A/N: So, I was writing like crazy for the past few weeks to get this out, it's by far the longest chapter, so I'm dying to know what you people think. Please please please let me know! I really need at least a small break from writing after this heroic feat, but I promise your reviews will make me start working on the next chapter sooner!
Sadly, Luna's magical transfer of emotions only seemed to work when one was in her presence, as Snape quickly found out once he had left her house. All his earlier anxieties that had found temporary refuge in the dark recesses of his mind stuck their ugly heads back out as soon as he was alone again, which inevitably meant that the last few days left until the world tour were spent by incessant stressing, checking and double-checking that nothing had been forgotten, and nights where sleep proved to be as elusive as a Demiguise.
Inevitably, then, on the day of the departure he turned up on Luna's doorstep feeling decidedly faint, already regretting that he had chosen to play hero by deciding against taking a second Calming Draught. Perhaps he could still remedy the situation, though, in the privacy of the airport toilets. Feeling emboldened by the idea, he finally raised his hand and knocked, only too aware that there would be no going back once he did.
Almost like she had been waiting just behind the door, Luna answered his knock almost immediately.
"Hello!" she greeted him cheerfully, as if this was just another social call and not the beginning of a one-year world tour. "I was just about to go and say goodbye to our Moon Frogs. Would you like to join me?"
"How can I refuse?" smiled Snape, finding Luna's carefree behaviour to be a balm for his frayed nerves. "I would not be standing here today were it not for these miraculous creatures. Incidentally, I have brought their friends back as well, now that I can no longer take care of them." He fished a large box out of his pocket and lifted the lid slightly for Luna to peer in. "As you can see, their number has grown slightly since I took them away."
"Aww, aren't the little ones cute!" cooed Luna, gazing into the box with tenderness. "Thank you for bringing them back. I'm sure they'll be delighted to be reunited with their family."
Skipping excitedly, Luna led Snape around the house into the Lovegoods' back garden. Upon reaching the pond, Snape handed Luna the box, figuring she would be pleased to have the privilege of letting the frogs back into the wild. He was not mistaken; Luna looked as if she had been given an early Christmas present as she gratefully took the box from him, before proceeding to gently lower the frogs into the water. Once the last frog had joined the rest, she stood up, handed Snape the empty container, then turned back towards the pond, now brimming with activity.
"Goodbye, little froggies," she said fondly, giving the animals a small wave. "Stay safe while I'm gone. Dad will come and visit you every day, so don't worry about feeling lonely."
With that, she blew a kiss in the air, then nodded to Snape to signal that she was ready to head back towards the house, and they set off.
"You look awfully smart in those Muggle clothes, by the way," she remarked after a few moments of walking in silence, looking Snape up and down. "Most Muggles dress funny, but I like what you're wearing. If you ever grow tired of potions, you could start teaching Muggles how to dress like Muggles."
"It is not that different from my usual attire," said Snape dismissively, somewhat taken aback by the first part of Luna's comment (he did not even bother to think about the second). He did not see what could be considered special about a black shirt and trousers, but then again, Luna was able to enthuse about things as mundane as a strangely shaped cloud, so he supposed he should not be surprised. Suddenly curious, he glanced over at her to check how she had dealt with the challenge of dressing like a Muggle, as until that moment he had been too on edge to give it much thought, and concluded he had probably not noticed at first sight because Luna was wearing a flowered skirt and brightly coloured stockings not unlike those he was used to seeing her in. Neither had she foregone her trademark radish earrings, but at least she had had enough sense to skip her Butterbeer cork necklace. Snape had only a vague idea of Muggle fashion, having never paid it much attention, but he guessed that, with some imagination, Luna's visage could pass off as that of a hippie.
Having arrived back at the house, they found Xeno already waiting for them in the kitchen.
"Severus!" he greeted Snape warmly, grabbing his hand with enthusiasm. "So the big day is finally here! How exciting is that? Luna told me you had decided to fly, of all things! What an idea! You absolutely must tell me all about it when you get back!"
"Certainly," nodded Snape, whose insides clenched unpleasantly at the mere mention of his and Luna's choice of transport. "I shall spare you no details, have no fear."
"I cannot wait! But now, how about some brandy for the road?"
He instantly reached for the familiar bottle, but Snape stopped him.
"I am afraid I must decline. I would prefer to have my wits about me when we Apparate. Splinching would not be an ideal way to start our trip."
"Right you are. Very responsible of you. Mind if I have one, then?"
"By all means, go ahead."
Gratefully, Xeno poured himself a glass, and it was then that Snape noticed that his hands were shaking. Knowing the sensation only too well from the past few days, he immediately deduced that the man's earlier jovial behaviour had only been put on to cover his real state of mind. Perhaps he could even make a guess as to what was causing him to feel so out of sorts.
"You will take good care of my Luna, won't you?" Xeno blurted out suddenly, as if he had been reading Snape's mind. "I couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to her. She's all I have."
"Your concern is understandable, Xeno," said Snape in what he hoped was a comforting tone, knowing all too well to what lengths the blond wizard had gone the last time Luna had been in danger. "However, rest assured that your daughter's well-being is paramount for me as well. I would never be able to forgive myself were any harm to befall her."
"I'll be all right, Dad, don't worry," Luna chimed in, stepping forward to give her father an affectionate hug. "Severus knows more spells than you and I put together. He even invented some of his own, did you know that?"
"Did you now?" Xeno looked at Snape in awe, his attention momentarily diverted from worrying about his daughter. "That does take uncommon skill. Perhaps the Sorting Hat made a mistake in not putting you in Ravenclaw?"
"As a matter of fact, it did consider doing so, but only briefly."
"Imagine if you had been sorted into Ravenclaw, then you might've been my Head of House!" exclaimed Luna, clearly fascinated by the notion.
"I doubt Filius would have parted with the position willingly," smirked Snape. "He positively dotes on his Ravenclaws, almost as if they were his own children. Now," he pulled a watch out of his breast pocket and looked at it ostentatiously, "unless we wish to miss our flight, I suggest we take our leave. Farewell, Xeno. I shall see you in a year."
