of toads and pterodactyls...[luna]

Article, check. Photographs, check. Sources, check. Rolf brushed his hair back out of his eyes for the fourth time that morning and let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. A quick glance out of the window told him it was still raining and he felt his heart sink. Logically, he knew it was irrational to consider this a bad omen, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that today would go better if there was bring sunshine outside. It was late February though, and sunshine was unlikely.

He took one last check through the documents and closed his briefcase. It was an ancient thing, discarded by his grandfather some years earlier. The right clasp tended to flip open at inopportune moments, but he loved the worn leather, even if the monogram didn't match his own initials, and he'd claimed it as his own six years earlier shortly after his thirteenth birthday. He brushed kneazle hair off his best tweed trousers and reached for the cloak hanging on the peg by the door, automatically searching through the pockets for unexpected inhabitants. He extracted his hand with an exclamation of surprise, shaking it and automatically sucking the bitten finger before cautiously extracting a hibernating fairy. Holding it carefully by the scruff of the neck so it couldn't bite again, he tucked it into a torn cushion cover where it settled back down with a series of approving squeaks.

Finally he was ready to leave, still an hour earlier than he really needed to, but this was an important meeting and he wanted to be sure everything went according to plan. Rolf was well aware that some people thought he was riding on the coattails of his grandfather's success and thus he felt the need to prove himself just as capable, just as competent - though as he had been told numerous times, he already had a head start, having never been threatened with expulsion from school. Naturally Rolf had countered by pointing out that due to a series of unavoidable circumstances he had never attended school at all. It was a familiar argument that was hardly an argument at all, just a comfortable exchange that left him feeling reassured of his own worth.

“No, you stay here” he told a pair of miniature dachshunds who bounded enthusiastically up to the door. These ones weren't his; he was caring for them for a muggle villager who was on holiday. Rolf produced a couple of biscuits from another pocket and gave them one each, distracting them long enough that he could leave the house, taking a quick glance to be sure nobody was around before he ducked behind the high hedge and disapparated.

He reappeared in a small lane off Diagon Alley, close to the Daily Prophet offices, and felt his heartrate increase. Up until this moment, his interview to join the Prophet's Consulting Magizoologist team had been an abstract event, important but not something that he actually felt nervous about. Now that he was here, he suddenly felt that his articles - “New mooncalf reserve in Puddledown woods” “The humane relocation of garden gnomes” “Why ghouls should be welcomed” - were somehow inadequate. Suddenly he felt very young, and very small indeed.

His stomach made a growling noise, reminding him that he hadn't eaten breakfast (he'd made some toast, but absent-mindedly left the plate on a low table and the lodging dachshunds had enjoyed it). Well, it was still almost an hour until his appointment, and there was a cafe just across the street. It was nearly empty, which was never a good sign, but maybe something to eat would settle his nerves. Rolf gripped his briefcase more tightly and headed into the cafe, smiling vaguely at a young woman already seated at one of the window tables.

@Luna Lovegood

The day had started with a drizzle when she stepped out of her father's house near Ottery St. Catchpole. When she arrived in London moments later, it was raining cats and dogs. Luna didn't mind the downpour, though. There was nothing negative about rain in her opinion. On the contrary, water was essential for every living creature and plant and, therefore, rain was actually a very positive thing.

She strolled through Diagon Alley, sometimes stopping to look at the sky and enjoying the rain drops falling onto her face. After a while, though, Luna sought shelter inside. She turned into a small lane that led to her favourite café in London and stepped over the threshold, leaving wet footprints on her way to her preferred table by the window. Since she was completely soaked, Luna pulled out her wand to dry her clothes and her hair. She was interrupted by the approaching waitress who engaged in some small talk about how long it had been that Luna had last been there.

It had indeed been a couple of months as Luna had spent some time abroad. It was nice to know that the woman recognised her and Luna enjoyed their little exchange despite the fact that the other witch eyed her dirigible plum earrings with suspicion and seemed a little too amused when Luna told her that she had been in Sweden, looking for the crumple-horned snorkack again. Well, some people were just narrow minded and only believed in things that could be proven. Luna herself liked to believe in the impossible. She had this childlike enthusiasm and felt confident that, one day, she’d actually discover some so far unknown creature.

As the waitress left her table again, Luna looked out of the window for a little while, her thoughts drifting off to her recent adventures, before she finally pulled out her wand from behind her ear to proceed drying her long blond hair, the stream of warm air blowing single strands of hair into the air. When she was done, Luna pulled her hair up into a bun which she fastened, using her wand as a hairpin.

