Harry Potter: Luna Lovegood/Minerva McGonagall, magical first, PG
Title: Essential Sight
Author/Artist: rosehiptea
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Luna Lovegood/Minerva McGonagall
Rating: PG for mention of death
Warnings: Mention of character death (which happened in canon).
Request/Prompt: magical first
Word Count: 2,211
Summary: Minerva helps Luna with a difficult spell.
Notes: Luna is an adult over age eighteen in this story. Thank you to anglerfish07 for beta work. Any mistakes are my own. Cross-posted to my Dreamwidth account.
Luna Lovegood woke to glory. A sunbeam filled with miniscule dancers extended itself over her bed, and she could hear the cries of wild birds and unknown animals. In her mind a tune played, with bells and choirs, singing of all the temptations of morning. But she knew today would be serious, because this evening she was going to Hogsmeade to meet Headmistress McGonagall.
She hadn't seen the headmistress since she had left Hogwarts two years before. In fact Luna was surprised that she had agreed to meet with her at all. Luna knew that sometimes people weren't certain what to expect from her, and found her ideas silly. Luna had considered telling Harry or Hermione. However, as much as she cared for them she needed someone with more wisdom and experience.
She put on her cleanest set of robes, and a pair of earrings shaped like baby dragons, before she Apparated to Hogsmeade. She arrived near the door of the Three Broomsticks. In her owl Headmistress McGonagall had said it probably wasn't entirely proper for her to appear there during the school year, but that she would make an exception for Luna's sake.
Luna saw her as soon as she entered the room, sitting at the best table. She was wearing dark robes and a headdress of blue cloth and pearls. For just a moment Luna thought of fairies. She walked to the table and sat down.
"It's very kind of you to see me like this, Headmistress," she began.
"Miss Lovegood, you are not at Hogwarts any longer. You may call me Minerva if you like."
"Oh!" said Luna, honestly surprised. "I-- all right, and you can call me Luna."
Now that she was sitting closer to Minerva, Luna had the chance to study her face. Minerva had such sharp, bright eyes, and Luna could see the light tracery of lines and veins in her skin. She found this fascinating, and couldn't help but continue to look. She usually knew better than to stare, but Minerva only looked into her eyes with a slight smile.
"Now, perhaps you'll tell me what you've come for?" Minerva said eventually.
"Oh, yes. It's about a spell. And I need someone I can trust completely."
Minerva raised her eyebrows. "Well, I'm flattered that you feel you can trust me, and I hope I shall live up to that trust."
"It's about my mother. I found some of her notes in the attic, things she must have written down just before she died." Luna was thinking of the notes but was looking at Minerva's hands, which looked delicate and strong at the same time. They had some fascinating spots which must have come with age.
Minerva looked concerned now. "Does it upset you to talk about it?"
She shook her head. "No. I love my mother and I miss her, but I can still talk about her. But you see, I always wondered what spell she was working on."
"Of course."
Luna ran her hand along the grain of the table, liking its texture beneath her fingers. "But she had hidden her notes, I think because she knew what she was doing was dangerous and didn't want my father trying to stop her. Though really, he's not the type to do that. Anyway, the only thing we had to go on was that she was holding a piece of glass in her hand."
"And now you've found the notes?" Minerva asked gently.
"Yes, they were in the attic. I think she had them under an invisibility charm that wore off, or I'd have found them before. I love the attic and I'm always up there looking for little treasures."
"So what do the notes say?"
"They mention something called Essential Sight. Have you heard of it?"
Minerva raised her eyebrows. "I've heard of it, yes. But no one is known to have successfully cast the spell."
"Have other people died in the attempt?"
"Not that I know of. Generally the spell only fails. You need a perfect flawless piece of glass to cast it, and those are almost impossible to find."
Luna nodded. "But if the spell usually fails, what do you think went wrong?"
"Essential Sight, if cast properly, is supposed to reveal the inner essence and even the history of the object -- or person -- you are looking at. It can be very overwhelming to the eyes and the brain. It sounds like your mother did cast it, but the effects were too much for her. She must have been a great witch to get that far."
"I see," said Luna. "So it's like a truth spell?"
"If even inanimate objects have a 'truth' then perhaps it's similar," Minerva replied.
"I still have the piece of glass my mother was using. And I have her description of the spell. I was thinking of casting it myself. Don't you think she would want me to?"