"Bye, Daddy!" exclaimed Luna, pulling her father into another, much tighter and longer, hug. "Don't forget to send Athene every few days, and I'll send her right back. That way you'll always know I'm all right."
"Of course, Luna," nodded Xeno, his voice thick with emotion. "Just ... have fun. That's what matters most."
"I will," smiled Luna, disentangling herself from her father's embrace and reaching for a colourful cotton crossbody bag, which Snape had helped her charm to hold all her belongings just like his backpack did. Then both she and Snape stepped outside.
"Ready?" asked Snape.
"Oh yes," said Luna eagerly, but though she was smiling, Snape noticed her eyes looked slightly misty. "Let's go!"
They Apparated to a deserted alley they had scouted out when they had gone to buy their plane tickets; it was only a few hundred metres from Terminal 3, so they covered the remaining distance on foot. Entering through the automatic door (which Luna gazed at knowingly, having devised a theory last time about its movement involving thousands of tiny bugs invisible to the naked eye), they found the building buzzing with activity. Having always disliked crowds, Snape felt his unease return, but he tried to ignore it as he pushed his way towards the information desk. Like most men, he thought it humiliating to ask for help, but was resigned to swallowing his pride for the entirety of the trip, reasoning it was better to spend a few seconds making a quick query than to spend hours bumbling around. Thus, he waited impatiently until the woman in front of him finished her (unnecessarily long, he thought) inquiry, before stepping forward and shoving his plane ticket in the information clerk's face.
"Where do I go with this?" he asked curtly.
"Any British Airways check-in desk is fine," the clerk replied dispassionately, obviously used to grumpy passengers. "They're over there," she added, pointing, when she noticed Snape's uncomprehending look.
Snape nodded in thanks, then turned around to find Luna gazing, mesmerised, at a little boy in a red and blue outfit with the letter "S" prominent on his chest.
"Do you think he might be a wizard?" she asked pensively. "He does have a cape but the rest of his garments look a little tight."
"No, I believe it's merely a Muggle wearing a costume," said Snape, motioning for Luna to follow him as he started heading in the direction indicated by the information clerk.
"To look like a wizard?" wondered Luna, glancing back several times as she walked.
"To look like a superhero. Superman, to be exact. A Muggle fictional character who can fly."
"Oh, you've even read up on Muggle fiction for this trip!" exclaimed Luna, looking at Snape with admiration.
"I did not have to," muttered Snape, uncomfortable to be receiving undeserved praise. "I saw it in a comic book the other boys in my Muggle school were reading. I believe it was also made into a film."
"Oh yes, Professor Burbage told us about those. You watch them on te-le-vi-sion." It was clear she took extra care to pronounce the word correctly. "Did you have one at home? Do you still have it?"
"We had one, yes, but it was disposed of many years ago."
What he had really wanted to say was that the television had, in fact, been destroyed in a fit of rage by his father after his favourite football team had lost to a much weaker opponent, but as at that moment they had reached the end of one of the check-in desk queues, he decided it would be more appropriate to leave this kind of conversation for a more private setting. What surprised him, however, was that he even wanted to speak about it at all. The only person he had ever confided in about his dismal childhood had been Lily, and for a long time he had been happy to leave it that way. But then he had given some of his memories to Potter, and not only had the boy not used it against him, but when Snape had thought about it later, he realised that when he had believed he would die, it had suddenly seemed strangely important to him not to leave the world without anyone knowing who he really was, what he had endured. Afraid to invade his privacy, Potter had never followed up on what he knew with further questions, but Snape was quite sure that if he had asked, he would not have tried to evade answering. Unfortunately for him (in this case, at least), Luna was similarly tactful, which meant that if he wanted to talk to her about his childhood, he would have to be the one to start. Well, he supposed it would be easier now that he had today's conversation to refer to; it was only a matter of finding the right moment.
Luckily, Luna seemed to sense Snape's reluctance to discuss the topic further, and happily returned to the previous one.
"Do Muggles have any other superheroes?" she asked, clearly finding the subject fascinating.
"I do seem to recall one called Spider-Man," said Snape after a moment of thinking. For obvious reasons, he had buried all memories of anything Muggle-related deep down in his mind since he left for Hogwarts, but found it surprisingly easy to bring them back. "As you might guess, his superpowers were spider-like, such as shooting spider-webs from his wrists or clinging to surfaces."
"Do you think Muggles might be sad they can't do magic?" said Luna thoughtfully. "And that's why they make up stories about people with superpowers so they can imagine being like them?"
"That seems a likely theory. The boys at my school even played games to make the illusion more believable."
"It must be terrible to crave magic but to have to live without it," sighed Luna. "I wish I could give a bit of my magic to anyone who wants it."
"Shh, Luna, you would do better not to speak about such things in public," growled Snape, glancing quickly around, only to relax slightly when he found the other people in the queue absorbed in their own conversations. "There is no need to draw unnecessary attention."
Luna nodded in understanding and started to inspect her surroundings instead, her gaze lingering on every object and person as if she was trying to imprint them in her memory. With no more conversation to distract him, Snape was once again overcome by anxiety. Had he really thought of everything? He had the plane tickets, Kingsley had told him how to conjure a Muggle passport... Then again, being a pure-blood, Kingsley did not have first-hand experience with Muggle travelling, and might have therefore omitted something important. He supposed there was always the Confundus Charm if things went wrong (or Obliviate, if things went very wrong), but he would rather not resort to that unless it was absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, though, in the end he need not have worried. The check-in officer inspected his and Luna's plane tickets and passports without showing any more interest in the two of them than he did in the other passengers, then handed them their boarding passes while coolly answering Snape's question about where he and Luna ought to go next. The process was repeated at passport control, their second stop, and by the time they arrived at security check, Snape was almost starting to believe they would make it through the airport without incident. How wrong he was.
"Bags in the tray," the security officer instructed them in a bored tone as they reached the front of the queue, pointing to a line of plastic boxes on their left side.
