Chapter 697: Another Way
Felix's vision suddenly blurred, and he whispered, "Jane?"
Hermione froze, feeling dizzy. She took a step back, trying to keep her voice calm. "Professor, I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger."
"Your middle name isn't—"
"Jane!" Hermione blurted out. She ran her fingers through her hair, her thoughts gradually clearing. "I heard Ministry staff member Umbridge also had the middle name Jane, and I particularly disliked her, so I changed mine." She emphasized, "My name now is Hermione Jane Granger."
"Oh, uh, alright then."
Felix felt a strange emotion welling up inside him, empty as if a long-time friend he had kept in contact with but never met had disappeared forever. Just as he was about to speak, Sirius, Bones, Diggory, the short Flitwick, Sprout, and Neville, Harry, Ron, and others crowded around.
Sirius threw an arm around Felix's neck. "You scared everyone, mate! We almost thought you wouldn't come back." He grinned widely. "Come on, spill it! What did you see on the moon? We've been waiting eagerly."
"Yeah, Professor," some students chimed in.
Felix glanced at Hermione, who was pushed to the back. He reached out and waved his hand in front of everyone, and lunar soil and two containers appeared out of nowhere. Then, with another gesture, a huge flame resembling a bluebell flame hovered and danced above his head, allowing everyone to see what he held."What's this?" Madam Bones gasped incredulously.
"I brought these back from the moon," Felix said. There was a moment of silence as the crowd seemed to be trying to grasp the meaning of his words, then they suddenly erupted into loud cheers and applause, drawing more students who remained in the castle into the courtyard...
Harry joined in the applause, exhilarated. It was true! There were traces of wizarding activity on the moon. Neville was excited, his eyes gleaming. "Amazing! I want to visit the moon too."
Many shared Neville's thoughts. Harry had the same idea; he even regretted messing up his Astronomy O.W.Ls exam. The dull star charts and tongue-twisting names of celestial bodies suddenly became vivid. They sprawled across the deep, icy, starry sky, appearing so enchanting.
Besides the moon, where would Professor Harp's next destination be?
Mars?
Titan?
Europa?
Harry looked around, seeking Hermione's opinion, but she wasn't there. He turned back to look behind him and found Luna calmly handing Hermione a light blue handkerchief. After Hermione took it, Luna awkwardly patted her back, as if caring for a sick animal. Harry suddenly understood.
Harry turned back to look at Professor Harp, now in the night, the bluebell flame illuminated the professor's face very brightly. The professor's lips curled slightly, smiling lightly, just like when he taught students in class, a smile Harry had seen countless times in Dumbledore's pensieve meditations.
It was the people around the professor who stood with their backs to Harry who could only see one black head after another.
"He's too bright, isn't he?" Luna asked dreamily.
Hermione didn't reply, just handed her handkerchief back to her. So Luna stood quietly beside Hermione, and the two of them watched Felix, who was being congratulated by everyone. "He looks so calm and smart, just what the wizarding world needs now," she said, humming softly, "Extraordinary wisdom is humanity's greatest treasure."
"What are you trying to say?" Hermione asked stiffly.
"You look a little unhappy," Luna said bluntly, "I think you need some comfort or something."
Hermione rolled her eyes. She should have realized that Luna's reaction was different from most people's. She sincerely hoped Luna's articles wouldn't infect too many people. But her mood suddenly improved a lot. She asked with some curiosity, "Luna, have you never been troubled?"
"Yes, I have." Luna said.
Hermione perked up her ears, but after a dozen seconds, there was still no continuation. She blinked, realizing that in Luna's mind, the question had already been answered. "I mean, how do you deal with life's troubles?" Hermione said patiently, offering her own method, "I usually look for answers in books, but I don't think it'll work now."
"Think of happy things," Luna shook her head, her carrot-shaped earrings almost hitting Hermione, "A person can only do one thing at a time. When your mind is occupied with something else, troubles won't bother you. I like to draw, and I've recently become obsessed with writing articles again." After saying that, she nodded confidently.
"But, the problem still isn't solved!" Hermione exclaimed. She actually wanted to refute Luna's biggest hobby of daydreaming alone, completely immersed in her own world, but she had a premonition that if she said that, the topic would immediately veer off track and turn to some creatures that only existed in Luna's fantasies.
She didn't want the next time to be spent arguing about whether the Crumple-Horned Snorkack and the Heliopaths existed or not. Hermione glanced at Felix and remembered, oh yes, and the Moon Frogs! She bet Luna would definitely seize the opportunity to ask about them.
Luna's pale eyes stared at her without blinking, the large, protruding eyes exuding a calm madness. "It will be resolved in the end, although it may be in a way we least expect—"
"Like what?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"I've been thinking about what I'll do after graduation," Luna said earnestly, "A regular job might not suit me—"
Hermione covered her mouth, chuckling softly. She found it hard to imagine Luna's future job; compared to her, Fred and George seemed mature and predictable.
"Have you found yours yet?" she asked.
"I think I have," Luna replied calmly. "I'll probably become a magical zoologist, traveling around the world. During my free time, I'll search for undiscovered magical creatures in local areas, sketching them and documenting the process of discovering them through writing. I already have my first target."
"Where's that?" Hermione asked, intrigued.
"The Arctic," Luna said excitedly. "Felix told me there's a magical creature there, similar to a Niffler, that loves eating hot dogs."
"That's impossible!" Hermione exclaimed. "How could a magical creature enjoy human food?"
"Nothing is impossible," Luna unexpectedly countered. "Isn't Valen proof of that?"
"That's different. Valen was raised by a professor," Hermione said instinctively, suddenly feeling the urge to pull the professor over and interrogate him about what he had told Luna.
Luna hesitated for a moment before saying vaguely, "I'll prove it to you." Then she drifted off, seeming lost in thought about what style of hot dog to prepare. Suddenly, she snapped back to reality and asked, "What about you?"
"Me—what?" Hermione was taken aback.
"I heard you want to become Minister of Magic," Luna said.
"Oh, yes," Hermione replied. "I hope you succeed," Luna said earnestly, seeming to recall something. She then asked, "Do you dislike fairy-filled pies?"
"Luna," Hermione said softly, "there's no such food."
The conversation fell into an awkward silence. Hermione decided to change the subject before Luna brought up the Auror's rotten teeth conspiracy. Perhaps she could engage Luna in conversation on this topic too? Hermione considered herself an authority on dental hygiene, but she reluctantly abandoned the tempting idea.
"Have you ever thought about joining the Ministry? Working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures? If it weren't for Madam Bones starting the new department, I would've chosen that after graduation—plus, you'll get to see many old friends, like Harry, Ron, and Neville…though they'd be in different departments."
"We're already friends," Luna said.
Hermione knew Luna only engaged in conversation on topics she was interested in; otherwise, she immersed herself in her own world, appearing absent-minded or, like now, shifting the conversation to something else entirely. Hermione gave up on convincing Luna and instead stared at her, counting off the club members' names with enthusiasm. "…And then there's Fleur, Hagrid, Gwennog, Yunber, and—"
"Who's Yunber?" Hermione reflexively asked. "I know the others, but I didn't realize you knew Gwennog and even Yunber. Did you meet him through Hagrid? And Gwennog, I've seen her in the school kitchen; she enjoys experimenting with recipes," she said in one breath, as if answering a question in class.
Luna waited for Hermione to finish before saying, "Yunber is a Nightstrider. Hagrid calls him Wubber."
Hermione racked her brain for a moment. "That seems familiar. Hagrid mentioned something in class…Oh, right! Have you found the Nightstrider King?"
"I have," Luna said.
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