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"Uh… you two did notice that the armchair is bigger now, right?" I asked, looking at Fleur and Luna with a complex expression.
The two of them slightly lifted their heads to look at me, each raising an eyebrow as if saying in unison, "And?"
In response, I let out a sigh. With a tired expression, I nodded toward my arms, trapped in their iron grip.
"What I'm trying to say is that you don't need to cling to me so tightly like this. We could just sit here calmly, side by side, without this somewhat… enthusiastic affection."
"And honestly, I think your hands have already cut off the blood circulation to my arms," I added with a faintly amused smile. "It's been a while since I could properly feel them."
Despite my joking tone, there was a hint of seriousness in my words.
It had only been a few seconds earlier, when I tried to free myself from the girls' hold, that I realized my arms weren't fully responding to my commands.
I could feel the numbness creeping in, and I knew that if Fleur and Luna kept holding me like this, I'd probably have to look for some spell to restore damaged limbs by morning.
After hearing what I said, the two girls simply stared at me blankly, their eyes narrowing slightly.
"Ethan," Fleur called, drawing my focus to her.
"Yeah?"
"Be quiet, please."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…Okay."
Faced with the fierce gazes of the blonde witches, all I could do was lower my head in defeat.
Reluctantly, I surrendered to my fate, allowing them to continue this peculiar form of affectionate torture.
'Well… at least I tried,' I shook my head, feeling somewhat helpless.
From the very beginning, I knew the chances of either of them actually listening to me and letting go were minimal. Their determined and passionate personalities wouldn't allow it.
Still, I hadn't expected them not to even consider the idea before refusing… instead, they actually clung to me even more.
And now I realized that, unfortunately, the rest of this night probably wouldn't be as calm as I had imagined.
'Is it strange that I'm kind of missing the bloodthirsty Death Eaters right now?' I wondered, pursing my lips.
…
…
…
…
In this strange and tense atmosphere, time began to pass — much more slowly than it should have, to my suffering.
However, after enduring a few more minutes of pure, uncomfortable silence — with the intense, jealous, and competitive emotions of the two girls hammering against my senses like war drums — I finally reached my limit.
"Alright, that's enough, you two!" I said, no longer able to take it.
"I already get that you're not going to let go of me. But can't we at least talk about something? Anything? Instead of you two just staring at each other in complete silence?"
My outburst made Luna and Fleur look away from one another, breaking the staring contest they had been engaged in.
Both of them turned to me, and upon hearing my request — and seeing my clearly tired and exasperated expression — they at least had the decency to look a little guilty.
Looking away, visibly embarrassed, Fleur spoke in a softer tone. "Well… what do you want to talk about, then?"
"I don't know… How about we talk about how our day was?" I suggested.
But after saying that, I paused.
I immediately remembered that our day had been a complete and resounding disaster, and that there really wasn't anything good to talk about it.
"Err, forget it. That topic isn't very interesting," I said, letting out a nervous laugh.
"Oh, I know!" I snapped my fingers. "How about you tell me about the countries you've visited? I know you've both been to several other regions and communities in the wizarding world."
Seeing my rushed — and somewhat clumsy — attempt to change the subject, Luna and Fleur suppressed their laughter, allowing only faint smiles to appear on their faces.
This simple moment seemed to ease the atmosphere between us a little. The previous tension dissipated, replaced by a lighter, more relaxed air.
Of course, the sense of competitiveness was still there… but now it felt more like a friendly rivalry than a silent confrontation.
"Well, you're right," Fleur commented in a slightly arrogant, showy tone. "I really have visited several other countries, in Europe as well as in the Americas and Asia."
"Me too," Luna quickly added, unwilling to be outdone by the Veela. "My father usually takes me with him on research and exploration trips whenever he starts a new investigation for The Quibbler."
"Great!" I smiled, genuinely relieved to see the mood improving. "That means you'll have plenty to talk about."
"And since it seems the topic of our conversation has been decided, how about you start by telling me about your favorite countries you've visited?"