Luna readily obeyed and Snape reluctantly followed her example, not at all keen on losing sight of his precious belongings, but as he had seen other passengers do the same, he guessed he had no choice but to do as he was told.
"Are you carrying any metal objects?" the officer continued monotonously. "Keys? Coins? A watch?"
Snape remembered the pocket watch in his breast pocket and pulled it out, hoping the officer was not about to, for some reason or other, confiscate it. It had been a gift from Dumbledore when he had come of age, and he was certainly not going to part with it without a fight.
"Put that in the tray as well," the officer ordered.
"What, may I ask, are you going to do with it?" Snape demanded suspiciously, clutching the watch tightly in his hand.
The officer rolled her eyes. "Just put it in the tray. We will run it through a scan and if we find nothing wrong with it, you can grab it again on the other side."
"Wrong?" scowled Snape. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
However, the officer's patience to answer questions had already run out.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we do not have time for this. Either put your watch in the tray or turn back. Others are waiting."
"It's okay, Severus," said Luna, putting a soothing hand on Snape's arm. "You'll get your watch back again." Then she turned to the officer and gave her a disarming smile. "He's just worried about his watch, you see. It means a lot to him."
Snape's scowl deepened. Not only would he have to do as the officer said if he did not want to be sent back, but on top of that he had been made to look like a petulant child. Bloody fantastic.
Shaking off Luna's hand, he carefully placed the watch in the tray, and proceeded to watch with apprehension as another officer pushed the tray forward until it slid into a machine of some sort and out of sight.
Beeeeeep!
Snape almost got a heart attack as an annoying high-pitched sound suddenly filled the air. With a surge of panic, he whirled around to see what was making it, only barely resisting the urge to pull out his wand. He spotted Luna standing on the other side of a door-like metal frame, with yet another officer moving towards her.
"Raise your arms, please," he heard her order his friend.
Luna did so without hesitation, eyeing the woman with curiosity, while said woman stepped closer and went on to pat Luna down.
"What's this?" she barked as she reached the Ravenclaw's sleeve-covered left forearm, her expression hardening. "Take it out."
Snape could sense trouble as Luna obediently removed her wand from her sleeve and held it out for the officer to see. Without thinking, he took a step forward, but the officer next to him held him back.
"You will stay here until they get it sorted it out," she said uncompromisingly.
Helpless and frustrated, Snape could only watch as Luna's officer stared at the piece of wood presented to her with disbelief.
"Why are you carrying around a stick?" she asked suspiciously.
"That's no stick," Luna corrected her guilelessly. "It's a wand."
"Yes, right," sneered the officer. "We'll see about that."
She walked over to a counter off to the side and brought back an object that looked a little like Argus's Probity Probe, which she subsequently moved up and down the wand. Clearly disappointed at not finding what she had expected, she then slid it up and down Luna's body for good measure, giving a satisfied nod as it started beeping when she reached the girl's neck.
"Show me what you've got there," she commanded.
"You mean this?" asked Luna, pulling out a pendant from under her blouse, which Snape recognised as the Deathly Hallows symbol he had often seen on her father.
For some reason, though, the officer gazed at it as if it might bite her.
"Are you an Illuminati or something?" she inquired.
"What's an Illuminati?" asked Luna, puzzled. "Is that another name for somebody who fights Dark wizards?"
Unable to watch the exchange any longer without stepping in, Snape was about to shrug off the officer holding him and come to his friend's aid when the man in charge of scanning their luggage suddenly called, "Jen! Could you come over here for a sec?"
Reluctantly, Luna's officer broke off her interrogation of the girl and shuffled over.
"What is it?" she asked, sounding mildly annoyed.
"Look," said the man, pointing at something on the screen in front of him. "I've never seen anything like it. It's just a small bag, but it looks like it's got hundreds of things inside."
"Well, only one way to find out, isn't there?" said the woman called Jen, reaching for Luna's bag.
Snape concluded that the time for passivity was over, for if there ever came a moment when things got bad, this was it. Before Jen could as much as touch the bag, she was hit by a wordless, wandless Confundo, and a split second later, her three colleagues met the same fate. Consequently, they gave Snape no trouble whatsoever when he walked over to pick up both pieces of luggage and his watch, even wishing him, albeit with slightly unfocused expressions and vague smiles, a good day. Then he grabbed Luna, who was still standing near the metal frame with an annoyingly unconcerned expression, and dragged her away without a word.
He was fuming. How could it all have gone so wrong? Were all airports so obsessed with security? If so, he was never coming near one again. He would use trains and ships, like he had originally wanted, and leave all this security nonsense to Muggles. Did they not see it was all useless anyway? As a former spy, he could think of at least three ways how to bypass the system and smuggle something on board, despite all the measures. Then again, perhaps he was merely ignorant. What if there were still other security checks up ahead? For obvious reasons, he had not had a chance to ask the security officers where to go next, so he did not know what to expect. Glancing around, he took in his surroundings; it seemed he and Luna had arrived in something like a futuristic version of Diagon Alley: there were shops and cafés everywhere he looked, all illuminated with bright lights that made his eyes hurt.
"Shall we go and have a cup of tea?" Luna suggested, pointing at one of the cafés, which looked slightly dimmer and more conservative than the rest. "We still have lots of time."
"Not until I find out how many other blasted controls we will have to endure before we are finally allowed to board the plane," snapped Snape, searching around for an information desk.
"We could ask at the café," Luna pointed out.
Having found no information desk in sight, Snape conceded that Luna's idea did, in fact, hold some merit, so to the café they went. To Snape's pleasant surprise, it looked just as traditional on the inside as it did on the outside, and he found himself hoping for no further obstacles, just so he could sit down with a nice cup of tea to calm his nerves. Incredibly, it seemed as if his prayers had, for once, been heard: the barista informed him that all he and Luna had to do now was get to the correct gate at least half an hour before take-off, and that said gate was less than ten minutes' walk from the café, which left them with plenty of time for tea.
With a steaming cup in front of him, Snape finally felt some of his anger ebb away, though he still had a bone to pick with Luna.
