บท 44: Lunatic
Barnaby didn't feel entirely comfortable with Luna's presence, if he was being completely honest. Although she had done him a great favor, he didn't really know her, and they hadn't exchanged a single word, either before or after solving the problem with his mother's soul.
In a way, he could be considered an intruder, even if it was with good intentions.
This discomfort was even more pronounced since Luna found him alone, without Ginny or anyone else present, which left him unsure of exactly how to proceed.
As for how she was able to find him when he went to the kitchens to drop off the Sea King meat he had procured, he had no idea.
So here they were, in the Hogwarts kitchens, while most of the house-elves were cooking and some were serving them cold tea with a variety of freshly baked cookies.
Barnaby had to take a sip to calm his nerves and think about how to end this conversation as briefly as possible.
"Take responsibility for your actions."
"Pfffff!" Barnaby spit out the tea and coughed, completely taken aback by this totally misinterpretable opening statement.
Thank Merlin Tonks wasn't here!
"Can't you phrase it differently?" Barnaby complained as he grabbed a napkin to clean up the spilled tea.
Luna squinted as she thought about it.
"You mean when you went inside me without my permission?"
No, that definitely sounds worse!
"I didn't, you can't slander me like that," Barnaby protested as he indignantly threw the napkin onto the table. "I helped you free your soul from the burden your mother accidentally put on you so you could return to normal!"
He was sure that the number of people who could solve this kind of problem didn't exceed the fingers of one hand. Why was this young witch playing tricks on him like this?
Just look at her!
No more butterbeer cork necklaces, no more vegetable earrings, no more strange multicolored glasses or other extravagant things. She was speaking without mentioning imaginary things and her expressions were vivid, no longer having a dreamy look fixed on her face.
She looked like any other witch her age!
In fact, according to what Fred had told him, it seemed that no one in Ravenclaw was bullying her anymore, either due to Professor Flitwick's intervention or her return to more accepted "normalcy."
"And you think I should thank you?" Luna didn't seem particularly happy. "I didn't ask you to do it!"
Barnaby went from indignation to disbelief.
"You… didn't want to stay in that terrible state for the rest of your life, did you?"
Luna's reaction of looking away was all the confirmation he needed.
"Are you crazy? Living in that state can't even be called truly living! Let's not talk about your life expectancy, I don't even know what could have happened to your baby if you got pregnant in the future in that state!"
The idea of what could happen to a gestating soul, exposed to Luna's previous parasitized state, was enough to give him goosebumps. He couldn't even guarantee that the result could be called human.
"But I would still have my mother!" Luna stood up and shouted in his face.
Barnaby's anger turned to sudden understanding.
So, this whole mess was because even after all these years, Luna couldn't accept her mother's death?
"So you knew your mother was the root of the problem, and you were okay with that?" Barnaby asked without looking away. "Did you think for a second about how your mother felt in that state, about what she was doing to you?"
Luna's complexion paled, but she still didn't hesitate to retort.
"That doesn't give you the right to mess with people's souls."
After hearing that phrase, Barnaby's indignation knew no bounds.
Messing with? She said he was messing with her? How dare she…
He could accept reluctance, that it was hard to accept her mother's death, but this…
This could only be called being completely ungrateful.
"I saved your mother's soul from 'living' her own personal hell, cured your condition that affected your mind, and helped you move on with your life, and this is the attitude I get in return?" he thought incredulously.
Barnaby didn't really expect anything in return for his actions, not even a simple thank you.
"Enough," Barnaby stood up and prepared to leave, not willing to accept this. "I thought you had doubts about what happened and wanted clarification, but I see that's not the case."
"Don't you dare leave!" Luna stood up and blocked his way with a threatening look. "I said, take responsibility for what you did."
"And what exactly do you expect me to do?" Barnaby still didn't understand what the young witch was seeking.
"Give me five thousand Galleons or I'll report you to the Ministry of Magic for practicing dark magic on me."
Barnaby's mind went blank for a second.
Was she… trying to blackmail him after he helped her?
Luna was so focused on Barnaby that she didn't notice how the house-elves in the kitchen widened their eyes when they suddenly felt a chill run down their spines and, scared, they disappeared almost simultaneously, leaving the place deserted with only two people among the lit stoves and bubbling pots.
"Say it. One. More. Time." Barnaby stared at Luna, giving her one last chance.
Luna mistakenly believed Barnaby was scared, and her expression changed to one of triumph. But what she didn't expect was that Hagrid's son wouldn't let her repeat her threat, interrupting her by using a single word while the staff, which had appeared in his hand at some point, pointed at her.
"Obliviate."
A green light was all she saw before losing consciousness.
Barnaby looked at Luna on the floor with an indifferent gaze, gently tapped the side of her head with the staff, and the wooden Qilin opened its mouth to inhale the memory thread associated with these events. From Ginny's invitation to this moment.
After "chewing" it, he returned it to Luna's mind, where she only remembered having an impulse to bathe in the Black Lake at night, having spent a few days with a cold in the infirmary as a result, and today she felt like having some cookies and tea in the castle kitchens.
There are several ways for a person subjected to the memory charm to recover what was forgotten, such as being subjected to great torture like the Cruciatus curse.
To avoid future problems, Barnaby made her forget, then collected the latent forgotten memory at the back of her mind and modified it permanently before returning it to its place. This way, even if she remembers, she will only remember those false memories, which for anyone who sees them will be the "real" ones.
Then he would find Ginny and the twins to give them some excuse, as for the house-elves, they weren't a concern. Not for him.
"I think you're being too generous," growled Sanshi in his mind, clearly dissatisfied with Luna's behavior.
"I think so too," Barnaby walked to the kitchen door and just before leaving, turned around and pointed at Luna once more. "Enervate."
He closed the door behind him and, after a moment of stillness, decided to go see how the mandrakes were growing in the greenhouse.
As he climbed the stairs, a group of third-year Hufflepuff students saw Barnaby and called him over.
"Barnaby, have you heard?" said a freckled girl. "There's been another attack and this time, it's a student!"
"A student?" Barnaby frowned. "Who was it?"
"Colin Creevey!" exclaimed a blond boy beside her.
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Everyone likes Luna, but what if she's not as good a person as she thinks she is?
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