What lurks in the blood

Extimum: "Sick-...". Extimum was about to continue his review, when he stopped abruptly.

One of the options had come out positive...

He was surprised and had to review the displayed data several times, even checking the analysis process before he was completely sure.

Honestly speaking, Extimum didn't expect anything to actually come out positive, his reason for taking the test was mainly because he was careful and wanted to be completely sure before ruling it out, so the development of events was quite unexpected for him.

Extimum: 'Potions: Positive'. Looking at the clear result, he couldn't help but remain silent for a few seconds.

Had he been careless?

It would have been somewhat easier to accept if he found something else instead, it could have been a curse, after all, someone who was really capable could have thrown it at him so perfectly that he wouldn't have noticed or instead would have been affected by some object he had taken by being too curious, but… a potion?

Consider that in a society where things like potions were common and most magical heritages were no strangers to wartime, countermeasures and precautions against such things had been integrated into the daily lives of many wizarding families, being especially so for those with large inheritance.

Of course, the current times were ones of relative peace, and as the generations passed, many customs were increasingly cast aside, so, not to mention children, even accomplished magicians were not overly cautious against such means, unless his line of work or life was aligned with such needs.

However, at the very least, knowledge and measures were still implicitly and/or explicitly present in some of the families, such as in the amulets or rings of lordship carried by the heads of noble families, important figures or direct descendants of them.

With that said, the same couldn't be said for Extimum.

Even if the other families were lax, the Shadowless family would definitely not allow such mediocrity in terms of etiquette and customs of a noble magical family, even if he ignored the custom, he himself would not allow himself to be careless with his own safety.

Extimum always tried to be careful, even when he had been conducting all kinds of uncertain and dangerous experiments, he was always assured that he could protect his own life and have some outlets for himself.

Of course, it wasn't possible to be completely careful or prepared enough for everything, but he didn't think he would find fault with one of the things he felt most confident about.

Therefore, the surprise and blow to his pride was not small.

Extimum:' Heh'—thinking about it, he couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh—'I guess I've been a little arrogant and my mindset was too narrow, so what if I've been careful, in the end, I'm not just a child in the ways of the world?, being deceived or surpassed means nothing, after all, I have been able to discover it and although I do not know at the moment the effects of the potion, it should not be impossible to fix it'.

After lamenting a bit inwardly, Extimum sighed and perked himself up.

Extimum: "*hah*, let's relax a bit... for now, let's find out what exactly was affecting me so quietly." Letting out a sigh and taking a deep breath, Extimum's mood returned to its previous serenity and calm.

The positive part was that the potion was still in his body, so the process of investigating it was greatly reduced in difficulty.

Usually, the potions had two ways of acting once ingested, some could affect something directly after ingested and then dissipate like any common substance, others, on the contrary, would remain stealthily circulating through the body, maintaining their effects as long as they remain there or their properties were consumed.

It was not an exaggeration on some occasions to even call potions liquid magic rather than a simple combination of substances with convenient effects.

Now that he knew there was a potion coursing through his veins, it wasn't too hard to figure out exactly what it was.

Identifying active potions on the body was also among the things he had learned from Pomfrey, plus he wasn't too oblivious to potions, so unless it was some rare or unique potion, chances are he could figure it out.

So about 20 minutes later, he was able to get the name of the potion.

Extimum: "well... I was expecting something more specific, however, at least I now know what it is and I can eliminate it from my body in no time".

After extracting part of the substance, analyzing its nature and trying a few things, the mysterious potion became clearer as he ruled out possible ones and finally found the right one.

Even so, the result ended up being somewhat unexpected, so he could not help but feel a mixture of relief and disappointment.

On the one hand, he was actually relieved to have discovered the exact potion and to know that it was no problem removing it from his body, but on the other hand, he had had some small expectations that the potion was the source of his problems, which it ended up not being, moreover, he felt that this hidden threat was actually… too weak?

Not that he would have preferred anything more terrifying, but a compulsion potion was simply too simple.

Extimum:' Well… I guess it couldn't be that easy, on the other hand, I would have preferred it to be another kind of potion. A compulsion potion just doesn't tell me anything about what its purpose was, well, for now, it just remains to remove it from my body. With some time, maybe I can get some ideas'.

After thinking so far, Extimum proceeded to remove the potion that had silently circulated through his body until now. The process for this specific potion wasn't too complicated and he was able to remove all traces of it in less than 5 minutes.

There were many methods to remove the effects of a potion or the potion itself from a person, but they mainly depended on the type of potion and their circumstances.

Fortunately, the compulsion potion wasn't an overly complicated or dangerous potion, at least for wizards.

For such a kind of potion, taking an antidote, a blood cleansing potion or even some simple spells or rituals could help remove it while having enough control and knowledge.

