Chapter 323: The Crazy Girl in Isolation (Edited)

Yuri couldn't understand why his "old friend" would send him a letter late at night.

As for the private prison, he had some knowledge about it since it was quite likely that he would move to that type of prison in the future. He also knew a bit about how prisoner reception worked there.

In his opinion, it was definitely a secure business, even more exciting than his arms business, although perhaps a bit less lucrative.

But the question was, why would it work out so well for him?

As he continued reading, he realized that his friend had a very strange way of thinking: other private prisons had a special clause in their contracts that they didn't want serious criminals, but his had a special clause for serious criminals—he was doing his country a favor!

Seeing this clause about serious criminals, Yuri thought that this matter could really be successful. Additionally, the issue of fugitives could be easily resolved by building the prison on an island.

At the end of the letter, Tom explained to Yuri the reasons behind his plan of building a prison: raising some creatures unfit to see the light.

Upon reading this, Yuri suddenly realized that the prison was just a façade. Then, a sentence in the letter caught his attention:

[I assure you, this prison hardly needs any guards, and the costs are very low.]

Yuri was surprised. A prison without guards? The situation was somewhat strange, but if he didn't have to hire guards, then the operating costs of the prison would be much lower, and that business could still be profitable.

Even without considering his relationship with Tom, a stable and lucrative business piqued his interest. Yuri made the decision to take action and establish some connections the next day.

...

After hastily writing the letter to Yuri in the owl shed, Tom tied the letter to a pigeon's leg and let it fly towards the window. He watched as the pigeon flew away from his hand and disappeared into the sky. At that moment, a gust of cold wind entered through the open window, causing Tom to shiver. The weather was getting colder and colder.

He quickened his pace and left the owlery. But as he headed to the Ravenclaw common room, he ran into someone familiar: Luna.

Today she was dressed as a student, wearing a black dress with blue stripes, a white shirt, and a blue tie underneath.

In her left hand, she held a stack of flyers and used her right hand to stick them on the wall.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked curiously. He quickly realized his poor choice of words and adjusted his question, "I mean, why are you sticking flyers on the wall?"

"My things have gone missing, someone must have hidden them," Luna recognized Tom and smiled slightly, her hands skillfully placing the flyer on the wall. She had probably done the same thing many times, judging by her adept movements.

Tom took a glance at the contents of the flyer.

[Wanted:

A pair of red and white canvas sneakers

A pair of black schoolgirl shoes

...

Contact: Ravenclaw House, Luna Lovegood].

Tom frowned. "Someone is stealing things? That's despicable."

"Oh, it's quite amusing," Luna replied, always unpredictable. "But the weather has gotten cold lately, so I really should retrieve them."

She took two light, silent steps. It was only then that Tom noticed Luna was wearing only a pair of socks on her feet, with no shoes.

"Can I help you with something?" Tom felt anger building up inside him. He thought Luna's classmates were crossing the line.

It was harassment, it was ostracism.

"No, thank you. My mom always says that lost things always find a way back," Luna calmly responded, as if walking barefoot in the hallways wasn't a problem for her at all.

Tom thought for a moment. "Well, maybe I can be that way. I have a very useful spell here...".

Just as Tom was about to attempt using the summoning spell to help Luna find her shoes, both of them came to a sudden stop. Tom saw a pair of shoes hanging outside the castle window.

"Sometimes, this kind of help can be surprising," Luna said with a happy smile. She ran to the window and took down the shoes.

"Anyway, thank you for your kindness," Luna expressed her gratitude after putting on the shoes. She tucked away the flyers and thanked Tom.

As Tom watched Luna's silhouette move away, he opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. He had no idea how to help this girl who was being excluded. Should he directly confront her roommates? Wouldn't that cause her even more trouble?

"Wait!" However, Tom stopped Luna.

"Is there something else?" Luna stood at the end of the hallway, turning her head to look at Tom with curiosity.

"There's a spell called the summoning spell, it could help you..." Tom pondered for a moment, realizing that teaching Luna the Summoning Charm would be the most practical help.

"Thank you, but I don't think it's necessary," Luna glanced away for a moment and spoke words that puzzled Tom.

How could she quickly find what she had lost without using the Summoning Charm?

Before Tom could finish his sentence, he saw Luna produce a pair of black shoes from behind a suit of armor.

She showed them to Tom and walked away with light, swift steps.

...

"Hermione, this is what happened." In a corner of the common room, Tom recounted to Hermione what had transpired between him and Luna after their encounter.

"That's outrageous!" Hermione frowned as she spoke those words, realizing her voice was a bit loud. Though there weren't many people in the common room at the time, there were still a few sitting around, so she lowered her volume. "How can they treat their classmates like that?"

"I'll go talk to them—" Hermione had just stood up and sat back down in her chair, dismayed. She also realized the insurmountability of the problem. It was genuine rejection that couldn't be resolved with a few words.

Besides, there was also the term called passive aggression.

Hermione sighed; her first impression of Luna hadn't been good either. She thought the girl was crazy, but that wasn't a reason to intimidate her. Hermione found it hard to imagine a Ravenclaw student doing such a thing; it seemed more like something Slytherin would do.

"I suggested she learn the Summoning Charm, but it seems she declined," Tom picked up Crookshanks, who happened to be passing by, and scratched his chin.

"Knowing the Summoning Charm would make things easier for her," Hermione reached out for Tom, taking Crookshanks, and as she watched the large orange cat approach her chest, Hermione suddenly said, "Do you think I should suggest she get a pet?"

"And then she'd say she wants to have a Crumple-Horned Snorkack," Tom shrugged.

"What's that?" Hermione was astounded.