"Favorite countries…" Luna murmured, placing a finger thoughtfully against her chin.
She then tilted her head adorably, looking at me. "Well, what would you like to know about them?" she asked.
"Hmm, anything really," I shrugged. "I've always been curious about how the wizarding world works in other parts of the world. So any information would be interesting."
"Oh, in that case, I'll talk about the time my father and I went to Brazil… or more specifically, the Amazon," Luna began, and I immediately gave her my full attention.
"Well, to start with, the magical community there is almost — or maybe just as — large as ours. And that's only in the Amazon region. If we count all of Brazil, they'd probably be one of the largest, if not the largest, wizarding communities in the world."
"And it's right there, deep in the Amazon rainforest, that the castle is built… or maybe it's a temple?" Luna paused, lightly furrowing her brow before shrugging. "Well, that's where Brazil's most famous magic school is located... Castelobruxo."
"Unfortunately, I couldn't see or enter the school, but from what I heard others say, it's incredible and ancient — almost like Hogwarts… even their concealment magic works in a similar way."
"But well, leaving the school and the community aside, the most interesting thing in the Amazon is actually the native magical creatures."
As she said that, Luna's large, dreamy eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Heh, of course you'd find the magical creatures the most interesting," I nodded affectionately.
Even Fleur couldn't help but let out an amused snort. Like all our friends, she knew very well the peculiar girl's love for those extraordinary beings.
"Huh?" Confused by why I had said that, Luna looked at me inquisitively.
But seeing that I had nothing else to add, she simply shrugged and continued.
"Well, getting back to the topic… since we're talking about magical creatures from Brazil, I obviously have to talk about Castelobruxo's guardian."
"The school's guardian is the great Caipora — the defender of fauna, lord of beasts, and enforcer of the laws of the hunt."
"He is a forest spirit, a type of magical being dedicated to protecting and caring for flora and fauna, while also punishing those who cause harm to them."
"The Caipora is one of the three great protective spirits of the Brazilian forests. And the other two are almost as important and well-known as he is."
"The Curupira, the trickster of the woods — a rather vengeful and mischievous spirit who enjoys dealing with hunters and trespassers by deceiving them… almost like Peeves, just less malicious and definitely less unbearable."
"And lastly, there's the Boitatá, a flaming serpent and defender of flora. She protects fields and forests from fires and sometimes acts as a guide for those who get lost in the forest, as long as they don't have bad intentions."
Luna said all of that in a single breath, without even pausing to catch it.
In fact, she didn't look tired at all — quite the opposite, she seemed even more animated and excited.
She felt an immense joy at being able to speak freely about magical creatures with people dear to her — people who were truly listening and paying attention, without looks of judgment or disdain.
With this comforting, exhilarating sense of freedom, Luna slipped into her talkative mode. And what followed after that was an even longer lecture about those three creatures.
After Luna finished talking about them, she went on to describe the many other types of magical creatures that existed in Brazil.
She described their appearances, main characteristics, habits, known origins, and also their cultural and historical importance in Brazil and South America.
From the moment Luna began talking about her experiences in another country, I didn't take my eyes off her for even a second.
And it wasn't just because I was curious about the topic.
I was completely focused because I was captivated by the passion and enthusiasm Luna showed while talking about something she loved so deeply.
In this moment, her intelligence, joy, and serenity were fully unleashed. She looked fascinatingly beautiful and radiant… like a fairy.
A very peculiar fairy.
At some point during this lecture, even Fleur became absorbed in it, fully focused on the explanations and descriptions given by the blonde Ravenclaw.
Listening to the engaging and enthusiastic way Luna narrated her adventures ended up inspiring Fleur. Now, the Veela could hardly wait for her turn to speak, eager to share her own experiences in other countries and regions with us.
And so, the rest of our night passed like that.
In a lighter, more cheerful atmosphere, with the two girls animatedly talking about their travels, while I simply listened — adding a few comments, questions, and observations here and there.
End.
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