Of course, Extimum didn't plan to use too complicated methods, the blood cleansing potion would be enough.

It wasn't a very complicated potion and he already had it in his stock for situations like this, although honestly speaking, Extimum didn't expect to have to use it on himself, at least not so soon.

The blood cleansing potion was a potion that could remove any foreign substance found in the body; although it did not distinguish between good or bad substances, so all foreign agents would be eliminated.

It was a fairly common potion and was almost always kept in stock in the infirmary, as its clinical uses aside, it was an excellent potion for clearing drunkenness, among other substances.

Of course, although the potion was quite useful, it also had its limitations, if the intruding substance could hide very deep in the body or its effects would act immediately, the blood cleansing potion could not remove it or undo the effects, so it was only useful for removing potions that were recently ingested or that lingered in the body and had no tendency to react violently.

Extimum: 'Tastes like...nothing, um, well, that's good.'

After taking the potion, Extimum realized that it actually had no flavour at all, on the other hand, the effects of the potion were almost immediate and other than feeling a slight warmth that disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared, there was no another feeling in his body after you eat it.

Extimum: 'Well... I don't feel any different, but it's hard to say, it would be simpler if I had at least suspected something, but right now, the effect of the compulsion can be literally anything.'

The compulsion potion, like the spell, imposed a certain idea or thought regarding something specific in the consumer's mind, it could range from something as simple as making the victim think that his favorite color is another to reshaping the thought of someone.

The most dangerous thing was that this "suggestion" would be perceived as his own, that said, it was not omnipotent; it would be difficult for the compulsion to force someone to believe something that was in complete disagreement with his ideals.

In addition, the idea that was imposed had to be something simple, not too detailed and if the compulsion is too radical, it could generate an internal conflict and the victim could suspect it or ignore it directly.

However, the real danger of this specific magic lay in the fact that it could silently mold ideas in people's minds and if given enough time even make that idea a reality.

Therefore, if someone is the victim of a compulsion that tells them they hate a specific person and the victim doesn't know them, but does meet them in the distant future, they might truly hate them upon meeting them because the compulsion is already ingrained completely and there was absolutely no interference in her assimilation.

With the current situation of Extimum, he would have to consider a myriad of things until he could find some change in his thinking regarding something, so it was more likely that he would simply discover it by chance given enough time.

*uaaaah…yawn*

Bloom:" It's so early in the morning, what are you doing already staring off into space?"

Extimum: "Good morning, Bloom. I just finished my blood work and the results were, well, a little out of line."

Hearing Bloom, Extimum left his contemplation and directed his gaze towards his bed, more specifically, he looked towards the pillow on his bed, where Bloom was lying lazily shedding her drowsiness.

Bloom: "And what was the result?" Rolling back and forth on the pillow, Bloom asked carelessly even with sleep permeating her mind.

Extimum: "...There was a positive result, but I just deleted it".

Bloom: "Oh, a positive result, it was to be expected…-".

"Wait! Did you say positive?" Processing those words snapped Bloom out of her dream stupor immediately and made her sit up straight on the pillow as she stared at Extimum with wide-eyed surprise.

Extimum: "Yeah, I discovered a potion, but I removed it a few moments ago, so it's no longer a threat". Extimum responded with his usual calm and reiterated the fact that he had already fixed it so that Bloom would not be too alarmed.

Bloom: "There were traces of a potion? But how? No, more like when? I've always seen how careful you are".

Extimum: "Well, it's not like there aren't other ways for someone to absorb a potion into their body, but either way, I have no idea."

Bloom: "And what potion was it?"

Extimum: "A potion of compulsion".

Bloom: "And what was the compulsion?"

Extimum: "I don't know."

Bloom: "So… you didn't discover anything?"

Extimum:"…you don't have to say it that way, do you?"

Bloom: "Hehehe, sorry, it was inconsiderate of me". Bloom realized she was being inconsiderate and giggled to lighten the mood.

Extimum could not help but roll his eyes. Not that he is any happier than she is with this unrewarding quest.

Bloom: "Well, there's no need to be so depressed, right? Speaking of which, are you done doing all your experiments yet?"

Extimum: "Yes... no, in fact, I still want to check my blood under the magi-scope, among so many tests, I didn't have time to see if there was something there too and I'm a little curious. Since we are discovering unexpected things, it would be a good time to check it out, a second surprise at this point probably can't be too impressive."

(Look how he raises flags :v)

As he spoke, he got up from his seat and cleared a bit of space on the desk to put the magi-scope and then took out the container where he had stored the remaining sample of his blood.

It was a glass jar sealed with a cork at the top. Despite its delicate appearance, it was magically reinforced to prevent it from being broken by something as simple as a fall.

The jar was not too big, it fit perfectly in Extimum's fist and its contents were less than 1/10 of its space.