"What on earth had come over you, telling Muggles about wands and wizards?" he lashed out at her without preamble, though being careful to keep his voice low. "Does the Statute of Secrecy mean nothing to you?"
As was usually the case, however, Luna seemed completely unperturbed by his tirade.
"I find that telling the truth is often easier and more effective than trying to come up with a lie," she said serenely. "I know it from school. Nobody believed me when I said the Crumple-Horned Snorkack was real, not even you. It was much more convenient for everyone to accept that I was simply odd."
"While the first may be true, I hope you have not included me in the latter group," Snape cut in quickly, determined to set the record straight, provided it was necessary.
"Of course not," smiled Luna. "I don't think you'd be here now if you thought me odd."
"Indeed," agreed Snape, somewhat relieved, unable to find fault with Luna's logic.
"It was nice to have someone who didn't look down their nose at me," Luna continued fondly, getting lost in memories and clearly forgetting she had not finished answering Snape's original question. "When Harry started talking to me, some of his friends did, too, but I think most of them thought I was a bit of a joke. Maybe except Neville and Ginny, they were always kind to me."
"Most people are too blinded by the first impression to put in an effort to look under the surface," said Snape, thinking of Potter Sr., who had charmed the whole school by his looks and clownish behaviour, and because of that nobody had realised what an evil bastard he really was. "However, to return to the previous matter. You were saying?"
"Oh, just that it would've been the same with the lady back there. I saw how she was looking at me. It was easier for her to think I was not right in the head than to accept the existence of wands and wizards."
Snape pondered his friend's theory for a moment, before deciding that he had, once again, vastly underestimated the girl. What he had considered carelessness, or even stupidity, had, in fact, been a carefully thought-out strategy. After all, had he not, on more than one occasion, used a similar ruse to fool the Dark Lord? By telling him a truth which had seemed so far-fetched it was almost certain the Dark Lord would not accept it as fact?
"I ... apologise," he said slowly. "It is obvious you know what you are doing. Unfortunately, that does not solve the problem of our luggage. I refuse to cast the Confundus Charm at every airport, so I am afraid this will have to be our last time using this form of transport, even if the rest of the journey proves to be satisfactory."
"I understand," nodded Luna, though she did look slightly disappointed. "The poor Muggles were only doing their job."
Having resolved his main concern, Snape briefly considered whether he should also reproach Luna for her unwelcome intervention in the case of his watch, but in the end thought better of it. Clearly, the girl had only wanted to defuse the situation, and had even succeeded, if only for a moment. That it had made Snape feel like a child placated by its mother was another matter, but he concluded he would look like an even bigger fool if he brought it up.
As such, he and Luna finished their tea in peaceful companionship, and then set off to find their gate. Fortunately, the signs spoke clearly and there was no need to ask for further directions, for which Snape was truly grateful. What was more, his fear of another safety check proved to be unfounded, for all the lady at the gate wanted to see were their boarding passes and passports, after which they were finally permitted to get on the plane. There another lady directed them to their seats, but Luna only took a few steps before she stopped, transfixed, to take in her surroundings.
"Isn't it magnificent?" she gushed, turning her head this way and that as if she did not know where to look first. "It's almost unimaginable that a thing so big can get up into the sky."
Following Luna's example, Snape glanced around as well, and had to agree that what he saw was indeed impressive. Rows and rows of seats stretched out neatly in front of him, and there was a strange sound in the air, as if somebody was using a huge vacuum cleaner. It was definitely difficult to imagine something so large and heavy actually taking off without magic, and Snape could only take his hat off to the Muggle who had made it work.
"Excuse me, could you keep moving, please?" came a man's voice from behind him, effectively returning him to a reality where he and Luna were not alone. "You're blocking up the aisle."
Snape shot him one of his deadliest glares, perfected for years to frighten misbehaving students, and only then gently nudged Luna to move forward. It did not take long before they found their seats, and once they had stowed away their bags and fastened their seatbelts, they could continue observing everything that was happening around them without interruption. When the plane had filled up, the doors were closed, and the crew proceeded to demonstrate what was to be done in case of emergency. Snape certainly hoped it would not come to that, but as his father had loved watching catastrophic films that often involved plane crashes, he had always known it was a possibility. For once he was grateful that the Dark Lord had taught him to fly, so if worst came to worst, he could just grab Luna and glide away with her.
Glancing over at her, he found her glued to the window, watching other planes taking off while their own aircraft slowly rolled around the airport.
"How do they do it?" she wondered, not taking her eyes off the spectacle outside. "How do they not fall down? Professor Burbage said something about engines, even showed us pictures, but I don't think anybody really understood what she was on about."
"I imagine the principle is similar to that of cars," said Snape, who had never taken Muggle studies in order not to lose face in front of his fellow Slytherins, but possessed some basic knowledge from Muggle school, only to fill in the gaps by picking Charity's brains after they had become colleagues. "An engine propels a car forward, so a plane likely requires a stronger engine to propel it upwards. If you listen for a moment, the humming noise you will hear is the sound of the engine."
"You're right, I can hear it!" squealed Luna excitedly. "But ... hasn't it just got louder? What does that mean?"
"I presume we might be getting ready for take-off," said Snape, peeking out of the window. Their plane had come to a standstill, but as the engine's roaring picked up in intensity, it suddenly started moving again ... much faster than before, so fast that Snape felt himself being pushed back into his seat, and then, as if by magic, they were in the air, leaving the airport down below.
"This is so amazing!" giggled Luna, her eyes shining. "A bit like Apparition but much more pleasant."
Snape only nodded, unable to put his feelings into words. There was a strange tingling sensation all over his body, which made him feel somehow alive, like he had not felt for a long time. Luna had compared it to Apparition, but for him it was more like the thrill of a headlong dive on a broomstick.
