrance were human. No one would betray her, and the ghosts of the castle were nowhere to be seen. Apart from Professor Binns, they mostly hid silently in some corner. Further knowledge Luna had received from her father. Supposedly because the Guardians didn't tolerate ghosts in this world and yet had left a few souls behind because they had broken their promises.
Luna didn't know much about these things. The only thing they taught about Guardians was that they blessed a family and that anyone who had been blessed received magic. Blessed Muggles were exceptions, oddities, as they said, to fill the world of existing wizards with fresh blood – even if the old-established families thought little of it and always hoped that the blessing of their house would remain.
She shook her head. Thoughts were already distracting her again, detaching themselves from the books of the Restricted Section, which still waited, untouched, for her to make her choice.
Carefully, the Ravenclaw left the shelter of the shelves and made her way to the door of the unfamiliar section. Her heart leapt with every step she took. Part of her wanted to run and disappear behind the door as quickly as possible, but she knew quick steps made noise. It wasn't like the guardians to stifle her footsteps even before they could arise.
Thus, she crept to the entrance and drew her wand. She had only used the spell four times to open and close her diary. Her father had bought it from the Muggle world and she had refined it with magic. It had felt safer than relying on a key.
Nothing had changed since then. She knew the spell, and she had never failed. Still, her fingers stuck to the wood of her wand and the slight tremble made her feel quietly uncertain that she might make a wrong move.
Still, an almost silent "Alohomora" escaped her lips. The velvety blue that left her wand for a second to settle on the lock clicked in the same instant, and Luna used the seconds to open the passage.
In the same breath, someone grabbed her by her cloak.
Lips pressed together, the little witch widened her eyes and turned. But there was no teacher behind her. Even Filch had spared her. Instead, it was the hurried yet rapid breathing of Ginny Weasley that demanded her attention.
"You ... are here too," the Gryffindor brought to her lips before taking an upright stance and glancing back over her shoulder. Then she placed both hands on Luna's back and pushed her forward, straight into the Restricted Section, where they stopped between bookshelves and tables that were being used as storage.
"I ... I know this sounds strange and probably a bit insane, but ... I heard a voice," Ginny confessed barely a moment later. "It was moving through the castle and I got curious ... so I followed it."
"Just like the first time," Luna whispered. It was like fate that Ginny and she had once again found themselves together at night. Though by a voice Luna couldn't hear in those breaths, while Ginny kept glancing over her shoulder as if she were being followed. She, too, was wearing a nightgown that looked a little washed out. Hands clasped tightly in front of her chest, she seemed to feel completely alone in the middle of magic.
Yet they were allies. Ginny Weasley was a shadow, as Laima had said, and even though it might be dangerous to go searching together, it was safer than facing it all alone. Dumbledore had warned them. And friends were an important part of facing a journey.
"What?" Ginny's astonishment brought the Ravenclaw out of her thoughts. Hastily, she brushed her fiery red hair behind one ear before taking a step closer to Luna. "What do you mean?"
"That just can't be happening!" Finally it was Laima, who settled down on a pile of books with a snort and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I feel like I'm talking to a wall that doesn't realise it's being knocked down." Energetically, she shook her head. "But fine, if that's what you want, Lovegood, you shall have it."
With a dismissive wave of her hand, Laima launched into an explanation, not skipping a single detail from the night they had gone off together. Ginny's eyes grew a little wider with each word, while Luna's thoughts drifted off to roam the books on the shelves.
Hardly any of them seemed of use, and yet there were so many interesting titles in this selection that she would have loved to take one to sit down on the floor and read. Until early in the morning, just before classes would start. Even on the nights when she would be enchanted with astrology, reading these books would probably be much more valuable than the language of the heavens.
"That means ... I've been through so much and you just let me forget?" Ginny's incredulous gaze was glued to the sylph, who merely shrugged.
"You could say that. I only wanted the best for Luna, but it seems to me the guardians actually have their eyes on you. Or that you're just wonderfully suited to go on a quest of your own."
"Or that I can help someone as a shadow," Ginny added before turning curtly to Luna and holding out her hand. Every fibre in her body seemed to want to follow the adventure into No-man's-land. "Will you take me with you on your journey? I know a few spells and I'm sure it will be much easier with two of us."
The gleam in her brown eyes dragged the Ravenclaw along for a moment before she put on a smile and swallowed down the pounding in her chest. Then she accepted Ginny's hand and squeezed it. It was only a brief touch, but it reassured Luna that there was indeed someone there to help her and that she wasn't just dreaming. Ginny Weasley was real.