The blood inside was a rather peculiar scene, capable of misleading more than one about the true nature of its content without detailed observation and familiarity with the blood.

Bloom: "I want to see too. By the way, don't you think your blood is very strange?"

Extimum: "That perhaps your blood did not shine as if a rainbow had vomited on it?".

Bloom: "Ah, you're right, hehe." Extimum's words made Bloom respond awkwardly and turn her head to look in another direction.

'Damn, I must still be a bit sleepy.' Bloom could not help but rub her face with her hands at her stupidity.

Although unremarkable in common fairies, the blood of fairies was actually surrounded by a thin, almost invisible layer of brightly colored particulars, so even though it was still red, it would certainly look quite special compared to that of other creatures.

Extimum: "Okay, it's already on, so use the other viewer if you want to watch as well".

Under the lens of the magi-scope, the view of Extimum's blood widened.

A large red sea became visible, however, unlike others; it seemed as if it had been divided into two even halves.

In one of its halves were two closely linked lines of a golden-purple colour. The colours were contrasting and the feelings that they generated when observing them were even more so.

While the golden one seemed to give off a godly feeling, the purple one seemed to give off an illusory and terrifying feeling, yet underneath all of that, both of them seemed to merge into each other without any loss being caused to either of them. A clear symbol that despite their delineating appearance, both were actually one.

In the wide red sea, the blood particles that made up the golden-purple were actually few and only took up a small space of the half of the sample that they had claimed for themselves.

However, all the blood cells on this side had one or more characteristics similar to the purple-golden concentrate, as if they were still in the process of evolving.

Outwardly, the red sea seemed evenly divided by a thin, flickering silver light that separated the predominant colossi of the place.

The sight in the other half of the red sea was no less interesting, albeit subtle given the depiction of this work, but under close observation, a kind of battlefield was taking place between two sanguine sides.

[I am not entirely sure if it's understood here, but in "the depiction of this work", the word "work" refers to something like a theatre piece]

One of the sides was clearly differentiated by the visible depth of the red color of the blood particles, in addition to having a quite outstanding behaviour among the others. They seemed charged with a wild and untamed feeling, behaving arrogantly at times and then taking a shy and slippery approach.

This group of particles made up a fairly small part in the middle of the red sea and were quite spread out, at the same time, they were constantly trying to turn the normal particles around them into one of them, and were sometimes even fighting wildly against the barrier dividing the Red Sea, trying to cross over to the other side.

With that said, the other side was by no means inferior and in fact held the upper hand, it was made up of the normal blood particles that inhabited this space, although they did not seem to give off any singular sentiment, their momentum and strength was no less in the absolute compared to the other side individually.

After watching for a while, it became clear that the original side's inability to win against the other even with a numerical advantage was based on two things.

The first point was the savage nature of the first side, which made them difficult to defeat coupled with their timid attitude when they were about to perish and managed to slip away.

The second point was that even when these were eliminated, new ones reappeared from some unknown place, so the battle was fruitless and the ultimate outcome was an indefinite stalemate.

The most curious thing of all within this image was, that from the gold-purple eccentrics on one side, to the ones who continually battled, all were and ultimately represented the same.

The Celestial Fox Bloodline was part of Extimum and despite its completely different nature, it didn't seem to have a problem with the Shadowless Bloodline, inhabiting like two sides of the same coin in one body, both of them were different, but their integrity represented Extimum.

However, the third blood group was the most complicated, it didn't seem weaker than the Shadowless bloodline and it didn't seem to have the intention of coexisting as a unit in the same space, on the other hand, despite its behavior and the unknown of its apparition, was itself a part of Extimum and not something external.

This last detail was the most disturbing and revealing so far, since it meant that the complexity of this problem could have increased, whether it was something external or its own, it did not change the fact that at this moment it was already a part from Extimum and if not dealt with properly, trying to remove it would only backfire.

After observing the blood sample for a few more minutes, Extimum withdrew and directly turned off the magi-scope.

Extimum: "Interesting…".

Bloom: "Hey, I was still watching it."

Extimum : "Oh, so did you get anything out of it?"

Bloom: "Well, no, but... aren't you running any more tests or something? Otherwise, why did you watch it for so long? Besides, no matter how you look at it, what you see there isn't normal at all".

Bloom voiced her thoughts, while subtly changing the course of the conversation. The truth was that, although she could give good ideas based on her knowledge, she understood almost nothing of the data or experiments that Extimum made.

Bloom could not be said to be dumb, but her area of specialty was definitely not in magical research, on the other hand, her true talent was focused on destruction and battle, because ignoring her small and beautiful appearance, with the recovery of her body and the passage of time, her magic was growing exponentially to the point that it would be difficult for Extimum to say that it could currently defeat her.

Bloom's magic power would currently not lose against any Hogwarts teacher and that was just in common magic, when she used fire magic, her power could reach much higher levels when talking about raw power.

