taxonomites | 003: Two's a Crowd [Location: Luna's House]

Luna Lovegood had been in Taxon for almost four months. (Which was rather a long time, if you thought about it. She had already missed the first term of her last year at Hogwarts.) And, for four months, she had started every day in the exactly the same way. She woke up, washed and dressed, ate a light breakfast and spent some time wondering if her friends were any closer to finding her. After that, she was ready to start her day.

(She didn't hope that they were closer to find her. She didn't need to hope. She trusted Harry, Neville and the others absolutely implicitly. It was only a matter of time before they found her, and you didn't spend your summers fishing for gulping plimpies without learning a little patience.)

On this particular morning, Luna woke up rather early. The artificial light of the sky - no different, in her mind, to the ceiling of the Great Hall - was filtering through the curtains. It was going to be a nice day. She would probably take a walk down to the graveyard. She was certain that there were a few piskies lurking behind the stones and in the crypts, but they were usually too quick for her. One day, she would manage to catch them.

It was only when she rolled over that she realised something was wrong.

The witch reached immediately for her wand, which had been placed on the bedside table for safe keeping. (It spent the rest of the time behind her ear, unless she was in public.)

She hadn't made very many friends in Taxon - for some reason, she was never very good at making friends - and she certainly hadn't invited anyone to spend the night in her room. Had she? Perhaps she had been affected by a memory charm. Perhaps he - whoever he was - had been affected by a memory charm.

"Good morning," she said lightly, lowering her wand but not putting it away, "Did you sleep well? I hope you don't want breakfast in bed. I don't think I have any trays."

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"Do you mind?" she asked placidly, fixing Topher with an unblinking stare before continuing down the stairs. "You can hold my hand, if you like. It might make things easier."

"Um, sure." He could do that without being creepy, right? And anyway, she was almost placid to the point of being a Doll. Only she wasn't a Doll. She was just... accepting. Which was almost weirder.

With a smile - and without giving him an opportunity to protest - Luna took hold of Topher's hand and began to lead the rest of the way down the stairs. She was certainly unnaturally accepting. Her father had always taught her to view the world with an open mind, and no amount of war, torture or kidnap had managed to suppress Luna's spirit.

"I don't know very much about you," she commented as they walked, "If we're going to be stuck together, I think that would be nice. What would you like to tell me?"

"What d'you want to know? I'm American, I live at work, basically... I work as a computer programmer doing some pretty advanced neurological stuff... and I have no social life to speak of."

Luna listened to Topher with her head tilted slightly to one side. Her expression was one of keen interest. It was as if he'd suddenly told her the most remarkable piece of information in the world, and the intensity with which she examined him may well have been a bit unnerving.

"I've always wanted to visit America," she remarked, "A social life? Is that like having friends? I'm sure you'll find some soon. They're nice to have around, sometimes."

Unnerving was putting it mildly. Topher found her downright creepy, and not in the mild-as-a-lamb way like the Dolls. She was creepy in an intense way.

"Yeah, friends, buddies... people you associate with outside of work."

"I've never had much time for that," said Luna, thoughtfully. She wasn't sure how to use the equipment in the kitchen, which had all been in place when she'd arrived. Waving her wand in an absent way, vaguely reminiscent of a conductor's baton, she summoned cups and a kettle and coffee granules, which circled above them for a moment before landing on the side.

"Daddy and I go traveling in the summer," she added, "I have friends at Hogwarts, though. I was very surprised to make them, but I do like it. Do you want sugar?"

Topher watched the swirling cups and things curiously, but he was almost getting used to her.

"Just a dash would be good, thanks."

003: Two's a Crowd [Location: Luna's House]

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