For the rest of their time together, until they left the seaside, Luna hardly spoke.
Most of the time, she simply gazed quietly at Lewis, as though there was something about him that she found irresistibly fascinating.
Meanwhile, she listened attentively as Lewis explained the principles of becoming a psion.
It had to be said...
Luna's talent in this area was astonishing.
By the time they were ready to leave the beach, she had already learned to condense psionic energy and produce slight effects on the physical world.
Creating a gentle breeze.
Lighting a small flame.
Simple things like that.
On the walk back to the Lovegood residence, Lewis no longer discussed psionics.
Instead, they chatted casually about all sorts of things.
Talking with Luna required no lengthy explanations.
She always seemed to understand exactly what he meant.
Throughout the conversation, Lewis felt an unusual sense of harmony between their minds.
This was one of the subtle effects of psionic ability.
In the past, he had always been the one unconsciously influencing others this way.
Now...
For the first time...
He experienced what it felt like to interact with another naturally gifted psychic.
It was...
A remarkably pleasant feeling.
One that made it very easy to grow fond of the other person.
At the very least...
The distance between the two of them steadily grew smaller.
Less than ten minutes later, they returned to the Lovegood home.
The moment they stepped inside the warm house...
Lewis almost doubted his own eyes.
The place looked completely different from when they had left.
The furniture, once coated with dust, had been polished until it gleamed.
Fresh flowers filled every vase.
Nearly every room had been cleaned as thoroughly as possible.
Even the enormous carved wooden clock in the hall had been scrubbed spotless.
The spiral cast-iron staircase leading upstairs now shone as brightly as glass.
"Dad isn't here."
Luna closed her eyes briefly before confidently reaching that conclusion.
The simple psionic techniques Lewis had taught her...
She was already using with surprising proficiency.
Soon...
A series of clattering noises came from the direction of the kitchen.
Following the sounds, Luna led Lewis over.
It was perhaps the strangest kitchen Lewis had ever seen.
The room was perfectly circular.
Standing inside felt rather like being inside a giant pepper shaker.
Everything—the stove, the sink, the cupboards—had been built with curved edges to match the walls.
Each surface was painted in vivid primary colors, decorated with flowers, insects, and birds.
Xenophilius Lovegood stood before the stove, waving his wand.
The expression on his face made it seem as though he wasn't preparing food...
But conducting a grand symphony.
"Ah!"
"You're back!"
"It's getting late."
"Fortunately, I prepared plenty of ingredients."
The editor jingled noisily as various ornaments hanging from his clothes clinked together.
"You two can have a look upstairs first."
"I'll be finished here very soon."
Following Xenophilius's suggestion, Luna led Lewis upstairs.
The second floor seemed to serve as both a sitting room and a workshop.
Apparently, because guests weren't expected upstairs during the party...
No one had bothered cleaning it.
The contrast with the immaculate first floor was enormous.
To Lewis...
The room was only slightly tidier than the legendary Room of Hidden Things inside Hogwarts' Room of Requirement.
At least...
The Lovegoods' second floor benefited from being much smaller.
The room itself was circular.
Every available surface was buried beneath towering piles of books and loose papers.
Delicate models of magical creatures hung from the ceiling, gently flapping their wings or opening and closing their mouths.
Lewis didn't recognize a single one.
Clearly...
They were all creatures invented by Xenophilius.
Off to one side stood an old-fashioned magical printing press, partially covered by a cloth.
Scattered across the floor were freshly printed but unbound copies of The Quibbler.
Apparently...
Much of the magazine was produced right here.
Lewis's gaze soon settled on another object.
Mounted on the wall protruded a gigantic gray spiral horn that extended several feet into the room.
It looked somewhat similar to a unicorn horn.
"This is the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."
Luna introduced it proudly.
Lewis, however, recognized it immediately.
It wasn't a Crumple-Horned Snorkack horn at all.
It was an Erumpent horn.
A Class B Tradeable Dangerous Substance according to the Ministry of Magic.
Keeping one indoors wasn't exactly illegal...
But it was risky.
After all...
It had a habit of exploding when struck.
Wisely...
Lewis didn't argue over whether the horn truly belonged to a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.
Instead, he simply warned Luna that the horn might explode.
To his surprise...
She accepted the possibility with obvious delight.
Next...
His attention shifted toward another remarkably familiar object.
Standing atop a cluttered curved cabinet was a stone bust.
It depicted a beautiful yet stern-looking witch.
Her strange headdress featured a pair of curved golden devices resembling hearing trumpets extending from either side.
Two tiny blue wings sprouted from the headband.
And an orange Dirigible Plum was tucked into the front.
Rowena Ravenclaw...
Lewis immediately recognized the statue.
He had seen the same likeness countless times in Ravenclaw Tower.
He hadn't expected to encounter it here as well.
Naturally...
He didn't awaken the fragment of Rowena's soul sleeping within the Diadem.
Instead, he quietly listened as Luna continued her explanation.
"These..."
She pointed to the trumpet-like devices.
"Are Wrackspurt Vacuum Tubes."
"They remove all distractions from around a thinker's mind."
"And this..."
She indicated the tiny blue wings.
"Is an Inspiration Accelerator."
"It helps people enter higher states of thought."
"Finally..."
She touched the bright orange Dirigible Plum.
"This is a Dirigible Plum."
"It improves your ability to accept unusual ideas."
Clearly...
Another one of Xenophilius Lovegood's inventions.
Lewis could tell that the entire design was intended to imitate Rowena Ravenclaw's lost Diadem.
He couldn't help wondering...
What would the Lovegoods think if they discovered the genuine Diadem was already in his possession?
After finishing their tour, the two returned to the staircase.
Absentmindedly, Lewis glanced upward toward the floor above.
Then...
He froze.
He had just seen his own face looking back at him from the ceiling.
For a brief moment, he thought it was a mirror.
Then he realized...
It was actually a painting.
Curiosity got the better of him.
He climbed the stairs.
" Lewis..."
"The guests are arriving."
"We should go downstairs."
Luna suddenly became noticeably flustered.
She tried to divert his attention.
But Lewis had already reached the upper floor.
This...
Was Luna's bedroom.
Painted across the ceiling were two exquisitely rendered portraits.
One depicted Ginny.
The other...
Depicted Lewis himself.
Compared with Ginny's portrait...
Lewis's was noticeably larger.
It had also been painted with far greater care.
Though it wasn't enchanted like the portraits at Hogwarts...
It still possessed a faint magical quality.
Surrounding both portraits were delicate golden chains connecting them together.
But after only a single glance...
Lewis realized...
The chains weren't chains at all.
They were words.
Written thousands upon thousands of times in shimmering golden ink.
Friends.
Lewis felt a wave of tenderness wash over him.
He slowly turned around.
Then quietly embraced the somewhat flustered girl.
Looking around the room, he noticed a large framed photograph beside Luna's bed.
In it...
A young Luna happily hugged a woman who looked remarkably like her.
The little girl in the picture was dressed more beautifully than Lewis had ever seen.
That must have been Luna's late mother.
The frame was spotless.
Not a speck of dust rested upon it.
Clearly...
It was cleaned often.
Looking around Luna's room as a whole...
Lewis could deeply feel the loneliness hidden within the girl's heart.
"Don't worry."
He gently patted her back.
"I'll always stay by your side."
Luna said nothing.
She merely nodded.
Then quietly buried her face against Lewis's chest.
The peaceful moment was interrupted by voices drifting up from downstairs.
One after another...
The guests invited to the Lovegoods' Christmas gathering had begun to arrive.
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