Chapter 20: Luna's Letter
"Theia! Ahhh!"
Lying prone on the bed, Lyra rolled around and yelled.
"I made such a fool of myself!" Lyra cried out, on the verge of a breakdown. "Mr. Scrimgeour definitely thinks I'm useless! A freeloader!"
She could still remember his dark expression and the complete silence on the entire walk back!
It definitely had to be her fault!
If only she hadn't fainted!
Staring at her silent owl, Lyra also fell silent for a few seconds, and then she let out an even louder, more miserable wail.
See, a person like me should never have gone on a mission like that!
Lyra clutched her head and rolled from one side of the bed to the other.
I really am just a freeloader, exactly like Lady Vinda said I was...
Click.
The door was suddenly pushed open. The person who entered was none other than Lupin.
"Miss Hamilton... I heard... hmm?" He stopped, looking at Lyra rolling around on the bed, and felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment.
"What are you...?"
"I am a freeloader," Lyra said instinctively.
"A... freeloader?" Lupin stared, completely baffled. He met Lyra's blue eyes for a few seconds.
And then... her pale face turned visibly red. Even her exposed pointed ears flushed at the same time.
"M-M-M-M-Mr. Lupin?!" Lyra shrieked, grabbing the blanket and wrapping herself in it. "Wh-Wh-When did you..."
"I just came in..." Lupin said with an awkward smile.
"Ah... I... I was just... just playing a game with Theia... p-pretending to be... a freeloader..." A very weak explanation tumbled from the stammering witch's lips.
"That... that sounds... interesting..." Lupin scratched his face. He'd never felt this awkward before.
He was so embarrassed he wanted to turn and leave...
"Hoo! Hoo!" Thankfully, just then, an owl suddenly flew in through the window, flapped its wings, and dropped a letter.
"This is..." Lupin paused, picking up the letter and examining it. "Someone's written to you, Miss Hamilton."
"A... A letter for me?" Lyra's head snapped up from under the blanket, her pointed ears perking up in excitement.
Zip!
Before Lupin could say another word, Lyra had flicked her wand, and the letter flew into her hands.
There's no need to be that excited...
Lupin looked at Lyra, who was clutching the letter in both hands and staring at it, her tears not even wiped away. He didn't know whether to feel sorry for her or to laugh.
"It's... It's from Miss Lovegood!" Lyra said excitedly. "It's not from one of those weird people!"
"Weird people?"
"Mhm!" Lyra was so excited she'd even stopped stuttering. "You know, the kind of letter that starts with 'Hey, remember me?'! I used to get those all the time, but for some reason, they always asked me for money!"
That... sounds like some kind of scam mail.
Lupin pressed his lips together, watching Lyra beam at the letter. "Aren't you going to open it?"
"I..." Lyra bit her lip. "This is the first real letter I've ever received. I... I don't want to... open it..."
"I don't think that's how it works," Lupin said, slowly sitting down in a chair. "Miss Lovegood probably has something she wants to tell you."
"Oh... right..." Lyra clutched the letter, silent for a few seconds, as if steeling herself. She took a deep breath.
Then, slowly, and with extreme care, she opened the envelope, as if she were opening a Gringotts bank statement.
This is my first letter. Of course, I have to preserve it carefully... With this thought, Lyra began to seriously read the contents.
The handwriting on the letter was whimsical, making it seem as if Miss Luna Lovegood herself were standing right in front of her.
"To my dear Veela, Miss Hamilton!
Do you remember me? It's Luna Lovegood. If you've forgotten, please smell this letter..."
"Hmm?" Lyra instinctively brought the letter closer and sniffed it.
Lupin's mouth twitched.
It smells like... grass?
Lyra shook her head and continued reading.
"You should remember me now, right?
Before school starts, I'm planning to go to Scandinavia with my father to search for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. But before that, I want to visit Mr. Scamander.
I kind of miss your pretty, pointed ears. Would you like to come with me?"
Pretty... pointed ears?
Lyra instinctively touched her own ears... How are they 'pretty'? They're so...
She shook her head, trying to banish the memories of Durmstrang to a dark corner of her mind.
Maybe Miss Lovegood is just different... She certainly has a unique and peculiar quality...
But...
Lyra touched the corners of her mouth, which were creeping up into a smile. She couldn't keep calm.
Miss Luna Lovegood invited me to go out with her! This is the first time anyone has ever invited me to go anywhere! I don't want to go out, but this is the first time anyone has ever invited me! It's Miss Lovegood, but it's the first time!
"You look very happy, Miss Hamilton."
"Ah? Am... Am I?" Lyra quickly looked down. "Sorry (⋟﹏⋞) I got carried away!"
"I don't think that counts as getting 'carried away'... and you don't need to apologize... But did something good happen?" Lupin asked, a bit curious. "If you can't tell me..."
"Of course I can, Mr. Lupin! You're my friend!" Except for things about Lord Grindelwald, you have the right to know all my stories!
Lyra smiled and said, "Miss Lovegood invited me to go out with her."
"Go out?" Lupin was instinctively confused... Isn't Miss Hamilton eighteen? Or, strictly speaking, sixty-eight... At that age, 'going out to play' with an eleven-year-old... isn't that a bit...
But seeing how happy Lyra looked, Lupin realized a harsh truth: it was very likely that in her entire first eighteen years of life, no one had ever invited Miss Hamilton to go out and play.
In that case... this is probably a good thing. Besides, if anyone saw her with Miss Lovegood, they'd probably just assume they were sisters, right?
So, Lupin just smiled and said, "That sounds wonderful. Are you going to go?"
"Of... Of course I am!" Lyra said excitedly.
"But what about your work with the Ministry?"
"That's fine!" Lyra held up the letter. "Director Scrimgeour said I don't need to participate in the operations for the next few days."
"Is that so?" Lupin asked thoughtfully. "Why is that?"
"I'm not really sure," Lyra said, tilting her head. "He said it had something to do with pure-blood families... something about... donations... or something..."
It seems the families they're investigating in the next few days are not suitable for Miss Hamilton to be involved with.
Lupin nodded in understanding. "Well, in that case, Miss Hamilton, you should get ready for your... playdate... with Miss Lovegood. I'll leave you to it." He gave a pale smile. This is good, too... and checking the calendar, it's almost that time again.
As Lupin left, Lyra continued to stare at the letter.
An invitation from a friend!
This is something I've never received before. I have to make a special magic frame for it!
However... that name, Scamander, sounds a bit familiar... Lyra looked at the destination, feeling a little... strange.
She felt like she had heard that name before... and more than once... Who was it that mentioned it?
I think it was Lord Grindelwald... and Lady Vinda...
Wait... It couldn't be...Newt Scamander, could it?
The one who studies magical creatures and repeatedly ruined Lord Grindelwald's plans?