"We'll be in touch with your aunt and uncle, boy. And if you want to
go back to them for Christmas tell Dumbledore and we'll be in touch."
"Yeah, Harry. I know how much you miss the Dursleys already." Tonks gave him one of her customary grins.
Together, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny boarded the train. Harry turned to wave goodbye to Tonks and Moody, but they were already gone.
"We've got to go to the Prefect car. We'll be back when we can, Harry," Hermione told him.
"Find an empty car and we'll find you," Ron said.
Ginny said to Ron, "We have to go, we're going to be late." She fondled her Prefect badge happily. She was the fifth Prefect in the family; everyone of her brothers had been a Prefect with exception of the twins. Ron and Hermione started off toward the Prefect car but Ginny stayed, and whispered to Harry, "Go to the last car, Harry. I had a friend save seats." She turned and followed her brother.
Harry dragged his trunk down to the last car and opened the door. Luna Lovegood was staring out the window; her hair in its usual disarray blonde straggly dirty blonde hair sticking out in all directions with her wand tucked behind the ear for safekeeping. She was reading the Quibbler, her father's magazine. Harry sat down across from Luna and hoped she wouldn't say anything to him. A few minutes went by in silence. He was looking out the window when she suddenly said, "Hello, Harry."
"Er, hey, Luna. How was your summer?"
"Good. I've taken a job working on the Quibbler. I get to write articles now." She handed him the magazine she'd been reading.
Harry took it and couldn't help but notice her pink and green striped nail polish. Her protuberant eyes looked glazed and faraway, just as he remembered. Those eyes had haunted him throughout the summer, appearing randomly in his thoughts.
"Sirius is still with you, you know."
"Huh?" Harry blinked in surprise.
"You remember him, right? So, he never really left."
Harry didn't respond. Sirius was the closest thing he had to a father. His death had haunted him this past summer like that of Cedric Diggory, who had been a fellow student at Hogwarts, had the summer before.
"The woman Daddy is dating brought over an edition of the Prophet. I read all about Sirius's acquittal. Sometimes I still sense my mum. Right here with me."
"Er, that's nice." Harry hoped Ron and Hermione came back soon. Or even Ginny. Where was Neville? He handed back the magazine.
The door opened.
"Potter," spat a tall blonde boy with something of a rat look about him. He was flanked by his thugs Crabbe and Goyle. "He's going to get you this year. The Dark Lord will kill you, if I don't do it first after what you put my family through. Who's this? Potter, you finally found someone as crazy as you. Is she your new girlfriend? I'm sure that Weasly wench is heartbroken."
"Knock it off, Malfoy." Harry was surprised to find he'd taken out his wand. Draco Malfoy had done the same.
"Make me. You're going to pay for what you said in that magazine. I've been brushing up on the Unforgivables this summer. You'll suffer, you'll suffer and then you'll die. Cru-"
"Silencio! Ardebam! Ardebam! Ardebam!"
Harry looked at Luna and then at the boys in the doorway. Still clutching the magazine in her fingers she glanced up and had cursed all three of them. Then she dropped her gaze back down to the article she'd been reading and stuck her wand behind her ear again.
Meanwhile Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were screaming, although the screams were muted. Harry could see their mouths working but not a single sound came out. And they were on fire. She'd set their robes on fire! Harry glanced down at the girl reading the Quibbler with newfound respect. Maybe she wasn't quite as dumb as she looked; then again, where turnip earrings it was hard not be. Harry pushed them out into the hall and slammed the door shut. He grinned. When he looked back at Luna she was thumbing through her magazine looking for a new article, and reading it sideways.
Harry sat down and began to stare out the window again, bored out of his skull. The compartment door opened again.
"Hi, Harry."
"Hey, Neville. What's up?"
"I saw Malfoy and them out in the hall. They're running to the bathroom trying to find some water. Did you do that to them, Harry? Malfoy nearly wet himself!" Neville sat,0 laughing.
"Not me." He nodded at Luna, who was still absorbed in her magazine.
"Her? She did that?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah."
The door opened yet again. "Harry! Neville! We heard about what happened to those Slytherins. Hannah told us. Which one of you did it?" asked Hermione.
"It wasn't us."
"Then who was it?" asked Ron, looking around and seeing only Luna.
Ginny grinned, "It was you, Luna. Wasn't it?"
Luna glanced up from her reading, "They were getting on my nerves. Ginny, did you know the whales are really super-intelligent beings from another planet? They have plans to overthrow the Muggles."
