Chapter 729: Side Story - Lovegood
Luna Lovegood opened her eyes, staring at the constantly changing shapes of the clouds in the sky, the pure sunlight filtering through the gaps in the Brazilian rainforest and caressing her face, the air fresh and pleasant. Her husband, Rolf Scamander, was two kilometers away photographing a plant. A small bug crawled on her.
They had been in this rainforest for three months, searching for a "bird that glows all over and flies with a rainbow," which an eight-year-old boy claimed he had seen by the river. Unfortunately, it disappeared in the blink of an eye. The source was absolutely reliable, but the authenticity was uncertain; it might have been just a momentary blur of the boy, mistakenly associating a rainbow after the rain with a beautiful bird species he couldn't name, like the toucan. Yet, they came, as part of their honeymoon trip.
They scoured the nearby water bodies and ponds, finding only some beautiful feathers and a few sapphires. Now, those feathers and gems were stored in a small box, along with an airship ear pendant, a cork necklace, and a pebble headpiece. As Rolf put it, "You have to accommodate the aesthetics of ordinary people, with one or two normal pieces of jewelry."
Luna, smelling the rich scent of grass and earth, felt drowsy all over. After an unknown period, she was awakened by the alarm spell's whistle—it was Rolf Scamander, returning with his camera and a thick notebook.
"I've discovered another endangered wild plant," Rolf said. "I've left a detector nearby and reported it to the local environmental protection department." He frowned at his wife, who had jumped up from the ground, "You're lying on the ground again..."
Luna quickly pulled out her wand from behind her thick hair and pointed it at herself, evaporating the dew from her soaked clothes with a white mist. She spun around on the spot and even hopped a couple of times.
"How about now?"
"Alright," Rolf muttered softly.
The two began to pack up their tent, feeling reluctant to leave the rainforest on their last day. Halfway through packing, they sat amidst their bags and flipped through a thick photo album.
"This is the local village and its residents..."
"I like them; they love to joke around," Luna interjected.
"True, every third sentence is a joke. Here's a photo of me playing football with them, look how happy they are! That's the smile of victory. I think if it were Quidditch, I wouldn't have lost so miserably... You were learning weaving techniques on the side... So, who was taking the photos... But I think it's necessary to remind you that the locals use this technique to make fishing tools, not to wear vines on themselves..."
"In the wizarding pub, we made two wizard friends from Castelobruxo, one of whom insisted on cursing my little finger. A beautiful Stupefy, dear..."
"A toucan boldly entered our tent, only to be scared away by the magic lamp."
"Next are several unique magical creatures from Brazil, all first discovered by you. It's strange, reminding me of the first time we met."
He clicked his tongue in wonder, flipping forward in the album, passing nearly a third of the wedding photos, and stopping on the first few pages.
Their heads came together. A younger Luna was squatting on the ground, touching a creature that looked very much like a ferret, which was happily eating a steaming hot dog. The background was a snowy landscape.
"Truth be told, I spent two years in the Arctic," Rolf said sourly, "and came back empty-handed. I seriously doubt Grandfather missed some critical information... But it wasn't a total loss."
Luna hummed a cheerful tune on the side, sounding like a quirky song by the Weird Sisters from twelve years ago—'A Great Victory.'
Rolf hummed along for a bit.
Around noon, they walked out of the Brazilian tropical rainforest, carrying one large and one small suitcase. After Rolf handed a stack of photos to the local wildlife protection organization, the two arrived at the border, registered, and returned to the UK through the door key.
"Wizards are natural explorers," a border guard said.
"We always have been," Rolf replied.
"Hey, I was talking about the one who landed on Mars," the guard joked.
...
Near the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, the grass on the mountain was stirred into large ripples by the wind, and a small house shaped like an overturned boot was in sight.
"My dear daughter! You've come back."
Xenophilius Lovegood ran out of the house to hug Luna, who gently patted her father's back. Xenophilius was dressed in dirty clothes, his cotton candy-like hair tangled into a mess, looking like
an abandoned bird's nest. His strabismus seemed to have worsened, so he used it as an excuse to pretend not to see the man beside his daughter, until Rolf took the initiative to greet him. Only then did he reluctantly give Rolf a very perfunctory hug.
