The three of them rode in silence for a time. The meadows and fields could barely be seen beyond the rain that lashed outside the window. Eventually, the food cart came and went. Harry bought his usual stock of sweets and he and Ron and Hermione were enjoying a companionable silence when the compartment door slid open.
Lucienna Malfoy's gaze passed over each of them before coming to rest on Harry. Harry met her gaze, challenging her silently. Unlike Draco, who would never be found without his cronies, Lucienna was alone. Slightly surprised to see this and also slightly surprised that she hadn't immediately hurled an insult at him, Harry remained silent. Finally, Lucienna smirked with the characteristic smugness of her family and extended something towards him.
Harry dropped his gaze and looked at the velvet-covered thing in her hand that she held towards him. Silently, he took it and Lucienna, without a single word, left. Harry stared down at the object and knew that Ron and Hermione were doing the same. As soon as he had seen it, he had thought of the object he had seen Lucius hand to Lucienna on the platform and knew, without confirmation, that this was it.
He moved to unwrap it, but Hermione's voice stopped him. " Harry." Her voice was etched with worry and she was eyeing the thing with more than obvious dislike.
Ignoring this and the nervousness gnawing at him, Harry quickly pulled off the velvet and gaped at the object in his hand. Glancing up, he saw that Ron and Hermione shared his shock and were watching him with worry. Harry looked back down and sighed.
In his hand, was one of the mirrors that he and Sirius were supposed to use to communicate, but never did. Jumping onto his seat, he reached above their heads and groped inside his trunk for the familiar package that he had only unopened once. Finding it, he sank back into his chair and slowly took away the paper.
What he found in his hand, much to their shock, was not his mirror, but a stiff letter. Reading it quickly, he felt a hot anger overtake him. " Look into the mirror." That was all that was written on the paper.
Not quite sure about this, Harry did so and found himself looking into the cold gray eyes of, none other than, Lucius Malfoy. " Missing your mirror, Potter?" Lucius broke into laughter and was gone from the mirror before Harry had a chance to react.
If Malfoy had his mirror then the one he held was obviously Sirius's, but how? He had assumed that the mirror was left at Grimmauld Place when Sirius was killed. Even if it had been on Sirius at the time, he had fallen behind the veil, unreachable to any living person. Either way, Lucius Malfoy had managed to get a hold of the mirror and both concepts held a bad possibility. More pressing was how Lucius had managed to get his hands on Harry's mirror, which had supposedly been in his trunk all summer.
Harry looked up as, for the first time since he was given the mirror, Ron spoke. " How did the Malfoys get them, Harry? How?"
Harry looked back down at the mirror he held before answering, feeling the hot anger fill him once more. " I don't know."
They were quiet as the train stopped at Hogsmeade Station. Students filled the aisles and the platform, heading towards the waiting carriages. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny shared a carriage and talked through the bumpy ride up to the main entrance. Ginny wandered off to join her fifth year friends.
Harry had just entered the entrance hall with Ron and Hermione on either side of him when a mocking voice rang out over the student body, causing all heads to turn.
" No mishaps on the train I trust, Potter."
Harry felt the anger rise in him once again and, despite the pleading look Hermione gave him, turned towards the voice, making his way through the crowd. The crowd parted, making way for the three of them. Lucienna Malfoy stood on the other end of the hall, smirking, with Draco and other Slytherins whose parents he knew were Death Eaters.
Lucienna watched him approach with amusement and stepped away from the Slytherins behind her. Harry glared at her for several seconds. " What's that supposed to mean?"
" Really, Potter. What with your previous years on the train, I half expected for you to run through the aisles, groaning about your lost Mum." Lucienna smiled maliciously. " Or, at the recent turn of events, your dear godfather. He died last year, right?" Harry knew the question was set to rile him and he felt it working.
Lucienna turned away from him and started through the watching students towards the Great Hall with Draco and the others close behind. " And how was it he died!"
" Harry!" Hermione spoke in a hushed whisper as Lucienna stopped in her tracks and every head in the hall turned towards him. Several teachers had come out of the Great Hall to see what the delay was. McGonagall, obviously spying the trouble that was about to take place, ushered the students away from the two groups. Snape made his way quickly through the crowd towards them.
" Wasn't it your dear Uncle? Oh, no, I'm sorry. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course that always seems to be his excuse for being caught, doesn't it!" Harry could feel his face turning red. Lucienna had turned and was facing him, a murderous expression on her face. " Didn't he say the same thing when he was taken in as a suspect for your parents murders!"
Lucienna put a hand out to stop Draco from moving forward. A look passed between them, and Draco, as well as the others, remained stationary as Lucienna walked towards him. Harry stepped away from Ron and Hermione.
