Gryffindor Tower.
Luna stood atop the tower, pouring moonwater into the air—though it was actually just plain water with a magical fluorescent agent added.
Her expression was so focused, almost reverent, that one dared not interrupt—it was as if she were doing something extremely important in her life.
"Pop."
There was a sudden explosion in the air, and Damon suddenly stepped out.
"Sorry, I'm a little delayed—am I late?"
"Yes, you are,"
Luna responded as a matter of course, as if she had already guessed it.
The girl turned her head, and the moonlight cast upon her, making her look like some kind of elf. Damon was momentarily distracted—of course, it was mostly because of the headgear the girl was wearing—an ugly fish with huge pink lips, with Luna's head where the fish's body should be—where did this girl get such an ugly headgear?
"Come, sprinkle the moonlight water with me. This is very important. It must be done by both a man and a woman. Only then will the moon-kissed fish appear."
"Okay."
Damon temporarily ignored the mask and stepped forward to join her in splashing water.
"When will the moon-kissed fish appear?"
"We don't know, but we should be patient—we'll attract harassing horseflies, and the moon-kissed fish might be disturbed."
"I'm sure I can control my thoughts—can't you?"
Damon looked at her provocatively.
"You can control your thoughts? You're amazing!"
Luna's eyes lit up, staring at Damon intently.
"You can only control yourself. This is a kind of spell. Anyway, if the moon-kissed fish don't appear later, you can't blame me." "I
know. Of course I won't do that."
"Eh—" Luna gave a little help, moving from a standing position to a sitting position on the stone step at the edge of the platform.
This move was extremely dangerous. The two of them were at least eight stories high. If they fell, they would be smashed to pieces.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"What do you mean?"
"Eh—" Damon also sat down.
"If you fall, and accidentally lose your grip and die here for no apparent reason, that would be a shame."
"I don't think it's a shame—life and accidents are inherently intertwined."
Luna's feet dangled in the air.
"My mother also died accidentally during a magical experiment. No one saw it coming, but it happened anyway.
If I die here, I'll live as a Ravenclaw ghost from now on—I'd really like to know what it's like to be a ghost."
Her face remained calm as she spoke of her mother's death, as if she were just having lunch with someone else.
"Really? But with me around, you can't die. Your idea of becoming a ghost might have to be postponed."
Damon, feeling like he was gradually catching on, teased him back.
Unexpectedly, Luna was staring at him again—her body began to move toward Damon, closer, until they were pressed together—their noses almost touching, Luna's large eyes reflected in Damon's.
"I want to thank you."
She suddenly said.
"What are you thanking me for?"
"Because of you, the girls at school no longer hide my things... Just now, I suddenly realized something.
They're afraid of you. Are you the same person as You-Know-Who?"
"What kind of person?"
"So terrifying that even in the warmth of my bed, I tremble at the thought of you—a bed that can make you forget all your worries—you're truly awe-inspiring."
She spoke with absolute seriousness, as if in her eyes, Damon truly was the kind of person who could make a child stop crying and a young girl tremble—and judging by her expression, she genuinely thought this was something truly remarkable.
"I thought you were being sarcastic?"
"Sarcastic? How could I? I mean it."
Luna didn't understand.
Damon was a little unsure how to talk to her—but he didn't rule out the possibility.
It was funny, he felt like a domineering CEO who'd seen too many slutty women, and now suddenly saw a girl with a unique mindset, and he was constantly amused and captivated.
"Do you know the Crumple-Horned Snorkeller?"
"I don't know. What is it?"
"It's a shy, very magical creature. Its horn is gray and spiral-shaped, somewhat similar to a unicorn. It can't fly, but it can fly. Hagrid said it's very good at finding the target the rider wants to find."
Luna shared a lot of information about the Crumple-Horned Snorkeller and the Bubble-Nosed Monster with Damon in one breath, and added at the end:
"Many people don't believe this. They don't know about or have never seen Bubble-Snot or Crumple-Horned Snork, so they think they don't exist—what an arrogant idea! In this world, there are all kinds of strange and bizarre creatures unknown to them, quietly striving to survive.
I've heard there's a magical plant that feeds on magic. It's very similar to ordinary amaranth, but it's not amaranth. If it were left unchecked, it would eventually multiply and devour all the magic in the world—then all wizards would become Muggles.
If it weren't for a strange bird called Vanedo feeding on the seeds of this magical plant, preventing them from growing, we wouldn't be able to learn magic here and safely search for moon-kissed fish."
"How could such a thing even exist? That's astonishing,"
Damon responded half-heartedly. As for whether such creatures really existed in the wizarding world, he tended to think they didn't. This
included the Crumple-Horned Snork that Luna had mentioned. Many years later, she would travel to Sweden to search for it herself, ultimately admitting to her disappointment that it might not actually exist.
Luna seemed to sense his perfunctory response, pursed her lips, and didn't pursue the matter. The Duel Prince's world was too vast to notice the efforts of smaller creatures, which was perfectly normal. It didn't matter, as long as he was paying attention.
At least for now, they were still searching for a strange creature together.
"It's almost time for the night swim, and it seems our luck isn't up. The moon-kissed fish haven't appeared yet?"
Damon stood up, brushing off the dust.
Luna didn't stand up immediately, disappointment flickering in her eyes.
"Is my method wrong? Or are the moon-kissed fish just a legend?"
She muttered, a whisper like the wind's sob—she refused to believe they didn't exist.
But if even Damon and I couldn't attract them,
"Don't overthink it. Maybe it's because we're not a couple? After all, moon-kissed fish are kissing fish. If we're not a close enough couple to kiss, we shouldn't be able to impress them."
Luna tapped a finger on her chin, thinking deeply.
She stood up suddenly and said happily,
"You have a point! It seems that I haven't done enough homework and haven't met some requirements. You are so smart, no wonder they call you the Prince of Duel. Your wisdom is as bright as a prince's crown."
"Haha. Thank you for your compliment."
Faced with such exaggerated praise, even Damon was more or less at a loss.
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(End of this chapter)