Someone stepped into the so far pretty deserted café and Luna turned to look at the new guest. A dreamy smile spread across her face as she realised that she knew the wizard. He was the grandson of famous Newt Scamander and a pretty kind young man as far as she could tell from the very few times she had met him. “Rolf Scamander,” she said quietly, her protuberant eyes fixed on Rolf’s face. “You look nervous,” she then stated and pointed at the empty chair at her table. “I’d recommend a cup of dirigible plum tea, but, sadly, they don’t offer it here.”

Looking around for a place to sit, Rolf wasn't expecting to see anyone he knew. There was no shortage of free tables and that in itself made him take a few seconds to think. A window seat, or somewhere close to the fireplace, he thought. Or perhaps that large table so he could spread out his notes and read through them one more time.

His spun around in surprise as he heard his name, then his cheeks coloured when he recognised the young woman he had smiled at moments earlier. Awkward. If he hadn't smiled, he could have claimed to be surprised, or if he hadn't jumped he could have claimed to have known her from the first, but now it was obvious that he hadn't immediately recognised her. At the same time, he was delighted to see a familiar face - any familiar face - with whom he could spend some time before his interview.

"Luna, how lovely to see you" he said as he hefted his briefcase before placing it carefully next to the seat he now claimed. They were sitting opposite each other now and Rolf noticed she was wearing her favourite earrings - at least, they were the ones she'd worn on at least two of the occasions they had met previously. As far as he could tell, most girls didn't tend to wear jewellery of that kind, but he had no intention of commenting.

"Dirigible plum..?" Rolf wondered if that was the one he had poured into the plant pot on a previous visit to Luna and her father. "That's a pity. I guess I'll have to order a regular cappucino then" he said as the waitress approached. She offered a menu which he took, his stomach making a quiet grumble at the thought of food, though he didn't want to order a full breakfast if Luna wasn't eating anything. Better to find out first, he though.

"What brings you here today?" he asked, already feeling less nervous about his own reason for visiting London.

Rolf had been preoccupied when he had entered the café, clearly not noticing her although he had looked into her direction. Luna didn’t feel offended by that, though. Not in the slightest. Quite clearly the young man was nervous and distracted.

He greeted her very kindly, though, after she addressed him. Luna smiled at him as he stated that it was lovely to see her and took the seat she had suggested. She tilted her head a little to the side as her gaze rested on his face.

Thoughtfully she nodded as Rolf repeated ‘dirigible plum’. “Yes,” she said distractedly. “Dirigible plum tea is very beneficial. It helps you to accept the extraordinary and, therefore, also takes away nervousness…” Her voice trailed off and her smile faded as Rolf said that he’d order a cappuccino.

“Are you sure about that?” she asked, her protuberant eyes widening slightly. “I have heard that the smell of coffee and milk attracts wrackspurts.” Of course Luna had no proof for that. After the extensive consumption of dirigible plum tea all through her life she was always willing to believe in things that couldn’t be proven.

Rolf asked what brought her to London and Luna looked at him for a moment before answering. “I have spent a while abroad,” she explained. “I’ve visited dad and I wanted to buy a few things in Diagon Alley and meet some friends before I leave the country again.”

“What kind of appointment brings you here?” She offered an encouraging smile, feeling quite certain that she wasn’t mistaken and that the young wizard in front of her was indeed heading to an appointment that made him nervous.

"It's a pity they don't serve it then. I'm sure it would be really popular" Rolf responded, keen to have a nice, calm chat rather than voice what he was really thinking which was I'm not sure how drinking something that tastes like a cross between mud and rotten beetroot is supposed to banish nervousness, unless you're too busy trying to get the taste out of your mouth to worry about anything else. Saying something like that would have put the cat among the pixies, though. No such luck that he could just order a nice cappucino without defending that choice as well, though. Suddenly he had a flash of inspiration.

"I'll take the risk - though actually it might not be a bad idea, given that..." he trailed off, the uneasy suspicion growing that Luna would probably have a less-than-conventional theory about the Daily Prophet as well. Certainly, given that her father ran a rival publication, she was hardly likely to be overly supportive of it. He glanced vaguely at the menu, not really seeing it and not even sure what he wanted to eat anyway. Only the thought of his stomach grumbling in the middle of his interview convinced him that eating was a good idea at all.

