Luna smiled sweetly and shrugged her slender shoulders. "They've been around for ages, Harry Sitri. Nobody minds as long as they're well-fed. They only get cranky when they're hungry." She paused to toss another chunk of meat to the rabbits. It landed with a wet slap on the stone courtyard, immediately prompting a disturbing frenzy of small furry bodies tearing aggressively at the flesh.
Lilja and I shared a quick look. Man, this school was still pretty crazy sometimes...
I shook my head and forced myself to snap out of it.
"Listen Luna, there's something really important we have to-"
"Of course I'll help you, Harry Sitri," Luna interrupted in a dreamy tone, turning her attention fully to me and tilting her head softly. "Even though I'm still mad at you, you know."
I blinked, a bit startled. My mouth hung open awkwardly for a moment before I finally managed, "Um... wait, you're mad at me? What did I do?"
Luna's delicate features arranged themselves into a pout, her big blue eyes blinking slowly as she sighed dramatically. "You haven't spent any time with me at all. It's really rather rude, Harry. Especially after you took my very first kiss in the carriage ride, and then you, me, and Ginny all went on that flying date together. I thought we'd bonded, you know?" She tilted her chin up stubbornly, giving me a very pointed look.
Lilja turned her head slowly, shooting me a long-suffering glance that clearly said, 'Another girl, Harry? Really?'
My cheeks flushed hotly as Luna continued on, completely ignoring Lilja's reaction.
"And then," Luna added, her voice lowering conspiratorially, "you went and shagged Ginny. She told me all about it, said it was the most wonderful experience of her life. I've been waiting ever since, wondering when my turn would be-"
I quickly held up both hands, cutting Luna off abruptly as my face ignited in embarrassment. "Whoa, wait! Luna-stop, please. I'm sorry, really sorry. Things have just been crazy lately, and... well, I didn't realize you were feeling left out."
She tilted her head, thoughtful but skeptical, watching me closely as if debating whether my apology was sincere enough.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and added hurriedly, "But I promise, I'll definitely spend more time with you. We'll do whatever you want. Flying, exploring-anything."
Her skeptical look melted slowly into a smile. "Anything, Harry?"
I swallowed nervously. "Well... within reason?"
Luna giggled softly and finally nodded in acceptance. "I suppose that'll do for now."
Wanting to steer things back to our urgent matter, I stepped closer to Luna, shifting my expression into seriousness. "Look, Luna-this is really important. Sona said you'd be able to help us. Do you... happen to know where the Chamber of Secrets is?"
"Oh, that?" Luna's tone was entirely casual, as if I'd just asked if she knew where the kitchens were. "Yes, of course, I can tell you exactly where it is."
I exhaled slowly. "Good. Then can you show us? Right now?"
"Mm." She dropped the last strip of chicken in front of the closest bunny and patted its head as it shredded the meat. "We should go before the Vorpal Bunnies get bored. They start chewing on ankles when that happens." Luna pushed herself up in one smooth motion, dusted off her skirt like she hadn't just been hand-feeding murder rabbits, then stepped right into my space and slid her arm through mine without asking.
She pressed in close. Her whole side was flush against me, her chest pushed firmly into my upper arm. There was no mistaking the feel of her modest breasts through the thin layers of her uniform and robes. She clung with a casual confidence that said she considered my arm hers for the rest of the evening.
My brain stalled for a second. "Uh..."
Luna just looked up at me with that soft, dreamy little smile, like this was the most natural thing in the world. "Don't worry, Harry Sitri. I'll guide you."
Behind us, Lilja made a low noise that was somewhere between a sigh and a growl. I glanced back at her.
She was watching Luna like she was trying to decide if she should physically peel the Ravenclaw off me. Her jaw was tight, and her blue eyes were narrowed just a bit, but she still walked forward to join us.
"...Your name is Luna, right?" Lilja said, voice flat. "You'd better actually know where this place is."
We started walking, Luna still attached to me, practically glued to my side. I could feel every step she took in the way her body moved against my arm. My brain kept unhelpfully supplying details about the way her modest chest shifted every time we went up a stair.
"I do," Luna replied cheerfully.
Lilja moved to my other side, close enough that her shoulder almost brushed mine, forming a little triangle as we headed back inside and toward the stairs. "A girl who is important to me is in danger," Lilja said. Her tone came out hard, the kind of hard that promised violence if anyone wasted our time. "I don't have time for any flights of fancy tonight."
