Chapter 217 - 217: Luna's Wonder

Words : 1755 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

The man held a mug of beer in his hand, his face full of cheer. Edward frowned. "Uh…what do you mean, not an ordinary person?" He glanced around, then lowered his voice. "I mean, compared to these Muggles." Ah, got it. The man before him was a wizard—that explained why his attire was so out of place among the locals. He sat down beside Edward. "Are you a reporter for a newspaper or magazine? The Daily Prophet, perhaps?" "No, I'm just writing for fun." "Ah, what a pity." The man shook his head. "It's been a long time since I've seen someone as young as you with such a strong thirst for knowledge." "That's not quite right. Ravenclaws are generally very curious, aren't they?" "It's different!" The man sounded absolutely certain. "They thirst for knowledge. But you—you're curious about the unknown." Edward felt a little awkward. If not for the role I'm playing, I doubt I'd be curious about anything at all. Just then, the man extended a hand. "Hello, I'm Xenophilius Lovegood, chief editor and sole writer of The Quibbler." The Quibbler? Lovegood? Edward immediately made the connection—wasn't this Luna's father? "Hello, I'm…a student on a study tour. Emlyn." "Nice to meet you, Emlyn!" He gave Edward's hand an enthusiastic shake. "I sincerely invite you to join The Quibbler. I do hope you'll consider it." "..." "The Quibbler is nothing like the dull, conformist Daily Prophet. We pursue truth. We explore the unknown in this world. And you, dear Emlyn, are exactly what we're looking for." "That's…a bit sudden." Xenophilius responded quickly, "Of course, of course. Honestly, I think so too. But I also know that if I don't seize this moment to reach out, we might never cross paths again. And The Quibbler would lose a valuable contributor!" He pulled out a business card and handed it to Edward. "Here's my card. My house is on a nearby hilltop. Once you've thought it over, feel free to come by anytime!" "All right, Mr. Lovegood." Xenophilius seemed ready to say more when a crisp voice called out, "Daddy, can we go home now?" A pale little girl with silver eyes and long, dark golden hair walked over, dressed in a quirky outfit. She gave Edward a curious glance before fixing her slightly bulging eyes on Xenophilius. This must be Luna. "Oh, of course, darling." Xenophilius rose to his feet and went to his daughter's side. He turned back again, "I do hope you'll give it serious thought, Mr. Emlyn." "Definitely!" Father and daughter held hands and headed toward the bar's exit. Luna said softly, "Daddy, that man had a lot of Wrackspurts around him." "Oh? You saw them?" "Yup. Tons." Edward's eyes widened in surprise. Wrackspurts? That was one of those imaginary creatures Luna was always talking about in the books—tiny invisible bugs that floated into people's ears and made their brains go fuzzy. Usually, people dismissed Wrackspurts as a metaphor for muddled thoughts—fictional, nonexistent. But little Luna had said it so confidently. A child's imagination? Frowning slightly, Edward tapped his teeth and activated Spirit Vision, glancing around. The next moment, his pupils contracted. Reflexively, he called out, "Wait!" "???" Father and daughter turned to look at him in confusion. Edward's mind was racing as he forced a smile. "Mr. Lovegood, may I visit your home? It might help me better consider whether I'd like to join The Quibbler." "Of course! Absolutely!" Xenophilius nodded without hesitation. "Come with me, Emlyn." "Thank you for the invitation." Edward stood and followed, his gaze lingering behind Luna— There floated a golden-haired woman who bore some resemblance to Luna, drifting along silently like a ghost—but not like the ghosts of Hogwarts. Ordinary people—perhaps even most wizards—couldn't see her. She resembled something far more like a spirit from the world of mysteries. And this was the first time Edward had seen such a 'ghost' in the Harry Potter world. He tried to make eye contact with her. The woman looked slightly surprised, but didn't speak. She only smiled gently and blinked at him. The three of them trudged along a narrow path toward a peculiar house atop a hill—its spindly structure towering like a giant chess piece against the sky. "To be honest, Emlyn," Xenophilius said as they walked, "The Quibbler's office is actually in my home. It's not that I don't want to rent a proper place, but I haven't got any other staff for now. And being at home, I'm always overflowing with inspiration." "Yes, living here does seem quite nice," Edward replied with a smile. "Exactly! Absolutely!" Xenophilius quickened his pace and strode ahead toward the house. "Oh, it seems we're out of hot water. I'll go boil some. I recently got a wonderful new red tea—you simply must try it!" As her father bustled off, Luna turned back to look at Edward. "Why were you staring behind me the whole time? Can you see Wrackspurts too?" "No." Edward hesitated, then said half-jokingly, "I saw a woman behind you who looks an awful lot like