Addictive Label: I completely understand; the first chapter isn't pleasant, but you should be caught up. The only background information is in the first and last scenes of the chapter, and neither of them is disturbing, just in case you want to double-check. I'm glad you're not a member of the "Harriet/call me Harri" bandwagon, either. To be honest, I just wanted to be a little different.

Disclaimer: How many people did Harry regularly spend time with; two, three when he was dating Ginny? If so, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise; it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Warner Bros., and whoever else she sold the rights to.

Chapter 9
Holding Court

"As to what I did, I decided to send a little, invitation, you could say. Let's see if there is anyone at Hogwarts so lonely that they submit to my compulsion and visit us."

It took a few minutes, but Jen had healed herself and recalled Loki, and Tracey had regained her composure, when the first person came through the door.

The first thing Jen noticed was that their visitor was nearly a man. His body was about the right size, as was his magical core. He looked at the girls and immediately started backing out. "I'm really sorry about barging in like that, I'll just be leaving."

"Nonsense," she replied, moving her satchel into her lap. "There's plenty of space, and we certainly don't mind you joining us. Do you have a problem with it, Tracey?"

The Slytherin was startled for a moment, but she regained her composure with admirable speed. "Not at all. Please, take a seat."

"Thanks." He moved his trunk up to the rack above them and joined Tracey's side of the compartment. "My name's Kenneth, Kenneth Towler."

Jen gave him a slightly sultry smile. "My name is Jen Black. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Towler."

"Tracey Davis." She held out her had for Kenneth to shake. "I know this is probably none of my business, but I remember your name from last year. Weren't you the one that—"

"Yeah, that was me. Bloody Weasley twins," he growled, and Jen caught the embarrassment and anger simmering just beneath the surface.

Deciding to give him a little push, she asked, "I'm sorry, but I wasn't here last year. What happened?"

"From the way I hear it, the twins cursed you with boils so you couldn't make it to your Transfiguration exam."

Kenneth sighed. "They didn't exactly curse me. What happened is that they played a prank on me, or at least tried to. Having itching powder poured in your day clothes is one thing; if it had been just that, I could have dealt with it or changed them during a break. The idiots couldn't do something that simple, oh no. That wouldn't have been 'impressive' enough. Instead, they put some in my pajamas; by the time I woke up that next morning, the powder had irritated my skin enough that I had to stay in the hospital wing until just after lunch, and I still wasn't at my best for the practical portion of my OWL. Thanks to their childish senses of humor, I can't take NEWT level Transfiguration, which is one of my strongest subjects." His bitter rant finished, he looked at the two girls sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Tracey opened her mouth, no doubt to deliver a scathing comment, but Jen smoothly cut her off. "Don't apologize. Now I know to avoid the two of them." Tracey's head turned in her direction, and she flashed a small half-smirk back, one quick enough that Kenneth would miss it. Her friend's ire temporarily soothed, she prompted the boy to elaborate. "So, you're a sixth year. What House?"

"Gryffindor," he replied with a smile, "home of the noble and daring."

This time she was unable to stop the other girl. "Yes, because giving a roommate boils is such a noble thing to do." A wince was her only answer.

"What kind of hobbies do you have at the school?" Jen asked to regain his attention. She might appreciate Tracey's blunt sarcasm, but most others would not. Honestly, it seemed that the Davis family heiress's worst enemy when it came to forming connections was not her blood status, but the mouth she had developed as a result of the prejudice she dealt with.

Kenneth, thankfully, totally missed her verbal maneuvering. "Well, there are a few course clubs; I've heard that Flitwick, the Charms professor, has the most popular one. If you like Gobstones or chess, you can always find someone willing to play, but most of the school would love nothing more than going to Quidditch games every day."

That was something that was becoming very clear to her. Of the dozen student leaders, half of them were involved in the sport. She was willing to do a great deal to forge alliances, but she had much better things to do with her time than constantly practice for a game that she had no interest for. That did not mean, however, that she would actively attempt to alienate those who did. "Do you play, or just watch?"

