On a clear summer night, the sky was thick with stars, yet even in the countryside, a few lights were still on.
Nocturnal insects did the same work as bees active during the day, pollinating plants. They flew toward artificial sources of light and danced madly around the streetlamps.
Those lights were not as scorching as fire, so they could not drive the insects away. Perhaps the insects found it strange: hey, why was this star so close to them?
Insects also relied on the stars overhead to navigate. The new artificial light sources caused them to stray from their original routes. They flew dizzily around the lamps without tiring, until they died of exhaustion. Meanwhile, flowers that bloomed at night and waited for nocturnal insects to pollinate them lost their messengers. They could not produce new seeds, and their populations dwindled as a result.
That was the harm caused by "light pollution." Pomona used a Ministry of Magic imitation Deluminator to absorb the light from the streetlamps nearest the villa, giving those poor insects a peaceful life again.
Those lamps had no reason to exist in the first place. Muggles would not come to such a remote place for a walk anyway. Besides, she needed the light for the plants in the greenhouse, and having the villa shrouded in darkness was also better for its defenses.
She planned to build some installations around the villa, making it harder to invade.
"What are you doing, Godmother?" Draco asked from the window.
"I'm reading." Pomona put away the lighter and held up a copy of Guide to Dream Interpretation in her other hand.
"It's so dark outside. Why don't you come in?" Draco asked.
"The full moon!" She pointed at the moon in the sky. "What beautiful moonlight."
Draco looked up