Extimum suspected that she hadn't regained her peak magic power yet, but given the long period of time she was frozen for, it would still take a long time for her to have another breakthrough in her magic power recovery and reach new heights, so she was currently in a state where she couldn't really enhance her magic and could only wait until her body returned to normal.

Extimum: "Well, I wouldn't say it wasn't surprising, but it still doesn't beat the previous surprise. I already knew that something like this could be seen, it would be difficult for something to affect me so deeply and it wasn't showing the changes somewhere, but I must say that direct observation of the phenomenon is really something else".

The sight of such development in his blood was truly something worthy of the word "magical", but it was not too exaggerated nor did it affect Extimum's state of mind.

The situation that had occurred before and those little ideas that were trying to get into his head had already given him an idea that something was affecting him deeply, so the development in his blood was only a confirmation of it.

Perhaps the only thing that caused a little apprehension was the fact of learning that whatever was affecting him had already become a part of him, however, it was just something that complicated things a little and had not yet reached the point of being a desperate situation yet.

The previous plans to deal with this problem and the time available remained the same.

Extimum was confident enough in himself to believe that he could overcome this tribulation in his life and that if not, his will was determined enough to pay the price if he was wrong.

Extimum :" But okay, all this traversing aside, my understanding of magical blood has improved quite a bit with all these experiments, maybe I'll make some progress with the blood curse of the Greengrass bloodline, although I don't think I'll spend time on it for now"

Bloom: "Aren't you taking this a little too lightly?"

Bloom frowned and asked with a bit of concern, she did not know all the details nor had she felt for herself the real scope of what was affecting Extimum, but she did not think it was that simple, on the other hand, the plans of endorsement she'd read in the Extimum notes were too extreme in case he couldn't solve the problem.

Extimum: " Taking this a little too lightly? No, I'm giving it the value it deserves, but... is there another way? Maybe there is... but for now, I will act based on what I have and what I have is honestly little. But still not at the level of desperate for it".

"The last few weeks have made me see that rushing too hard won't necessarily bring me results, so I'll take it easy, step by step and if the worst comes to the worst... well, we'll see...". Extimum's tone was especially serious and composed as he said his words, even to his usual calm.

"Well, it's still early, there's no need to burden yourself with such complicated matters when the day is just beginning, wouldn't you rather sleep a little longer?"

Bloom: "And you expect me to be able to sleep peacefully after all that? Even if I don't worry about it, it would be hard not to wander into such thoughts".

Extimum: "So let's go outside for a bit, there's still a few hours left before breakfast and classes, we can… I don't know, wander around or maybe we'll find someone outside".

Bloom: "Fine, but just wait a minute. I need to at least wash my face". With that said, Bloom flew straight in the direction of the bathroom.

It was good that this was a magical world, since when Bloom returned, it became quite apparent that she had done much more than just wash her face. She'd changed her outfit, combed her hair, and given a few factors we won't mention, it was more than obvious that aside from washing her face, she'd also had a quick bath and perhaps a few other touch-ups.

Although all of this was not surprising to Extimum, Bloom always took care of her personal image most of the time and only allowed herself to be a little sloppy on occasion when she was together with Extimum.

Extimum: "Let's go out then".

It didn't take long for Bloom to fly quickly and land on Extimum's shoulder as they headed for the exit.

Bloom: "And what will we do?"

Extimum : "I don't know, it could be just walking around like sometimes, maybe we'll go flying or... just sit around for a while."

Outside the room was a silent common room, given the time the only audible sign of life was a very occasional soft crackling of wood over the fire.

It was still early and the light in the common room was a bit dim in general, except for the area by the fireplace that was dimly lit by the flames.

Despite the hour and the silent atmosphere, the figure of someone sitting on the sofa by the fireplace was noticeable.

The light in the room was dim, but even so, said figure held a thick book in her hands. She had all her attention focused on the open book in her hands, however, although her gaze seemed deep, there was a certain feeling that the depth of her thoughts was not found in the words of the book.

The book seemed like nothing more than a means to let her mind wander further into the depths of her thoughts.

Seeing Luna so early in the morning wasn't really a surprise. Although she was not always awake at such times, she had become a frequent sight.

Extimum thought about it for a bit and then came over to sit next to her.

His approach didn't seem to bring Luna out of her thoughts entirely, but a few small reactions let Extimum know that she was already aware of his presence.

Although at first he planned to go for a walk, when he saw Luna, he decided to come closer for a moment.

Lately, his relationship with Luna had become very good and close, at times it was perhaps better than his relationship with Steve and the others, he had also caught himself acting a bit intimate with her, like at Harry's quidditch match when she asked him to bet on the results of the game and he had done so without hesitation.