Unfortunately, all too soon the sensation disappeared as the plane stopped gaining altitude, and Snape could not help but curse all the airport controls that made it impossible for them to use planes more often, as he really would not mind repeating the experience again. Not only was there the breathtaking take-off, but now that the plane had made its way above the clouds, he could not get enough of the view: it was like flying over a snow-covered landscape that stretched as far as the eye could see, with the dazzling sun bathing everything in a golden glow. Never had he seen anything so beautiful, and the sight filled him with a strange inner peace, as if his past had taken place in another lifetime, as if there was only here and now and the beauty below.
Clearly, Luna felt the magic too, for she stayed unusually quiet throughout the entire journey, only sharing her impressions with him when the spell was temporarily broken at lunchtime. Snape, who had not expected to be given a meal, was pleasantly surprised by the service, and even more so by the taste of the food, but at the same time he felt relived when the flight attendants took the empty trays away and he could resume his window-gazing without being disturbed.
However, as is life's way, all good things must end, and so eventually there came a moment when Snape noticed the plane starting to descend, for they flew through the clouds again and soon they could see land down below, tiny fields and tiny houses that looked like children's toys. And then the ground got closer, and suddenly the plane gave a huge jerk that made Snape's breath hitch, and there was that tingling sensation again as the plane was braking, until it slowed down to a crawl and lazily rolled towards the terminal, where it finally ground to a halt.
Paranoid from their previous mishap, Snape mentally braced himself for another potential Confundo should anybody try to inspect their luggage again, and was therefore slightly shocked when this time they encountered no controls at all. He supposed it made sense; if you were checked once before the flight, you would hardly be expected to obtain any dangerous items in the shops or on the plane itself, though, like before, personally he could imagine more than one way of doing so.
Once they were safely out in the arrivals hall, they made a brief stop at an exchange office to stock up on the local currency while also learning how to get to Oslo, and twenty minutes later they were already comfortably seated on a bus heading to the capital, which Snape thought was an ideal opportunity to discuss their next steps.
"From the map I surmise Solspeilet is a little far from Oslo to reach it today," he said thoughtfully, tracing the route with his finger, "but we could stop for the night somewhere halfway, and complete the rest of the journey tomorrow. Or perhaps you have a different suggestion?"
"I think I'd just like to go to the railway station and take the first train that catches our fancy," said Luna dreamily. "Then we can get off whenever we feel like it. Who knows where we'll end up?"
Snape felt a momentary surge of panic just by imagining what the girl was proposing, but he had promised to respect this whim of hers, and he was not a man to go back on his word.
"Very well then," he agreed reluctantly. "In that case, however, we ought to find a suitable secluded place in Oslo that we can Apparate back to once we grow tired of being adventurous."
"That's a nice plan," nodded Luna. "That way we'll never have to go by the same train twice."
"Indeed. I also propose we buy some food in Oslo, for, as you yourself have pointed out, there is no telling where we might end up. Having to forego dinner would certainly make a poor start to our trip."
Consequently, after arriving in Oslo they visited the first supermarket they stumbled upon, but while Snape tended to be practical, buying things that could be used to prepare dinner and breakfast, Luna preferred to experiment and fill her basket with Norwegian specialities, claiming that she wanted to get to know the country from all aspects, cuisine included.
With his bag filled with groceries, Snape suddenly felt considerably calmer, and no longer concerned about where Luna would take them. They did, after all, have a tent, so even if they ended up in the middle of nowhere, finding a place to sleep was not an issue. Therefore, once they made it to the railway station, he magnanimously let Luna decide which train she wanted to get on, and accepted her choice without question.
Having only ever travelled on the Hogwarts Express, Snape found the train surprisingly modern, sharing many similarities with the plane they had been on earlier. Rather than compartments, there were rows of plush seats with an aisle in between, with some seats facing each other. When buying their tickets, they had chosen this particular option so that they could each sit next to a window, with the added luxury of a small table between them should they feel like having a snack. To Snape's amusement, the train had scarcely left the station and the table was already sagging under the various goodies Luna had bought at the supermarket: he discerned crisps, biscuits, chocolate, some sweet pastry, and several other packets whose contents he dared not guess. Luna cheerfully offered him a bit of everything, and so he discovered that while Norwegian chocolate was undeniably excellent, dried fish crisp bites was something he could do without. Still, he had to admit to himself that he had found the activity of tasting new things strangely enjoyable, possibly because it reminded him of the excitement he had felt as a child every time he picked a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean. Perhaps the idea of trying out the local cuisine was not as outlandish as he had originally thought.
Whether thanks to the soothing effects of the chocolate, the monotonous rocking of the train or because after the stress of the past few days he finally felt like there was nothing to worry about, at least for the time being, it only took a few minutes of gazing at the ever-changing scenery outside before Snape found himself dozing off. His first instinct was to fight it, as living on the edge for so long had taught him that even a moment of inattention could cost him his life, but then he reminded himself several times that the Dark Lord was gone, whereas he, for the first time ever, was on holiday, on a Muggle train no less, where the chance of danger was minimal. Thus assured, he proceeded to cast basic wards around their seats (just in case), told Luna to wake him once she considered a station worthy of getting off (they had bought a four-day train pass, which had seemed like the perfect choice for the girl's spontaneous way of travelling, seeing as the pass enabled them to get on and off as they liked), before, at last, giving in to slumber.
"Severus! Severus, wake up!"
Snape sat up with a start, reflexively drawing his wand as he looked around in alarm.
"It's okay, Severus, it's just me."
Snape's eyes finally focused on Luna, whose right hand was still on his shoulder as she had been trying to shake him awake.
"I'd like to get off at the next station," she announced, apparently concluding he was now conscious enough to take in what she was saying.
"All right," Snape nodded automatically, quickly hiding his wand before anybody noticed. Fortunately for him, though, most passengers had left the train by then, so there was nobody within sight.
"Its name is Dombas," Luna continued, clearly excited to share her findings with him. "I thought it sounded funny, a bit like 'dumb-ass'. I wonder what it really means in Norwegian."
"Perhaps one of the locals will enlighten you," said Snape, turning to look out of the window to ascertain what kind of place Luna had chosen for them to get off in, but all he could see was a dense forest on one side and some fields on the other.
