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Morning and evening
Maids heard the goblins cry:
“Come buy our orchard fruits,
Come buy, come buy:
Luna stares at everything, trailing behind her parents through Diagon Alley. She can’t help herself; though her home is full of interesting things including her mother’s lab, it’s different to see it outside. There are so many people in differently-colored robes. Mama often wears green or purple, and Papa likes brown. Luna isn’t sure she can name all the colors people wear out here. It’s dazzling.
Some of the shops look like the Muggle buildings they passed before entering the alley, quiet and flat. Others explode with noise and light and color. They sell food here, too! Maybe Mama will let her get ice cream later.
Mama calls for her to catch up. Luna skips ahead until she can hold Mama’s hand. Papa is looking at something in the window of a shop. Mama smiles down at Luna.
“Are you enjoying our trip, Luna?”
Luna nods vigorously. “There’s so much to see!”
“There is.” Mama swings their joined hands. Luna giggles. “Someday, you will be used to seeing this and more. Enjoy the wonder while it lasts.”
Luna isn’t sure what that means. She nods anyway. She holds tight to Mama’s hand as they approach the building with “Gringotts” across the top. Many people pour in and out, winding around each other like snakes. Luna keeps that thought to herself—Papa doesn’t like snakes. Mama and Papa lead her inside, which is even better!
The building is so pretty! The big white columns from inside are here, too, just smaller. The walls are covered in gold and the ceiling bears intricate carvings. Luna isn’t sure what they mean, but they look very nice. She squeezes Mama’s hand as they wait in line. Eventually someone calls them up to the counter.
Mama and Papa are talking about boring things. Mama lets go of Luna’s hand to do something at the counter. Luna slips away. The door glimmers, calling to her. It opens before she can touch it. Magic is so amazing! Luna trots into the hallway.
The hall is dark and quiet; Luna smells moss and dirt as she walks. It's already so different from the room she just left. A light appears at the end of the tunnel, growing larger as she approaches. Luna steps out into place unlike anything she's ever seen.
Wide, spacious, with a ceiling so high it might as well not exist. Rows and rows of stalls spread further than she can see. Luna doesn't know what to call most of the things for sale (she thinks things are for sale; this doesn't look like Diagon Alley did). People call to each other in languages she doesn't recognize. Everyone here is short like her—like the people from the other room. Are they all goblins? Creatures fly high above them, some Luna knows and some she doesn't.
Luna wanders the rows of stalls trying to take everything in. It's impossible, there's too much, but she wants to anyway. She spots a few tall people—humans—doing something at different stalls. One hands something to a goblin and takes a circle of metal off the table. Luna doesn't think he used Galleons, though, or Sickles, or Knuts. What did he pay with, then?
"What are you doing here, little one?"
Luna turns to see a goblin leaning over the stall next to her. She smiles. “I don’t know! A door appeared on the wall and let me in. There’s so much to see.”
“Hm. Yes.” The goblin beckons to Luna. “Come here, child.”
Luna skips over. As she comes closer, the goblin stands straight. She (?) is only a bit taller than Luna. Luna puts her hands and chin on the stall. She thinks the goblin is selling jewelry. “What’s your name? I’m Luna.”
“I am Frostforge. What are you doing here, little moon?”
Luna likes that name. Mama has used it a couple of times, but mostly calls her Luna. She wants to be someone’s little moon. “Mama and Papa are doing something at Gringotts. I don’t know what. I looked around and found a door in the wall. It seemed like it wanted me to come to it?”
Frostforge makes a thoughtful rumbling sound. “Do you think your parents will look for you?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t they?”
Frostforge sighs. “Many reasons you need not worry about, little moon. I suppose we will see if they succeed.”
“What?”
Frostforge only shakes her head. Luna looks at the table again. “Is all this jewelry?”
“Most of it.” Frostforge points out a few pieces Luna thinks look different. “These are trinkets, not for wearing. These are tools. I make and sell them here.”
“Do you work in Gringotts?”
Frostforge shakes her head again. “I live here, in the hidden places of the building, but it is not my calling to work with money. I work metal and am happier for it.”
Luna nods along. “What do you sell them for? I saw a man buy something over there,” she points, “but he wasn’t using money.”
Frostforge gives a crackling laugh. “We take wizard’s money outside. Here, we ask for different things.”
“Like what?”
“It depends.” Frostforge pulls a curl of Luna’s hair over one finger. It glimmers in the light. “Beauty, love, memories. Whatever makes a fair trade. What are you willing to part with, little moon?”
Luna stares at the hair Frostforge holds between them. It seems to glow, spreading from where her finger touches the lock. Brighter and brighter, until it almost hurts to look at. It doesn’t really look like hair anymore. She reaches to touch it.
A hand yanks her away from the stall. Luna turns to see Mama, out of breath, hands on Luna’s shoulders. Papa is a few steps behind her. Luna smiles.
“Luna, where have you been? How did you find this place?” Mama’s hands run all over Luna, checking for something. “Are you okay? How long have you been here?”