Luna didn't even flinch. She just turned her head and looked over me at the Valkyrie, calm and steady. "I know exactly what's at stake," she said, and for once there was less of that drifting quality in her voice. "I also know it will all work out."
Lilja's eyes narrowed further. "And how do you know that?"
"Because I have complete faith in Harry," Luna said simply. Then she added, still totally sincere, "And in you, Lilja Nornas."
Lilja missed a step. Her cheeks flushed a light pink, the color standing out clearly against her pale skin. She opened her mouth, closed it again, then looked away for half a second like she had no idea where to put her eyes. "Oh. You... do?" she managed.
"Of course." Luna leaned more of her weight into my arm as if that settled everything. "You're very reliable. You would do anything to keep Harry safe and happy. And you look very good with a sword..."
I tried not to choke at the way she said all that. Lilja would do anything to keep me happy and safe? I didn't know I'd made that much of an impression on the gorgeous redhaired slytherin girl.
Lilja coughed into her fist and stared stubbornly down the corridor. "...All right then."
She didn't seem to know what to say after that, which was honestly kind of impressive. I hadn't seen anyone leave Lilja at a loss for words yet.
We moved through the dim hallways, the castle quiet and echoing around us. Our footsteps sounded loud on the stone. Torches flickered in their brackets, throwing moving shadows across the walls. It was the same Hogwarts I'd been walking through for weeks, but the weight in the air was different now that I knew Jasmine was somewhere below us with some deranged snake-devil calling itself Voldemort.
Luna hummed under her breath as we climbed the stairs, the tune light and a bit off-key. Every now and then, she squeezed my arm for no obvious reason. Lilja kept glancing over, catching the motion out of the corner of her eye and giving Luna these short, sharp looks, then catching herself and looking forward again like she was telling herself not to get distracted.
After a couple flights, I cleared my throat. "So, Luna... where exactly are we going?"
"The second floor," she answered. "Girls' bathroom."
Lilja's head snapped toward her. "...The Chamber of Secrets is... in a bathroom?"
"Yes," Luna said. "The girl's bathroom..."
"Slytherin built his great hidden chamber under a school toilet?" I asked her.
Luna tilted her head, as if considering how to phrase it. "Well, he was a genius, a bigot, and absolutely terrible at interior design. He was also a pervert." She said that last part with absolute certainty.
We reached the second floor. The corridor here was colder, the air more still, like the place itself was holding its breath. The walls were slightly damp in spots where old plumbing seeped, and the torches burned lower.
Stepping into the girls' bathroom on the second floor felt instantly unsettling. The air was heavy and stale, tainted with a musty scent, like mildew and rusting pipes. The dim torchlight flickered unevenly, casting wavering shadows across cracked mirrors and grimy porcelain sinks that had long been unused. My gaze drifted to the tiled walls, scarred and ravaged with deep, violent gouges. Broken ceramic shards littered the ground around us, crunching loudly beneath our feet. It looked like something had fought desperately here-or had simply been enraged enough to tear the place apart in frustration.
Lilja stood tense at my side, her pale fingers twitching slightly as she scanned every corner. Luna, still attached to my arm, hugged herself even closer, her smaller frame pressed firmly against my side as if she'd rather be touching me than the grimy bathroom air. She didn't seem frightened-just calm and curious, her eyes wide and alert.
A strange tingle danced along my senses. Instantly, I recognized it-the faint, eerie aura that lingered after a stray devil passed through. Yeah, this was definitely the spot. My gut knotted with anticipation. Jasmine was somewhere below us, probably scared out of her mind, and we were wasting precious seconds.
I gently extracted my arm from Luna's possessive grip, reaching up instead to squeeze her shoulder. "Thank you, Luna," I told her earnestly. "You were right. I can feel it here. Now, can you tell me exactly how we get inside the Chamber?"
Luna smiled vaguely and lifted her delicate hand, pointing elegantly downward. "Underneath us, Harry Sitri. It's hidden beneath the floor, and you can-"
That was all I needed to hear!
Without another second of hesitation, I stepped forward, extending my right hand decisively. Energy flared deep within my chest, rising to the surface with the ease of long practice. My Sitri family crest burned into existence upon my palm, the azure magic crackling in raw, eager arcs across my fingers.
