Chapter 80. Luna’s Insight

The next day, early in the morning on the weekend, I was in the library, studying for spells or potions that could help me in my quest for healing the unhealable. “Was it you…?” A sudden voice asked, one that I recognized for her strangely neutral way of talking. Glancing up from my book, I saw Luna, her face looking much more colorful, and wearing a pair of cutesy shoes that distinguished themselves from her robes. They clearly weren’t up to school code as dress shoes, making it easy to tell her apart even at a glance with the splash of red and white at her feet. “I don’t know what you mean.” I responded, looking back at my book, searching for ways to cure depression.

Luna sat down opposite of me, I could feel her stare, boring holes in my head. Finally looking up to meet her gaze, only then did she talk. “Are you helping me because you want to be friends…?” I flinched under her sudden straight question, shrugging while slowly closing my book and placing it on the table. “Just jumping from asking me if I’m doing something, to asking why? When we haven’t established if I really am responsible?” I asked, hiding my slight unease with her bright blue eyes, feeling her gaze pass through me.

She blinked a few times, still looking directly in my eyes before breaking her gaze to nod at the bookshelf behind while she spoke. “I’ve always been good at understanding creatures… People are complicated… But you... I understand more…” I scowled at her, shaking my head at her strange ability, knowing how dangerous it was for me. ‘She may be an outcast, but if it gets out that I stuck my neck out for a strange girl, then people are going to wonder why.’ “Well your insight is wrong.” Luna stared at me, tilting her head a bit. “I understand…” Her lip trembled a bit, showcasing the smallest of smiles, an image that felt like a work of art in my mind.

I turned away, unable to look at her directly as the room suddenly got warm. “Can I see the Acromantula now…?” I snapped my head to her, the normal expression of neutrality had returned on her face, but mine was now placed in slight shock. Nobody outside of me would go out of their way to see a giant spider. I hadn’t shown Pansy since I knew she had a slight phobia, not that I could blame her, that was normal. This girl really was similar to me in my love of creatures. My head nodded and my mouth opened before I could think of a reason to tell her off. “Of course.” It was a bad idea, to showcase a secret chamber used to house the creature that almost killed students last year, and even showcasing my parselmouth. However, I couldn’t refuse her.

I got up from my seat, and began leading the way through the empty halls. Standing in the bathroom, I licked my dry lips, wondering how she might think of me after hearing my language. ‘I always have a forgetfulness potion in my room… We’ll see.’ I waved my arm over the sink, Val, still sleeping in my room, wasn’t here to open the chamber for me. “Open.” I hissed, the sinks slowly descending into a staircase. I glanced to my right looking at Luna’s expression.

Luna continued to just stare downward at the staircase forming itself beneath us, not paying me any mind. “Wow…” She muttered in shock, barely evident by her voice. “You don’t… Care?” I asked, now staring at her in disbelief. She glanced at me, only after a few seconds of thought did she understand my question. “It’s not a surprise… I always had a feeling you could speak parseltongue… If I must admit, I’m perhaps a little jealous…” Her azure eyes filled with nothing but sincerity made me freeze. I couldn’t move or say a word in response, my mind unable to understand who this peculiar girl was.

“Is she down there…?” Luna asked, waking me from my mind. “Yea… I’ll lead the way.” I began down the steps, and Luna casually walked behind me, not a hint of fear in this place I was taking her, like she had complete faith in me. Reaching the bottom of the steps and into the sewers, I was glad that I had cleaned them for my own peace of mind. The thousands of rat skeletons were removed, and the disease ridden gray goop was cleaned. Leading Luna down here, and if her first sights were that, then she might have had second thoughts.

Instead, as we walked, she took most interest in the Basilisk molt. “Is there a Basilisk down here…? Is that what attacked all those students…?” She asked, feeling the crackling skin under her fingers, only curious interest in her tone. “There used to be.” I muttered, clutching at the large fang under my robes, still remembering the poor creature's last moments under the control of Voldemort. I led the way to the vault door, and hissed my command, before the stone snake slithered around the edges, unlocking the other snakes with their fangs embedded in the stone.

The door unlocked, and swung open, revealing the silk covered nest that Gaynor had built. I looked at Luna, her slightly agape mouth studying all the covered walls. “Are you scared?” I asked, with no hint of shame or judgment, there was nothing to make fun of in this situation for her. However to my surprise, she turned to me, her light blue eyes dazzling with excitement the rest of her face didn’t show. “What’s her name…?” She asked, not even noticing my previous existence, let alone my earlier question of her fears. I scratched my nose, using my hand to cover my mouth, creeping into a smile I didn’t want to show. “Gaynor, her name is Gaynor.”

Suddenly, skittering could be heard from the chamber. We both looked inside, and saw Gaynor clung to the ceiling, looking at us with a tilted head to hear better. “Friend? Pansy?” Gaynor asked, slowly moving her way down to ground level. I walked over, and patted her head while explaining. “No, this is Luna. She’s a- She’s someone else who wanted to meet you.” Gaynor tilted her head into my hand, enjoying the feeling as her pedipalps twitched. She then raised her front leg out to Luna, feeling where she was from the vibrations on the floor.

Luna slowly walked forward, and gently took Gaynor’s leg, shaking it as she studied the leg closely. “I’ve heard that Acromantula's can talk… You have a sweet voice…” Gaynor’s body shivered in glee, enjoying the compliment. “Want to see my nest?” She offered, being welcoming to the nice stranger. Luna nodded her head, and entered inside the Chamber along with me and Gaynor. “I would like that…”

The next hour was spent merrily talking about Gaynor, and this place. I avoided explaining much about the Basilisk, or its purpose, but since Luna was here last year, she most likely already knew, aligning the connecting dots in her head. The look that she gave to the cocooned beast was not of intrigue and confusion, but that of pity, one that sometimes landed on me after staring at what was left of the Basilisk.

Luna was great with Gaynor, instantly ignoring her slightly horrific image to see what lay inside. A small girl that had been abused for her disability, and was now trying to enjoy her new life here. “Do you know how big you can grow…?” She asked, realizing that Gaynor had grown feet in only a year. Gaynor, hummed in thought before shaking her head. “As long as we eat, and live, we grow. My dad Aragog is the largest of all of us, and he’s about 50 feet wide!” Luna gasped, jotting down the information in her small notepad she spontaneously produced earlier.

Suddenly, I decided to check my watch after feeling a pain of hunger, and realized to my shock that breakfast was soon to start. “Luna, it’s almost breakfast.” I reminded, tapping my watch. Luna glanced at me, and then held her hand to her stomach for a second before nodding. “Okay…” She then turned to Gaynor, and said her goodbyes. Gaynor was happy to have another friend, and yelled at her to come back often.

After the door closed, and we began making our way back to the entrance, the quiet tapping sound of our shoes was interrupted by my sudden question, one that came from my lips before I could stop myself from asking. “Do you know any spells or potions that grant happiness?” Luna glanced at me, but then her eyes looked upward in thought. “I do…” I stuttered at a sudden answer to a question I had been looking for, standing right before my eyes.