Hermione rolled her eyes and everyone else, except Luna who was oblivious behind her magazine, burst out laughing.
"Yeah, Harry. I know how much you miss the Dursleys already." Tonks gave him one of her customary grins.
Together, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny boarded the train. Harry turned to wave goodbye to Tonks and Moody, but they were already gone.
"We've got to go to the Prefect car. We'll be back when we can, Harry," Hermione told him.
"Find an empty car and we'll find you," Ron said.
Ginny said to Ron, "We have to go, we're going to be late." She fondled her Prefect badge happily. She was the fifth Prefect in the family; everyone of her brothers had been a Prefect with exception of the twins. Ron and Hermione started off toward the Prefect car but Ginny stayed, and whispered to Harry, "Go to the last car, Harry. I had a friend save seats." She turned and followed her brother.
Harry dragged his trunk down to the last car and opened the door. Luna Lovegood was staring out the window; her hair in its usual disarray blonde straggly dirty blonde hair sticking out in all directions with her wand tucked behind the ear for safekeeping. She was reading the Quibbler, her father's magazine. Harry sat down across from Luna and hoped she wouldn't say anything to him. A few minutes went by in silence. He was looking out the window when she suddenly said, "Hello, Harry."
"Er, hey, Luna. How was your summer?"
"Good. I've taken a job working on the Quibbler. I get to write articles now." She handed him the magazine she'd been reading.
Harry took it and couldn't help but notice her pink and green striped nail polish. Her protuberant eyes looked glazed and faraway, just as he remembered. Those eyes had haunted him throughout the summer, appearing randomly in his thoughts.
"Sirius is still with you, you know."
"Huh?" Harry blinked in surprise.
"You remember him, right? So, he never really left."
Harry didn't respond. Sirius was the closest thing he had to a father. His death had haunted him this past summer like that of Cedric Diggory, who had been a fellow student at Hogwarts, had the summer before.
"The woman Daddy is dating brought over an edition of the Prophet. I read all about Sirius's acquittal. Sometimes I still sense my mum. Right here with me."
"Er, that's nice." Harry hoped Ron and Hermione came back soon. Or even Ginny. Where was Neville? He handed back the magazine.
The door opened.
"Potter," spat a tall blonde boy with something of a rat look about him. He was flanked by his thugs Crabbe and Goyle. "He's going to get you this year. The Dark Lord will kill you, if I don't do it first after what you put my family through. Who's this? Potter, you finally found someone as crazy as you. Is she your new girlfriend? I'm sure that Weasly wench is heartbroken."
"Knock it off, Malfoy." Harry was surprised to find he'd taken out his wand. Draco Malfoy had done the same.
"Make me. You're going to pay for what you said in that magazine. I've been brushing up on the Unforgivables this summer. You'll suffer, you'll suffer and then you'll die. Cru-"
"Silencio! Ardebam! Ardebam! Ardebam!"
Harry looked at Luna and then at the boys in the doorway. Still clutching the magazine in her fingers she glanced up and had cursed all three of them. Then she dropped her gaze back down to the article she'd been reading and stuck her wand behind her ear again.
Meanwhile Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were screaming, although the screams were muted. Harry could see their mouths working but not a single sound came out. And they were on fire. She'd set their robes on fire! Harry glanced down at the girl reading the Quibbler with newfound respect. Maybe she wasn't quite as dumb as she looked; then again, where turnip earrings it was hard not be. Harry pushed them out into the hall and slammed the door shut. He grinned. When he looked back at Luna she was thumbing through her magazine looking for a new article, and reading it sideways.
Harry sat down and began to stare out the window again, bored out of his skull. The compartment door opened again.
"Hi, Harry."
"Hey, Neville. What's up?"
"I saw Malfoy and them out in the hall. They're running to the bathroom trying to find some water. Did you do that to them, Harry? Malfoy nearly wet himself!" Neville sat,0 laughing.
"Not me." He nodded at Luna, who was still absorbed in her magazine.
"Her? She did that?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah."
The door opened yet again. "Harry! Neville! We heard about what happened to those Slytherins. Hannah told us. Which one of you did it?" asked Hermione.
"It wasn't us."
"Then who was it?" asked Ron, looking around and seeing only Luna.
Ginny grinned, "It was you, Luna. Wasn't it?"
Luna glanced up from her reading, "They were getting on my nerves. Ginny, did you know the whales are really super-intelligent beings from another planet? They have plans to overthrow the Muggles."
Hermione rolled her eyes and everyone else, except Luna who was oblivious behind her magazine, burst out laughing.