Chapter 15: Whispers in the Library
The air in the Hogwarts Library always carried a certain stillness—as though the books themselves were listening. Luna sat tucked into the far corner beneath the enchanted bronze lamp that flickered like a sleepy firefly. Her stack of textbooks loomed beside her, though her attention was currently on a thin, hand-stitched journal covered in stardust blue leather.
System Log: Emotional Environment Detected - Calm. Neural Focus Optimization +8%.
She flipped a page and carefully traced the rune of containment, whispering the pronunciation. The system highlighted it in her vision.
Spell Scan:
Spell: Arcerus Vincula (Containment Bind)
Type: Intermediate Rune Spell
Effect: Temporarily binds a magical object or weak creature within a fixed sigil area.
Source: Self-study, Ancient Runes Vol. III, Library copy.
Luna smiled. A spell like that could prove helpful one day—particularly with some of the magical creatures she suspected hid in the corners of the castle.
A shadow shifted across her table. Hermione Granger.
"You're always here," Hermione said, not unkindly. "What are you studying today?"
"Runes," Luna answered, her eyes still on the page. "And containment theories."
Hermione looked intrigued. "That's beyond first-year level. You should be reviewing for Transfiguration."
Luna tilted her head dreamily. "I already practiced Vanishing Matches this morning. Three disappeared, one turned into fog, and the last one tried to crawl away."
System Note:
Spell: Evanesco (Vanish)
Progress: 67% Stability. Magical Core Compatibility: Developing.
Hermione blinked. "The last one tried to crawl away?"
"Only a little. I don't think it liked being turned to vapor."
Hermione sat down, torn between correcting Luna and asking more. Curiosity won. "Why runes?"
"They're like stars. Each one tells a story. Some bind. Some remember. Some open doors."
System Alert: Minor Magical Fluctuation Detected in Restricted Section.
Signature: Passive. Non-lethal. No current threat.
Luna's gaze drifted toward the far end of the library.
Hermione followed it. "What is it?"
"A door. Or maybe a whisper. Something left behind."
Hermione frowned. "You're not thinking of sneaking in there, are you? We'd get detention."
Luna gave a soft hum. "I won't disturb anything. Just listen."
That night, she returned.
The Restricted Section slept like a coiled serpent. Luna moved with featherlight steps, her wand in hand.
Spell Cast: Lumos
Light projection successful.
She paused before a sealed shelf.
System Scan:
Protective Charm: Moderate. Triggered by physical contact.
Bypass Method: Dream-link Echo Scan possible. Risk: Low.
She reached not with her hands, but her dream.
The shelf shimmered faintly, a ripple in the veil between waking and sleeping. A book glowed. Bound in silver-threaded velvet, no title. Just a lock shaped like a crescent moon.
System Alert: Dream-Tethered Object Detected
Name: Codex Somniorum (The Book of Dreams)
Access Level: Restricted. Authorization Pending.
It didn't open.
Not yet.
But it pulsed, like it recognized her.
Luna backed away, whispering softly. "Another time."
As she left the Restricted Section, her system blinked once more.
System Note:
Dream Signature Match - 64.2%
Temporal Line Stability: Holding
New Objective Logged: Dream Codex Synchronization (Awaiting Trigger Event)
Back in her dormitory, Luna finally let herself drift to sleep, the whispers of ancient ink and sleeping starlight curling into her dreams.
End of Chapter 15: Whispers in the Library