"Stand back a little," I warned them and Luna squeaked for some reason. I steadied myself, exhaled once sharply, and released my gathered power straight downward in a precise burst.
The concussive blast hit the floor brutally, shattering tiles instantly and punching straight through solid stone and concrete. The impact echoed explosively in the confined space, blasting chips and shards everywhere in a violent hail. When the debris cleared and settled, an ominous, gaping hole appeared at our feet. I moved carefully to peer downward, revealing a steep stone slide spiraling downwards, quickly swallowed by complete darkness.
"HARRY SITRI!" Luna smacked me sharply in the center of my chest, a surprisingly strong little blow for such a gentle-looking girl. Her pale cheeks flushed hotly, blue eyes narrowing in a surprisingly annoyed pout. "I was just about to explain! You didn't have to destroy the poor bathroom. There's a secret passage that opens if you speak Parseltongue!"
I blinked at her blankly, rubbing my chest where her palm had smacked me. "Parsel... what?"
Luna folded her slender arms over her modest chest, giving me a look like she couldn't quite believe how clueless I was sometimes. "Parseltongue, Harry. It's the language of snakes."
Lilja stepped forward suddenly, eyes widening as she fixed me with an intense, alarmed stare. "Wait-Harry, are you telling me you're a Parselmouth? You can talk to snakes?" There was something very careful in her voice, like this revelation was important and probably dangerous, though I didn't get why.
I shrugged, a bit confused by her intensity. "I guess so. I never thought about it much. The only snake I ever actually spoke to was a giant basilisk, and that thing was just a giant danger noodle hell-bent on trying to eat me. Didn't really have much to say beyond hissing death threats."
Lilja's jaw dropped visibly, her eyes huge and incredulous. "There was a basilisk in Hogwarts?!" she demanded sharply, clearly horrified no one had bothered to mention it.
Oh shit. Right. She wasn't around when that particular nightmare had gone down. "Um... yeah. Long story," I said lamely, rubbing my neck awkwardly. "Sorry, guess nobody told you about that particular adventure, huh?"
Lilja muttered something dark under her breath that sounded suspiciously like several curses in Old Norse, eyes still wide in disbelief. She threw up her hands briefly, as if resigned to never fully grasping how insane this place could get.
I turned back to Luna, laying a reassuring hand on her small shoulder.
"Thank you," I told her, and I meant it. "Seriously. I don't think anyone else could've pointed us straight here this fast."
Her expression softened. Her eyes flicked up to meet mine, steady and clear for once.
"You're welcome, Harry Sitri," she said. "I don't like it when people are in danger. Even the ones who forget to visit me."
I winced a little but nodded. I deserved that.
"Luna," I said, voice firming. "You've done your part. I need you to stay up here now. This is going to get bad. Stray devils aren't something you want near if you don't have to."
She tilted her head, thinking. Her hand slid off my side and dropped to her skirt. She twisted the fabric between her fingers for a second. "I could come with you," she said. "I'm not useless. I can see things other people don't. And I'm very good at running away from horrible monsters when the time is right. Daddy and I have gone monster hunting alone before..."
"I know you're not useless," I said. "You're the reason we're even standing in the right bathroom. But this thing eats people. It's already taken at least one student and it's got Jasmine right now. I am not bringing you down into its personal pantry."
She pouted again, lips pressing together, but it was softer this time. "You're very bossy sometimes," she said.
"And you're very good at ignoring common sense," I shot back. "Please. Stay up here. If something goes wrong and we don't come back fast enough, go straight to Sona, Rias, and Dumbledore. Tell them exactly where the entrance is and what's down there. Don't try to fight anything yourself."
She went still for a second, then slowly nodded. "Fine," she said quietly. "I'll do that." Her eyes dropped to the hole and then back to me. "I hope Sona lets me join her peerage soon," she added under her breath. "Then I wouldn't get left behind when all the interesting and terrifying things happen. It's very lonely on the sidelines."
Lilja heard that. Her mouth tightened, and she glanced between the two of us.
"If you were a devil already, I'd still tell you to stay up here," I said bluntly. "This isn't about you not being strong enough. Right now I need one person I trust up here, not down there."
Luna's eyes widened a little at "trust." Her cheeks picked up a faint pink. "All right," she said. "I'll wait. And I'll be very cross with you if you die."
