Preparations Before School Starts

Wizet had heard from Luna before that there were other wizarding families around the village of Ottery St. Catchpole.

Mrs. Weasley walked ahead with a vegetable basket in her hand. "The Diggory family lives near here. Their child is much less of a handful than Fred and George."

"And the Fawcetts live around here too. I think they have a girl in the family who should be starting school this year as well. You might even run into her once term begins."

She was talkative and easygoing. Chatting with her felt like ordinary small talk, without much sense of distance.

"Ever since Mrs. Lovegood's accident, their family has kept more and more to themselves. We haven't had much contact over the years."

"Luna is a good child. Her thoughts just tend to wander a bit. Even Fred and George often can't keep up with her."

Wizet had been in this world for less than two months, so he mostly listened to Mrs. Weasley and responded from time to time.

He smiled faintly. "To me, a lot of what Luna says is very inspiring."

If not for Luna's protection and inspiration, he would not have been able to cast that shield spell when he encountered the Runespoor.

"That's wonderful!" Mrs. Weasley looked toward the stream not far away. "I pass by that stream once in a while. These past two years, I've often seen Luna staying there."

"She was always scooping up fish while crying. When she saw me, she would immediately run home again. For a child who hadn't even started school yet, having one person missing from her side must have been very hard to get used to, right?"

Mrs. Weasley's words struck Wizet, and his heart seemed to skip a beat. "It probably won't be like that now."

Mrs. Weasley smiled and said, "That really is wonderful."

Looking at that kindly smile, Wizet felt inexplicably irritated—Hogwarts used closed schooling. Aside from summer break, the only time students could leave school was over the Christmas holidays...

Two moons appeared above the little hill.

One moon hung high in the sky, while another full moon floated above the Car-shaped Castle.

That was the masterpiece of Luna's mother, said to have come from a certain magical experiment.

From then on, the darker the sky became, the more distinct the full moon above the castle grew.

If he observed it with the Magic Eye, would he see something unusual?

Wizet's heart stirred, and silver-blue light filled his eyes.

Silver-blue magic flowed like liquid, covering the entire castle. In particular, the full moon contained silver-blue magic so dazzling it was almost blinding.

Most importantly, this was ancient magical power brewed by time. It seemed that as long as he was willing, he could let it merge into his eyes.

He did not do that.

Because at night, Luna loved going to the top floor for walks and gazing at the moon above the castle.

A sudden thought came to Wizet. Had Luna's mother studied ancient magic?

"This is my first time coming here at night. It's truly beautiful!" Mrs. Weasley suddenly said, stuffing the vegetable basket into Wizet's hands.

"I'll see you this far. These vegetables are all grown at home. Please give my regards to Mr. Lovegood and Luna."

Wizet's eyes returned to normal, and he said sincerely, "All right, Mrs. Weasley. I really don't know how to thank you."

Mrs. Weasley's figure vanished into the night. The fluffy owl gave a cheerful cry and plunged into Wizet's arms.

"Coo, coo, coo!" The birdcage on the cauldron swayed gently, and the bronze-colored owl inside cried out eagerly, as if greeting them.

Soft, delicate footsteps sounded. Luna quietly looked at Wizet and gave a faint smile.

"Diagon Alley was magical, wasn't it?" Her voice was still airy. "Were you tangled up by Wrackspurts? If you get to school, you can write to me!"

"Coo, coo!" Diana the owl held her head high and puffed out her chest, chirping twice in agreement.

"That's right, I can write." Wizet smiled in relief and gently shook his head.

Luna always had that kind of magic, able to easily dissolve his confusion.

Casting aside his worries, Wizet pointed at the restless owl. "What do you think this little one should be called?"

"What a cute little one, so full of spirit." Luna thought for a moment. "How about Thor? The sun and the moon always appear in turn."

"That's a good name."

The two of them stepped across the soft grass and walked toward the castle beneath the twin moons.

Before they knew it, it was already late August, and tomorrow was the day Hogwarts began.

A little over a month was not long, but Wizet had used that time to prepare for school and had also reorganized his room.

Luna had helped a great deal with that.

Or rather, it should be said that she had handled all the decorating in the room herself.

Aside from replacing the bedding and wallpaper, she had also strung Dirigible Plums together as decoration for the bed curtains.

This was a magical material shaped like a miniature radish. It was said that the more one came into contact with Dirigible Plums, the more one's ability to accept unusual things would improve.

Dirigible Plums could be seen everywhere in the castle. Luna's earrings, for instance, were also made from Dirigible Plums.

As the editor of The Quibbler, Xenophilius worked in a room hung all over with Dirigible Plums, supposedly so inspiration would flow without end.

The castle's second floor was especially lively. These days were the printing period for The Quibbler.

The magical printing press ran at full power, its "clack-clack" ringing from daylight until dusk.

The printing press wizards used was very unusual. Its overall structure was wooden, with iron plates securing only the key parts, making it look like a spinning machine from the Industrial Revolution.

With magic supporting it, a single magical printing press covered the functions of a whole series of machines, including a folding machine, a binding machine, and a cutting machine.

What Xenophilius had to do was very simple. He only needed to design the first draft, then feed it into the press's entrance.

The machine would operate automatically, printing one finished magazine after another.

It was just that the machine was not particularly efficient. After several days, it had printed fewer than a hundred copies of The Quibbler.

During this time, Wizet also recopied the textbooks he would need.

As the saying went, a poor pen beat a good memory. In the process of copying out the textbooks, he gained a general understanding of the new school year's material.

The illustrations used in the textbooks were likewise all handled by Luna.

She was very good at drawing. As long as Wizet described something aloud, she could draw the corresponding image.

In particular, when it came to drawing magical creatures, she displayed unmatched talent. Every magical creature she drew looked vividly lifelike.

"Mom read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with me," Luna explained with a bright smile. "I've seen all the magical creatures in it, except the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Wizet asked, "The Crumple-Horned Snorkack? Next time I go to Flourish and Blotts, I'll look around and see if there are any books about it."

"It should be very hard to find." Luna looked regretful. "It's an extremely rare magical creature."

"Dad told me they live in Sweden. When the time comes, I'll go find them myself, and then draw them."

Go to Sweden.

Wizet noted this down in his heart.

On the last night of August, Xenophilius did not cook himself. He ordered from a nearby Muggle restaurant and laid out a sumptuous dinner at home.

"Remember to write back often." This was his only instruction. "Share things about school with us. Anything is fine... you know what I mean."

"I know." Wizet smiled and tossed two steaks out the window. "Then they'll have to work hard."

The two owls turned into fluffy bolts of lightning, catching the steaks in their beaks in midair, then hooted twice in reply.

On the day school began, Wizet checked his admission letter again, then inspected the things in his suitcase over and over before he finally felt at ease and pulled his suitcase downstairs.

Luna was sitting in the living room. Bright sunlight poured through the window, gilding her pale golden hair with a layer of light.

She was grooming Thor's feathers, taking meticulous care of every single one.

Wizet said softly, "I'm going to school."

"Mm!" Luna's voice sounded a little dazed. "Although goodbyes always make people a little sad, every parting is preparation for the next reunion."

She handed over a lush green Gurdyroot. "If you run into difficulties or confusion, it will bring you good luck. Inside it... is the taste of home."

That was not wrong. Gurdyroot looked and tasted similar to spring onion, and only Luna's family would squeeze Gurdyroot into tea.

"It really is the taste of home, a taste that belongs only here." Wizet nodded. This gift was very Luna.