It was still early in the morning when Luna awoke. She slowly got out of bed and opened the windows of her bedroom wide. It was a day beyond time. Everything felt so distant, as if from another, faraway life. A stormy gray sky hung over the nd. The clouds raced by her in a frenzy. She eagerly inhaled the fresh air that the wind brought with it. The sultriness and heat of the previous day had been swept away by the wind, just as time had carried her away into another, new life. Away from the war, away from all the death, and above all, away from Voldemort.

  A long-forgotten bliss began to bloom slowly, like a small, delicate bud within her. She sat on the windowsill, leaned back against the cool stone wall, and gazed at the wind-shed nd before her. The wind had intensified by now and blew through her hair. The treetops of the Forbidden Forest swayed back and forth in the wind. Her gaze drifted into the distance, and somewhere deep within her, a quiet, reproachful voice whispered, "Why did you do that? You left them all behind." Luna had to involuntarily swallow. Not once had she thought of Ginny and Neville or all the others. How had they fared? Had they managed to escape that monster? She quickly pushed the horrifying thought back into the dark depths of her being. There was no turning back now; the sea of time, of infinity, y between them.

  Suddenly, a knock pulled Luna from her thoughts. The door was gently opened, and Miss Stone peeked into the room.

  "Oh, you are already awake! It was so quiet in the room that I thought you were still asleep. If you want, the table is already set for breakfast." Luna nodded gratefully. "Good, I will wait for you in the living room then." She quietly closed the door behind her, and Luna was once again alone with herself. And that was just how she preferred it.

  Her gaze wandered again into the wide distance. Dark clouds raced across the sky, the Bck Lake was in turmoil, waves shing against the shore. High in the sky flew a herd of Thestrals. She still sat there on the windowsill, arms outstretched, with the wind in her hair. A new life in another time had now begun for her, and she welcomed it.

  She sat there for quite a while until she slowly stood up, quickly threw on her dress, and went into the living room, where the delightful aroma of fresh coffee wafted through the air. On the table were bacon, eggs, toast, and jam. Luna sat down and took a little of everything. Miss Stone had already finished eating and was carefully sipping her hot coffee while calmly reading the Daily Prophet. From the mantelpiece, the soft ticking of a clock could be heard. For a moment, Luna paused and watched the slowly but steadily moving second hand. Then her gaze fell on Miss Stone, and she had to once again note how pretty the young witch was. Her long dark hair was braided today, and her dark eyes were framed by long, bck eyeshes. Luna couldn't help but watch her. When Miss Stone noticed the admiring gnces, she smiled at Luna, who smiled back shyly.

  "Oh, before I forget, I sent a message to Director Dippet this morning, informing him that my aunt can no longer take care of my younger sister, who has been living there since the death of our parents." Luna looked surprised, but then her expression grew sad and sympathetic.

  "Yes, I lost my parents too, just like you," she smiled faintly. "How did it happen?" Luna asked quietly.

  "Now, my parents were passionate naturalists who explored undiscovered pnts and magical animals, and a few years ago, while they were in South America, they contracted a deadly fever during one of their expeditions in the jungle; everything happened very quickly." She stood up and retrieved a picture frame that had been on the windowsill and sat back down with Luna. She handed her a yellowed old photo on which a couple was happily waving and smiling at the camera. Luna noticed that Miss Stone looked like her mother, whereas her father, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, was the exact opposite of her. Gently, her fingers glided over the old photo before she returned it to Miss Stone with a sad smile.

  "They are both beautiful, Menie." -

  "Yes, they were," Miss Stone said thoughtfully, pcing the photo back in its old spot.

  Luna quickly helped to put the remaining food on a tray so it could be taken back down to the kitchen.

  "Um, I would like to take a full bath, is that okay?" -

  "Of course, you don't need to ask that."

  Luna was delighted and bounced into the bathroom to run the water. She quickly tied her hair up and stepped into the raspberry-scented water. The door opened, and Miss Stone quickly pced a small stack of fresh undry on the chair. Luna thoroughly enjoyed her bath and almost fell asleep when suddenly a loud, cttering noise came from the living room. She quickly got out of the tub, dried off, and put on her fresh clothes. Then she went to the living room to see what had caused the noise.

  The window was wide open, and Miss Stone stood in front of it, with a snow-white owl on her arm.

  "Look, Luna, we've received mail from Director Dippet. We are invited for tea at his pce tomorrow afternoon." Luna looked a bit unsure. "Don't worry, he is a very kind older gentleman; you will like him, I'm sure of that." Luna nodded confidently.

  Hours passed. She sat on the windowsill, gazing dreamily at the ndscape until she decided in the evening to walk down to the ke again. The wind had lost its intensity by now and brushed gently against her skin. Upon arriving at the ke, she let herself fall into the soft grass and looked up at the stormy gray sky. The air was filled with the scent of flowers and the smell of the ke. Around her, the chirping of crickets could be heard. From somewhere, the hooting of an owl was audible. Slowly, she sat up again and gazed at the dark surface of the ke. Now and then, the spshing of a fish could be heard. Her thoughts wandered to the next day. What would Director Dippet be like, whether he really believed Miss Stone's story about her little sister, and what would happen if the truth about her ever came out? With a quiet sigh, she let herself fall back into the grass and took a deep breath of the air that smelled of flowers and water. It had grown dark, and small fireflies were buzzing around in the air. Slowly, Luna made her way back to the castle, her thoughts far away on the next day.