"Sorry, I forgot your name, Rod, Roman—"
"It's Rolf," Luna said cheerfully. Xenophilius "tsked," one eye seemingly about to pop out of its socket. He glanced sideways at his daughter's husband with the other eye, silently took the travel suitcase from Luna's hand, and pulled her toward the black door. Rolf Scamander shook his head and followed.
This attitude was actually quite good.
According to a reporter who sneaked into the wedding and was kicked out halfway, "Lovegood, the old widower, seemed to plot to curse his son-in-law during the wedding ceremony, turning him into a large-mouthed goby. Unfortunately, he didn't succeed, otherwise he might have competed for this year's most sensational news—witnessed by the Harp couple, the Potter couple, the Weasley couple, the Longbottom couple, the Scamander couple, and other friends and relatives."
But Rolf knew this was pure nonsense, at least not entirely true.
Compared to that, he was more convinced that Xenophilius originally planned to transform him into a horn of a poisonous unicorn because the first time he visited, he inadvertently pointed out that the surprise Mr. Lovegood had given his daughter—a grey spiral horn bought from a smuggler was not of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack but a dangerous unicorn horn, posing a serious danger in their home... He paid the price for his honesty.
The room was a standard circle, like a rotund pepper shaker.
The ground floor was the kitchen, with the stove, sink, and cupboards painted with flowers, insects, and birds. Up the cast-iron spiral staircase, the second floor was an even messier living room and studio, where an old-fashioned printing press occupied the best light and position, while the rest of the space was scattered with miscellaneous items—clearly, Mr. Lovegood had no inclination to tidy up the house in his daughter's absence. Several palm-sized, animal-shaped magic lamps flew around the ceiling. Two staircases extended from this floor to Luna's and Mr. Lovegood's bedrooms.
The three spent the afternoon sorting through travel documents. Mr. Lovegood still treated Rolf as if he were invisible but bombarded Luna with questions, showing immense curiosity and concern for all the interesting details of their journey.
"My, is that so... This seems to confirm a certain theory."
Luna's observational skills amazed the two men present, and Rolf regretted that these brilliant insights would only appear in The Quibbler, a dubious magazine, published alongside stories of fire sprites, trembling maggots, and Martian life.
The last one doesn't count.
When Mr. Harp and Ms. Granger returned from Mars, the question of whether life could exist on other planets became irrelevant. People were engulfed in wild fantasies about the possibility of colonizing outer space, a realization that only dawned on them much later when the next closest approach of Mars to Earth would not occur until 2018.
In the years that followed, humans established six space bases on the moon.
Luna suddenly looked up at the ceiling. "There are a thousand people above us," she said.
"I do worry they might fall down," Xenophilius said, "but if they can ride on flying brooms..."
In the evening, in high spirits, Mr. Lovegood was preparing to showcase his cooking skills. Luna suggested giving Rolf a chance to try his hand, saying, "He has the entire Lovegood family's collection of recipes." "Then he's at quite the advantage," Mr. Lovegood grumbled, "No one else, aside from garden gnomes, has had the chance to see those."
He began reminiscing about the last time the Harp couple visited their home.
"Felix Harp... a good man, knowledgeable, witty. I interviewed him about his observations on Mars and his views on Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. He said he had owned two; his wife, however, lacked a sense of humor..."
Rolf was bustling around in the kitchen downstairs. Popping his head out from under the cast-iron staircase, Luna inquired with her eyes. "Missing a few spices, but I think I can find them nearby," Rolf confidently stated.
After dinner, Mr. Lovegood's attitude toward Rolf had improved significantly. He vaguely mentioned, "I tasted something in the meal that reminded me of Pandora's cooking. After so many years, it might be an illusion..."
"My mother built that vegetable garden with her own hands," Luna said, her expression distant.
The next morning, Luna and Rolf visited the headquarters of The Daily Prophet. Both had contributed to The Daily Prophet in the past, but later Luna fully embraced the 'family business,' while Rolf hoped to raise awareness on the conservation of magical creatures, much like his grandfather.
