Crimson Moon

Luna, Harry, and Daphne stood in front of the entrance to Dumbledore’s office. The stone gargoyle loomed above them, and they could hear muffled voices from within—undoubtedly McGonagall and Snape were deep in discussion with the headmaster, likely about the very recent tremors caused by Luna’s exuberant fight with the basilisk.

Luna tilted her head thoughtfully before turning to Harry and Daphne with a mischievous grin. "Right, so—abandoning this whole 'report to the headmaster' thing and sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest for some exploring, anyone?"

Harry shrugged, clearly tempted. "Could be fun."

Daphne raised an eyebrow, her voice skeptical. "And have the headmaster on our backs for ignoring his orders? You lot are mad."

Luna rolled her eyes, her expression playful as she turned to her fellow blonde. "Daphne, dear, he’s just an old man with a ridiculously long name and even more titles than anyone should need. Actually... do we even know if that's his real name? Probably not." Luna’s eyes glazed over momentarily, staring off into the distance as her mind wandered down a peculiar line of thought.

“Hmm… I see it now. Nicholas would’ve been around during the time of the Fae, so of course he'd make up a bunch of names to protect himself from them. Makes perfect sense," Luna declared with absolute certainty.

Daphne and Harry shared a look, halfway between confused and amused, when a familiar voice sounded from behind them.

“Very observant of you, Miss Lovegood,” Dumbledore said, stepping out of the office with his usual calm demeanor, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

Luna turned on her heel to face him, her smile as bright as ever. “Hello, Dumbles!” she greeted him cheerily, completely unfazed.

Daphne's eyes widened as she immediately reached out, giving Luna a light smack on the hand, coughing awkwardly in an attempt to smooth over her friend's brash greeting. “Luna,” she hissed under her breath.

Dumbledore chuckled softly, the warmth in his eyes never fading. "It’s quite all right, Miss Greengrass. I’ve been called far worse.”

Before Daphne could respond, McGonagall and Snape emerged from the office behind him. McGonagall’s sharp eyes fell on Luna, though there was a glimmer of exasperated fondness in her expression. “Miss Lovegood, would you care to explain why the castle nearly fell apart moments ago?”

“Oh, the snake’s dead,” Luna replied matter-of-factly. "I got a little carried away, but it was fun!"

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly not as amused as McGonagall. "Fun," he muttered darkly. "You fought a basilisk, and you call it fun."

Dumbledore smiled. "It would appear, Severus, that some find adventure in the most unexpected places."

Snape's cold voice cut through the air as he folded his arms, glaring at Daphne with a mix of disappointment and irritation. "Don’t go defending stupidity, Headmaster… I can't believe one of my Snakes joined these two rabble-rousers."

Daphne stiffened slightly but quickly recovered, lifting her chin defiantly. “I didn’t join them, Professor. I merely… observed." She shot Harry and Luna a side glance, as if to say, and got dragged along for the ride.

Luna, oblivious or perhaps just choosing not to care, turned to Snape with an exaggerated pout. "Professor, you wound me! Calling us rabble-rousers when we’re doing Hogwarts a favor by getting rid of old, dangerous pets.”

Harry stifled a laugh, but Snape’s eyes darkened, his voice lowering into a venomous hiss. "Do not test my patience, Lovegood. Hogwarts may have dangerous elements, but it is not your playground. We could still see you expelled.”

Luna grinned widely at Snape’s threat, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Nuh uh,” she replied, her tone light and playful, as if they were discussing something trivial instead of her potential expulsion.

Snape’s nostrils flared, his cold expression hardening. “Excuse me?” His voice was dangerously low, the room growing tense.

Harry couldn’t help but smile, already sensing where Luna was going with this. Dumbledore, on the other hand, seemed to watch with quiet amusement, though he remained silent.

Luna, undeterred, folded her arms and tilted her head, giving Snape a playful wink. “You can’t expel me, Professor. I own a quarter of the castle. An my dearest owns half.”

Dumbledore nearly stumbles before catching himself.

Harry finally let out a small chuckle, stepping closer to Luna. "Yeah, Snape, you might want to be careful who you’re threatening to expel. Kind of hard to expel someone who holds part of the deed."

Snape’s expression was a mixture of fury and disbelief. His dark gaze shifted to Dumbledore for confirmation, but the headmaster only gave a slight, apologetic nod.

Daphne, standing off to the side, was wide-eyed, her lips twitching as if she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or stay silent. “You really own part of the castle?” she whispered to Harry.

“So, the goblins got the news quickly to ya huh?” Luna asks looking at the headmaster.

“I have my sources.” Dumbledore responds.

“I don’t know if the ministry will let you get away with this seeing as you are not fully human.” Snape snips trying to get the final word in.

“Professor, my Dad owns the only other newspaper outside of the daily prophet on the Isles. An I am a true seer with really good skills at Far seeing and Scrying. I know alot of things Heir Prince. A lot of uncomfortable truths will come out very quickly.” Luna responds with a smile.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, stepping forward to diffuse the situation. "Now, now," he said, his tone light but firm, "there’s no need to escalate matters. We are all allies here, and Hogwarts stands above such divisions."

Luna didn’t miss a beat, her voice still sweet but laced with a razor’s edge. “Of course, Headmaster. But it would be a shame if people started questioning certain alliances and histories, wouldn’t it?” Her eyes flicked briefly to Snape before returning to Dumbledore, whose expression softened into something close to concern.

Snape’s nostrils flared again, but he stayed silent, clearly calculating his next move. Luna had made her point. Harry, sensing the tension reaching its peak, decided to intervene before things spiraled further.

"We’re not here to stir up trouble, Professor," Harry said smoothly, placing a hand on Luna's shoulder. "Just doing what’s best for Hogwarts." He gave Dumbledore a nod, adding, “And for the people in it.”

Daphne finally let out a small snicker, unable to contain it any longer. "Well, this has been... enlightening, I am glad that slytherin’s beast is dead. It makes us all safer.”

“Good Good, I say its time that you three get to bed then.” Dumbledore states looking towards the head of house Gryffindor just wanting the two headaches out of his sight so he could try and get ahead of whatever in the hell it was Luna knows.