Chapter 20: The Dream That Watches
Hogwarts had its own rhythm—a living, breathing cadence that pulsed through its shifting staircases, whispered across enchanted portraits, and echoed faintly in the flicker of torches. Luna had started to map it in her mind: where shadows lingered longest, where silence was thinnest, and where her dreams left ripples behind. Some days she could feel the castle respond to her thoughts—an ancient awareness gently watching.
Today, her thoughts were anything but calm. Quirrell.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor stuttered and sweated through his lessons, eyes often darting to corners where nothing stood. But Luna felt it—an undercurrent of something darker curled around him, like smoke hiding in silk.
System Log: Observation Triggered — Magical Anomaly Detected
Subject: Professor Quirinus Quirrell
Detected Energy Signature: Dual Source
Anomaly Type: Possession Suspected. Risk Level: Moderate.
Luna blinked. Her system rarely categorized something as more than a curiosity. Possession? That was not a word thrown lightly.
She sat in the library that evening, her usual hidden nook draped in candlelight and parchment dust. Books surrounded her—some on magical theory, others on the psychology of memory. Among them was an older tome: Foundational Principles of Magical Concealment. She flipped the pages slowly, letting knowledge settle in layers.
Her wand rested gently beside her.
System Function Activated: Passive Learning Enhancement (Dream Memory Correlation)
Each line she read shimmered faintly in her vision, and fragments of her previous life began to bleed through: novels filled with advanced technology, fragments of sci-fi weaponry, and theories of invisible energy fields—concepts she'd barely begun to categorize. Luna didn't rush. Her magic was not yet mature enough for those constructs, but she stored them carefully in dream-space.
Dream Vault Updated: Concept Tags
Photon Manipulation (Dormant)
Biofield Interaction (Inactive)
Energy Lattice Anchor Points (Insufficient Data)
A small smile touched her lips.
After curfew, drawn by instinct more than intent, Luna wandered the corridors beyond the Ravenclaw tower. Her feet moved of their own accord. The air was quieter, heavier. Torches dimmed as she walked, and walls seemed to listen.
Then she saw it—a blank stretch of stone she'd passed a dozen times before, now pulsing faintly.
"Need... a place to train," she murmured.
She walked past the stone wall three times, focusing on her desire. A doorway melted into existence, golden light flickering through the edges.
The Room of Requirement.
Inside was a soft, empty hall, carpeted in midnight-blue velvet. Mirrors lined the far walls, enchanted dummies rested in a corner, and there was even a small circle of cushions for meditation. The room felt... alive. Not just responding to her wishes, but gently anticipating.
System Sync Increasing... 54.6%
Room of Requirement Detected: Adaptive Magical Environment Confirmed.
She stepped toward a shimmering mirror that pulsed faintly with space-time energy. Luna raised her wand.
"Lumos."
The light obeyed instantly—brighter than before, steadier. She followed with another spell.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
One of the meditation cushions floated into the air, bobbing softly.
Spell Stability: Enhanced
Environmental Feedback: Boost +12% (Room Support)_
Luna took a seat on the cushion as it lowered, breathing deeply. The room responded with quiet music—a soft stringed melody, almost like a lullaby from another life.
Dream Interface Opening...
[CURRENT EARTH YEAR (MARVEL PRIME): 1991]
[Temporal Disruption: Contained. Early Signals Detected: Stark Industries—Inactive / SHIELD—Silent. Multiversal Attention: Dormant.]
Her dream shifted as she meditated. She stood once more in a mirrored dreamscape, reflections of timelines she vaguely recalled flickering like pages in the wind.
A city lit in arc-reactors.
A boy forging metal in a cave.
A red star gleaming under ice.
None of them touched her yet. But they were close—just beyond the mist of reality. And Luna... Luna was preparing.
Status Update:
Name: Luna Lovegood
Age: 11
House: Ravenclaw
System Sync: 54.6%
Spell Proficiency:
Lumos: 92% (Stable)
Revelio: 52% (Growing)
Wingardium Leviosa: 48% (Newly Stabilized)
Dream Memory Sync: Active
Temporal Sensitivity: Moderate
Environmental Adaptation: High (Room of Requirement Boost)
Risk Level (Quirrell): Medium
Multiverse Signal Tracking: Passive
The cushion beneath her shifted subtly, aligning with her posture. Luna opened her eyes slowly.
"I'm ready to learn more," she whispered to the room.
And it answered with silence—the kind that promised wonders.
End of Chapter 20: The Dream That Watches