6 Chapter 6

Esper fell on the bed with a sigh, Luna soon following him. She had her own room, but ofcourse, she didn't intend to use it. They had been rooming together for a long time now, and she didn't want anything to change.

Esper allowed her to cuddle up to him as he lost himself to his thoughts. The Headmaster had asked him some really dangerous questions, but one stuck out to him among the rest.

'Is this your real age?'

He didn't blame him for the question, but it was a hard one to answer. Simply, yes, he really was eleven, but there was some circumstances that also made that false. Memories not his own could make him above a thousand, if he had any real emotional connection to them. They were more like videos the muggles made. Sure, the person that the memories originally belonged to held importance to him. But again, the emotions behind the memories didn't connect. They did allow him to actually sympathize and forgive his mother, though.

"Esper... let's sleep." Luna broke him from his thoughts, a dreamy smile on her face as she cuddled into his chest.

He simply nodded before wrapping his arms around her and falling asleep.

****

The next day, they were awaken early by Professor McGonagall to shop for their school supplies. The trip was relatively short and McGonagall made it no nonsense. Esper did have to convince Luna to hide the wand he got for her, if only for the holidays. No point getting the trace put on it.

After, they took the time to explore Hogwarts itself. Esper had some memories from the time it was being built, but knew a lot of things have most likely changed. They spent most of the rest of the time exploring and finding some interesting place. One such place being a series of empty classrooms. Esper had to wonder if the school had once had more staff than it did now, and they downgraded later on. His mother never really concerned herself with Wizarding Britian's problems, so he had no memories of it. Luna was cute with her adventurer hat and magnifying glass they bought in South Africa.

That Sunday, the students started to arrive.

****

Esper and Luna stood side by side in the crowd of children waiting for the sorting to start. They didn't get to experience the boat trip, but it was their first time being allowed in the Great Hall and all its excellence. The charmed sky really set the start for their magical learning.

Esper himself didn't know anyone here. Luna, though, had been in the newspaper before, so some children gawked at her when recognizing her. One such child being one she knew personally, name Ginny Weasley. She was relatively shy girl and hadn't said much, but she did give Luna a big hug and few shed tears on noticing her.

While the names were being called, Esper kept half an ear open while observing the other students. He could see that his looks had attracted quite a bit of attention and it made him realize that the Ginny girl may have not been generally shy, just that she was shy in his precense. He could tell by the suble glances she kept giving him. Thankfully, he already somewhat expected this. Some other girls were glancing at him also, but Luna, who was hanging on his arm, seemed to keep them at bay.

Most would find it surprising that eleven year olds are even aware of the opposite sex, but the Wizarding community raises their female children with the ideals of marrying young. By young, he meant at around 14-16. The traditional purebloods anyway. School is somewhat of a hunting ground for them, and he knows they send back reports to their head of houses for any prospects. He would be worried if he was part of a long standing house. Well, he is, but they don't need to know that.

'Luna is enough to handle as is, and she's not even aware of relationships yet.'

He once again thanked and cursed his mother's memories for not letting him stay ignorant of these things. Some of those memories makes him strangely excited, but mostly grossed out for what's in store for him.

"Luna, thank you." He murmured in a whisper. She tilted her head cutely at him, not understanding where the thanks came from.

He went back to observing, not bothering to explain. He spotted a few famous, or infamous, characters sitting at the tables. One such character being Harry Potter. He was a thin little being, and he had to question such tales of grandeur surrounding him. He didn't look like he could even lift his wand to cast a spell. His memories also helped him identify clues of abuse with his demeanor. Although, the malnutrition was obvious at a glance.

He spent a moment to sympathize, but quickly moved on. There was no benefit for getting involved with someone so high profile. The next child he recognized was Susan Bones, the niece of Amelia Bones. She only held his interest because of the aunt, but he wouldn't mind befriending her. Hufflepuffs usually were worth the friendship.

The next person he spotted before quickly moving on was the Malfoy heir. He could tell with a glance that the arrogant kid was more trouble than he was worth. He didn't actually know his name, but the hair and looks gave away plently.

There were plently of others that he recognized just by their features, and could tell their general personality from demeanor, but his looking around was cut short by Luna's name being called.

"Go whereever you wish. I'll follow you... Always." Esper said before giving her a kiss on the cheek and ushering her up to the stool. She gave him a bright smile then made her way.

Esper could hear the whispers as Luna placed the talking hat on her head. Some discussing her disappearance, others her closeness to Esper. Nothing had been published on him yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time.

"RAVENCLAW!"