บท 74: Luna's Insight
She fixed the boy with her violet stare. "It's like you're suddenly pretending to be all grown-up."
A brief look of annoyance flashed across his face, quickly replaced by a confident smirk. "We all mature at different speeds, Black, you should know that. Maybe I just did grow up."
Susan shuffled back to them, and stood between them to one side.
"Or maybe you're just trying to get more attention." She shot back.
"There's nothing wrong with attention. Fame is an important aspect of political power."
"So you admit it."
"No. I just—"
"John. Alex," Susan cut in, her voice slightly higher than normal. "Let's not fight, okay? We're all here to have fun, right?"
She fought to keep from rolling her eyes. "Sure."
Susan clapped her hands together. "Why don't we have a game of exploding snap?"
They both nodded. Exploding snap wasn't horrible.
Susan and John dug around until they found a pack while she retrieved three toy wands from a locked box. They sat down at a low table, and she presented a toy wand to each of her guests.
Susan took one, but John politely declined. Instead, with a totally straight face, he flicked his wrist, and a real wand appeared in his hand. His eyes never left hers.
Her face reddened. She felt as though she'd just lost something.
"Oooo," said Susan. "What is it?"
A slight tug pulled John's lips upwards. His voice softened. "Acacia and dragon heartstring, twelve inches, firm, and excellent for transfiguration." He tried to make his voice as mysterious as possible. "Just like your father, Mister Potter. Just like your father."
Susan giggled.
She also couldn't help but smirk at the boy's impression. She'd once accompanied her father on an errand to the creepy wand seller.
"What about you, Susan?" she asked.
Susan pouted. "I had to leave mine at home. Auntie said there was no point in carrying it around until Hogwarts started. Hazel and unicorn hair, thirteen inches, good for divination."
John raised an eyebrow. "Divination?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought too. I asked Auntie. Apparently our family does have some seer blood in it. That's why we're called Bones. They used to use bones in divination a long time ago." Susan shuddered.
She dealt the pack into three piles, and they each took turns tapping their wands to their own piles. The sound of slow classical music—flutes and clarinets, moulding into trumpets, trombones, and oboes—settled on the trio, punctuated occasionally by the shouts of "snap!".
Alexandra reflected on the boy in front of her. John Potter may be acting a bit more grown up, but he was still very different from Harry. She still didn't see Harry much. Sneaking out was difficult. But when she did, she got the impression that he was hiding a lot under the surface. He gave the impression of potential, coiled like a spring. You could almost feel it. It was an impression similar to what she got from Lord Slytherin in the two times they'd met— understandable if Harry had lived with him for three years. John Potter now gave off something similar, but less so.
That specific feeling was were the similarities ended.
In their first meeting, she'd proudly shown the estranged Potter the results of the first ritual she'd done. His reaction wasn't awe or fear like she'd expected, merely a detached observation about how it could have been done better. She was certain that if she ever showed John Potter, his reaction would be to immediately tattle to her father about her being dark.
Since then, she and Harry had shared a cautious dialogue about magic, politics, and the future. His dozen odd letters were piled on a shelf above her books behind the portrait of her grandfather.
One thing that Harry was quite reluctant to talk about though was Lord Slytherin. Well, no longer. If her grand father was correct, and she was being courted, then she needed answers, and she was going to get them.
"Snap!"
All three non-wand hands slammed onto the middle pile. Alex's first, then Susan's, then John's. The outside packs chose that moment to explode, sending cards straight up into the trio's faces, and covering the floor with cardboard debris, ending the game in the only way the magical world knew how.
"Well, this looks like fun." A dreamy voice announced itself from the door.
"Luna!" Susan jumped up, ran to the blonde, and hugged her. "I haven't seen you in forever! How are you? Who's your new teacher? I saw an article in the Quibbler that said you wrote it. Did you really write that?"
Luna smiled. "Hi, Susan. I'm doing well. My new teacher is Lady Davis. I saw that article too. And I also wrote it."
"Wow! Getting published in a national newspaper. That's amazing. Even if your Dad is the editor."
Luna's dreamy voice didn't change. "Yes. He was very proud of me. He gave me a pat on the head. So did my lord. Of course, the cows were annoyed, but my lord's levitation charm is very strong."
Susan choked back a laugh.
So did she, before the implications of Luna's words sunk in.
"So it's true?" she asked.
The blonde girl looked past Susan, and waved at her. "Hi Alex, hi John. 'It' might be true. What is 'it'?"
"That you're contracted to Lord Slytherin." She saw Potter's eyes narrow.
"Oh. Yes. It's true."
Susan gasped. "But, I heard Daphne Greengrass was already betrothed to him."
"Oh. Yes. That's true too."
Susan's eyes widened. "He's going to marry twice? Doesn't that worry you?"
"Oh. No. Not at all." Luna smiled. "I'm getting a new sister. I've always wanted one."
She glanced at John. His gaze could have melted lead it's focus was so intense.
Susan's voice dropped to a stage whisper, which still carried across the room. "Have you seen him? Do you know what he looks like?"
John leaned forward.
"Oh. Yes. He's very handsome."
"Really?"
"Yes. I love masks."
Susan sagged. "I mean, have you seen under his mask?"
"Oh, Yes. He's very handsome under his mask too. Very rugged. Has definitely seen battle. I hope he's handsome under everything else too."
"Luna!" Susan went red, and slapped the blonde's arm.
Alex felt the heat rise on her own cheeks. Luna had certainly changed since they'd last met.
"Luna." John's voice rang out across the room. It sounded firm, almost commanding. "It's actually really important for us to know more about Lord Slytherin. What can you tell us?"
Her eyes widened in shock.
Luna though, didn't seem to care about the blatant and direct fishing attempt, although her voice did change timbre slightly. "I'm sorry, Heir Potter, but you know well that I cannot betray my lord's secrets."
"Surely you can tell us something?"
"I can tell many things. But only to those whom my lord wishes it."
Did Luna just glance at her then?
"But—"
Luna's voice changed back to dreamy. "And I've also been asked to call you all into the living room." Her eyes shone. "I think I saw pudding next to the presents."
....
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