"I play in an occasional pick-up game, but I'm not on the House team." He scoffed, "I was going to try out for the Seeker position my third year, but that was when Danny Potter came to Hogwarts. The kid somehow got on the team after his first official flying lesson. I don't have a problem that he's on the team, he's a far better flier than I am, but I just wish he had actually attended the tryouts Wood had scheduled. It's the principle of the thing, you know?"

She nodded, but was saved from having to respond by the compartment door opening again. This time, there were two people who entered, both a boy and girl. "Er," said the girl, "is it okay if we join you? We needed to get away from the people we were riding with, and this is the first compartment we found that has space."

"Of course," Jen said. She introduced herself and her current companions, then waited for the newcomers.

The boy was the one to speak up. "I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley, and this is Susan Bones." The now-named Susan had levitated their trunks to rest next to Kenneth's, and they sat together next to Jen.

"I recognize you, Davis, but I've never seen you around," Susan said to her. "Are you related to Sirius Black?"

She nodded. "He's my cousin and Family Head, if that's what you're asking."

"Pretty much. Auntie has been going on all summer about how bull-headed and forceful he is." She blushed and continued in a much quieter voice. "N-not to say she doesn't like him; she thinks he's funny, really." Justin put a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to calm her down. "I had just wondered if you were, maybe, his daughter."

Jen was incapable of halting the chuckles that broke through. "Me, Sirius's daughter? Oh, thank the Baron that isn't true. I'd be a complete wreck."

"Wreck?" Justin asked.

"Yes. Sirius is a big kid at heart, and he loves playing pranks on all of us. More than a little bit annoying, actually.

"I know that Kenneth's a Gryffindor, and Tracey a Slytherin," she ignored the older boy scooting slightly farther away from her 'advisor', "but what about you two?"

They draped their arms around each other's shoulders. "You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal; those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil," they sang, much to Jen's bewilderment. The other occupants both smiled, like they were all sharing an inside joke. Justin saw her confusion and explained, "That was part of the song the Sorting Hat sang our first year to describe what the different Houses are like."

"Hat? You are sorted by a hat?" She huffed, there would be revenge upon her family the next time she saw them. "My aunts were talking about having to duel one of the older students; how you went about it determined which House you were in." This revelation sparked more smiles, and even some light laughter from Susan, who quickly stopped when she saw that she was the only one.

Tracey said, "My mum told me that we had to jump off the Astronomy tower holding a broom, and the staff chose by how close we got to the ground before we tried to fly away."

"My parents said you had to get past a chimera." Kenneth chimed in.

"Auntie made it sound like there were four different tasks, and the one you did best on was the House you would be in."

Justin grimaced. "I didn't have any idea what it would be until we actually did it."

"Why not?" Jen asked. It seems that most families tell tall tales to their children about the Sorting, so why would his family act differently?

Susan held onto his arm. "Justin's a Muggleborn. He didn't know about our world until his letter arrived and he came here." Curiously, that was the strongest her voice had been since the two Badgers had entered.

Ah, of course. That would do it. "I understand," Jen said. "I spent quite a bit of time in the Muggle world while growing up, actually; you have no need to fear any prejudice from me." Her words caused Justin to smile, and Susan to blush brightly.

The door opened once again, leading her to wonder if sending such a wide-ranging compulsion was the best plan for her to start with. She opened her mouth to greet the sixth member of their discussion, but the words caught in her throat. She had felt many magical cores, and all of them had been the same: balls of energy, compressing and expanding in time with the beats of their bearer's hearts. Not this one, though; it was a flurry of motion, twirling and spinning, maintaining a constant speed despite its wild gyrations. Wondering if the girl whose core it was knew the cause of her condition, she mentally reached out, only to be surprised once again. She felt no shields, but heard no thoughts; it was complete emptiness, like there was no one there at all.

