Chapter 261: Luna, the Girl Boss
"What are you talking about! I only occasionally come here to research cooking with Luna. And we haven't been here together in ages anyway."
Dylan glared at Cedric. "Don't go spreading rumors about her. People will get the wrong idea about Luna."
Cedric watched as a faint blush crept up Dylan's cheeks as he spoke, as if he'd been standing too close to the oven. Yet, his words were as defiant as ever. Cedric just shrugged.
"Is that so?"
Dylan didn't respond. He just shook his head slightly, a quick, almost panicked movement. His gaze shifted to the side, landing on the tips of Luna's hair.
Luna stood beside him as if she hadn't heard their conversation at all. She simply lowered her head, her chin resting gently against her collarbone as her pale-blonde hair fell to obscure half her face. Her usual detached, ethereal expression changed slightly. Her lips were pressed together tighter than usual, but Cho could see the subtle upward curve of her mouth that she couldn't hide. A quiet flush spread across the skin behind Luna's ears, standing out clearly against her porcelain complexion.
Ting!
Just then, the secret oven let out a crisp chime. The ingredients Cedric and Cho had put in were finished cooking. Cedric opened the oven door and, wearing a pair of gloves, took out the baked cookies. A gust of hot air, mixed with the rich scent of butter and toasted nuts, billowed out and swirled into a fragrant mist in the warm light.
Holding the baking tray, Cedric withdrew his gaze from Dylan and Luna. He acted like he hadn't seen Dylan's hesitant expression or Luna's shy retreat behind her hair. He let out a quiet laugh.
"Cho and I made some cookies. Want a few?"
Cedric placed the cookies on a nearby table covered with a coarse cloth. He turned to face the others. Dylan cleared his throat and nodded.
Cedric took off his gloves and pulled Cho closer to his side. "Cookies made with love, I think they'll taste especially good."
Cho looked down, lightly punching him in the chest. "Oh, stop it. There are other people here."
Cedric's eyes widened slightly, and he bit his lip to hold back a smile before rubbing his chest. "Come on, everyone, try one. They're fresh out of the oven, so be careful, they're hot."
Dylan's hand was enveloped in a layer of magic. He picked up a cookie and took a bite. The crispy biscuit crumbled in his mouth. The rich butter mixed with a hint of spicy ginger, spreading instantly across his tongue. The toasted nuts crunched pleasantly, and the sweet, yet not cloying, flavor slid down his throat. He swallowed, the warm scent of the cookie filling his nose.
Dylan's eyes lit up. "That's really good."
Cedric couldn't hide a smug, yet restrained, smile. Dylan took another big bite. After swallowing the crumbs, he picked up a third cookie without thinking. He held it by the edge, letting it cool for a moment, then turned and offered it to Luna.
"Try this one. It's got more nuts, so it should taste even better."
Luna looked up, her pale-blonde eyelashes fluttering in the warm steam. "I can take one myself." She reached for the cookie, and her fingertips brushed against Dylan's thumb. It felt like touching a small, warm cotton ball.
She paused, then took the cookie, examining it. The surface was coated with a thin layer of sugar glaze that glittered in the warm light. The edges had a few specks of burnt flour. She mimicked Dylan and took a small bite. The spicy ginger was the first flavor to hit her, followed by the sweet butter. Finally, the toasted nuts melted in her mouth.
Luna chewed slowly, her eyes brightening. "It tastes like sunlight. The nuts must have been sun-dried this afternoon."
Cedric was taken aback for a moment, then he laughed. "You got it right! I specifically put them on the windowsill this morning to dry. Cho doesn't like soggy nuts."
Luna listened, then ate the rest of the cookie, not a single crumb of sugar glaze on her lips. "It's delicious."
"Glad you like it."
Cedric picked up a cookie, gently blew on it, and then held it to Cho's mouth. He cupped his other hand underneath to catch any falling crumbs, his hand only inches from her chin. Cho's eyelashes fluttered. She didn't bother to reach for it, instead she lifted her face slightly and took a gentle bite of the half-cookie.
"The ginger is just right."
Cedric smiled, his eyes crinkling. Cho was about to eat the other half of the cookie, but Cedric suddenly pulled his hand away and popped the remaining half into his own mouth. He chewed it a couple of times, then nodded. "Sweet ginger really is better than raw ginger for flavoring."
Watching the couple's sickeningly sweet display of affection, Dylan's mouth twitched. He turned to Luna. "Since they're done with the oven, let's get to work."
Luna nodded gently.
Cedric glanced at Dylan. "Go ahead, then. Are you guys having any more? If not, we'll just take the rest of these."
Dylan shrugged. "You made them yourselves, you should eat them. They're so good, if I finish them, you'll just blame me for eating too much."
Cedric scoffed. "It's just a few cookies. We're not that poor." He gathered the cookies from the tray, dividing them into two bags and carefully tying them up. He kept one for himself and gave the other to Cho.
"Shall we go? We won't bother them with their… their oven research." Cedric caught a glare from Dylan mid-sentence and smoothly corrected himself.
Cho smiled and nodded. "Luna, don't stay out too late."
Luna nodded in acknowledgment. Then, she and Cedric left the kitchen.