Minerva shook her head. "I don't think she would want you to endanger your life, Luna. And I'm sure your father wouldn't want that either."
"But she risked so much for that spell, so much that she died. It seems like such a shame just to let it go. But I'll need help. Her notes only say so much."
"You're really set on this, aren't you?" Minerva asked. "Is there nothing I can say to dissuade you?"
"I do trust your judgment. But I don't want my mother to have lost her life for nothing."
Minerva covered one of Luna's hands with her own. "She helped raise you, among many other accomplishments. You can hardly say she lived for nothing."
Luna looked down at their joined hands, feeling warmth. "I know. But if I could only be successful at the spell I'd feel like I continued her legacy."
"I know if I tell you not to do it, you'll only try it without my help," the headmistress sighed. "I'll look up more about Essential Sight in the Restricted Section of the library, and we can meet again tomorrow."
"Oh, thank you," said Luna. She had been so worried that she would not be willing to help.
"But you must promise me one thing. If I decide it is too dangerous for you to continue, you will stop."
Luna took a deep breath. "Yes. I promise." And she meant it. She knew that some people thought her foolish, but she was not so headstrong that she would ignore the advice of one of the wisest witches she had ever met.
Minerva smiled. "Very well. I'll see you back here tomorrow. We'd best go to a classroom at Hogwarts to talk next time though."
When Luna Apparated back to her home, she clapped her hands in excitement. She would finally be able to take over where her mother had left off. Surely her mother would be proud of her now.
The night birds began singing then, and she could hear strange creatures speaking their croaking language. Shadows brushed over the walls of Luna's room. Calling a "good night" to whoever might be listening, she slept.
The next morning she sang to herself as she wrapped the flawless lens her mother had used in a silk scarf for protection. She was not meeting Headmistress McGonagall in Hogsmeade until the evening, but she was so excited she could not even sit down. Fortunately a wandering pixie came to her window and she spent the day telling it old stories, certain that it understood.
As she was about to Apparate, it occurred to her that she was not excited only for the spell, but to see Minerva again. Back when Headmistress McGonagall had been Professor McGonagall, she had been Luna's favorite teacher. But what a change it was, to be able to call her Minerva and treat her as a wise counselor, even a friend. Perhaps someday she could draw a picture of Minerva for her room too, so that she could remember who all her friends were.
She arrived, and Minerva smiled and beckoned to her. Together the two of them walked towards Hogwarts. Luna felt a slight quiver run through her when Minerva spoke, but wasn't certain why.
It was easy to find an empty classroom at Hogwarts in the evening. "You may not be able to cast the spell successfully tonight," the headmistress warned.
Luna understood. "It's fine. I just want to try."
Minerva brought a book to the nearest table and began teaching the spell to Luna. "'Essenci Iluminos' are the words," she said, "but it's not that simple. You have to be concentrate on the glass and its flawlessness as you speak them. And you must move your wand over it in a circle, like so."
She demonstrated for Luna, and Luna imitated the motion with her wand.
"Then you look through the glass, but it's very important to be careful where you look," Minerva said. "Concentrate on something simple, like the wall before you. If you feel dizzy or overwhelmed, put the glass down immediately."
"I will," Luna said. "But please don't worry."
Minerva looked at Luna as if searching her face for something. "I'm not as worried as I could be. Someone like you has something very like Essential Sight already."
Luna looked down at the glass, waved her wand, and said "Essenci Iluminos." She then picked up the glass and peered through it, but saw only the wall. Disappointed, she put down the glass and tried again, but had the same result.
However Luna was nothing if not patient. On the tenth try, she knew the magic had worked. She picked up the glass and looked through it.
Suddenly the wall before her was no longer just a wall. It was earth, being dug from the ground. It was a set of molds with drying clay. It was bricks being laced one on top of the other by levitation, with wizard builders casting spells. It was all of these things at the same time, and Luna could see them all. She was enraptured.
Next she glanced at the table. Here she saw trees being cut for wood, but she could also see years of hands and cauldrons and parchment, signs of all the students who had once studied here. She felt that if she looked long enough she would learn everything they had.
"Are you all right?"