"Hello," the unnatural girl said in a dreamy voice. "You must be Jennifer Black."

"I prefer to go by Jen, actually. How did you know my name?"

"Oh, your twillcks told me. You are the first person I've ever met who has more than one; most people don't have any, you know."

"I… see?" None of the others seemed to understand any more than she did, though Justin was obviously unhappy at her presence. "Since you already have my name, would you be willing to give yours?"

"Certainly."

She waited a moment, wondering when the girl would continue. "What is your name?"

"Luna Lovegood." She cocked her head. "You are surprised by me. Strange, since you are rather different, yourself. Few blind people can move as surely as you do."

Was she watching me on the platform?, Jen thought, before Kenneth cut off her musings.

"What do you mean, blind?"

Luna shrugged. "I would think you should ask Jen that question."

Now that all eyes were on her, she brushed her long bangs away from her face. Besides Luna and Tracey, they all gasped when they saw her blindfold.

"I'm so sorry, you should have told us. We didn't mean to be rude." Susan was fretting away, acting like she was due at the gallows for whatever insult she felt had been given. Justin didn't look much better. Are all Hufflepuffs this frantic and pathetic? She waved off any further apologies and used the motion to attempt one of the spells she had found in one of the textbooks for third year that Sirius had bought before he located her. Her cheering charm successfully took hold, bringing Susan down from the verge of hyperventilation.

"I hid the blindfold for this exact reason. I do not want pity or well-meaning but ultimately unnecessary aid. The best way to avoid this, I have found, is to look like I don't need it to begin with." Noting the downcast emotions on their faces, she continued, "I do, however, thank you for your concern."

Luna was still standing, she realized, and entertaining herself by looking intently at the empty air above their heads. Most people would speak with her for only a moment and dismiss her, likely thinking she is insane or mentally deficient in some way; that would be a tremendous mistake. She is observant, that is clear from the fact that she had to have been watching me before we left in order to see that I am blind. There is also her knowing my name. I have not met with anyone else, so there is no reason for someone outside this compartment to know who I am. Either she overheard us when we were introducing ourselves, which means she fought the compulsion enough to hesitate outside the door, or she gained the information in some way I am unaware of, these 'twillcks' she mentioned. I wonder how much else she can discern. This girl could be a valuable ally, a dangerous enemy, or an absolute nobody, and predicting which is the case right now is impossible.

And she was still standing. "Luna, take a seat if you wish."

The odd girl looked at her a moment longer, then reached behind herself and picked up a trunk. Kenneth, acting like the gentleman Gryffindors were reputed to be, took it from her and placed it with the others; the two then sat down in the remaining seats, with Luna in between the Lion and Snake.

Wondering if she was really about to have all four Houses represented in this compartment, Jen asked the newcomer for her House just like she had all the others, setting an avoidance spell on the door at the same time.

"Ravenclaw," she replied. "I'm about to start my third year. Perhaps it will be more enjoyable than the last two."

The other returning students frowned, grimaced, or in Justin's case, cringed. Now Jen was starting to worry. "What happened the last two years?"

"Well, the second half of last year wasn't really that bad," Tracey said. "But for the first half, we all thought your cousin was trying to break in and kill Potter as revenge on his parents, so there were Dementors posted all over." She could understand why this would be a problem; Sirius had explained to her what the Azkaban guards were like, and she never wanted to meet one. Every one of those demons should be wiped off the face of the earth, in her personal opinion.

"The year before that, there was a monster going around and petrifying people," Susan said, looking at Justin. "The Headmaster said that Danny Potter killed it, but he never said how or what it was. There were rumors that it was a basilisk, but no one can explain how it would have petrified when that animal's eyes kill."

"Not to mention that the year before that, one of the corridors on the third floor was out of bounds. Dumbledore warned all the students that trying to go there would ensure a 'most painful death'," Kenneth reminded them.

