Chapter Text
Life in the dream castle goes on...
“Hi there Luna!” Harry greets while stepping into the dorm room. “Your flower crown is looking super nice today.”
“Hey, bet you want to share your magic particle stash with your best friend, huh?” Harry said while coming to sit beside her on the bed.
“I don’t think so.” Luna gently interjected. “I’ve only got one jar.”
Harry put on his puppy eyes, determined to succeed. “But I need it for my date with Tom tonight!” After a short pause, he continued. “I can’t let my boyfriend see me imperfectly perfect without magic particles.”
Harry's thoughts spiraled. “I love how it looks. How it feels...” Till he snapped out of it.
Luna was not sitting beside him.
“Luna?” His gaze swept over the room. “Magic? Come back!”
“Both of you!”
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Back outside the castle...
“This custom transfigured magic particle detector will lead us straight to the magic.” Tom said to Fluffy while crouched in a dug hole.
The detector beeped.
Tom groaned while pulling a chunk of something out of the ground.
“Darn. Nothing but lousy twenty-four carat gold!”
________________________________________________
The next person to show their face at Luna’s dorm room was Hermione.
Hermione stepped into the room and saw the girl sitting in her study chair. Back facing the door.
“Luna, please. You have to give me some magic particles.” She pleaded with an eager look on her face.
Luna turned the chair.
Smoothly. Indifferently.
On her lap was Crookshanks. Hermione’s cat, who now looked at her owner with a condescending glint in their eyes.
“Make me an offer I can’t refuse.” Luna answered while dramatically petting Crookshanks's fur.
The cat gave an agreeing diva-like meow. That is, agreeing with Luna’s demand.
Hermione came to crouch down beside Luna. “I’ll trade you for this nice unicorn plushie.”
Luna’s eyes flashed with starlight, and she took hold of the plushie.
A scream of fright left Luna.
The unicorn looked ravaged. Only a lone head seemed to be left behind.
Hermione smirked like a cliché villain. “You get the rest when I get the magic.”
Without wasting a single second, Luna waved her wand, and a secret corridor opened under Hermione, who fell into the pit.
Luna and Crookshanks just watched on.
Vengeance served for the poor, innocent plushie
Her next words were as hard as diamonds.
“She dishonors the friend group.”
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Outside a certain tower of Hogwarts...
A magical hook was thrown, creating an alternative way inside the common room.
Draco’s gaze exuded superiority. “Now climb up and grab Harry’s magic particles. You know he’s got to have a stash in there.”
Cormac feeling slightly indignant, asked. “Well, what are you going to do while I’m risking my life?”
Draco scoffed elegantly. “Risking something more important. My perfect, house-elf made manicure.”
“I’ll go to the common room entrance, knock on the door and distract them.”
A few tens of minutes later...
Draco was reluctant to even touch the door. But he must.
He must...
No, he doesn’t!
He took a hold of his sleeve and then knocked.
Knock.
Knock.
The door to the common room opened.
“Yees?” Luna asked, with a customer service smile on her face.
“Well if it isn’t my favourite... Harry’s friend.” Draco barely hid his grimace. “What was your name again?”
Luna didn’t answer directly. Instead, asked with a suspicious tone. “Why is there a rope to be seen hanging from the towers open balcony windowpanes?”
“That?” Draco put a standard smile on his face. “It’s nothing. Now give me som-”
He didn't get to finish the sentence.
As in the background a scream could be heard. From the direction of the windows.
They turned to see Cormac barely hanging on to the balcony.
His hand slipping.
Him falling off the towers side.
The hook of the rope falling down with him.
A painful thud.
Draco’s gaze hadn’t had enough time to even move, before Luna slammed the door to his face.
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At the same time...
Tom was looking at maps. Specifically magic particle maps, loaned from the Hogwarts library.
“Now according to the these old maps, Hogwarts was built over ancient Magic particle aqueducts.” Tom spoke informatively to Fluffy, whose gaze hadn’t left Tom’s form since the start of their excavations.