Without thinking, Luna swung around and looked at Minerva. And she saw everything. A baby girl was born in a candlelit room, a witch midwife looking on. A beautiful black-haired child played with butterflies as an older witch and wizard watched over her. A girl made her first journey to Hogwarts. A woman Luna's own age transformed a turtle into a rock. A witch in her thirties transformed into a cat.
The images kept pushing into her brain. Luna realized she was going to have to stop. Carefully, she set the glass down on the table and stood, shivering slightly. Something had changed inside her, or rather something had been revealed, when she saw the headmistress through the glass.
Minerva moved to her side. "You can be justifiably proud of yourself, Luna," she said. "We should write this up for a journal, someone finally casting Essential Sight."
"My mother cast it..." murmured Luna. "She just didn't survive."
The headmistress put an arm around her. "I know," she said. "We can tell the journal that as well."
Luna looked into her eyes. "You know, you're beautiful," she said softly.
Minerva shook her head. "You saw me in my younger days, did you? There were those who found me pretty, I suppose." She left her arm around Luna's shoulders.
"No," Luna replied, shaking her head. "I mean you, looking at you now. I didn't realize how I felt until I saw you through the glass, but that's because I'm not used to these sorts of feelings."
"Which feelings?"
Luna brushed her lips over Minerva's. "This."
Minerva backed away. "You're just confused, the aftermath of the spell--"
"You don't need to treat me like everyone else does," said Luna. "Like I'm mad and I don't know what I'm saying. You have never done that."
"Yes, but to suddenly want to kiss me--"
"I think I must have felt this way even when I was here at Hogwarts; I remember liking you so much. I just didn't have words to express it, and I was too young." Luna laughed. "Maybe I still don't have words."
"You're still very young, and you really need to rest," said Minerva. "I'm sure once you've slept you'll forget all about this."
She took Minerva's hand. "I never forget. You should know that."
"I suppose you don't," said Minerva with a slight smile.
"Let's make a deal, shall we? Come to Diagon Alley two nights from now, at sunset. If I've forgotten these feelings, as impossible as that is, then I won't be there. If I haven't, we can go out on a date."
"A date?" she laughed. "My dear, at my age--"
Luna interrupted her with a brief kiss on the lips. "It's a deal," she said.
She ran out of the door, barely hearing Minerva say softly, "I will be there."
Author/Artist: rosehiptea
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Luna Lovegood/Minerva McGonagall
Rating: PG for mention of death
Warnings: Mention of character death (which happened in canon).
Request/Prompt: magical first
Word Count: 2,211
Summary: Minerva helps Luna with a difficult spell.
Notes: Luna is an adult over age eighteen in this story. Thank you to anglerfish07 for beta work. Any mistakes are my own. Cross-posted to my Dreamwidth account.
Luna Lovegood woke to glory. A sunbeam filled with miniscule dancers extended itself over her bed, and she could hear the cries of wild birds and unknown animals. In her mind a tune played, with bells and choirs, singing of all the temptations of morning. But she knew today would be serious, because this evening she was going to Hogsmeade to meet Headmistress McGonagall.
She hadn't seen the headmistress since she had left Hogwarts two years before. In fact Luna was surprised that she had agreed to meet with her at all. Luna knew that sometimes people weren't certain what to expect from her, and found her ideas silly. Luna had considered telling Harry or Hermione. However, as much as she cared for them she needed someone with more wisdom and experience.
She put on her cleanest set of robes, and a pair of earrings shaped like baby dragons, before she Apparated to Hogsmeade. She arrived near the door of the Three Broomsticks. In her owl Headmistress McGonagall had said it probably wasn't entirely proper for her to appear there during the school year, but that she would make an exception for Luna's sake.
Luna saw her as soon as she entered the room, sitting at the best table. She was wearing dark robes and a headdress of blue cloth and pearls. For just a moment Luna thought of fairies. She walked to the table and sat down.
"It's very kind of you to see me like this, Headmistress," she began.
"Miss Lovegood, you are not at Hogwarts any longer. You may call me Minerva if you like."
"Oh!" said Luna, honestly surprised. "I-- all right, and you can call me Luna."
Now that she was sitting closer to Minerva, Luna had the chance to study her face. Minerva had such sharp, bright eyes, and Luna could see the light tracery of lines and veins in her skin. She found this fascinating, and couldn't help but continue to look. She usually knew better than to stare, but Minerva only looked into her eyes with a slight smile.