He was not too sure how they had gotten so close in such a short time, perhaps it was a matter of chemistry between their personalities?, leading him to consider the fact that at first their meeting was more of a coincidence and their integration into the group was done without too much consideration.

And now, it almost seemed as if he had adopted a younger sister.

It was similar to when he met Mei. At first, their relationship was quite short and distant, added to the fact that Mei seemed somewhat short in the beginning towards words, however, it was precisely in those moments of inaction of the word, when they had gotten used to each other and their closeness grew.

It wasn't exactly a very common friendly closeness, rather, it was quite strange in itself and contrary to the common sense with which people relate, but, on the other hand, that in itself made it special.

That said, with Luna things developed much faster due to the open personality that she maintained.

Sitting there spending a few moments enjoying the atmosphere was really peaceful, however, Bloom's personality was much more active and energetic so she wasn't really able to enjoy the silence too much and not long after that she was distracted fiddling with the fire that burned in the fireplace.

Not everyone could immerse themselves in the silence so harmoniously or stay in it for too long, it was something that rather required a certain state of mind.

However, said silence did not last for too long when it was interrupted by Luna's abrupt question.

Luna: "How many Ashwinders do you think could come out of all the flames in Hogwarts?"

Extimum: "Hmm, I haven't been to all the places in the castle, but it would probably be more than 10k, on the other hand, I don't think any of them will appear here. The main fireplaces of each hall are always put out after no one is there and the torches throughout the castle are also blown out by the house elves at certain times, so the conditions would not be met".

"Why? Do you want to see the castle on fire?"

Extimum was not surprised by the sudden question that did not seem to have an apparent relation to the situation, he had vaguely come to understand how Luna's thoughts ran.

Luna: "No, no, it's just that I've never had a chance to see one myself, I've only seen the frozen eggs in the potions lab."

Extimum: "Well, they're not particularly surprising or very different from their picture and description either. Although, if you really want to see one, I've seen one stuffed in a store in Knockturn Alley, if you get the chance you might as well go see it. It's almost an attraction to the area; however, I didn't pay attention to the name of the place where it was being exhibited".

Luna: "Really? But don't they disappear naturally in an hour? How could they keep it? Are you sure it was real? I think my father once mentioned that they sell a lot of fake things in that area".

Extimum: "I didn't really check it, I just looked at it in passing, but at that time there was a huge crowd looking at it closely with the same doubts, so I think it was real, moreover, even if it's fake, they managed to make it a living image of what one would look like, so it's worth going to see".

Luna: "How do you know? Have you seen a live one before?"

Extimum: "Yes, in fact, it was really a big coincidence and I made quite a stir on that occasion. Her image is exactly the same as described in the books. The only thing that would differentiate her from a common snake, besides the trail of ash what it leaves behind when moving would be a faint reddish aura and temperature rise when it's close, however unless you're really close it would be hard to notice either".

Luna: "You were very lucky to have seen her."

Extimum: "Yes, although I don't know if the owner of that inn would have thought the same…" he murmured unconsciously as he remembered what happened that day.

Bloom: 'Hm? That sounds like something interesting, why don't you tell me?'

Luna: "Oh, did something funny happen? Isn't that just an Ashwinder?"

Extimum's comment finally got Luna's full attention, so she closed her book and placed it on the sofa to concentrate on Extimum.

Extimum: "Okay, it happened last year. I was on a trip to France."

"The trip was not very long, but I visited several magical and non-magical tourist places. It was while I was going to visit one of those places in the magical zone that I stopped at an inn to have lunch. The place was quite crowded and the weather was something cold in that season".

"Fortunately I was alone, so it wasn't hard to get a place to sit and order my food. While I was waiting for my food to be brought, I got distracted looking around and at some point I noticed that the flames in the fireplace were moving abnormally. At first I thought it was just some wizard who was bored and playing with the flames".

"However, at one point I watched as the flames suddenly died down and the flames converged into a physical form. At first somewhat illusory, but in a matter of seconds it became more and more vivid, until a green snake with red eyes completely realistic came to life and slipped silently out of the embers".

"The fireplace wasn't too far from some of the tables, so it didn't take long for the snake to get close to one of them. By the time the others noticed the Ashwinder, it had already set the table on fire. It was a surprise to me, really." The first time I saw it, it was definitely something to behold".

"After knowing what it was, I didn't think much of it, after all, I was in an inn full of mages or so I thought, but somehow, the situation got out of control too fast".

"First it was a table and at some point there were three, the nearest wizards didn't know how to effectively put out the fire with the Ashwinder constantly rekindling and increasing it as they went. Someone tried to pull the Ashwinder straight out of the place, but tripped midway and the Ashwinder landed on the other side of the room, just making it angry and burning things around it more intensely".

