A chilly gust swept through as Luna slowly opened her eyes.
She was cocooned in softness—the Occamy down blanket that Wyzett had draped over her before leaving the common room. The beauty of Occamy down was that, no matter how much you tossed and turned, it always managed to wrap you up just right.
Luna blinked, her eyelids heavy with sleep, her limbs achy and limp. She let out a small yawn, her head swimming with a pleasant, drowsy fog.
But as she yawned, a twinge of pain flared in her throat, as if a swarm of buzzing Billywigs had taken up residence there, throwing a raucous party. Each breath felt blocked, like a Niffler had sniffed out something shiny in the air and decided to stash it away.
She hummed a soft tune, and as her left nostril gradually cleared, her right one mischievously stuffed itself up. Maybe the Occamy down was simply too cozy—she spent ages humming her way through an entire song before finally pushing aside the covers.
Another cold draft swept by, prompting her to muster her strength. She kneaded the Occamy down into a pillow-sized bundle, then glanced around to find the source of the chill. It turned out the common room was so warm that the heat seemed eager to escape through the window, letting the cold sneak in.
She got up, closed the cracked window, and moved closer to the fireplace. Nestling her head on the Occamy down pillow, she sniffled quietly.
...
After a while, her dormmates returned to the common room.
Olivia Yaxley called out, "Luna, where did you disappear to? We were about to ask you to join us in the Great Hall."
Luna managed to sit up, her normally airy voice now tinged with hoarseness. "I went to visit the pixies. They invited me to an aerial flying party."
She sniffed. "I followed them, riding a broomstick, soaring and soaring... then a gust of wind blew me all the way back here."
Olivia exchanged glances with the others, momentarily at a loss.
"Your voice sounds a bit..." Amica Miller looked worried. "Are you coming down with something?"
Melania Bursted frowned. "That's not good—Madam Pomfrey's out of potions."
Emma Hitchins glanced at the clock. "Dinner's already over in the Great Hall. Do you have anything to eat?"
Luna sniffled again. "I'm not hungry. I'll just warm up by the fire for a bit."
The others drifted off to their dorms. Before leaving, Amica placed a box of Chocolate Frogs in front of Luna.
Luna didn't open it; she just gently shook the box, watching the frog puff its cheeks now and then, passing the time in a dreamy haze. The fire's warmth chased away some of the chill, but brought a stuffy, restless heat in its place.
...
Footsteps approached, and Wyzett's anxious voice broke the silence. "You've caught a cold?"
He spotted Luna curled up on her Occamy down pillow, eyelids drooping.
Luna tilted her head up, managing a faint smile. "I think so, a little."
Just then, Wyzett's cool hand pressed gently against her forehead, sending a wave of soothing relief through her.
She leaned forward, savoring the touch. "No fever, so that's a relief," Wyzett said, settling across from her and setting down a grease-stained paper package. "Any other symptoms?"
Luna rested her cheek on the Occamy down. "Feels like a Niffler's hoarding treasure and Billywigs are throwing a party in my throat."
Wyzett nodded, amused. "Sore throat... stuffy nose... Do you feel like floating up to the clouds?"
Luna nodded, letting out a dreamy gurgle. "A cold wind blew me down just now."
"It's just the flu—everyone's catching it lately." Wyzett breathed a sigh of relief and reached into his pocket for a small potion bottle.
Luna tried to stand. "I'll go get some candied fruit."
"This one's sweet—you won't need any." Wyzett smiled. "Are you really that afraid of potions?"
Luna shook her head. "I heard Colin and the others say Pepperup Potion tastes like... a Mooncalf doing tap dance for three days and nights in a cauldron of aged Flobberworm soup."
Wyzett couldn't help but laugh. "That's the Gryffindor special, all right. But what I've got here is the Lovegood edition."
"I tweaked the recipe, made it sweeter. Took a bit longer, but it was worth it..."
Luna took the Pepperup Potion without hesitation and gulped it down.
The effects were instant—her pale cheeks flushed a healthy pink, then deepened to a brilliant, apple-red glow. Wisps of white steam curled from her ears and the top of her head.
Luna felt the change and giggled. "I want to see what I look like now..."
"Go on, take a look!" Wyzett had already tapped the potion bottle with his wand, transforming it into a light, handy mirror.
Luna peered at her reflection. "I look like... the Hogwarts Express!"
"It's the Lovegood Express."
"Yes! The Lovegood Express!" Luna chortled as the flush faded from her face and her energy returned in full.
She'd only caught the flu from an afternoon nap, but with the potion's timely help, she bounced back much faster.
Wyzett noticed how fascinated Luna was by the steam billowing from her head and ears; she kept glancing left and right, her smile growing ever sweeter.
"Besides the Pepperup Potion, I actually made you a preventive draught too." He produced two more potion bottles. "I was planning to give it to you just in case, but ended up using the Pepperup first."
Luna set down the mirror and blinked. "Preventive draught?"
"Remember the Sprite we had at the department store?" Wyzett opened both bottles and unfolded the oil-paper package.
"I adjusted the flavor to make it as close to Sprite as possible. Here, try it—especially with this..."
He pushed the package forward, revealing roasted chicken legs, grilled sausages, a pile of crispy chips, and a Yorkshire pudding.
Ever since learning the way to the Hogwarts kitchens, he'd made a habit of dropping by. The house-elves were always delighted to help, and missed meals were a thing of the past.
"Let's eat together!" Luna bit into a chip, then picked up a chicken leg and offered it to Wyzett.
He took a bite, then washed it down with a sip of the fizzy preventive draught. "So, how does it taste?"
Luna considered carefully. "It's a lot like Sprite... but there's a hint of Coke, too. Is that from the herbs?"
"Exactly, I used quite a few." Wyzett broke the Yorkshire pudding in two and handed Luna the half with the most beef. "Any ideas for improvements?"
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