Chapter 2
She was back in the circle of stone from the woods, but this time something was different. There was a mist-like substance outside the circle that burned her hand when she reached out to feel it. The mist was completely opaque and she had no way of seeing through it but she felt like it wasn’t empty, like something was peering through the fog, waiting for her to do something. Still wandless, she knelt in the dirt in the middle of the circle and started to use her fingers to make lines in the ground. Her fingernails broke, her back ached, she continued on. Her hands were cramping as she started working feverishly when she saw the glowing blue runes on the stones start to flicker and spark. Her delicate pale fingers were bleeding and stiff from the cold as she finished the last line in the complicated set of runes she had written into the ground. Mixed with her blood from her bleeding hands, the rune would become even more powerful.
“Oh Luna!”
As she started chanting in an ancient language not even she knew the true meaning of, the lines of the rune started to glow a golden color.
“For heaven's sake… Luna!”
As her chanting reached its peak, the runes on the stones seemed to pulse once, and shattered. The mist rushed towards her and was about to envelope her when…
Luna shot up in bed as she heard her mother shout for her once more.
“Luna darling, I’m having trouble with the pancakes again!” Pandora shouted in a panicked tone.
She shook off the lingering uneasiness that came with her dream and, as was her custom, quickly brushed her golden hair before rushing to the pole that led down to the kitchen. She had figured out how to land on her feet on the table shortly after her last birthday when she face planted into her mum's ashen pancakes.
“Here, mum” she said brightly as she hopped off the table and onto the waiting purple carpet that had become a fixture in the Lovegood home.
To her shock and delight, the pancakes her mum had made for her ninth birthday looked actually halfway edible. Pandora laughed as she caught the expression on Luna’s face, which was a mix of shock and suspicion.
“This cannot be your handiwork.” She muttered as she prowled around the kitchen and connecting living room, looking for anything suspicious.
“You’re right.” Pandora said with a mischievous grin, “Today I had help.”
“Surprise!” yelled Xenophilius as he jumped out from behind their tasteful lime green hammock chair.
“Dad?!” Luna yelled as she stared at the man like he was a ghost she was imagining.
“I gave myself the day off for my favorite goblin bait's eighth and four quarter birthday!” He said with a grin.
Luna ran to him, her golden hair flying behind her like a banner as she tensed and leaped straight into his arms. This was the first time ever both of her parents had decided to spend her birthday with her since she could remember! Her mind raced a kilometer a minute as she went over all her plans for the day and included her dad in them all. The thoughts made her start to literally glow with an inner light, like the world's smallest piece of the sun. Her skin glowed and she gave off a comforting warmth to her father where they touched. Xenophilius and Pandora shared a grin over Luna’s shoulder, both thinking that this display of accidental magic was appropriate for their little sunspot.
“Well before we get to whatever shenanigans you have planned for us today, your father promised me that he would help me with something quickly in my workshop.” Pandora said, with Xenophilius grimacing and nodding when Luna looked at him with dismay.
“We’ll be quick Sunspot.” Xeno said, trying to cheer up the nine year old who’s inner glow was quickly fading at this new development.
“As long as you don’t take too long.” Luna said, “And you have to make nettle soup for dinner tonight!”
“Sounds good to me.” Said Xenophilius with a smile, “It really will just be an hour or less Sunspot, eat your breakfast and by the time you’re done we’ll be done too.”
“Ok,” Said Luna, “Have fun doing whatever it is you get up to in there.”
“Love you Sunspot.” Said Pandora as she dragged Xenophilius into her workshop.
“Yeah, yeah.” The nine year old rolled her eyes as her parents disappeared into the workshop and her eyes finally were free to turn to the pancakes left abandoned at the table.
After devouring all the pancakes her lithe frame could handle, she looked towards the workshop, but since she could still hear sounds, she assumed they were still busy there and went to look for something to do until they were done.
Luna ended up in the family's ancient and enormous library. She loved to read (a trait passed down from her mum), and she had memorized a full three books of light magic spells specifically having to do with the sun and creating light in the last two years. For some reason the sun and light in general fascinated her to no end. She looked out the huge window showing her the view of the wildflower fields outside her house and the sun shining through the window right at her chair. Parents absence momentarily forgotten, she decided to go play outside and see if she could find a good rabbit to use as a sacrifice for the summer solstice ritual later in the day.
Luna could admit that she had lost track of time as she raced the sun, which was rising into the center of the sky, back to the house with a rabbit she had coaxed into her arms with some berries she had found by the river. She had several new pieces of wildflower jewelry to show her parents as well. She wondered why her parents hadn’t called for her, but brushed it off when she remembered that her whole extended family had a tendency to be scatterbrained and easily able to lose track of time when completing a task. Some people had even said that they had the light version of the black family madness, which Luna found absolutely ridiculous! Just because they were an ancient and pureblood family who happened to have one or two screws in the nailbox didn’t mean they bore any resemblance to that evil family!
As she entered the house and dropped the rabbit into a cage by the front door she realized the house was eerily quiet. Usually when her parents were working together she could hear banging around and mumbled comments as they worked as a perfect pair, finishing each other's thoughts, but strain as she might she could hear absolutely nothing. She called out for Sheath, but he was similarly absent.
“Mum?” “Dad?” She called into the silent house, but no reply came back.
She rushed to the workshop to get them for the ritual because they hadn’t missed it once in all her nine years and they wouldn’t be starting today if she could help it. She threw on her experimenting gear and shoved open the door to an absolute horror show.
Her father had the mysterious evil locket around his neck and was holding a chopping knife to her mothers face, which had already been half sliced off. Xenophilius was covered in blood and as Luna’s gaze traveled downward she realized why. Both of her mothers legs had been horribly mangled and her stomach was opened, with entrails spilling out while Pandora held a hand to herself, trying desperately to keep them in. Xenophilius had a grin that stretched from ear to ear even as he sobbed, continuing to cut into his wife’s face. Luna took this in in less than a second as she stood frozen in horror at the actions her beloved father had taken towards his similarly beloved wife. As Luna stood there hyperventilating, her mothers one working eye rolled towards her and managed a mangled “run” with a voice like gravel, so different from her usual airy and musical tone.
At this point Luna couldn’t get a breath in and felt like she was choking on the air she tried to suck in to compensate. Her body started to glow with an increasingly blinding golden light as she continued to stare at the gruesome scene that had been placed in front of her. As she started to glow, Xenophilius turned towards her with that evil grin on his face and tears rolling down his face. Without his support, Pandora crumpled to the floor, and Xenophilius started to walk towards Luna with the bloody chopping knife held out in an extended grip. Luna was glowing even brighter now and the light continued to grow as Xenophilius crept closer. When he was three steps away the light turned from a soft warmth, to a burning heat that immediately blinded him. When he was two steps away, his skin started to bubble and melt, and his hair caught fire. As he got within one foot of her Xenophilius wasn’t recognisable as a human anymore, just a pile of melted flesh with a knife. Then his knife came within an inch of her, and he ceased to be, leaving only a pile of ash to show he was ever there at all.