"The owner of the inn seemed like he was busy in the cellar just then and he came out after hearing the commotion, just to see that his inn was about to catch fire. He directly took out the Ashwinder and put out all the fire and that's the end of it".

Luna: "What? With so many magicians there and none of them did anything?"

Bloom: 'Right, the Ashwinders are not difficult to subjugate, the other time I read it in one of the books in your library, they are only considered xXx dangerous'.

The levels of danger were a fairly simple system implemented by the Ministry of Magic that reflected to a certain extent the danger that certain magical creatures represented compared to the magical abilities of the magicians, being as follows:

X bored; xx harmless; xXx manageable by competent wizards; xxxx dangerous, only expert magicians or with specialized knowledge can deal with it; xxXxx highly dangerous, extreme moderation is advised.

Of course this classification was still somewhat vague considering the great difference that could exist from one magician to another and the definition that could be given to "competent magician" and "expert magician", that added to the fact that they were creatures alive, so there were many variables that could alter the perception of danger in front of a certain creature.

As for whether higher danger categories existed, there were, but in the current era, there was simply nothing to include in them so they were nothing more than a technical title to include certain extinct creatures.

Extimum: "It would have been, but the situation wasn't that simple. Sure, there were plenty of capable wizards at the time, but they all just sat comfortably and watched the show".

"I later found out that the innkeeper was not well liked by the locals and was also quite lax about taking care of the place, so he never bothered to properly maintain the place and had allowed an Ashwinder to hatch, so in the end, even though he was a victim, he was fined by the French ministry for malpractice".

"Although he was a bit lucky, the snake had already left an egg in the ashes in the commotion, so I guess he was able to use it to cut costs to refurbish the place. Well, that is if he manages to reopen it, I really don't know what happened after that incident".

Luna: "Wow that was an interesting experience you had. I don't normally see such amazing things except when I help my dad with some of his research. Although we don't always find what he is researching, but we almost always end up seeing something interesting on the way".

Extimum: "I guess they are things that become more interesting and fun when you share them with someone... but, changing the subject, are you sleeping well?".

Luna:"Mm?, well, actually it's something variable, sometimes I wake up quite tired, I think it's because maybe I've been walking all night, however, it's hard to say, I've left certain clues to know when I sleepwalk out of the room so I know when I do".

"Although there is no exact pattern, but it doesn't happen very often, on the other hand, sometimes I have the opposite problem, I can sleep enough, but I wake up very early and I can't go back to sleep, so instead of staying in bed, I go out to walk or read something".

Extimum: "Have you tried taking sleeping potions?"

Luna: "Yes, but the effects aren't that good, and taking them too often isn't good either, so I only do it sometimes".

Extimum: "Perhaps there is something bothering you?".

Luna: "No, it also happened when I was at home, my father had already mentioned it to me, however, it used to happen less frequently there. Although…". Luna was a little thoughtful about continuing.

Extimum: "What is it?".

Luna: "Well, after that time you found me sleepwalking and took me back to the room, I was able to sleep very well for the next few days and I didn't sleepwalk again".

"At first I thought it might have had something to do with that weird feeling I got, but when you told me there was no such thing and that I probably just imagined it, I could only dismiss it."

Bloom: 'Wow, did you have that kind of ability? Maybe that's why I always sleep so well when I'm with you.'

Extimum didn't respond to Bloom or immediately comment on Luna's words, although inwardly he too was surprised by such an assumption. He had no idea if he really had such an ability.

Extimum: "Why did you think that strange feeling had something to do with it? Couldn't it just have been a coincidence?"

Luna: "I wonder too… I don't really know why I thought they were related, I just felt it. *sigh* But I guess maybe I was just too excited that something could actually help me".

"But, it's okay, I'm used to it now and it doesn't really bother me that much, sometimes I even forget that I'm a sleepwalker and since it was just my imagination, I shouldn't think about it too much".

Extimum: "Yes…".

After that, they didn't talk anymore and just went back to how they were before. Luna reopened her book to read, while Extimum thought about it for a bit.

Naturally, he would like to help Luna, but first he had to confirm if he really had that ability and if so, was it his bite?... or did it have something to do with his fur? But even leaving those questions out of the question, how should he deal with it?

If it was his fur it would be fine, he could try to create an amulet with it, but what if it had been the bite... He couldn't just go and bite her every night, right?

That last possibility in particular was quite…ridiculous!

Extimum: 'Ah, what nonsense I'm thinking, that's not the important thing'.- He couldn't help complaining when he felt again how the unknown influence twisted his thoughts in that way.

Bloom: 'Is something wrong?'

Though Bloom couldn't hear Extimum's inner thoughts since he didn't choose to share them, she could feel his sudden feeling of annoyance.

Extimum: 'It's nothing, just pointless ramblings'.

Bloom: 'Mmm, as long as you're okay, by the way, what do you think about what Luna said? You're going to help her, right?'