you." "Oh, that must be my mum," Luna replied, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "She's been watching over me ever since she passed. I can feel her." Uh… "Have you told your dad about this?" "I have, but he doesn't really believe me." Luna let out a soft sigh. "Just like with the Wrackspurts and the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. He can't see them either, but he pretends they exist for my sake." "What do the Wrackspurts look like to you?" "Hmm…" Luna tilted her head and pondered for a moment. "They're like strands of loose thread that come out of your brain and quickly dive back in again—especially when you're deep in thought. That's when they're most visible." "And the Crumple-Horned Snorkack?" "That was on the day Mum died. I don't really know what it's actually called, I just named it based on what it looked like. It seemed like it had come to take Mum away…but for some reason, it changed its mind." Her voice was calm and solemn, as if she were recounting a real and definite event. "Hey, hurry up! The water's boiled!" Xenophilius's voice called from the door, waving at them. The front door of the Lovegoods' house was covered in nails and featured a large eagle-shaped knocker. Stepping inside, Edward found himself in a peculiarly round room. Every piece of furniture—oven, sink, cupboards—had been built to fit the curving walls, with all surfaces painted in bright hues adorned with flowers, insects, and birds. Xenophilius expertly brewed two cups of tea and handed one to Edward. "The office is upstairs. I'll take you there in a bit—you'll see all of my finest ideas and creations! But first, let's try the tea." "Sure." Edward took the scalding cup, subtly lowered its temperature with a flick of his finger using his freezing ability, and took a cautious sip. Thankfully, Xenophilius' taste in tea was far better than his sense of décor. "The Wrackspurts around you just increased again," Luna suddenly remarked, eyes even more bulging from her intense gaze. "Now they've decreased." "Huh?" Edward blinked. Just now…just now, he had only used his beyonder ability. He held up a finger and conjured a small flame. "How about now?" "They're back!" Luna nodded at once. Edward tossed a coin and had it boomerang back to his hand with a twist of his power. "Even more! So many Wrackspurts!" It was confirmed. Every time Edward used a mystical ability, Luna could see more of these so-called "Wrackspurts." The stronger the power used, the more of them she saw. So…could she be seeing spirituality? The theory left Edward genuinely shocked. Someone in the Harry Potter world…could actually see spiritual essence? He gently took Lilith from his robes. "Does she have Wrackspurts too?" "She does." "Lilith, use one of your abilities." Lilith, who had been fast asleep, blinked groggily but did as told. "She has more Wrackspurts now too!" Luna leaned in to examine her. "Is she a cat? How strange…she doesn't look like any cat I've seen." Lilith lifted her chin haughtily and thought to herself: Of course not! Miss Lilith is the smartest of all cats! Just as I thought. Edward flipped a coin again. Is Luna a Beyonder? The number side faced up—no. So this might be an innate ability? Something like a born sensitivity to spirituality? At that moment, Xenophilius finally caught on and glanced between his daughter and Edward. "What are you two talking about?" Luna pointed at Edward and said, "Wrackspurts." "Hmm…Luna, you said earlier that you saw the Crumple-Horned Snorkack that day, but what about the Wrackspurts? Can you see them around others too?" She shook her head. "No, only very few people have them. And even then, not many." She suddenly looked puzzled. "Wait…how do you know my name is Luna? I don't think I told you. Dad, did you tell him?" Xenophilius furrowed his brow. "I didn't." Oops. Sharp girl. Edward gave a small, sheepish smile. "Actually, I've heard about you two before—Mr. Lovegood and your daughter, Miss Luna." "Oh, I see." But Xenophilius' expression instantly turned suspicious. "You're not one of those reporters, are you? Sent by some newspaper or magazine to get close to me? Trying to sabotage The Quibbler? Or steal it from me?" "No, that's not it at all." "Please leave, Mr. Emlyn. You are no longer welcome in my home." "…Really?" Edward sighed inwardly. That was a quick change of attitude. Behind Luna, the blonde woman who resembled her gave Edward an apologetic look. "Well, alright. But it really is a misunderstanding." He put the teacup down and headed for the door. "The tea was lovely. Thank you for the hospitality." Bang! Xenophilius slammed the door shut. Edward and Lilith stared at each other, dumbfounded. Well, what did I expect? Luna's father was bound to be… a little strange himself. …Wait a second. "Lilith, what ability did you just use earlier?" "Instigation," she said innocently, blinking her eyes. "Miss Lilith only knows that one." ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.

Chapter 217 - 217: Luna's Wonder

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