Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory

Chapter 6

A rooster crowed across the street. Harry groggily reached for his glasses and his wand. The fan in the window had cut out in the middle of the night again, and the 22-year-old was not pleased to wake up drenched in sweat. Sunlight was already pouring into the room as he pointed his wand at the fan to restart it as he headed toward the shower.

Once he was all cleaned up and dressed, Harry went downstairs into the small kitchen and dining area. Luna was already making breakfast and a pot of coffee was warm. Sometimes, the little things really made a difference.

"Good morning, Harry!" said Luna brightly as she dished some eggs scrambled with spicy sausage into her bowl. "There's enough for you to grab some if you can stand the heat."

Harry chuckled. "The chorizo I can handle. Atzi's salsa on the other hand..." He poured himself a cup of coffee and rolled the egg and meat mixture up into a tortilla. "I think that stuff is made out of pure peppers and lava."

Luna smiled before taking a bite of her breakfast, which was covered in a red salsa that somehow looked angry. As Harry sat across from her at the table, she sipped her glass of juice. "I still think you could build up a tolerance for it if you'd give it another try. That might even keep George from teasing you so much."

"Nothing will ever stop George from teasing me," replied Harry. "He's already got little Freddie coming after me every time we get together for a meal. I swear that kid turns his hugs into headbutts on purpose. 'Run and give Uncle Harry a big hug!' George knows exactly where his son's head reaches on me, and he can't keep a straight face when it happens. It's a conspiracy."

Luna rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "What's your plan for the day?"

"I've got some grading to power through before Spring Break ends," Harry replied. "For the life of me, I thought I hated homework when I was a student. But reading through thirty essays on how to defend yourself from dangerous creatures? This break is excruciating."

"You're more than welcome to do the grading up at the library with us," suggested Luna. "I should be starting some new translations today, and if it's defense-related, I might need your help. Who knows? Maybe we'll find something that'll interest you!"

Harry considered the offer. Their flat was already warm and the day only promised to get hotter. Sure, he could cool things down with regularly placed charms, but the library had air conditioning and he wouldn't have to break his concentration to keep casting cooling charms every hour.

"Fine, fine, you win," grumbled Harry, though he was smiling all the while. "You sure you won't get sick of me if I follow you to work like a lost puppy?"

"I'm quite adept at slipping away when I want time to myself. You needn't worry too much."

Harry finished his cup of coffee, wolfed down the rest of his breakfast taco, and sent both of their dishes into the sink where they began washing themselves as he grabbed his work bag. He and Luna set out at a brisk pace. They passed several busy intersections and a number of street vendors selling their wares. Harry slipped some coins to one of them, and in return was rewarded with a concha that looked to be almost the size of Luna's head. He tore it and offered half to her, and they enjoyed the sweet bread as they walked the remaining nine blocks to the library.

Harry sat down in a far corner of the second floor, near the rooms Luna most often used for her translations. The morning was still early, so there weren't many other patrons at the Biblioteca Magia de Tenochtitlán. He began to categorize his remaining papers to grade. A small pile of graded papers was overshadowed by a formidable stack of unmarked essays. Harry sighed as he set two smaller, more even piles of work further to the side.