The situation had not changed much even by the time the train eventually pulled into the station; Dombas seemed to be nothing but a small village surrounded by wilderness. Snape was therefore doubly thankful they had done their shopping in Oslo, for he doubted they would find anything resembling a shop here.
"Just in time for dinner," Luna declared happily as soon as she was off the train. "I hope there's a restaurant serving local food."
"I would hate to burst your bubble, Luna," said Snape, looking doubtfully up and down the deserted platform, "but it seems highly unlikely we will find any restaurant at all in this godforsaken place."
"It won't hurt to look, though, will it? I think the village is that way."
Shrugging, Snape dutifully trailed after his friend as she determinedly set off towards a cluster of buildings outlined in the distance. Bypassing the station, they chose to follow a street lined with houses on their left side and railway tracks disappearing into a tunnel on the right; they had walked only a few hundred metres, however, before the houses unexpectedly gave way to various facilities: they passed a car repair, a supermarket and, to Snape's disbelief, even a bicycle shop. As such, it no longer came as much of a surprise when the street eventually led them to a tavern.
"Well, here we are," beamed Luna, looking like she had expected nothing else. "Are you hungry?"
"After all the treats you made me eat on the train, I could very well go without dinner," smirked Snape, "but I suppose I can manage something small."
"Good, let's go in, then, and see what they have."
Snape could almost feel the eagerness radiating off her as she pushed open the door, giving him no time to be a gentleman and enter first.
The tavern was a cozy little place: like almost all buildings they had seen so far, it was made of wood, with hunting trophies on the walls and a fire burning merrily in the fireplace, despite the summer season. They found an empty table near the window, and waited for the waiter to notice them. To their surprise, the man spoke almost perfect English, which made ordering much easier; in the end, Luna picked an orange-flavoured drink called Solo, fish soup and Rakfisk, while Snape, inspired by his tasting experience on the train, asked for meatballs and red wine, which, to him, seemed like a nice compromise between experimenting and staying conservative.
While waiting for their meal to arrive, Snape excused himself to go to the toilet, and when he returned, he found Luna chatting animatedly to the waiter.
"I found out what Dombas means," she announced victoriously, as soon as Snape came within earshot.
"Really?" said Snape, amused, surreptitiously signalling the waiter that he was fine taking it over from there. "And what have you learned?"
"In Norwegian, it's something like 'mute hill'. Do you think it means the other hills can speak?"
"I think I can safely assume that if anybody could hear them, it would be you."
Luna smiled, clearly pleased by the idea, then smoothly continued, "Henrik – that's the waiter's name, by the way – also told me that the first American military casualty of World War II was a man called Robert M. Losey, who was killed at the entrance of the tunnel we walked past earlier because he had been watching the bombing. I thought that was rather unlucky for the poor fellow, as I've never heard of anyone dying to bombing before. Maybe it was a Dungbomb that was extra big?"
Snape mentally thanked Merlin he had just swallowed his wine, for Luna's remark would have made him spit it out as he burst out laughing. The reaction caught him very much by surprise, as laughter did not come easily to him, even with the Dark Lord gone, but he was quite certain that on the few occasions it had happened, it was always thanks to Luna.
When, at last, he was able to calm down by taking a few deep breaths, he found the girl looking at him with confusion.
"Was it something I said?" she wondered.
"Unknowingly, but yes," nodded Snape, wiping his eyes. "Allow me to explain."
And so he told Luna all about the difference between Muggle bombs and Dungbombs, with a few extra details about the Second World War thrown in as a bonus.
"How do you know all this?" asked Luna when he had finished, looking thoroughly impressed. "Professor Burbage never told us about bombs in Muggle studies. And she mentioned the Second World War only in passing."
"We had history at the Muggle school I attended."
"Oh yes, the one you told me about at the airport. I'd really like to hear more about it. Were the subjects similar to the ones at Hogwarts?"
"Mostly not. We had-"
Just then, however, he noticed Henrik the waiter bringing Luna her soup, and as he wanted his friend to enjoy her meal to the fullest, well aware how much she had been looking forward to it, he promised to continue his Muggle school lecture only after they had both finished eating. To his surprise, though, after Henrik had laid the soup on the table and wished Luna bon apetit, the girl did not start eating right away, as he had expected, but instead pushed the spoon towards him.
"Would you like to try it first?" she asked.
"Try it?" Snape repeated, baffled. "Why would I do that? I have ordered my own meal."
"That's true, but this way you get to taste more dishes than just your own. You try mine, and then I try yours."
Snape frowned; despite Luna's explanation, he still considered the suggestion somewhat strange. Sharing snacks, he could understand, but sharing a meal? That seemed somehow more ... personal, for lack of a better word. On the other hand, he supposed that the faster he got used to the idea of losing a large part of his privacy, the better. It was, after all, quite probable that the two of them would be sharing a tent tonight or making breakfast together tomorrow. What was tasting each other's food compared to that? Not to mention that Luna's fish soup did look rather appetising...
"Very well, then," he agreed finally. "Pass over the bowl, if you would."
Looking like he had given her an early Christmas present, Luna readily obeyed, and proceeded to watch him expectantly as he dipped the spoon into the soup and brought it to his lips. Finding the taste even better than he had hoped, he nodded appreciatively, before pushing the bowl and spoon back towards his friend. With a satisfied smile, she finally dug into her soup with gusto.
While Snape had not been lying when he had told Luna he was still quite full from the feast on the train, watching her eat worked wonders to stimulate his appetite, so when Henrik eventually arrived with the main course, he could not wait to test out what he had brought. To his delight, the meatballs appeared just as delicious as he had imagined them, and he was just about to offer Luna a bite when his nostrils were hit by a stench so terrible that he almost gagged. Quickly raising his eyes from his plate, his gaze fell upon Luna's dish; at first sight, it looked just like salmon, served with potatoes, some kind of flatbread and something that might have been sour cream, but after closer inspection he noticed that the fish ... was not cooked?