Tracey scoffed. "And I bet you went looking there the first week."

"I'm a Lion, but that means I'm brave, not stupid."

"So much for Hogwarts being safe," Jen muttered, recalling how Sirius had said that she would 'have lots of fun, maybe prank a few people'. From the way he spoke of the school, the most danger she would be in was being flipped upside down, hence her decision to wear trousers. Perhaps she would continue with her clothing choice, but for the range of motion it offered rather than as a defense against pranking.

Susan leapt into action to reassure her. "Most of the time, it's not that bad. We," she pointed at her Housemate and herself, "didn't have any issues our first year, and like Davis said, last term was fine. Hopefully this year will be more like that than second year."

"Hopefully," Jen repeated, then shook her head. "Enough of this maudlin talk. There's still several hours left in this ride. Does anyone have something to pass the time with?"

Justin rummaged in his pockets for several moments before pulling out a wrapped deck of cards. "I have Exploding Snap, if anyone wants to play."

She reached over and took a card from him. It was charmed to produce soot and a loud noise when it was in contact with another specific card or cards, and she could feel the sunken number in the corners. "The card has an imprint. Sure, I'll give it a chance." He dealt the cards out to the two of them, along with Susan and Kenneth, and began to explain the rules of the game to her.

Tracey frowned lightly. When she had met the heiress of Black, she had hoped she had finally made a friend. Honestly, just having a willing ally would be acceptable, but Jen was showing her Slytherin side and was already cultivating two noticeable connections. Towler, though he hadn't mentioned it, was a prefect, and from the scuttlebutt she had gathered, was in the prime position for becoming Head Boy. Bones, on the other hand, had few personal strengths, but being the niece of the director of the DMLE meant she was still an influential acquaintance. Jen was drifting away from her, and they hadn't even reached Hogsmeade.

Watching the blind girl beating all of her fellow players in the card game, she admitted she understood the underlying reasons. Jen would need to spend time with 'acceptable' people, and if the girl managed to sneak into Ravenclaw like she had suggested, being a Slytherin would make her a liability rather than an asset. The only question would be whether she would be dropped cold-turkey or if there would be a convenient 'argument' where they would completely break ties with each other. She was hoping it was the second; at least that way she could deceive herself for a few months into thinking that the other shoe wasn't about to drop.

The loud bangs and laughter stopped, and she looked for what had caught everyone else's attention, only to realize that the game was still going on.

"You shouldn't worry so much," Lovegood said softly.

Tracey looked at the messy-haired blonde lunatic, wondering what Jen saw in her to ask her to join them. Everyone thought that she was barking mad, and from what she had said earlier, the Snake was having trouble disagreeing.

"Jen needs them, but she will need you, as well." Protruding grey eyes unfocused, Loony could have just as easily been talking to dust motes as to her. "In fact, Tracey Davis, I believe that as her first friend, you will be far more important to her than they. That is, if you don't let your jealousy ruin everything. She hides herself from us, but I would be surprised that she hasn't been more open to you."

A flick of Lovegood's wand and the sound returned, no one the wiser about their little chat. "Just a little advice. It's amazing what you can learn when you simply keep your eyes and mind open." With that, she returned to reading her copy of the Quibbler.

Odd; I thought that people who're completely 'round the twist weren't supposed to make any sense. She should understand hiding your thoughts and motives; it was, after all, an essential skill in the Snake Pit. And hadn't she recognized Jen as a real Slytherin? In that case, the girl would keep her around as long as she still had value, and she had plenty more information to dole out. The blonde's words about being friends she pushed to the back of her mind; there would be plenty of time later to think on them and decide if Jen really saw her like that. Maybe this won't be as bad as I feared.

I've always wondered how other students felt when Harry became the Gryffindor seeker. Who had been practicing, only to be told that the spot was already full? And of those, how many held grudges about it?

Silently Watches out.