"So, we're still looking for the same book as before?" Briefly, Ginny put her head back and eyed the spines of the books before looking at Luna, who just nodded. "It'll probably take all night, and we'll have to be careful not to get caught."
"At what?" Someone else's question forced its way between them, making Ginny hiss and jump aside, bumping into Luna who held her breath. But there was no one far or near, and Laima, who had jumped up, couldn't bring herself to utter a sound either.
They all wandered through the corridors with their eyes. But neither Filch nor a teacher was to be seen. The silence smothered them.
Only when Ginny pulled out her wand, ready to attack, did a head poke straight through the books in the girls' direction. Luna's shoulders twitched, Ginny pointed her wand in the apparition's direction and Laima merely raised her brows.
"Not so fast!" With hands raised, the ghost emerged fully. "I'm a good ghost ... Most of the time, at least." He strained for a wry smile. "Peeves, my name."
"What are you doing here?" Hesitantly, Ginny lowered her wand. Luna, however, was contemplating the scenario, eyeing the almost living figure that could be perceived as a normal human being in the darkness. The heavy iron chains around his neck and arms made him seem like a prisoner who didn't belong in this place. His mischievous appearance, in contrast, brought a thin smile to her lips.
"I am ... well ... in an awkward position, I would argue." Without further ado, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded as if to agree with himself. "You must know I am a poltergeist and, I must say, the best!"
"And what is a poltergeist doing among books that are forbidden without permission?" Ginny matched Peeves' posture. Nothing seemed to be able to upset her; at least not while she was looking at it. The voice excluded.
"I ... allowed myself a joke that wasn't taken as a joke." He pursed his lips. "After all, how was I supposed to know that Dumbledore was less of a joker than he pretended to be?" He snorted before flicking against a small bell on his cap. "Anyway, which of you enchanting ... little creatures would like to help me?"
"Why would Professor Dumbledore lock a poltergeist in here?" Instead of responding to his question, Luna turned her attention to the only point that had held her interest. Being locked up for a prank sounded like a punishment that outlawed more than a little fun.
"Who cares?" The twinkle in Peeves' orange eyes met her with a chuckle. "Help me. The castle lacks amusement without me. You'd be doing everyone a favour by getting me out of here," the ghost continued. "And if you don't, I'll have to tattle tales on you."
Immediately Ginny raised her wand again. "I wouldn't do that. My mother made sure I could silence my brothers when they teased me and I'm sure a spell like that would work on you, too."
"Brave. Typical Gryffindor. Though foolish would certainly be a delightful house paraphrase as well." He bowed curtly. "Now then, let's play a game. If you get away before Filch finds you, you win."
In the first breath, it seemed like a poor joke. In the next, Peeves started yelling. So loud that he could probably be heard throughout Hogwarts as the shelves shook and the books quivered.
"Run!" It was Ginny who turned to Luna in a flash, grabbing her by the shoulders to turn her around. It wasn't until the Ravenclaw caught sight of the exit that the task really became clear. They had to get away.
And she took off running.
Her stormy steps led her straight between shelves, to the exit of the library. Only when she was in the middle of the corridor did she pause and look around to either side, only to spot Filch and his lantern at one end. Ginny bumped into them barely a breath later, causing them both to stagger, and grabbed Luna to run in the other direction.
Their footsteps echoed off the walls. Her breath chased across her lips, her heart pounded against her ribs and blood rushed in her ears even as Ginny let go of her and they ran separately for their lives.
Every turn made her pulse stop for a moment, only to find that they hadn't run into anyone yet. Still, at one point Ginny simply made a turn, stumbled through a door and disappeared into darkness, which Luna followed. She slammed the door behind her.
For a moment, only the gasps of the two girls in the room could be heard. Exhaustion echoed along the walls.
"What a stupid guy." Ginny was the first to recover her words, using a light spell to illuminate the otherwise empty classroom. "Kind of reminds me of Fred and George."
"I'd like to know why Dumbledore locked him in there," Luna retorted, out of breath. Whoever Peeves was, all she would probably ever be able to remember was the fact that he lived in the library.
"I have no idea, but I didn't know there was such a ghost. I've heard of Myrtle in the girls' bathroom, but Peeves..." She shook her head. "Not even Fred and George have spoken of him. Besides ... another ghost at Hogwarts. I thought those were exceptions. But there seem to be more than assumed."