"Are you quite certain you are going to eat that?" he asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"It does smell quite bad, doesn't it?" giggled Luna. "Would you like to try a piece?"
"I think I will pass this time, thank you," said Snape resolutely, the mere idea making his shudder. "I shall, however, very much enjoy watching you eat it. What was the name of the dish again?"
"Rakfisk. Henrik said it was a Norwegian speciality."
"While conveniently forgetting to mention several insignificant details, such as that the fish was raw and smelled like spoiled pickled slugs? How very kind of him."
"Maybe it won't be as bad as it sounds," said Luna serenely. "Let's see."
And she courageously cut off a piece of the fish and put it in her mouth. After chewing contemplatively for a few seconds, she made a face as if she was in pain, then swallowed with obvious difficulty.
"I think it might be one of those things you just need to get used to," she declared, immediately cutting off another piece as if to verify her theory.
"You could also order something else," suggested Snape, watching his friend's struggle with amusement, and perhaps a hint of sympathy.
"Oh no, I'm fine," said Luna doggedly. "Dad has always taught me we should be grateful for every meal, and let nothing go to waste."
"As you wish," shrugged Snape, turning towards his own meal but looking up every few seconds to see how his friend was doing. He had to hand it to her; the girl sure was determined. With heroic effort, she managed to clear her entire plate, before finally leaning back with a satisfied sigh.
"The key was eating the fish together with the sour cream," she announced. "Then the taste was actually quite nice."
"Who would have thought?" said Snape, sounding rather doubtful. "If, however, you would like something to take the edge off the flavour, I have left you a meatball to try."
"You have?" exclaimed Luna, her delight so evident that it seemed like the whole room had suddenly lit up.
Snape had to admit there was something magical about sharing a meal with somebody, something that made him feel strangely warm inside, with a myriad of emotions bubbling to the surface that he could not quite name. And so he watched Luna relish his last meatball with a small smile, and marvelled at the flame deep within his chest, and wondered whether this was what happiness felt like.
The feeling stayed with him even after their plates had been cleared away, so, in the end, he decided to tell Luna not only about his life at Muggle school, but even to follow up on his earlier self-given promise to fill in his friend on his childhood, for he would hardly find a moment more suited to the task, not to mention that the longer he put it off, the weaker his resolve would be.
Luna turned out to be the perfect listener, who did not interrupt with pointless questions, and waited patiently when Snape occasionally stumbled over words or paused to collect his thoughts. Ultimately, though, her patience was duly rewarded, for she learned more about Snape's early life than anyone before her had had the privilege to know. That his father had got his mother pregnant in a dingy alley after both had had too much to drink at the local pub. That he had never got over the fact that she was a witch, and had despised both her and their child for it for the rest of his life. How his mother, abused and unloved and too weak to leave her husband, had died of cancer when Snape was only twelve. How his father, unable to take proper care of himself without her, fell off a ladder and broke his neck while trying to fix a blocked drainpipe, and had only been found days later when the neighbours had started complaining about the smell. Orphaned at the early age of fourteen, Snape had subsequently asked Dumbledore to stay at Hogwarts permanently, as he had no living relatives and therefore nowhere to go. Due to his memories of the place, he had only started returning to his childhood home as an adult, and even then not more than he absolutely had to.
He did not know what he had expected Luna to say when he finally finished his narrative, but was thankful that she remained silent. Instead, a knowing look passed between them while she reached across the table and briefly placed her hand over his, as if his intent of telling her what he had had been clear from the beginning. And that was when he felt it: tremendous relief washing over him as he realised that he no longer had to fear taking his life story to the grave because now, at last, there was someone who knew.
It was almost dusk by the time the two of them finally paid for their meal (with Snape successfully resisting the urge to reprimand Henrik for withholding crucial information) and left the restaurant, and Snape could feel a rush of anxiety stemming from the fact that they had not even discussed where they would sleep. Knowing he would calm down once they had a plan, he decided to breach the topic straightaway.
"What do you propose we do now?" he inquired. "Search for accommodation somewhere in the village? Perhaps we can still return and ask Henrik for advice."
"I liked the look of the forest we saw next to the railway line," said Luna dreamily, obviously not sharing Snape's concern about mundane things such as sleep. "It would be nice to explore it."
Naturally, that had been the last thing Snape had been hoping to hear, but as Luna's instinct had, until then, never led them astray, he only muttered "if you say so" and simply went with the flow, forever grateful for the tent in his backpack. It seemed like they might have need of it this evening, after all.
While out in the streets the setting sun still helped to light their way, once they ventured into the forest it got considerably darker, and they had to use their wands to see where they were going. Snape allowed Luna to walk first in order to lead the way, while he remained close behind, instinctively checking their surroundings every few seconds for any signs of danger. Had they been in the Forbidden Forest, he would at least have known what to expect; here, he had to be ready for just about anything. Every noise he heard sounded alien to him: the distant screeching of wheels as another train arrived at the station, the scuttling of small animals in the underbrush, even the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze. All in all, by the time they emerged in a small clearing, he was decidedly on edge, and was therefore rather relieved when Luna decided to end their walk there.
"I think this is the perfect spot to set up camp, don't you?" she declared, looking around with satisfaction.
"Indeed," nodded Snape, not quite sure what made this clearing special compared to the other clearings they had passed on the way, but choosing not to niggle. Instead, he pulled the tent out of his backpack and set it up, then cast several protective enchantments around the area, making it unplottable for anyone (human, animal or creature) who might wander their way, while Luna explored the inside of the tent with unconcealed excitement.
"It's so nice and cozy," she gushed. "And practical, too; there's even a kitchen and bathroom! Perhaps I could try out the kitchen right away and make us some tea? It has got rather chilly."
"Tea would be welcome, thank you," agreed Snape. "In the meantime, I shall go and gather wood for a campfire, if you promise me not to leave the tent. We do not know what dangers lurk about."
Despite Luna's promise, however, he never let the tent out of his sight, and came back as soon as he was able. To his relief, his friend was still in the kitchen, with two steaming mugs standing ready on the table, but she joined him outside as he lit the campfire, conjured a log for them to sit on and summoned blankets to drape around their shoulders, for he doubted the tea alone would be enough to warm them.