"Now, perhaps you'll tell me what you've come for?" Minerva said eventually.
"Oh, yes. It's about a spell. And I need someone I can trust completely."
Minerva raised her eyebrows. "Well, I'm flattered that you feel you can trust me, and I hope I shall live up to that trust."
"It's about my mother. I found some of her notes in the attic, things she must have written down just before she died." Luna was thinking of the notes but was looking at Minerva's hands, which looked delicate and strong at the same time. They had some fascinating spots which must have come with age.
Minerva looked concerned now. "Does it upset you to talk about it?"
She shook her head. "No. I love my mother and I miss her, but I can still talk about her. But you see, I always wondered what spell she was working on."
"Of course."
Luna ran her hand along the grain of the table, liking its texture beneath her fingers. "But she had hidden her notes, I think because she knew what she was doing was dangerous and didn't want my father trying to stop her. Though really, he's not the type to do that. Anyway, the only thing we had to go on was that she was holding a piece of glass in her hand."
"And now you've found the notes?" Minerva asked gently.
"Yes, they were in the attic. I think she had them under an invisibility charm that wore off, or I'd have found them before. I love the attic and I'm always up there looking for little treasures."
"So what do the notes say?"
"They mention something called Essential Sight. Have you heard of it?"
Minerva raised her eyebrows. "I've heard of it, yes. But no one is known to have successfully cast the spell."
"Have other people died in the attempt?"
"Not that I know of. Generally the spell only fails. You need a perfect flawless piece of glass to cast it, and those are almost impossible to find."
Luna nodded. "But if the spell usually fails, what do you think went wrong?"
"Essential Sight, if cast properly, is supposed to reveal the inner essence and even the history of the object -- or person -- you are looking at. It can be very overwhelming to the eyes and the brain. It sounds like your mother did cast it, but the effects were too much for her. She must have been a great witch to get that far."
"I see," said Luna. "So it's like a truth spell?"
"If even inanimate objects have a 'truth' then perhaps it's similar," Minerva replied.
"I still have the piece of glass my mother was using. And I have her description of the spell. I was thinking of casting it myself. Don't you think she would want me to?"
Minerva shook her head. "I don't think she would want you to endanger your life, Luna. And I'm sure your father wouldn't want that either."
"But she risked so much for that spell, so much that she died. It seems like such a shame just to let it go. But I'll need help. Her notes only say so much."
"You're really set on this, aren't you?" Minerva asked. "Is there nothing I can say to dissuade you?"
"I do trust your judgment. But I don't want my mother to have lost her life for nothing."
Minerva covered one of Luna's hands with her own. "She helped raise you, among many other accomplishments. You can hardly say she lived for nothing."
Luna looked down at their joined hands, feeling warmth. "I know. But if I could only be successful at the spell I'd feel like I continued her legacy."
"I know if I tell you not to do it, you'll only try it without my help," the headmistress sighed. "I'll look up more about Essential Sight in the Restricted Section of the library, and we can meet again tomorrow."
"Oh, thank you," said Luna. She had been so worried that she would not be willing to help.
"But you must promise me one thing. If I decide it is too dangerous for you to continue, you will stop."
Luna took a deep breath. "Yes. I promise." And she meant it. She knew that some people thought her foolish, but she was not so headstrong that she would ignore the advice of one of the wisest witches she had ever met.
Minerva smiled. "Very well. I'll see you back here tomorrow. We'd best go to a classroom at Hogwarts to talk next time though."
When Luna Apparated back to her home, she clapped her hands in excitement. She would finally be able to take over where her mother had left off. Surely her mother would be proud of her now.
The night birds began singing then, and she could hear strange creatures speaking their croaking language. Shadows brushed over the walls of Luna's room. Calling a "good night" to whoever might be listening, she slept.
The next morning she sang to herself as she wrapped the flawless lens her mother had used in a silk scarf for protection. She was not meeting Headmistress McGonagall in Hogsmeade until the evening, but she was so excited she could not even sit down. Fortunately a wandering pixie came to her window and she spent the day telling it old stories, certain that it understood.
As she was about to Apparate, it occurred to her that she was not excited only for the spell, but to see Minerva again. Back when Headmistress McGonagall had been Professor McGonagall, she had been Luna's favorite teacher. But what a change it was, to be able to call her Minerva and treat her as a wise counselor, even a friend. Perhaps someday she could draw a picture of Minerva for her room too, so that she could remember who all her friends were.