"Oh? Where are you going next time?" he asked, glad of the distraction from his own thoughts. Though of course Luna had just asked why he was in London, so he could hardly ignore the erumpent in the room and not talk about that. "I've got an appointment at The Daily Prophet's to join their Consulting Magizoologist team. I've got my articles in here but I keep wondering if they're pitched correctly, whether I should have just written something outlandish about how to hold your hippogriff's attention while training him to be ridden or just a really simple thing about caring for your kneazle kitten" he said, shrugging uncertainly. Belatedly, he realised he probably shouldn't have said that, because Luna undoubtedly would have several ideas about what he should have written. Oh, well. Too late now.

The waitress reappeared and Rolf ordered buttered teacakes and the cappucino, hoping they didn't attract Dribbling Gumflingers or whatever it was he'd recently read about in the Quibbler. If they did, he was sure Luna would waste no time in letting him know. At the same time though, he was glad of her company. "Are you eating anything?" he asked as the waitress scribbled down his order.

Luna stared at Rolf, her big eyes focused on his face. She wasn’t sure if he was honest, but it didn’t really matter. Some people just weren’t into dirigible plum tea for some reason. They likely hadn’t really enjoyed enough of it to appreciate its effects. It was their loss, really. In fact, it was similar to gnome bites. Some people didn’t understand how beneficial gnome saliva was.

“Given that…?” Luna echoed as though to remind Rolf that he hadn’t finished his sentence yet. He was willing to take the risk of a cappuccino and she just hoped that he wouldn’t regret it later. Wrackspurts really were beastly little creatures that could do a lot of damage to brains. Rolf surely didn’t want that.

“I don’t know yet,” Luna said dreamily, her eyes drifting off focus as she wondered what her next travel destination would be. Rolf soon got her attention back, though, when he mentioned the Daily Prophet. “Galloping gargoyles!” she said, her voice not really giving away if she was just surprised or taken aback by the news.

“You want to work for the Daily Prophet?” she asked, now disdain was vaguely detectable in her voice. “I suppose you should stick to conventional topics then. They don’t want to hear about newly discovered creatures. They only believe what they have seen themselves.” She tilted her head to the side a little as she examined her companion.

“Maybe you could write about how the Ministry is breeding nifflers to steal galleons from witches and wizards in Diagon Alley in order to fund the Rotfang Conspiracy. Then again that’s more a political topic than one a consulting magizoologist would cover, I suppose…”

The waitress reappeared and Rolf ordered a cappuccino and some buttered teacakes. He asked if Luna wanted to eat something and the young witch looked from Rolf at the waitress and then shook her head slowly. “No thanks,” she said, “but I’ll have another tea, please.”

The answer took him by surprise. Rolf had expected to hear that Luna was planning an expedition to Nicaragua to study Triple-winged Egg-Dribblets (which, he was fairly sure, he had just invented) or something equally outlandish. He found himself faintly disappointed because he'd been hoping for the distraction of an exotic destination so he didn't have to think about his interview. No such luck, though - and as he'd expected, Luna wasn't entirely encouraging about the Prophet.

"I want to write articles for them, and have them consult with me when there's a story they need someone knowledgable about magical creatures" he clarified "That isn't quite the same as working for them...I mean, I'll be paid, but it's on a commission basis so I can still write whatever I choose, for...other places" he trailed off. But Luna had made him feel a little better. He had tried to stick with conventional topics, things that he thought the majority of readers would find interesting or useful, and it sounded like she agreed with his assessment of their preferences. Even if he did feel like he was now himself being studied as she gazed at him across the table.

"Nifflers? You think they.." Oh. See, the first part made some sort of sense. Rolf could see why the Ministry would have a department where they actually kept nifflers, perhaps to take with them on raids when they went to catch burglars - after all, there was no creature better at seeking out valuables - but... Rotfang Conspiracy? he mouthed, realising his face was taking on a disbelieving expression and trying to make it look more neutral again. Quickly, trying to think of how to salvage the situation so she wasn't offended he nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to write about anything political, not to begin with, anyway. Though I didn't realise the Ministry was breeding nifflers. I hope they're keeping them in good conditions..."

Actually Rolf didn't think for a moment they were breeding them at all, but he would rather talk about something a little crazy than worry about his own articles. But he did think that updating some sort of register for people who were keeping larger magical creatures would be sensible. His Aunt, for example, was an expert in keeping hippogriffs, but he knew there were witches and wizards who kept animals that weren't necessarily in appropriate conditions. "You've just given me a idea...I think..." he said thoughtfully as she ordered another tea and the waitress left.