Barely noticeably, Luna nodded. Probably there were indeed more than two, and all the ones that were never seen. Myrtle was the only one who could be categorised in all this. She had been a seeker who had lost her heart to a guardian. But Peeves looked out of place.
It made no sense.
Dumbledore had locked him in the library. He was probably the only one who knew more; who could answer these questions. But there was purely nothing they could have done to elicit answers. Asking Dumbledore would get them nowhere, Luna knew that. The last conversation had been strange. Serious and unwavering in a very stubborn way.
"Anyway," Ginny sighed finally. "Let's deal with this instead."
She pulled a narrow book out from under her nightgown, its inscription unreadable. Luna's mind allowed the questions to drift, and in an instant fixed on the cover.
"What is it?" Tilting her head to one side, the Ravenclaw tried to decipher the letters, but only came up with meaningless jumbles.
"I don't know," Ginny confessed. "I grabbed it when we were running. It just looked ... exciting." She opened the book to dare a peek inside. "I don't understand any of what's written here, though."
With light steps, Luna bridged the gap and looked at the yellowed pages. The curved writing looked readable, but the words were written in a language she had never seen before.
"We could translate it," the Ravenclaw brought to her lips. It would take forever, for sure, but it might give them a solution for Rowan. Somewhere in this castle, there had to be a dictionary that held the same letters inside.
"Hermione Granger!" Ginny's excitement briefly took over, making her a little too loud, so she put a hand to her mouth and swallowed down the slight blush on her cheeks. "My brother Ron says she's the smartest witch in all of Gryffindor, though a bit arrogant. She can solve things no one else can, and that's despite being only a year above us."
Hermione Granger. Luna hadn't heard the name before. Morag hadn't mentioned her once, which must also mean that to most Ravenclaw, she was just a competitor, like everyone else. But she was an option. Asking a professor would only have provoked attention and Dumbledore wasn't a man she wanted to trust until she knew what secrets lurked behind his words.
"But she mustn't find out about the quest." It was the single, small reminder Luna brought over herself in a soft singsong, because Laima had pointed it out to her often enough.
"We'll get that sorted out. Or I will. Depending on when we run into Hermione ... or me." The excited smile on Ginny's lips turned her face into a little sunshine. Simultaneously, the Gryffindor hugged the book tightly to her chest and straightened her shoulders. They couldn't wait in this room forever. With bad luck, Mrs Norris would find them and betray them.
Wordlessly, the girls looked at the empty corridor, where neither foreign shadows nor voices could be heard. Still, they only pushed their way through the exit in slow motion. Ginny did her best to become one with the wall while Luna put her head back and let her thoughts wander. Laima remained silent.
Together they crept along the corridors, always careful to disappear into any shadows when they thought they heard someone. Luna followed Ginny's leaps, relying entirely on the Gryffindor's careful footsteps until they parted ways. Their farewell was nothing more than a barely perceptible hum before they took different paths and Luna let down any guard. Until she reached the steps leading up to the common room, the castle was all hers.
And then she heard it.
"Don't go."
Instantly, the Ravenclaw spun around, unable to spot anyone. The silence in the castle was still the same. No one had ambushed her, and no one was waiting for her to return. Still, she was sure: the voice lurked behind the walls, in the air, in every breath she took.
But turning around and getting to the bottom of it wasn't possible. Not anymore. Filch's attention grew with each misdeed and fatigue settled heavier and heavier in her bones. Bedtime had long since passed. She couldn't possibly miss any longer.
So she crept up the stairs, half in thought in a field of cotton wool that bedded her softly and formed little sheep that sang her a lullaby. Did sheep exist that wore cotton wool?
"I need an answer, girl." It was only the door knocker securing the common room that woke Luna from her sleepy thoughts and made her raise her brows. Opening her mouth slightly, there was no question she could have answered.
"His question was 'How far is it from March to June?'", Laima whispered in her ear, making her wince. The shock awakened her senses enough to put an answer to her lips.
"A single spring season."
"An unconventional answer." The door knocker seemed to snort before the door swung open, allowing her to enter the common room.
Luna pushed her way inside, straight up the stairs to the room where Piper still slept peacefully. Darkness engulfed all corners of the room and only careful footsteps and vague knowledge of where her bed was located brought the Ravenclaw to the mattress, where she settled down with a sigh.
Her body slumped backwards into the sheets, making her pull her legs up and close her eyelids so that the slight burning in her eyes, completely unnoticed before, subsided.
The blackness behind reached for her.
Pulled her deep down into a dreamless night.