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—IT WAS A FEW DAYS LATER. Alexandria had decided to take a walk in the forbidden forest, wanting some alone time. She picked up an apple from the ground and gave it to a baby thestral, petting it as it ate. "You can see them, too?" asked a mysterious voice behind her.
She turned around, laying eyes on a girl with blonde hair. "Yes."
"I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood." She introduced herself with a smile, taking something out of her bag and giving it to the thestrals around them.
Alexandria didn't look away from her, curious about how someone could look like the definition of 'kind'. "Are you a Ravenclaw?"
Luna nodded, looking at her with a soft smile. "You're Alexandria Slytherin, right?"
She stayed quiet for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yeah. That's me."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
Alexandria blinked. "My— my loss?"
"Cedric," answered Luna calmly, giving an apple to a baby thestral. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Oh.." mumbled Alexandria.
It was the first time somebody had told her that, and she didn't know why, but she felt.. heard. As if her pain was heard. As if her guilt was heard.
"Thank you," whispered Alexandria, sitting down under a tree.
Luna, who was a few steps away from her, gave her a smile again. "I know how it feels. It'll get better."
"Who have you seen die?"
"My mum. Potions accident."
The Slytherin heiress nodded. "I'm.. sorry?"
"It's all a bit tragic, really, isn't it? One moment they're in front of you and the next; they're gone."
"You could say that.."
Luna hummed, skipping over to where she was sitting. "Your head is full of wrackspurts."
Alexandria frowned in confusion. "What are wrackspurts?"
"It floats into a person's ear and makes their brain go fuzzy and confused. You've got to stop thinking about whatever you're thinking."
"Selwyn," murmured Alexandria, then looking at the girl in front of her. "Lovegood, what do you know about Professor Selwyn?"
Luna shrugged. "He's nice. He complimented my hair the other day."
"That's very helpful," mumbled the girl sarcastically.
"He never eats."
Alexandria's head snapped up, her lips parting. "Pardon?"
"Professor Selwyn. I haven't seen him eat," said Luna as if it was no big deal, giving another apple to a thestral.
"He could just be not hungry?" suggested Alexandria.
Luna shrugged. "Maybe."
♡
"Never eats.." mumbled Alexandria that night in bed, books all around her.
It was almost 3 in the morning and she had classes the next day, but that small piece of information couldn't leave her mind.
Her eyes stopped on a small part which said 'Necromancy':
'Necromancy is the supposed practice of communicating with the dead, especially in order to predict the future.'
"Whatever," she mumbled, flipping through the pages.
She then stopped, realizing something.
"No way.." whispered the girl, standing up and rushing out of the room.
♡
Alexandria stepped into the empty library a few minutes later with nothing but her wand. "Lumos," she whispered, rushing over to the restricted section.
It took another few minutes, but when she finally had the book, she sat down on a chair and opened it.
'The Nightshade Guide to Necromancy' was the book's title, which already made Alexandria feel sick.
"Necromancy is the practice of magic involving communication with the dead — either by summoning their spirits as apparitions, visions or raising them bodily— sometimes for the purpose of divination, imparting the means to foretell future events, discover hidden knowledge, to bring someone back from the dead, or to use the dead as a weapon. Sometimes referred to as "Death Magic", the term may also sometimes be used in a more general sense to refer to black and dark magic."
She skipped through the pages, looking for that one small piece of information.
..and luckily, or not, she found it:
"Those back from the dead cannot eat or drink. Their organs are dead, but their mind isn't, and if the ritual is done correctly, they will be able to move, talk, and act like a normal human."
She snapped the book shut and stood up, walking over to the restricted section and putting it away.
"The dead should stay dead," mumbled Alexandria to herself, grabbing her wand— which she left on the table. "That's the whole point of dying; not coming back."
