Chapter 32: The Weave of Knowledge and Dreams
The summer sun slanted gently through the tall windows of the Mughal library, casting patterns of light across worn wooden tables and intricately tiled floors. Luna sat perched on a cushion near a wide arched window, her pale fingers dancing across parchment and scrolls with dreamlike precision. Around her, ancient books hummed quietly, responding to the slight magical presence she exuded, mingling curiosity with silence.
Years ago, when Luna was just seven, a peculiar conversation changed the rhythm of the Lovegood household. It was during one of their quiet evenings in the garden, when fireflies floated lazily above the grass and the moon hung low. Little Luna, still small and ethereal, looked up at her mother with wide eyes and said, "I want to study something… I think it was called science. Physics, chemistry, and maybe something about machines… or computers?"
Pandora had stilled. At the time, Luna's words seemed strange—fragments from nowhere, odd even by their family's standards. But there was clarity in the child's voice, a certainty that rang louder than imagination. When asked how she knew of these things, Luna merely said, "I feel like I remember… from before."
Though Pandora didn't press further, that moment had ignited something in her. She began researching what little the magical world knew of Muggle academia, borrowing textbooks from enchanted Muggle-liaison libraries and learning through Mughal channels. Computational Arithmancy, one field whispered to align with what Luna called "computer science," became a late-night passion for Pandora. She poured over scrolls and monographs so that when the time came, she could become the teacher her daughter needed.
For the next few weeks, the focus of Luna's life shifted from spellcraft to something equally important—science. Not the overwhelming, towering knowledge of the future she remembered vaguely from her past life, but the rich, foundational world of pre-university science. And to guide her was none other than her mother, Pandora.
"Today, we'll begin with Newton's laws," Pandora said, placing a set of neatly transcribed Mughal-adapted physics scrolls in front of her daughter. "Let's talk about the basics of motion."
Luna's system flickered to life at once.
System Function: Educational Overlay Activated
Subject: Physics – Classical Mechanics
Focus: Newton's First Law – Inertia
Synchronization Assistance: 54.7%
As her mother explained the concept of inertia using practical examples—plates resting on rugs, the movement of carriages, even flying carpets—Luna absorbed it all with quiet intensity. Her dreamlike mind found unusual joy in the ordered clarity of motion and reaction.
They moved through basic chemistry next: atoms, molecules, the periodic table. The symbols felt like a kind of coded spellwork. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen—building blocks of both life and magic. With each new term, her system recorded and structured the content.
System Note:
Science Core Database: Initiated (Tier 1)
Subject Mastery: Physics (2.8%), Chemistry (3.1%), Biology (2.3%)
Every few days, they'd walk together through the quiet alleys of the magical Mughal quarter. The 1990s atmosphere brought bursts of color—rickshaws painted with fantastical beasts, magical puppet shows in the square, spicy food stalls that made Luna's nose tingle.
Sometimes, they'd pause at a magical observatory, where her mother let her gaze through celestial lenses to spot constellations and magical anomalies. Other times, they visited the local enchanted bookstore, where Luna found a charmingly illustrated beginner's guide to biology, comparing magical creatures with non-magical animals. She chuckled at how similar bowtruckles were to the diagrams of arthropods.
Occasionally, her father, Xenophilius Lovegood, took breaks from editing the Quibbler—a family-run wizarding newspaper passed down through generations. Though eccentric in ideas, he was a talented wizard in his own right and well-versed in obscure magical theory. On his free days, he joined them for walks and library visits, adding spontaneous lessons on rune-crafting or magical journalism ethics. He'd sometimes conjure harmless illusions in the streets just to make Luna laugh, bending illusions of crumple-horned snorkacks into the clouds above.
The week ended in a soft rain, which brought a fresh scent to their home garden. Pandora summoned a canopy charm so they could sit beneath the drizzling sky, Luna sipping warm cardamom milk as they practiced slow wand movements. Not to cast, but to control.
System Update: Fine Motor Magical Control Improved by 4.3%
In her free time, Luna continued to experiment in her dream world—manifesting simplified environments to test how spells might interact with theoretical physics. These worlds remained fragile, breaking apart with the slightest logical contradiction, but the process helped.
Dream Stabilization Log: Environment Durability – 36%
System Recommendation: More real-world data needed for stable constructs.
Sometimes, she simply played. Splashing her feet in Mughal fountains. Eating fried sweets from street vendors. Laughing with her mother as they tried to charm garden birds into singing in harmony.
And yet, even in joy, she remained balanced—curious, but quiet. Her magic continued to grow, inch by inch, guided by emotion, dream, and discipline.
End of Chapter 32: The Weave of Knowledge and Dreams