Luna pov
The feast ended in a haze of buttered pies and sugarplum sparkles. Someone said something about singing the school song, and then someone else groaned so loudly that I think the ceiling winced. I only hummed. I like endings. They feel like beginnings wearing little costumes.
I was picking the last crumbs off my pumpkin tart when Professor Flitwick climbed onto a stool to speak. He always looks like he's about to vanish into his own sleeves. I admire that quality in a man.
"First-year Ravenclaws," he squeaked, "please gather near your Prefect. Miss Marlowe will escort you to the dormitory. Mr. Nathan and Miss Lovegood please stay with me."
The Prefect girl waved a shiny badge and told the others to follow her. One boy looked like he might cry because his pudding was unfinished. I understood him deeply.
Levi stood beside me without saying anything. He never says much, which I like. Some people stuff the air with words like too many frogs in a fountain. Levi only speaks when he means to make a ripple.
Professor Flitwick beckoned us to follow him. His robes fluttered like sleepy wings as he led us out of the Great Hall. The castle halls were filled with echoing footsteps and odd bits of laughter that sounded like secrets escaping their cages.
At the end of one corridor, we passed two boys coming out of a tall oak door.
"Those are the ones who flew the car," I whispered.
"They seem unremarkable," Levi said, blinking slowly.
"I think one of them has a bit of destiny," I replied.
We stopped in front of a grotesque stone gargoyle that looked like it had bitten something unpleasant and was still trying to forget about it. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.
"Fizzing Whizbee Rind," he said solemnly.
I was delighted.
The gargoyle sprang aside with a grumble, revealing a spiral staircase that spun like a lazy cyclone. We rose upward, Levi and I, while Professor Flitwick stayed behind, muttering something about "Headmasters and their sugary passwords."
---
The office was a room shaped like a library dreaming of becoming a clocktower. Books lined the walls like ancient feathers, and odd instruments hummed, spun, or whispered to themselves. I heard one say "Wednesday" even though it was clearly Sunday.
Professor Dumbledore was waiting behind his desk, a cup of something purple steaming gently before him. He smiled at us as though we were his favorite puzzle pieces.
"Ah, Miss Lovegood. Mr. Nathan. I was hoping we might speak before your first day ends."
Levi nodded once. I gave Dumbledore a smile and tried to imagine what flavor his tea was. Blackberry and moonstone, perhaps.
"You caused quite a stir at the Sorting," Dumbledore said kindly.
"I liked the hat," I told him. "It was dusty in a dignified way."
He chuckled. "Indeed. But I'm curious, Levi, why did you not wish to join your housemates?"
Levi folded his arms, not rudely, just like someone protecting his own weather. "I prefer Luna."
A simple answer. Sincere. Like the sound of a pebble dropping into a still pond.
Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with the kind of twinkle that probably knew where you kept your secrets. "A noble sentiment. But we do ask students to reside with their houses. For reasons of camaraderie, balance, and... in your case... probably the proximity to the kitchens."
Levi blinked. "Kitchens?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "The Hufflepuff dormitories are just beside them. Midnight snacks, enchanted teapots, warm ovens. Quite the advantage."
Levi hesitated. "...I am listening."
"I thought you might be."
I giggled. "You like food more than you like most people."
"I like Luna more than I like most people," he replied.
I patted his sleeve. "I'm not food, you know."
He considered that. "True. But equally essential."
Dumbledore smiled, folding his hands. "You will, of course, still share many classes. The school generally pairs Gryffindor with Slytherin, and Ravenclaw with Hufflepuff. So you will not be separated often."
"That is acceptable," Levi said.
"But not preferred," I added, leaning slightly. "He wants to stick to me like a kelpie to a rowboat."
"A vivid image," Dumbledore mused. "But perhaps not necessary. There is value in building one's social constellation, Miss Lovegood. You are both rather... star-like."
I tilted my head. "That means we need more planets."
"Exactly."
Levi looked faintly betrayed. "You wish to orbit others?"
"Temporarily," I said. "We'll rendezvous on Tuesdays."
He nodded, solemn. "Agreed."
There was a polite knock, and Professor Flitwick returned with a woman who looked like a sunflower in spectacles.
"Pomona," Dumbledore greeted her, "our Mr. Nathan here is now ready to join your Hufflepuff brood."
Professor Sprout beamed at Levi like he was a particularly shy turnip. "We've got a warm spot waiting. I'll have someone show you the kitchens in the morning. It'll be lovely."
Levi said nothing, which for him meant mild acceptance.
"We'll get you both to your dormitories," Flitwick said, motioning for me.
I rose from the squashy chair and tugged Levi's sleeve. I said. "Dont wory I'm sure your bed doesn't float or vanish."
"Are those... standard risks?" he asked, following me.
I smiled without answering.
---
We left Dumbledore's tower, the spiral staircase curling back into silence behind us.
Professor Sprout tried to lead Levi down a corridor painted in warm golds and yellows, but he simply kept walking beside me. No rudeness, no defiance. Just... Levi-ness. Like a shadow that politely declined to follow the sun.
"I said this way, dear," she called, puzzled.
"I'm escorting Luna," he replied.
Flitwick and Sprout exchanged a look that said "Let's just let it happen."
So we wandered the halls toward Ravenclaw Tower together. The paintings murmured things as we passed. One offered me a riddle. I solved it backwards just to see what would happen. The frame sneezed and turned into a window.
When we reached the spiral staircase beneath the bronze eagle knocker, Levi stopped.
"I will go now," he said.
"You can come in," I offered. "Just don't say anything clever or the door will get smug."
He shook his head. "I will find my chamber. And go... investigate this kitchen."
"Really? I thought you were supposed to be sloth not gluttony. But do send me pastries through the owl chute."
He touched two fingers to his temple in a military salute, then turned to follow Professor Sprout, who looked so proud of him it made my chest feel like warm soup.
---
Inside the Ravenclaw dormitory, the common room spun like a moonlit library. Arched windows looked out into clouds, and the stars blinked as if they were glad to see me. I chose a bed near the tower's curve where I could dream in circles.
As I undressed, I thought about the past year.
I had met a demon. I had met a school. And somewhere between the two, I had become something new: a student.
Tomorrow, there would be classes, and spells, and books that whispered when you opened them.
I hugged my pillow and whispered back, "We're going to have the most peculiar year."
It answered by smelling faintly of cinnamon and clouds.
I fell asleep wondering if Levi had found the butter churn in the kitchen and if he'd stolen it just to watch it spin