She arrived, and Minerva smiled and beckoned to her. Together the two of them walked towards Hogwarts. Luna felt a slight quiver run through her when Minerva spoke, but wasn't certain why.
It was easy to find an empty classroom at Hogwarts in the evening. "You may not be able to cast the spell successfully tonight," the headmistress warned.
Luna understood. "It's fine. I just want to try."
Minerva brought a book to the nearest table and began teaching the spell to Luna. "'Essenci Iluminos' are the words," she said, "but it's not that simple. You have to be concentrate on the glass and its flawlessness as you speak them. And you must move your wand over it in a circle, like so."
She demonstrated for Luna, and Luna imitated the motion with her wand.
"Then you look through the glass, but it's very important to be careful where you look," Minerva said. "Concentrate on something simple, like the wall before you. If you feel dizzy or overwhelmed, put the glass down immediately."
"I will," Luna said. "But please don't worry."
Minerva looked at Luna as if searching her face for something. "I'm not as worried as I could be. Someone like you has something very like Essential Sight already."
Luna looked down at the glass, waved her wand, and said "Essenci Iluminos." She then picked up the glass and peered through it, but saw only the wall. Disappointed, she put down the glass and tried again, but had the same result.
However Luna was nothing if not patient. On the tenth try, she knew the magic had worked. She picked up the glass and looked through it.
Suddenly the wall before her was no longer just a wall. It was earth, being dug from the ground. It was a set of molds with drying clay. It was bricks being laced one on top of the other by levitation, with wizard builders casting spells. It was all of these things at the same time, and Luna could see them all. She was enraptured.
Next she glanced at the table. Here she saw trees being cut for wood, but she could also see years of hands and cauldrons and parchment, signs of all the students who had once studied here. She felt that if she looked long enough she would learn everything they had.
"Are you all right?"
Without thinking, Luna swung around and looked at Minerva. And she saw everything. A baby girl was born in a candlelit room, a witch midwife looking on. A beautiful black-haired child played with butterflies as an older witch and wizard watched over her. A girl made her first journey to Hogwarts. A woman Luna's own age transformed a turtle into a rock. A witch in her thirties transformed into a cat.
The images kept pushing into her brain. Luna realized she was going to have to stop. Carefully, she set the glass down on the table and stood, shivering slightly. Something had changed inside her, or rather something had been revealed, when she saw the headmistress through the glass.
Minerva moved to her side. "You can be justifiably proud of yourself, Luna," she said. "We should write this up for a journal, someone finally casting Essential Sight."
"My mother cast it..." murmured Luna. "She just didn't survive."
The headmistress put an arm around her. "I know," she said. "We can tell the journal that as well."
Luna looked into her eyes. "You know, you're beautiful," she said softly.
Minerva shook her head. "You saw me in my younger days, did you? There were those who found me pretty, I suppose." She left her arm around Luna's shoulders.
"No," Luna replied, shaking her head. "I mean you, looking at you now. I didn't realize how I felt until I saw you through the glass, but that's because I'm not used to these sorts of feelings."
"Which feelings?"
Luna brushed her lips over Minerva's. "This."
Minerva backed away. "You're just confused, the aftermath of the spell--"
"You don't need to treat me like everyone else does," said Luna. "Like I'm mad and I don't know what I'm saying. You have never done that."
"Yes, but to suddenly want to kiss me--"
"I think I must have felt this way even when I was here at Hogwarts; I remember liking you so much. I just didn't have words to express it, and I was too young." Luna laughed. "Maybe I still don't have words."
"You're still very young, and you really need to rest," said Minerva. "I'm sure once you've slept you'll forget all about this."
She took Minerva's hand. "I never forget. You should know that."
"I suppose you don't," said Minerva with a slight smile.
"Let's make a deal, shall we? Come to Diagon Alley two nights from now, at sunset. If I've forgotten these feelings, as impossible as that is, then I won't be there. If I haven't, we can go out on a date."
"A date?" she laughed. "My dear, at my age--"
Luna interrupted her with a brief kiss on the lips. "It's a deal," she said.
She ran out of the door, barely hearing Minerva say softly, "I will be there."