"Anita Franklin – a Muggle-born from my year, if you remember – once told us that her family toasted marshmallows whenever they made a campfire," Luna said after they were both comfortably seated, mugs in hand. "I've always wondered what those were. They sound like the name of a flower."
"They are a kind of Muggle sweet," Snape educated her. "We can get them next time we go shopping if you like. Nevertheless, should you wish to toast something today, I can bring some bread."
"Oh yes, that would be lovely," Luna nodded enthusiastically, her eyes glinting in anticipation.
Two sharpened sticks later, they were both dangling a slice of bread over the fire, and for the first time since they entered the forest, Snape allowed himself to relax. He had never sat by a campfire before, and he found watching the flames wonderfully soothing. The bread – a Norwegian variety that was nothing like English toast – was also exquisite, easily disappearing in his stomach despite the fact that he was still full from dinner. If heaven existed, he supposed he would not mind if it allowed him to be forever stuck in this very moment.
That is, until Luna spoke again.
"Anita also said it was customary for people to sing while sitting around a campfire," she said meditatively. "I rather like the idea. Do you know any songs we could sing?"
Snape found himself tense at the mere thought, his inner calm suddenly gone.
"I ... don't sing," he said primly.
"Oh," breathed Luna, who obviously had not even considered such a possibility. "But I thought I saw you, when we all sang the school song-"
"I was only opening my mouth to stop Dumbledore from pestering me," Snape admitted reluctantly.
"That was not very kind of him, making people sing when they didn't want to. But that's okay, I can sing for the both of us."
And, with a theatrically deep breath, she launched into a song that Snape eventually recognised as one performed by The Weird Sisters at the Yule Ball a few years before, though at this moment it might easily have taken place in another lifetime. As Luna's clear voice carried over the forest, he found himself inadvertently caught up in the song; the lyrics were clichéd, of course, as was the case with all Weird Sisters creations, but Luna's interpretation seemingly gave them meaning, as if she sang about this perfect point in time, here in the forest by the campfire.
All too soon, however, the song was over, and Snape opened his eyes, not even remembering having closed them. What he saw startled him: at the opposite end of the clearing, spirit-like figures were swaying in a kind of ethereal dance, figures that certainly had not been there before the song started. Chancing a quick glance over at Luna, it was clear she had noticed them too, for her face was frozen in surprise as she stared at the translucent dancers in silent amazement.
"What are they?" she whispered finally, as if afraid of scaring them away.
"I believe they might be elves," replied Snape, keeping his voice equally low. Unable to quite accept that what he was seeing was real, he, too, wanted the unexpected visitors to stay as long as possible, or at least until he determined what he was really up against.
"Elves?" repeated Luna, frowning. "But they look nothing like the pictures I've seen in books."
"Most likely because the authors of said books had based their sketches on imagination alone. As you may recall, elves are generally considered to be mythical beings."
"Well, just now, we've proved all the books wrong," Luna stated with satisfaction, nodding her head as if emphasising a point to somebody only she could see. "I really hope the same will happen in Sweden with the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."
"That is certainly a possibility," said Snape noncommittally. "What concerns me more, however, is how the elves have actually found us. I have put up wards that should make it impossible for anyone to see or hear us."
"Elves are ancient. Maybe they have magic unknown to wizardkind? Like house-elves? I remember it should've been impossible to Apparate in and out of the Malfoys' cellar, but Dobby did it. Poor thing. It still makes me sad he gave his life just to save us."
"That sounds like a valid theory," agreed Snape, choosing to ignore Luna's sentimental conclusion. "Perhaps it was the singing that drew them here? It seems a strange coincidence that they did not come earlier, although we have been here for quite some time. They do not appear to react to us now, either."
"Should I try singing a bit more to make sure?" asked Luna.
"No, I believe that the most reliable way to test out our theory would be if ... if it was me singing this time," said Snape tensely. "That way we would discern if they respond to different voices or if it was your voice in particular that attracted them."
"You're going to sing?" Luna repeated disbelievingly, looking like she had just found a Crumple-Horned Snorkack curled up in her bed.
"It gives me no pleasure, I can assure you, but I see no other way. I do not vouch for the quality, however. Or that I will recall all the words."
Truth be told, the idea of what he was about to do made him more nervous than he cared to admit, but he was willing to sacrifice his dignity in the name of science. Therefore, he took a calming (and somewhat shaky) breath, before proceeding to do his best to reproduce a song he had last heard almost thirty years prior. His voice was weak and slightly unsteady at first, but he soon overcame his initial insecurity and put more energy into his singing, for if the elves were to hear him, he could not squeak like Longbottom during an exam. Incredibly, by the time he finally finished, he was feeling oddly light, as if there had never been any stress to begin with.
"That was ... amazing," said Luna, sounding uncharacteristically sombre, almost like she was having trouble getting the words out. "You have a really lovely voice. And look, the elves enjoyed it too."
It turned out the girl was not mistaken; when Snape glanced their way, not only were the elves dancing again, but one of them had even crossed her hands over her chest and bowed her head in appreciation, before joining the others in their frolicking.
"It seems we were right, then," he said, relived not to have gone through the ordeal of singing in vain.
"I'm just glad we made them happy," smiled Luna. "They are magnificent when they dance. What was the song, by the way? It was beautiful, but I've never heard it before."
"It is called Let It Be, by a Muggle band that was popular while I was at school. I always tended to imagine that the 'Mother Mary' in the song was my own mother, who would use the words from the title to prevent me from giving my father a piece of my mind whenever I thought he deserved it."
He was not quite sure what had made him share this particular information with his friend, perhaps it was the fact that he had already confided in her this evening, or perhaps his self-control was temporarily loosened by the elves' entrancing dance, but he found he did not really care. All he knew was that he could not have wished for a more perfect ending to the first day of their trip, and that if all days proved to be as magical as this one had been, despite its unpromising start, he would certainly not complain.