This is a mystery story of sorts. So, I can't really tell you much about my main character, Ruby Hartman. Ruby will be the main focus, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione are shown a lot. Also, Dumbledore and Snape. There might be a little romance between Severus and Ruby. But, I'm not sure yet. Please review so I know what you guys think of this and what I can improve :)

I follow the 5th book's events and add my character, Ruby into the mix. I also change up some events too. I 'm really bad at trying to explain this so you better just read it. I hope you guys like it.

Note:Harry's thoughts are in italics.

Another Note: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. I only own Ruby Hartman and whoever else I make up

September 1st

Harry, Ron, and Hermione got on the train as it started to pull away. Harry watched as a big black dog, known as Sirius in his human form, ran alongside the train. He was barking and his tail bobbing behind him but then he was gone as the train pulled away from the platform and picked up speed.

"We should find a compartment before they are all filled," Harry said to his friends.

Ron and Hermione looked nervously at each other.

"Harry, we have to… Ron and I have to sit in the prefect compartment… I'm sorry." Hermione said looking apologetically at Harry.

"Oh… Right… Yeah, that's fine. You guys go on." Harry just remembered that his friends became prefects and he did not.

"Sorry mate. We'll see you later," Ron offered an apologetic smile at Harry.

Harry watched as they walked off. He turned and bumped into Ginny.

"Sorry," they said at the same time. Harry let out a nervous laugh to fill the awkward silence.

"I was looking for you since Ron and Hermione have to sit with the prefects; I thought that we could sit together."

"That sounds great," Harry replied to Ginny.

They went off looking for an empty compartment but they had no luck. On their quest to find a compartment they ran into Neville Longbottom who was having the same trouble as they were.

"Hey Harry, Ginny. I see that you two can't find a compartment either," he said as he held onto his pet frog, Trevor.

"What about this one," Ginny pointed to the compartment in which Neville was standing in front of.

Ginny opened the compartment and inside there were a bag on one side and a girl reading an upside down magazine, "The Quibbler", on the other. Ginny approached closer to the girl, "Hey Luna. Mind if we sit here?"

Luna lowered her magazine and dreamy looked at them. "Oh, no. But she might." She nodded her head to the empty space between the polka dot bag and window. Neville and Ginny looked questioningly at Luna, but Luna acted as if nothing was said. Harry took matters in his own hands.

"She? You mean someone else is… here?" He said wondering if the girl is mentally unstable.

"Yes… You're Harry Potter." Luna stared into Harry's emerald eyes.

"Yes, I am. Now whose stuff is this?"

"Please sit, the wrachspurts are floating around you," Luna responded smoothly.

Harry gave Ginny a "What the heck?" look. Ginny ignored Harry and preceded to sit next to Luna. Harry takes a sit across from Ginny and next to the mysterious bag. Neville sat next to Ginny and regrettably asked, "What are floating around?"

Luna looks at him as if he grew a second head. "You don't know what a wrackspurt is?" She looked at each of them and sees the confused look on their faces. She continues to explain. "Wrachspurts are invisible and can enter a wizard's mind and jumble his thoughts. They can be anywhere at any time!" She looked very serious and her eyes were big. One could tell she very much believed in this strange creature. This creature couldn't possibly exist… right?

Harry was pulled out of his thoughts when Ginny asked about Luna' summer. She decided to drop the subject of floating thought scramblers. Before Luna could reply, Harry interrupted.

"We would love to hear about your summer but whose bag is this?" He touched the bag next to him.

"Oh, that belongs to some lady. She was here before me and she let me sit here." She started to look at her magazine again.

"Some lady?" Harry questioned. Maybe this 'lady' is invisible like those creatures?...

"Yeah, I think she went to the loo. She told me to watch her stuff for her."

Harry pondered this information, which wasn't that much info. Luna called her a 'lady'. What exactly does that mean? What qualifies a woman to be called a lady? Is she a 7th year? Or does it mean she is elegant? Should I go through her bag? He looks at the bag. No, that would be wrong. But what if she is a Slytherin or worst, a Voldemort follower? Wait, if she is why would she allow Luna to sit with her? Harry, you need to stop being so paranoid about everything and everyone.

The chattering of the other three and Harry's paranoid thoughts abruptly stopped at the sound of the compartment door sliding open. Harry held his breath when the owner of the mysterious bag of secrets was revealed.

The person revealed wasn't anything Harry was expecting. Then again, he didn't know what to expect. She was definitely older than a 7th year, but she was younger than 30. She was around 5ft 5in (165cm) tall and a slim frame. She wore a beautiful dark blue dress that reached her knees and had long sleeves. The color of her dress paralleled her own color of her eyes of dark pools of blue. This gave contrast to her light skin color. Her hair was a golden brown color that fell with a slight wave to her bosoms.

She looked confused at first then expressed a smirk. "Looks like a population explosion has happened while I've been gone."

Luna opened and closed her mouth, Neville looked at the floor, Ginny was dumbfounded, and Harry just stared at her.

"It's alright. I know there aren't that many compartments," she said with a smile

She went over to her sit and sat down. She looked around at everyone and noticed their confused expressions but didn't get the hint that they were confused about her. "What's wrong?"

"Not to be rude, but we have no idea who you are or why you are on this train." Ginny's attempt to sound strong but it came out to meekly.

"That's right," the lady's eyes lit up because now she knows what's going on. "I'm Ruby Hartman and I'm the new muggle studies professor from the States." She smiled at them.

Ginny immediately diverted her eyes to a spot on the floor, feeling ashamed that she talked to a professor in such a way. Neville looked shell shocked and Luna had that dreamy faraway look, again. Harry just studied her.

Feeling the awkwardness, Ruby explained to Ginny, "Hey, don't feel bad about your question. I would have done the same thing. Anyway, I like when students ask questions." Ginny looked up at her. Ruby gave her a reassuring smile and added, "As long as they aren't stupid questions." She exposed a bigger smile and nodded to her own statement. Ginny smiled back and felt more relax.

"Well… Are any of you taking muggle studies?" Ruby questioned.

"Yup" and a "Yes, ma" resounded from Ginny and Neville. Luna said she wasn't taking muggle studies because she is taking divination and ancient runes instead. They all look to Harry because he was the only one that didn't answer.

"Yeah…" He sounded disappointed. "Hermione thought it would be a good idea and she is very persistent."

"Don't sound so down. Maybe the professor before me was boring and had irrelevant assignments and facts to memorize but trust me, my class will be anything but boring… I hope. We'll see." Ruby told Harry and others.

"What do you have planned?" Harry asked.

"That's a secret for now. Don't worry, it will all be revealed on the first day. But, I can tell you, my class is going to be unlike your other classes." She looked quite serious when unfolding this information.

"Well, I'm going to read my book and listen to music. You can talk amongst yourself. Don't worry; I wouldn't be able to hear what you guys are saying with my headphones in." Ruby opened her bag and pulled out a book and what looked to the others, a strange square like device with white thread coming out of it in which she stuck each end in each ear. But to a non-magical folk, it is known as an iPod.

The four students, well three, Luna was too engrossed with her magazine, gave each other the look that said "What just happened here?" They look back at Ruby, or Professor Hartman, and she is tapping her foot along with the noise coming from the device and reading her book. Harry caught the title Fahrenheit 451. "Must be a muggle book" Harry thought.

The four of them talked about their summer and about how they hope classes will go. They tried to ignore the woman reading a muggle book, listening to an unknown device, and resting her right elbow on her polka dot bag of mysteries.