Though he didn't want to admit it, Draco Malfoy's journey to Hogwarts by train had been a particularly unpleasant one.
He'd bumped into Potter in the corridor, but had barely been given the opportunity to taunt the boy before Pansy showed up and pulled him into a compartment. The ride consisted of listening to her prattle on about her summer, even when he pointedly pulled out a book and began to read it.
In an effort to avoid her, Draco slipped into a restroom as the train pulled to a stop, taking his trunk with him. He locked the door behind him and released the levitation spell on his trunk, turning to inspect his reflection in the mirror.
Summer had not been kind to him; it had been filled with whispers of Death Eater meetings. His mother seemed afraid even in her own home, and Draco himself knew that the rumors of the Dark Lord's return was a sensitive topic in the household.
The boy that looked back at him in the mirror narrowed his eyes. His blonde hair was slicked back as usual, but Draco had put in extra effort to make sure not a hair would be out of place. Although his sharp cheekbones had filled out nicely, weeks spent cooped up studying spells had given him a pale, ghostly color. Straightening his tie, Draco unlocked the bathroom door.
There were very little students left on the train by now. Draco checked furtively for Pansy before stepping out towards the direction of the thestral-pulled carriages.
From the corner of his eye, Draco noticed Crabbe and Goyle climbing into the first carriage in line. But before he could follow them, Pansy caught the door and climbed in with them, obviously expecting Draco's appearance.
Grimacing, Draco turned abruptly and climbed into the last carriage, shutting the door behind him.
"Oh, hello."
Jerking around, Draco narrowed his eyes at the Ravenclaw before him.
Luna Lovegood regarded him with calm blue eyes. In her lap sat a collection of what appeared to be handmade earrings.
"Lovegood," snapped Draco. "I didn't notice this carriage was already occupied."
He placed a hand on the carriage door, flicking his wand at his trunk, but before he could pull the latch she spoke.
"I imagine the carriages will all be full by now, Draco." said Lovegood brightly. "But don't worry. I don't take up much space. You can sit next to me if you'd like."
Ignoring her, Draco resigned himself to settling in the seat across from her, eying her contraptions with distaste.
The earrings appeared to all have the consistent theme of vegetable: there were four finished pairs, excluding the pink radish ones hanging from her ears. She was currently working on a sixth, humming softly as she poked a hole through.
"Onions?" said Draco disparagingly. "As if you weren't strange enough; you'd like the smell to linger?"
"Oh, they don't smell too much," assured Lovegood, keeping her eyes on the small onions in her palm. "They did make my eyes water, but I've decided to give them a chance anyway. The radish pair did stain my earlobes pink, but now they're my favorite pair."
Rolling his eyes, Draco crossed his arms and turned away.
He had just shut his eyes when she spoke again. "Did you have a very good summer?" She didn't seem particularly hurt when he chose not to respond. "I had a pretty pleasant one, I think. Daddy and I went hunting for Wrackspurts. It's a bit of a tradition of ours, I think. They're most active in the summer, anyway."
Wrackspurts. Of course. Only Loony Lovegood's father would be willing to spend a summer looking for imaginary creatures with her.
"I didn't have much success," admitted Lovegood. "But I did see Harry on the train today, and there seems to be a great deal of wrackspurts around him."
At that, Draco opened his eyes and quirked his eyebrow. "Why would that be?"
"Well, they were mostly interested in his hair," said Lovegood cheerfully. "He really doesn't brush it at all, does he?"
The conversation was getting dangerously close to making fun of Potter. Draco could feel his interest peaking; usually it was him who had to come up with the clever remarks. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to enjoy just listening.
"Hermione's hair is neater, but it gets so frizzy that I imagine the Wrackspurts would have a ball in hers as well," continued Lovegood. "Would you hold these for me, please?"
Draco stared at her extended palm, then in the manner of a man about to be taken to his execution, accepted the tiny onion earrings.
"Thank you, Draco," said the girl, bringing her eyes up to meet his. She smiled brightly before picking up her pair of carrot earrings and holding them up for inspection.
Draco coughed. "It's Malfoy."
"Oh, I much prefer Draco. After all, friends don't call each other by their last names, do they?" Lovegood's laugh was as strange as hers - they sounded like tiny, rusty bells.
Draco. He tested the name in his head. His friends rarely called him by his first name. In fact, with the exception of his mother and Pansy, Draco couldn't remember the last time someone had called him by his first name.
As the carriage ride continued, Draco found himself in a strangely pleasant situation. Lovegood didn't seem to mind that he didn't want to speak; she spoke about her summer, about her earrings, Potter, and anything that she noticed from outside the window. And though it hurt him to admit it, Draco found himself enjoying the Ravenclaw's calm demeanor.
When the carriage slowly rolled to a stop, Draco could not help but feel sorry. He uncurled the onion earrings nestled in his palm, and as Luna stepped out of the carriage, he held them out to her silently.
Luna inspected them in his palm, then shook her head. "Keep them."
"Keep them?" asked Draco, baffled. "I don't - "
The Ravenclaw smiled. "You'll need them," she said kindly.
"Draco!" The Slytherin turned just in time to catch Pansy as she knocked into his arms.
He felt the onion earrings fall from out of his hand. "Pansy."
"Where were you?" demanded the dark-haired girl. "I looked everywhere - what are you doing with her?"
"I came late, and all the carriages were filled," improvised Draco, letting the girl give him a kiss.
Pansy turned abruptly to face Lovegood, who was watching the exchange while putting her earrings in her bag. She sneered. "Get lost, Loony."
Lovegood shut the flap on her bag then looked up at Pansy, tilting her head and considering the girl before her. Finally, with an air of finality, Lovegood said, "I don't like you very much, I think. Goodbye, Draco."
Draco felt the corner of his mouth rise, and he had to turn to suppress a smile. Pansy laughed, but as Lovegood strode away, Draco had a feeling that was perhaps the rudest thing the Ravenclaw had ever said.
"Come on," commanded Pansy, turning to head towards the direction of the castle.
Draco watched Lovegood walk away for a moment. She seemed content walking by herself, something Draco's father would never approve of. He'd been taught to always walk with allies next to him, and never alone in public places of influence. But watching the girl who had been raised so differently and was so unabashedly, well, Lovegood, Draco felt...odd.
Before he could change his mind, he bent down and scooped up the onion earrings from the ground, slipping them in his pocket quickly. Then, levitating his trunk behind him, the Slytherin strode after Pansy.
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- Sam