" How dare you, Potter." Lucienna, before Harry could react, had whipped out her wand and sent a flash of bright red light towards him. He was hit and sent reeling across the hall into a crumpled heap against the opposite wall, an unexplained throbbing in his head. Lucienna was still coming towards him, a look on her face he had only seen on Lucius as she advanced. Snape was caught in the now unmoving crowd, making a desperate attempt at coming towards them.
Harry, unnoticed by Lucienna, slowly took his wand out of his robes and waited until she was a foot away from him before jumping up. " Haverte Nuctem!" Lucienna had a shocked expression on her face as she flew across the hall and hit the wall with a loud smack. Her training with her Uncle coming in use, she immediately jumped up, ignoring the pain.
" Crucio!" Screams sounded through the hall as the Unforgivable Curse was cast. Harry was hit with an extreme burst of pain and writhed on the ground. Lucienna walked in a slow manner to his place on the floor, not lifting the curse. Blood trickled down her face from the gash over her right eye as a result of her impact with the wall. Snape had managed to break through the crowd and had whipped out his wand. Lucienna didn't see this as her full attention was on Harry, smiling at his obvious pain.
" Expelliarmus!" Snape aimed the disarming spell at Lucienna. Lucienna was thrown back against the wall as her wand flew into Snape's hand. Harry panted as the curse left him. Lucienna had jumped back up and was glaring daggers at Snape. Wiping a hand over her mouth, she saw her lip was bleeding. Snape took Harry's wand away to prevent any trouble and was about to say something as an echoing shout came through the hall.
" LUCIENNA MALFOY!" Lucienna turned, as did everyone else present, and paled at the sight of a furious Dumbledore coming towards them, closely followed by every member of the staff. Several teachers quickly ushered all the remaining students into the Great Hall. Draco and the other Slytherins followed them with a nod from Lucienna.
Dumbledore watched as Hagrid helped Harry to his feet. " Miss Malfoy, Mr. Potter. Professor Snape will be taking you to the infirmary. The other teachers and myself must return to the Great Hall. However, I will be joining you there momentarily." He turned and walked away. Hagrid made sure Harry could stand before following him and the other teachers.
Lucienna caught herself from saying anything to Snape on the way up the stairs. He still carried their wands and was careful to follow them up, watching her closely. Madam Pomfrey, having been excused from the feast, patched up the scratch that Lucienna had and gave a potion to Harry before bandaging his several cuts and leaving the room.
Lucienna sat on the edge of one bed as Harry sat on the edge of another. Both were on different sides of the room. Snape glanced between them. The Lucienna he had met when he was still a Death Eater and still friends with the Malfoys had changed drastically. He scoffed, as he knew this was due to her many influences.
The doors opened with a bang and the three looked up to see an extremely angry Dumbledore in the doorway. Snape easily heard Lucienna's scoff as she muttered, " My heart be still," at the sight of the headmaster. No one else had heard this and Snape decided to delay another wave of fury by not mentioning it.
Snape moved to leave, but Dumbledore stopped him. " No, Professor Snape, I think it is quite necessary that you stay." Snape scowled and readied himself for the explosion, but it didn't come. " Who struck first?" Harry looked at the floor as Lucienna met Dumbledore's gaze in a defiant manner, which Snape knew was very unwise.
" I did." Dumbledore looked at Lucienna.
" Mr. Potter?" Harry looked up at Dumbledore and felt guilt edge into him as he saw the disappointment in his eyes. " You struck back?" Harry nodded and looked back at the floor. " I don't think I need to express my disappointment in both of you. And you Miss Malfoy," Lucienna looked up, mockingly, " you have managed to get in trouble within minutes of your arrival." Dumbledore cast a warning glance at Lucienna who, Snape saw, had a scared look on her face for two seconds before she looked away. " I will, of course, be sending letters to both of your guardians." Snape saw Lucienna's obvious lack of fear at this prospect and knew that, if anything, Lucius would applaud her. Dumbledore heard Harry scoff, knowing that the Dursleys would hardly care. " Yours will be sent to the Weasley family, Harry." At this, Harry paled. " Accordingly, punishments will be given to you by your Heads of House." Snape saw Lucienna look at him before returning her gaze to Dumbledore. " Neither of you will be going to the feast tonight and can spend the remaining time here alone."
Snape saw Lucienna roll her eyes and he cleared his throat, casting her an obvious look. Dumbledore started out of the room with Snape behind him. Snape gave their wands to Dumbledore who shook his head, only taking Harry's, as they headed down the hallway.
" I will give Harry's wand to Minerva. Give Lucienna's hers later tonight when you see her in your office."