Extimum: 'Of course, as long as she's within my reach there's no reason not to help her.'

Extimum: "I'll go for a walk, see you later, Luna".

Finding nothing else to do sitting there, Extimum got up from the couch and headed towards the common salt outlet.

Luna: "Oh, okay…no, wait, I'd better go with you, the book isn't that interesting."

Luna answered somewhat languidly, but then changed her mind as she closed the book and put it into her magic bag, then quickly followed Extimum.

--Pov Luna--

After putting the book in my bag, I ran a bit to catch up with Extimum who was waiting for me at the door of the common room. After reaching him, I reflexively grabbed his robe while going down the tower stairs.

I like spending time with Extimum, he always gives me a calm feeling when I'm around him.

I also like looking at her eyes, I've noticed they seem to have a mild hypnotic effect, or at least that's what I think because Hermione always stares at them when her eyes meet Extimum's, although I've never been hypnotized, but I still like their colour and the shape they have.

His gaze is always so serene, but when those eyes look at me, they generate an inexplicable warm feeling in my heart.

In those serene purple eyes there are no waves, but why do I feel as if there is actually something more?

I always feel as if his eyes were looking at something else in me, something that only he sees and what he finds makes him unconsciously transmit a certain warmth and care to me.

I like that feeling.

Sometimes it's hard to understand him, but when you spend more time with him it becomes a little easier to understand him, plus Bloom sometimes teaches me how to understand him better.

Thinking about it, I don't know how she really does it, but Bloom is a very special one, I have seen fairies before, but they don't compare at all with her.

She is much smarter than she lets on and can understand us perfectly, however , I don't know why the others don't notice, they've even seen Bloom write, if she can write, shouldn't she be able to talk too?

Hmm, I guess they just haven't paid enough attention to her, but I think if Bloom can really do it, she must have her reasons for not doing it, either way, I want her as my friend.

Although it hasn't been long since I met both her and Extimum, we have become very close in that short time.

It still feels a bit unreal at the time.

When I got to Hogwarts, I hoped to be able to make friends, I didn't have many at home because we live in a bit of a remote place and apart from my father and some magical creatures, I didn't have much company most of the time.

Although sometimes guests would come with their children and could play with them or meet people on the trips I took with my father.

Apart from those occasions, I did not interact with anyone else in my time at home, however, the reality hit me quickly, it was not that easy to make friends.

At first, everyone was very enthusiastic about meeting me, but when I started talking about the things I like and my dad's theories, for some reason they moved away, some even made fun of me saying that everything was nothing more what lies and stories.

I really didn't care that they said those things, I assumed that everyone believes in different things and it was normal for them to find it difficult to accept the beliefs of others, however, with the passage of time, they did not stop and, on the contrary, they became a little more aggressive with their dealings and ended up isolating me.

There were only a few who had no problem hooking up with me in class, but they didn't talk to me too much either.

So, I spend my time reading books, walking around the castle or just lost in thought.

That was at least until the day I met Extimum.

--FlashBack--

It was a day like any other. I was sitting eating breakfast, when I felt the students around me fall silent and direct their gazes in one place. I felt a bit curious so I looked at who had caught everyone's attention.

Sitting in front of me was a boy a little older than me, he had a very particular appearance, his hair was platinum white with some purple highlights and he had predatory purple eyes. I knew from his uniform that he was also a Ravenclaw, but he must have been some year older since I didn't remember seeing him among the students who entered with me, nor having seen him in classes before.

Extimum: "Hello".

He waved in my direction, but at first I thought maybe he was talking to someone else. I didn't know him and I don't think there was something special about me that he would have come especially for me. However, when I looked around, I realized that, in fact, the others were sitting quite far away and that it could only be me he was talking to.

"Hello, You have very curious eyes."

Being so, I greeted him in response and commented on his eyes, they really were unique eyes.

Extimum: "Thank you, I'm Extimum Shadowless, are you?".

"I'm Luna Lovegood."

Extimum: "Would you like to come and sit with us?"

At first, I was a bit surprised that he wanted me to go with him, but I did not have a reason to say no so I went with him.

"Of course, I would love to".

--End FlashBack-

After that I met Steve, Trudor, Mitchell, Padma and Bloom, they were very good to me and although maybe they didn't understand me completely, they didn't judge me for it, making me finally not alone.

After that day, even if I didn't talk to anyone in class, I wasn't really alone anymore. Besides, others stopped isolating me, making fun of me or treating me badly. I even think some actually wanted to get close to me.

It was as if from the moment I decided to accept Extimum's proposal and follow it, everything had changed.

Perhaps for this reason, he is someone very special to me.

Lately I have sensed that he seems preoccupied and a little tense about something. However, when I ask the others, they don't seem to see anything and just say that Extimum is as usual, "cool and unflappable beyond its eccentricities", which makes me, wonder if maybe I am just being too sensitive?