Exiting the editor's office, they encountered someone in the corridor—Rita Skeeter, a journalist known for her scandalous articles.
Rita Skeeter surveyed them over her jewel-encrusted spectacles. "Let's see... Luna Lovegood, Rolf Scamander, rising stars in the field of Magizoology, had an outstanding collaboration before their marriage... The wedding was so rushed, I didn't get a chance to congratulate you both."
"That's because you showed up uninvited and were thrown out," Rolf said sternly.
"Good stories are hard to come by," Skeeter waved her hand dismissively. "Of course, I had to find a way in. The last time I had such an opportunity was two years ago, but I dared not make any moves then... Have you heard?"
"Heard what?" Rolf asked, surprised.
"I've been looking forward to a big event, the recent years have been so dull." Skeeter's face reddened slightly, her long nails digging into her crocodile skin handbag.
"The Quidditch World Cup," Luna suddenly said.
Skeeter glanced at her. "Correct, the 426th Quidditch World Cup to be held on the Floating Islands in July 2010. But I've dug up even bigger news, something that will blow everyone's mind, more explosive than Felix Harp marrying his own student." She lowered her voice for the last bit, sneaking peeks down the corridor as if afraid of being overheard, warning, "I'm only saying this here."
"Is there something you can't say?" Luna asked curiously.
Rolf tugged at his wife's sleeve. Rita Skeeter hummed twice, her sharp gaze circling before settling on the lunchbox in Luna's hand, provoking, "To be Luna Lovegood's husband, one must first have a stomach of iron. According to reliable information I've obtained, her nickname in school was 'Loony,' and she was fond of feeding Thestrals and Acromantulas."
"That's false," Rolf Scamander stepped forward, wrapping his arm around his wife like a man, saying seriously, "Luna didn't show any particular interest in Acromantulas, and, most of the time, I'm the one who cooks. Would you like to know the secret?"
Rita Skeeter stared silently at him.
"Just a few special spices are needed, which I discovered when we first met because I happen to like them too."
Rita Skeeter clacked away in her high heels, visibly infuriated. A smile crept over Rolf Scamander's face as he looked down at his wife, who was also staring back, unblinkingly.
"So, did mom add spices when she cooked
?" Luna asked. "Dad tried many times without success."
"I guessed as much. I saw them in the garden during a visit; your family is quite tolerant of weeds," Rolf Scamander said. He gazed into her slightly protruding pale silver eyes and asked softly, "Luna? Has anyone ever told you your eyes are beautiful?"
"Yes!" Luna affirmed. "Dad, mom, Ginny, Firenze, Vanet, Xandra, Teresa..."
"Wait, who are those last names?"
"They're Centaurs."
Rolf choked, suddenly empathizing with Rita Skeeter's sentiments.
"You could compliment my hair," Luna suggested understandingly. Rolf's eyes swept over his wife's messy, dirty blonde hair and he couldn't help but advise, "Dear, I think you should take better care of your hair, like you did for the wedding. It looked beautiful, like flowing gold... but not that dress!"
"Which one?"
"The one with the rainbow, sequins, and silver unicorn horn headpiece."
"But I really like it," Luna said, somewhat troubled.
"Cough, you can wear it at home, but for special occasions..." Rolf measured his words, seeing his wife's gaze wander, his heart tightened, the Quidditch World Cup! Millions of people! Merlin's beard! Harp's honor! He quickly said, "Dear, I've got a great idea. We should have a custom outfit for the opening ceremony of the World Cup."
"We?"
"...Yes." Rolf's expression was dramatically solemn.
Luna's face lit up with a smile. She said seriously, "Oh, you can dress more formally—according to the average person's taste, yes, just like that."
"No need, I've made up my mind!"
Hand in hand, they walked out of The Daily Prophet's headquarters.
"When shall we visit the school again?" Rolf's voice said.
"Sure, I've missed it there."
"To wear the Sorting Hat again, I feel I have the potential for Gryffindor..."
You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
- Early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
- Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
