Chapter 1 Dialogue under the stars (Patreon)

At the twilight, there was a kind of hazy beauty in the sunshine, which fell through the gaps in the clouds, precipitating a lazy atmosphere. The densely packed tombstones dragged out long shadows in the yellowish sunset, creating a unique atmosphere.

Not far away, beside a white poplar tree with lush branches, a man with messy white hair like cotton candy was holding a little girl standing there. Without a doubt, they were a father and daughter who were visiting the grave.

And what Maca had just noticed was the back of a girl with pale gold hair that reached her waist.

Of course, Maca was not a pedophile. He was not interested in a little girl who looked at most ten years old - even though he was about the same age now. It was just that her long hair was emitting a layer of shimmering halo in the sunset, and the unique scene was hard to ignore.

Maca couldn't help but look a few more times, but that was all. He paused for a moment, then immediately looked away and walked towards the town with his luggage.

But as he took those steps out of the cemetery, he faintly heard the man's voice.

"Luna, let's go back. It's getting late."

Luna? Pale golden hair? In the depths of Maca's mind, a few words that seemed somewhat obscure due to the passage of time flashed by like a spark.

"It can't be that coincidental, can it?"

Maca stopped again and hesitated for a moment, then plunged into the bushes by the road - he wanted to circle back and confirm.

When Maca returned to the cemetery from the woods, the father and daughter had already left. He deliberately approached the spot where the two men had stood just now, and looked down at the tombstone.

"Pandora Lovegood... Lovegood, that should be right." Maca pondered for a moment, then ran, "It's better to ask an active wizard for directions than to wander around blindly. Maybe I can use their fireplace too! What's that called? Floo... Floo Powder?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Lovegood, can you wait a moment?"

The father and daughter apparently didn't walk fast, or fortunately they hadn't used magic to leave yet, so Maca caught up with them.

"Um, who are you?" Luna's father, Xenophilius Lovegood, turned his head and looked at Maca who was running towards them in surprise.

"Oh, yes." Maca quickly caught up with the father and daughter and took a breath to organize his thoughts before continuing, "I'm a fan of the magazine you edit. You know, I really like the articles in there. They add color to my life."

In fact, Maca couldn't even remember the name of the magazine, but that didn't stop him from using it as an excuse to strike up a conversation.

"Oh, a companion."

Luna's tone was somewhat dreamy, but her silver-gray eyes were fixed on Maca's face without blinking. It was clear that she was interested in Maca.

"Haha, thank you for your support, my dear little reader." Xenophilius Lovegood nodded happily, looking very pleased.

Seeing this, Maca immediately displayed his talent for climbing up the pole. He put on a smiley face, talked nonsense with Xenophilius Lovegood excitedly, as if he was really a loyal reader of the magazine.

Believe me, it's not difficult. Just follow the topic of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, let Xenophilius Lovegood do the talking, and occasionally agree with him to keep the conversation going.

The three figures gradually disappeared into the distance on the road, with laughter along the way. This conversation was obviously very successful.

Finally, Maca was not surprised to be invited to the Lovegood home and planned to stay for a few days. This was only because he "accidentally" revealed that he would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on September 1st this year.

As expected, Luna would be attending next year, and then Maca would naturally become her senior.

"Next year, I'll have to trouble you to take care of your junior, Mr. Maca." Xenophilius Lovegood rubbed Luna's hair and grinned. "Come on! It looks like tonight's dinner can be a little more lavish than usual. Let's welcome your senior in advance!"

It must be said that from this "very lavish" dinner, it can be seen that the Lovegood family's financial situation doesn't seem to be very good. However, this was not too important for Maca, as he was not a person who liked luxury. For him, poverty and hunger were the norm of his childhood.

What Maca particularly liked was the soup made from a water creature called the "Gobstoppers", which was indeed a very delicious dish. Of course, their meat wasn't that great, probably because of too much exercise, which made the meat too tough, and there was also a strange earthy smell.

"Are you full, child?" Xenophilius Lovegood couldn't help but ask when Maca put down his spoon. "Perhaps you would like a cup of Gillyweed tea?"

"Oh, no thank you, I think I've eaten too much." Maca rubbed his round belly apologetically. "Do you mind if I go for a walk outside?"

"Of course you can, you can let Luna accompany you around here. It's very safe and the air is great." Xenophilius Lovegood shrugged. "And I'm afraid I have to do some preparation for tomorrow's work, you know, writing articles and such."

"Luna, may I invite you to take a walk with me?" Maca turned his head and looked at the girl who was staring off into space.

"Hmm?" Luna turned her head at the sound. "What? Oh, of course, we can also talk about other magical creatures..."

"Yes, yes, I think talking about unicorns would be a good choice. They are famous even among Muggles." Maca stood up with a smile, put on his coat, and then opened the door not far behind him.

Everything here was pretty good, except that the house was a little too crowded, which reminded him of the small attic he lived in for three years.

The evening air was still so familiar, but the air here was much fresher than Taymor Lane in Hogsmeade. After all, the Lovegood house was built on a small hill.

The broad view and the starry sky made Maca's gaze become blurred. Luna's personality was probably not unrelated to this living environment!

"It's beautiful here, there's a sense of freedom."

Here, there were no obstacles to block your footsteps, and Maca walked forward with a feeling of trust, his gaze fixed on the endless night sky.

Luna, who was talking to herself about mistletoe and Nifflers, stopped abnormally when she heard this sentence, stared at Maca for a moment, and then also looked up at the starry sky.

"Luna, can you smell the sense of freedom here?" Maca said softly, his tone more confused than usual.

"What?" Maca's words startled her, and she blinked as if she remembered something. "Oh, yes, did my mother say that?"

"My mother also likes it here. She often takes me out to see the stars when she rests." Luna nodded, and her expression didn't reveal anything, but some things were obviously not so easy to let go of.

Maca nodded, vaguely remembering that Luna's mother had passed away, perhaps not too long ago. Of course, he also thought of his own mother, in this life and the previous one.

"It is said that the positions and trajectories of the stars can be used as the basis for prophecies, and those centaurs seem to be very good at it."

Taking himself as an example, Maca believed that in situations like this, it was better to avoid saying clichéd phrases like "I'm sorry" or "I feel bad" and instead opt for a light conversation. But Luna was clearly not an ordinary girl.

"But my mother has passed away, just last year, because of a curse gone wrong," Luna didn't pick up on the topic that Maca had handed her and continued to speak to herself.

"That's really scary, I've been sad about it. But I can't let my dad worry, I think he might be more sad than me, so I can't cry," Maca listened to the girl's increasingly low whispers and touched the envelope he had been holding in his coat pocket. An idea flashed through his mind and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"My mom passed away too, I think I understand the feeling you're talking about. But I was thinking, that doesn't necessarily mean we'll never see our moms again," Maca thought for a moment and continued, "The principles of magic have always been vague, if we can study it more thoroughly..."

Finally, Luna's face showed some normal expressions, but it was probably not because of this idea that she felt surprised.

"If it goes wrong, it will be very dangerous," Luna's voice was still light, but the trance in it was gone.

"Uh, I think you're right," Maca rubbed his forehead awkwardly.

Luna looked at Maca for a while, but then showed a little smile. She pursed her lips and added, "But it really is a way."

Although the night wind was refreshing, it was still a bit chilly. Maca shrank his body and wrapped his coat tightly. He waved to Luna and invited her to go back to the house together, then turned and walked towards the house that looked like a chess piece. Luna stood behind, watching Maca's back, and then pursed her lips.

"Wisdom is humanity's greatest treasure," Luna muttered to herself in a voice too low to hear.