"Do you write about your travels?" he asked suddenly "I don't just mean about the magical creatures, but the actual travelling. I'll bet people would want to read about stuff like that as well."

Luna thought she could read in Rolf’s expression that he was surprised that she didn’t have any new travel plans yet. However, she had only just returned from a journey and while she liked to go exploring and couldn’t wait to go somewhere again and hopefully see some interesting magical creatures, she was happy to be home for the time being. She was eager to spend time with her father, tell him all about her travels, listen to all the things he had done in the meantime and, of course, to meet her friends.

Nodding thoughtfully, Luna listened to what Rolf said about the Daily Prophet. He sounded a little as though he was justifying himself which he definitely didn’t have to do. While Luna did not have a very good opinion of the Daily Prophet, she had no problem that other people felt differently. She had been raised to be a tolerant person and, therefore, she tried to accept different opinions even though sometimes it wasn’t easy.

“Yes,” she said dreamily, “and so you should. If you only work with the Prophet, people will think that you agree with everything they publish. I could probably talk to daddy if you can publish something in the Quibbler sometimes. You know, he likes articles on magical creatures…” her voice trailed off and she smiled. While the Quibbler wasn’t a large magazine with many writers, there was room for two magizoologists, she thought.

“Oh yes,” Luna nodded as if to underline that she really meant it. “The Prophet won’t write about that, of course. It is controlled by the Ministry, after all.” Her father had mentioned the Rotfang Conspiracy the night before and Luna looked at Rolf, thinking that he looked as though he wasn’t convinced by what she was telling him. “My father is printing an article about this in the next Quibbler,” she added as though that was proof for the entire thesis that the Ministry bred nifflers to steal from witches and wizards to found the Rotfang Conspiracy.

Rolf seemed concerned if the Ministry was treating the nifflers well and Luna stared at him unblinkingly for a while. “Yes,” she finally agreed, “I hope so too.”

When her companion said that she had given him an idea, a vague smile spread across Luna’s face. She liked to be a source of inspiration and felt that people should listen to her more often. “Oh?” she asked, her protuberant eyes looking curious.

“No…” she said when Rolf said that she should write about her travels, “I don’t. Do you really think people would like to read about my travels?” she asked, her eyes widening in surprise. Luna could hardly imagine anyone but her father and few close friends to be interested in learning about her time abroad.

Rolf nodded with more enthusiasm than he felt. He wasn't entirely sure it would be good for his currently non-existent reputation to be publishing articles in The Quibbler, but on the other hand getting his name known anywhere for writing about magical creatures had to be a good thing. "That sounds great" he said "Was there anything specific your father had in mind, or will he consider anything...interesting?" Rolf had picked his words carefully, but even as he spoke he couldn't help but think that they were about to dive into conversation about something bizarre and probably non-existent.

Imaginary beasts weren't really his thing, but right now he supposed he could manage to discuss Gargling Gorgons or whatever it was Luna planned to go searching for next. Or maybe they could just discuss the...Rotfang conspiracy, whatever that was. He glanced over to the waitress as if searching for inspiration, but then looked back at Luna. He didn't want to offend her, so hopefully she would just think he was hungry. "I don't think I know about that...I'll have to borrow Mum's copy to read" he offered, sounding as positive as he could manage. Thankfully at that moment his cappucino arrived along with Luna's tea refill, which gave him the opportunity to change the subject slightly.

"I think they could be" he said, and this time he actually meant it, so the forced cheerfulness was gone from his voice as he added sugar to his coffee and stirred slowly "I mean, obviously the main reason for travelling is the magical creatures, but people like to hear about other stuff as well, The weather in different countries, the food, the conversations you have with other witches and wizards...even how muggles behave in other places. I've read all of those things and more in travel journals." Of course, he meant mainstream travel journals, and they might struggle with some of Luna's eccentricities. Merlin, even Rolf found them difficult and his family could hardly be called normal.

He tried again "Actually what I meant was, not necessarily writing articles. Travel books are pretty popular these days as well." If people thought some of it was imaginary, that wouldn't necessarily be a problem if it was considered to be a kind of novel. They would just accept it at face value. Really, Rolf wasn't sure what he was even saying, just that he wanted to keep the conversation going without delving down a rabbit hole of completely weirdness. He wanted his mind to be clear before his interview, and also he didn't want to offend Luna. Fulfilling both those criteria seemed more difficult than he'd first thought.