“So, if I drill here-” Tom didn’t even get to say anything else as his transfigured earth driller’s power threw him away.
Like a piece of loose parchment.
Fluffy’s gaze was captious.
All three heads shaking from the ridiculousness they were witnessing.
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The third candidate showed their face at Luna’s dorm room.
“Luna if you let me have some magic. I’ll do your homework essays for a month!” Ginny said to the other girl.
Luna hummed, then said. “Including cleaning Crookshanks’s litter box?”
“Speaking of Crookshanks...” Ginny didn’t answer that. Instead choosing to go for a distraction.
“Is she sharpening her claws in your unicorn collection?”
Luna gasped, turning towards the pile of plushies of her bed.
It was a mistake.
“It’s MINE.” Ginny shouted as she took a hold of the bottle of magic particles. “ALL MINE!”
Ginny’s evil laughter echoed into the walls as she ran away. Luna close behind her tails.
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The chase was on.
The owner of the last bottle of magic particles unclear.
Ginny fell down the moving stairs, crashing into Hermione who then stole the bottle.
“It’s mine. See you!” She said while starting to run away, as well.
Now two people were hot on her tail.
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From the castle’s kitchen, Harry had found foil and wrapped it over his outer robe.
“Yes! Shiny, stylish and it keeps food fresh and tasty.” Harry said to himself. Trying to convince himself. To find a coping mechanism.
Then, Hermione with the bottle of magic in her hands ran past him.
Ginny and Luna ran after her.
His half-hearted illusions shattered.
Immediately.
He couldn’t take this anymore!
So, he ran after them as well, foil billowing behind him.
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Their line on running people had reached outside of Hogwarts.
That is, till Hermione tripped over Crookshanks who then gave a retaliating, angry hiss.
The bottle of magic particles flew in the air.
Ending up in Ginny’s hands, who tripped over the broom she had left in the courtyard.
Flying in the air, till the bottle was safely in Harry’s hands.
“Oh yeah!” He celebrated while kissing the bottle.
However, he couldn't celebrate too early.
“Back off people!” Came a sharp sounding shout from the air. They looked up.
It was Draco and Cormac.
“That magic is MINE!” Draco shouted again, as he flew down.
Cormac gave a dumb look to Draco. “Uh. You mean mine!”
Harry’s and Draco’s grip on the bottle was relentless and tugging. Neither gave a single centimeter.
That is until the bottle slipped from their hands, flying in the air again.
Ending up in the hands it originally belonged to. In Luna’s.
Back to the mornings starting point.
Till Tawny, the thestral ate it.
All everyone but Harry and Luna could see was a rainbowy magic particle sneeze.
But before anyone could even think about moving towards Tawny, Harry sighed and spoke. “Everybody stop.”
“Look at us.” His voice was resolute. “And all because of magic particles.”
“Were just... going to have to live without it.”
The air was quiet, until Tom’s voice echoed in the courtyard. “Sorry Harry. I couldn’t find magic anywhere.”
They looked at the direction Tom came from. The ground was full of dug holes.
Harry sighed. “It’s okay Tom. Thanks for trying.”
Tom raised his hand to his face in despair while holding onto the transfigured earth drill with the other. “I’m a failure of a boyfriend...”
The drill turned on accidentally.
And the earth burst open.
Flunging Tom into the air.
“Tom...” Harry said with awe. “You found a magic particle gusher!” Awe that turned into excitement.
All they could do was cheer.
But of course, nothing lasts forever.
Headmaster Dumbledore’s voice echoed throughout the castle.
That could only mean...
A new emergency owl had flown in.
The man’s voice was deadly serious. “There has been a new emergency. Hogwarts has been crippled by a sudden golden syrup shortage. Treacle tart production has already shrunk to dangerously low levels. Meaning, almost no tarts. Stay with me for the latest emergency updates.”
A beat of silence.
“AAAHHH!”