Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
If You Can Help Her – Chapter 20 – Getting Back to School
Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione quickly found an empty compartment onboard the train, and sat down.
"Ginny," asked Hermione, "What new classes are you starting this year?"
"Oh," she answered, "I signed up for Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, and Ancient Runes. Ron and Harry warned me about Divination with Trelawney. As Harry's girlfriend, I'd probably be the one with the Grim this year." The others nodded in agreement as a blonde girl with a dazed expression wearing Ravenclaw robes and a string of butterbeer corks hanging around her neck entered the compartment.
"Hello, Ginny, Harry. Is it all right if I sit here?" the girl asked. "The Ravenclaw third years don't want me sitting with them."
"Of course you can sit here, er," Harry racked his brain, trying to remember the girl Ginny had introduced him to at the World Cup, "Luna, isn't it," replied Harry, earning a quick glare from Ron.
"We were hoping that you and your father got away without being hurt during the Death Eater attack," commented Ginny.
"Oh," stated Hermione, who'd never met the girl, "You were at the World Cup. Harry and Ginny must've seen you when they went off alone to, er…"
"Snog," supplied Luna. "I saw them while they were sneaking toward the forest, and Ginny introduced me to Harry before pulling him behind the trees to snog. I hope no nargles infested you." Harry and Ginny looked down as their ears turned pink at this statement. "I'm Luna Lovegood and you are Hermione Granger, and that's Ron Weasley, Ginny's brother. Judging by the way you're holding his hand, I'd say that you two are dating." Now it was Ron and Hermione's turn to slightly blush. "Er, yes Luna, we are dating. So, your family got away fine from the Death Eaters?"
"We got away, but they weren't really Death Eaters. They were Mountain Trolls in disguise trying to get revenge on the muggles for not acknowledging their existence."
Hermione's eyes widened at this statement. "You can't be serious. Trolls aren't intelligent enough, they're too big, and they can't do magic."
"That's what they'd like you to think," explained Luna calmly. "Actually, mountain trolls are extremely intelligent and magical. Not to mention they're really only the size of an average man."
"Trust us, Luna," said Ron, clearly annoyed, "Harry, Hermione, and I have seen a mountain troll up close! They are huge, stupid, and nonmagical!" Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement.
Luna calmly replied, "Then it must have been a baby. They grow smaller and smarter as they age. When they're about six, their magic starts to develop."
Before they could respond to this, Draco Malfoy stepped into their compartment with his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle at his side. "So, Potter, I guess a celebrity like yourself can't resist trying to enter, but I'm curious if one of you Weasels or mudbloods are going to try. There is money involved after all. And who is this weird-looking Ravenclaw with the cork necklace?"
"My name's Luna Lovegood, and you are Draco Malfoy, the worst quidditch seeker at the school."
"Worst seeker!" exclaimed Draco with venom in his voice. "I'm better than Scarhead over here!"
"Then why has he always caught the snitch when you've played against each other?" Luna asked calmly, causing everyone else in the compartment to laugh, including Crabbe and Goyle, until Draco shot them an evil look.
"I've beaten both Diggory and Chang, haven't I," he shouted at Luna as his ears went pink.
"Only after Slytherin beaters put them in the hospital wing, and Cedric Diggory beat you last year," supplied Harry, chuckling. "You actually are the worst seeker at school. It's like Hermione said in second year, you're only on the team because you bought your way in, not because of talent." Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all laughed out loud at that statement.
Draco's face went completely pink at that. "We'll see who's got talent in the tournament this year, and I don't care about the mudblood's opinion!" snarled Malfoy as the three stooges (er, Slytherins) made their way out of the compartment, slamming the door behind them, shattering the glass.
Hermione, still laughing, pointed her wand at the door and cast, "Reparo," in between chuckles.
"What do you suppose Draco meant by the tournament?" asked Ginny.
"I don't know," replied Harry, "and truthfully I don't care what that git was talking about anyway."
At that moment, the door to their compartment opened again, and Neville hopped in with his legs stuck together. "I was just walking and Malfoy saw me and put me in the Leg-Locker curse again! Hermione, can you do the counter-curse?"
"Of course, Neville," she responded, pulling out her wand again and freeing Neville's legs, "You really need to learn to avoid him." She sighed. "Why don't you join us?"
"Hello, I'm Luna Lovegood, and I don't know your name," greeted Luna as he sat down.
"Oh, er, my name's Neville Longbottom," he replied, blushing slightly.
"I should apologize for Malfoy. I got him frustrated here before he left," Luna said.
"You don't have to apologize for frustrating Draco. What did you say to him, anyway?" asked Neville.
"She pointed out the fact that Draco's the worst seeker in the school," answered Ginny.
"And Harry reminded him that he's only on the team because he bought Nimbus 2001's for the whole team," added Ron.
-IYCHH-
After leaving the train and getting past the carriage ride in the heavy rains, as well as Peeves, who'd hit Ron with a water balloon, they found themselves at the Gryffindor table (all but Luna, who'd obviously gone to the Ravenclaw table), with Colin Creevey happily announcing that his little brother Dennis was now attending the school. After a brief discussion of siblings and the houses they're sorted into, the sorting began, placing Dennis, among others, into Gryffindor. Just after Dumbledore began the feast, Nearly Headless Nick mentioned that house elves prepare the meals, so Hermione immediately stopped eating.
"What are you doing, Hermione?" asked Ginny.
"I'm not going to eat a meal prepared by slave labor!" Hermione stated firmly. Harry and Ron just looked at each other for a second, and then mutually decided to stay out of it, and focused their attention back on their plates.
"You've been eating meals prepared by slave labor for the past three years!" stated Ginny, just as firmly.
"But I didn't know then. Now, I do!"
"So, you're not going to eat for the rest of the year?" inquired Ginny sarcastically.
"Er," replied Hermione unsurely.
"How exactly will your starving to death help?" asked Ginny.
"Er, well," answered Hermione.
"There may be some way to help; I don't know. But this won't. All you'll do is make yourself sick, and it won't help the house elves one bit."
"I, I guess you're right Ginny," Hermione admitted as she picked her fork back up and resumed eating.
When the meal was over, Professor Dumbledore surprised everyone by announcing that the Inner-House Quidditch Cup would not take place this year. Before he could fully explain the reason for this tragedy, he was interrupted by a man with a very scarred up face and a magical eye trudging into the Great Hall with one artificial leg. After he'd made his way to the staff table and was announced as Professor Moody, Dumbledore finally announced the reason that quidditch was cancelled.
"As I was saying," he explained, smiling at the sea of students before him, all of whom were still gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
-IYCHH-
Chapter end