With them gone, the corner of the kitchen became quiet. The sudden silence left Dylan at a loss for what to say to Luna. He just focused on studying the oven for a moment. Luna stood nearby, watching him squat down and tinker with the spells. It wasn't until he had finished copying down the spells and stood up that she finally spoke.
"Don't mind what Cedric said just now. He was only joking."
Dylan blinked. Wait a second.
Shouldn't he be the one saying that? Shouldn't he be the one comforting her? Why was Luna the one consoling him?
Dylan pursed his lips and gave a weak smile. He just didn't know how to interact with girls, especially one like Luna, whose emotional intelligence was far beyond her years. Any casual, dismissive reply would be instantly seen through. He didn't know what to say.
"I didn't take it seriously. You shouldn't let his joke bother you."
Luna's gaze shifted. After a moment, she nodded. "If it was just a joke and you don't care, then why did you stop talking?"
"Huh? Well… I was just…" Dylan's blinking quickened. "I was so focused on studying the spells in the oven. I was lost in thought, that's all."
Luna tilted her head. "Are you sure?"
Dylan nodded frantically. "Yes, that's exactly it."
Luna's expression remained placid. "I remember you already studied the spells in this oven before."
Dylan was left speechless. "Uh… well, I needed to record them in more detail so I can copy them. My assembly line needs precise spells, no room for vagueness."
Luna looked at him and simply nodded. She didn't say anything more. Then, she suddenly changed the subject. "You haven't come to find me to go to the Forbidden Forest at night, and you haven't come here to cook with me either."
What was with that slightly resentful tone?
Dylan's mind raced. "I've been busy lately. I was working on a spell for the past two days, and now I've got this new idea for the assembly line, so that's why I came here."
"Oh, I see." Luna's voice went back to its usual flat, unbothered tone. Her expression was the same, too. Dylan couldn't tell what she was thinking.
Faced with one of the few people who could leave him speechless, Dylan just took a breath, pursed his lips, and widened his eyes. It was probably best to stay silent until she spoke again.
"Do you want to come to the Forbidden Forest with me tonight?" Luna asked.
Dylan paused. "Tonight? The Forbidden Forest? To look for unknown creatures?"
Luna shook her head. "I went to the Forbidden Forest the other night, and I found some blood. I think it might belong to a unicorn."
"Hmm?"
Dylan was genuinely surprised this time. Unicorn blood? Had a unicorn been hurt? He hadn't seen a single one before, though he had run into centaurs and merpeople. He had been planning to go to the Black Lake to catch some merpeople and maybe bring back some centaurs, hoping they'd breed more of their kind in his own world. He couldn't believe Luna went to the Forbidden Forest and found a unicorn. How was she so lucky?
He didn't doubt her story. Unicorn blood was easy to recognize. The cursed blood would make anyone who saw it frown, and even if it was given willingly, it still had a powerful magical presence. Since Luna was sensitive to the spiritual world, it made sense that she could tell it was unicorn blood.
Evidently, Luna's words had captured Dylan's attention. A unicorn incident was far more important than his idea for a food assembly line. After some thought, Dylan nodded.
"If it really is unicorn blood, I wonder who could get that close to the school and harm a unicorn. I'll go check it out tonight, but…" Dylan looked at Luna with some hesitation. "Are you sure you want to go? It could be dangerous."
Luna looked at him calmly. "Danger is danger, exploration is exploration."
Okay!
Another completely nonsensical statement.
Dylan twitched his lips, then forced a smile. "In that case, I'll see you tonight?"
Luna tilted her head. "You're not going to set a time? You're not being very clear."
Dylan sighed. Who's the one being unclear here?
He took a slow breath, still smiling. "How about midnight? Same place." The "same place" Dylan referred to was the clearing behind Hagrid's hut, where Luna always arranged to meet him.
Dylan knew he could sneak past Hagrid and go undetected because he had his own methods, but Luna certainly didn't have his abilities, such as the Shadow Ring or his Demonic and Dementor powers. So how did she manage to get to Hagrid's hut without anyone noticing?
When Dylan asked, she said she just "skipped along the way," and she didn't see anyone. Dylan was completely floored. Are you a ghost?
There was nothing he could do but admire her. Maybe Luna could automatically enter a more spiritual plane at night? Most people, even wizards, couldn't see things from the spiritual world, so it would make perfect sense that no one could see Luna.
"That works. A very reasonable time. I'll be there," Luna said with a calm tone, like a true girl boss.
Dylan blinked and scratched his head. "So... shall we go back to our common rooms to get ready?"
"Sounds good. Let's do as you say," Luna nodded again. "Just remember, don't be late. It's our appointment."
After Dylan and Luna walked through the Hufflepuff kitchens and left the Hufflepuff common room area, he waved goodbye to her and quickly turned, hurrying back to his own common room.
Luna watched Dylan's retreating figure. Her placid eyes narrowed slightly. When she thought of the cookie Dylan fed her, a small smile appeared on her lips.
If Dylan knew what she was thinking, he would yell in protest. What? He just picked up a cookie and handed it to her. How did that become "feeding" her? He just couldn't understand this girl's thought process.
And if she thought that, did this mean she thought "our appointment" was a date?
(End of Chapter)
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