Even Padma doesn't seem to feel there is anything wrong with him. But sometimes I can't help but have that feeling, maybe I should ask Bloom?

I really wish I could help him, just like he helped me.

--End Pov--

.

.-.

"Stop there, don't run."

A loud scream could be heard outside the castle, as the sound of hurried footsteps resounded. Neville did his best to run as fast as his legs would carry him without tripping on the way.

Neville honestly didn't know how he ended up like this, it was already rare that he was truly left alone when no one dared wander the castle alone in these uncertain times and yet to his bad luck, of all the people who could have stayed to go to the central areas of the castle together, it had to be Pansy Parkinson.

Pansy: "Longbottom, I'm telling you to stop! If you don't stop, I swear you'll suffer more."

Hearing her words, Neville could just force himself to accelerate more.

Neville: 'Not even for Merlin that I'm going to stop, does she think I'm dumb? Does she think I can't understand the 'more' in her words? She'll just hit me. *sigh* I had tried so hard not to have to be alone with her for the rest of the first year after what happened and the beginning of this one, I guess you can't always be so lucky."

Pansy: "*gasp* L-listen, I'm really not doing anything to you, *gasp*, just stop, I just want to talk to you". Pansy's voice was slightly breathy as she gasped for air. She really didn't expect Neville to be able to run so fast for so long without getting tired.

Neville: "I-If you want to say something, just say it from a distance, you don't have to get close."

Neville was also tired from running, but he was much better than Pansy, somehow his physical condition had improved from trying to run away, well, that and that he had negotiated with Extimum to sell him a potion that slightly improved the basic functions of the body, maybe that's why he could breathe much better and didn't feel so tired.

Overall, enduring the feeling of bone-chilling cold for a whole day while the potion took effect and gave him an immediate improvement had been worth it.

On the other hand, he finally understood why Steve gave him a pitying look when Extimum mentioned that it was an improved potion in experimental phase and he sold it to him for half price. But he didn't regret it.

He couldn't help but shiver as he remembered the feeling of cold, but he didn't slow down his steps and kept running. Actually, he could have entered the castle much sooner and not have had to run as far, but Pansy had managed to block his access through the door and he could only run around the outside of the castle to the next entrance, which was why they had run so hard.

Pansy: "L-listen, I… I really have something important to tell you, *whimpers* no, you don't really know, h-how much effort did I have to put in to even have a chance to be alone since you always run away from me *whimpers* ".

Neville's eyes widened as he turned his head to look behind him, unconsciously slowing his running.

Neville: 'Is…is she crying?'

Looking at her carefully, Neville really couldn't believe it, was the proud and arrogant Pansy Parkinson who always teases and disdains him crying? And for him?

Seeing her like this, Neville almost felt sorry for her and went over to comfort her, however, how could he trust her, knowing her, and if it was really just another way to trick him and once he got close, she would catch him? He really wasn't sure, seeing her standing there crying and having completely stopped running, he really felt like he should try to get closer.

But in the end, his sense of survival and his fear that it was a trap was stronger, so after giving him one last look, Neville did not hesitate and ran towards the entrance to the castle that was a few meters away.

While Pansy just stood there wiping the tears from her face and looking helplessly at the figure of Neville who disappeared after crossing the castle gate.

Pansy: "I-Idiot". Feeling sad and tired, Pansy sat down on the grass and buried her face in her knees.

'Don't you know that when a woman cries, the man must come to comfort her?'.

Pansy had really gone to great lengths to get this opportunity.

She basically had to use hard and soft means to buy or threaten all the students who normally stayed with Neville to go back to the castle, so they wouldn't wait for him. After that, she had to run from her class room which was almost on the other side of the castle only to arrive as Neville walked out of herbology class.

It was lucky that Neville always took extra time in the greenhouses to look at the plants or else it would have been hard for her to actually catch up with him just as he came out of there.

On the other hand, she couldn't do it in a class where Gryffindor and Slytherin were together because if they were, Neville wouldn't let his guard down so easily and would have left immediately.

Crabble: "Huh…Pansy? Are you okay? What are you doing sitting there on the floor? Aren't you going into the castle?"

Pansy: "Shut up! Idiot, it's not your problem what I'm doing!" Hearing someone else's voice, Pansy snapped out of her depressed state and yelled at Crabble in venting her frustration before running off towards the castle.

Crabble was surprised by her aggressive response. He had been helping Professor McGonagall to transport some materials that she had requested and when he finished, he saw Pansy sitting on the floor at the entrance of the castle, so he just wanted to ask her if something was wrong, but he did not expect that instead it would be insulted instead.

Crabble: "Huh... you just might not have answered, *sigh*, I better not worry about her."

.-.

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