“Mama?” Luna stays still while Mama does what she needs to. “I’m okay. I saw a door while you were at the counter and got curious. It’s so pretty here! Frostforge was telling me how things work.”
“I’m sure she was.” Mama’s hands shake when she puts them back on Luna’s shoulders. “Luna, you can’t do that, do you understand me? Don’t walk away without telling one of us. You scared me.”
“I’m sorry. Why were you scared?”
“We thought you were lost.” Mama’s voice does something strange. She kneels to meet Luna’s gaze. “I was afraid you could have been hurt or taken away by someone. I don’t ever want to lose you, little moon.”
“So you did come for her. That’s good.” Frostforge has her chin propped on steepled fingers. “You should be careful in goblin territory. A child could get swallowed up.”
Mama nods to Frostforge, straightening. She takes Luna’s hand again. “Come on, sweetheart. We’re going home.”
“Okay.” Luna waves to Frostforge. “Thank you for answering my questions!”
Frostforge nods. “I will see you again, little moon.”
Mama and Papa both seem unhappy about that, but Luna just nods and follows them home. She looks at the hair Frostforge touched later. It’s not shining bright anymore, but it glints in the light more than the rest of her hair does.
Sweet to tongue and sound to eye;
Come buy, come buy.”
Luna thinks about Frostforge and the goblin market many times over the years. Mama and Papa never take her back to Gringotts. Even after Mama dies, Papa keeps her away. He leaves her at Flourish & Blotts when he needs to stop at the bank. Luna doesn’t mind much. She missed being someone’s little moon, but Flourish & Blotts has plenty of interesting books. Then she’s at school and has many other things to worry about.
She doesn’t think about the market when Nargles are stealing her shoes, except to wonder if Nargles can get in there, too. She doesn’t think about Frostforge when meeting Ginny, because Ginny smiles at her and takes her hand and Luna doesn’t want to forget this moment. She doesn’t think about any of it when playing with the animals in the forest. She can’t think about anything else while running after Harry into the Ministry of Magic.
She thinks about the market a lot when Voldemort has taken the wizarding world by the thoat. She wonders if the market is still open, if Frostforge is still there. Every day, she wonders if she could make it to that little door. She can apparate now, even if it would be difficult to get into Gringotts itself. But Ginny is here, and she puts the thought away for later.
She thinks about the market more when she’s taken away from Papa and locked in a dark basement. The tunnel leading to the goblin market was much nicer. Luna comforts herself with the thought. Mr. Olivander is down here, too. He’s a very nice man, but he’s so frightened. Luna doesn’t catch his name, but they share the basement with a goblin for a while. Luna considers asking about the market but figures it would be rude at this point.
Luna doesn’t think about anything but what steps are next when Harry and Ron are thrown into the basement with them, when she can hear Hermione’s screams above. Harry calls for a house elf she recognizes from school. Dobby is very nice as well, and brave. He takes her to a house by the sea and goes back for Harry. Luna is too tired to really feel it when Harry returns with Dobby’s dead body, but the sight lingers in her dreams.
At the house she starts thinking about the market again, playing with the single lock of hair Frostforge changed. There’s no way she could actually get there, but the thought of a safe place untouched by war is comforting. She puts the thought aside when Neville gets a message out of Hogwarts. It’s time to fight. Luna cannot let herself think of anything else.
Luna shows Harry the way into Ravenclaw tower. Then she fights and fights and fights. Voldemort calls for Harry, and Harry goes. Luna doesn’t want his body to haunt her dreams, so she doesn’t look. Then Harry stands and fights for them all. She cannot think of anything else but this bright, golden moment.
After, she goes back to school. After, the thoughts come again. Luna finds the Hogwarts library, mostly untouched in the war, and reads. She reads about goblins, she reads about creatures she loves, she reads about creatures she’s never seen. She fills her thoughts with reading until her exams are over.
After, Luna goes to Gringotts.
After, the hidden door welcomes her, taller as she is taller.
Luna wanders the rows of stalls without taking anything in. The space is still vast, the ceiling still so high it may as well not be there. Luna still doesn’t know all the creatures that fly above. Everything has changed, and yet nothing.
“Little moon,” calls a familiar voice. Luna turns. Frostforge sits at a stall with jewelry and trinkets Luna recognizes much better now. “Is it you, isn’t it?”
“Hello, Frostforge.” Luna comes to the stall and kneels, chin in her hands and elbows on top of the stall. “I’ve missed you.”
“And I you.” Frostforge studies her closely. “I have heard your name often in recent times. You’ve had an adventurous life since leaving here, haven’t you?”
Luna lets the memories fill her up. “It has been very exciting.”
“I can imagine.”
Frostforge leans in, taking a lock of hair in one finger. Not the same hair; Luna will have two matching locks now. “We were interrupted once, little moon. Do you have anything you would like to trade?”
Luna closes her eyes. The gleam of her own hair follows her. “What must I trade to stay here?”
One may lead a horse to water,
Twenty cannot make him drink.