“I would say that my father likes the kind of articles that the Daily Prophet won’t take. You know, he likes the unconventional.” Luna looked at her companion now as if she was expecting him to be surprised by this comment. “He wants to be the first person to report on so far unknown magical species,” she added and smiled dreamily. That was part of the reason for her travels - she wanted to bring her father a story home that he would be eager to publish in the Quibbler.

Luna’s gaze rested on Rolf and she stared at him unblinkingly. He didn’t seem very well informed. Surely he was solely relying on the information the Daily Prophet offered which was not very independent and thorough. “Yes, I think you should,” she confirmed when he suggested he should borrow his mother’s copy of the Quibbler.

“I’ll think about it,” Luna responded thoughtfully. Writing about her journeys could be interesting. She had seen a lot, met interesting people. However, she couldn’t quite see that others would want to read about that. Then again, why shouldn’t they? If they got a chance to read about her personal experiences they might also want to broaden their minds and see the world through different eyes.

“You mean something like a travel diary?” she asked curiously as she lifted her cup of tea up to take a sip. She focused on her beverage for a little while. Then, quite unexpectedly, she turned her attention to Rolf again. “Do you travel a lot yourself?”

The unconventional. Rolf had no problem with unconventional, but he knew that what Luna really meant was conspiracy theories, even if the woman herself wasn't aware of that. But when she elaborated, Rolf found himself understanding and even agreeing for the first time. Being the first person to discover something, getting to find out what nobody else had even known existed, was one of his long-held dreams. It had been easier for his grandfather; there were areas of the world that had been barely travelled seventy or eighty years ago and even if locals knew about a creature, he could still be the first to bring it to the attention of a British public. But now... "Yeah, that would be really exciting" he agreed "Grandfather says there are still species out there that nobody's yet discovered, we just have to know how to look for them, but I guess the question is knowing where to look...I mean, imagine if nobody had ever heard of a demiguise or a moke and were told they couldn't see them because they could shrink or disappear. Do you think they'd believe that?"

Without realising, Rolf had mentally switched to being a lot more on Luna's side. There were enough creatures that were capable of hiding from the attention of witches and wizards that he suddenly was willing to consider the possibility that maybe there was something large out there still to be discovered, something that maybe he could discover.

The waitress brought his order over then, and what with thanking her and taking the first bites of a teacake the discussion about the Ministry seemed to thankfully run it's course. No doubt it would come up again later but for now he was just happy to enjoy his breakfast, including the cappucino which so far didn't appear to be attracting anything unusual.

"Yeah, I think that could be really interesting" he agreed, while at the same time wondering whether he could do something similar himself. Probably not; Rolf's time had mainly been spent in English-speaking countries so there were no humorous tales of miscast translation charms or getting confused by the local currency. But then, right in the middle of another bite of teacake Luna asked suddenly where he'd travelled. Rolf coughed slightly and finished eating before he was able to answer. "Actually not that much. I've mainly spent time in New York with my Great Aunt, though I've been to other parts of the country as well. My sister's actually better-travelled than I am. She's a curse-breakar and she worked in India for a while, when..." he trailed off. Luna had been at school during the war, he suddenly realised, and she probably didn't want to remember about that.

Luna nodded along as Rolf spoke, absolutely agreeing with him. “Yes,” she said, sounding rather enthusiastic, “imagine there might be magical creatures that look exactly like non-magical animals. It would take some observation to figure out that they were different. Then, as you said, there are creatures that can turn invisible or have other ways of hiding from view… I’m sure there are species out there that nobody has discovered yet even if they have been faced by people before.”

Her dream was, of course, to see a snorkack one of these days but, even if that creature remained elusive, she felt certain that one day she’d discover something so far unknown.

“It would be wonderful to find a new creature, study it, name it…” she smiled dreamily. For Luna it wasn’t so important to be known as the person to find the creature but rather to know for herself that it had been her who was the first to discover a species and to give her father something amazing to write about.

It surprised her that Rolf deemed her travel experiences interesting. She smiled and looked at him unblinkingly for a moment. “You would actually want to read that?” she asked after a few seconds had passed.

She nodded again as Rolf told her about his travel experience. It sure made sense. Of course it didn’t go unnoticed that his voice trailed off and he didn’t finish his last sentence. Luna had a hunch that she knew what he was talking about but wanted to be sure.

“When what?” she encouraged him to finish his sentence, looking at him with an expectant expression.