Seymour waited with his eyes closed for the pain to reach his face but then opened them again when a shrieking scream pierced the mayhem. Pansy Parkinson was hoping about around the carriage and pushed both Malfoy and Crabbe out of the way before running full pelt down the train grabbing at her hair and clothes as if she were on fire.
Crabbe and Malfoy had lost all interest in Seymour and stared after the frantically hysterical girl with confused looks pasted over their faces. Then as if triggered by some invisible force Malfoy also started grabbing at his robes. "Ahh!" he scream clawing at his face and pulling his hair frantically. He grabbed Crabbe by the shoulder and pointed furiously at his face screaming at his bodyguard. "Get rid of it, get rid of it!"
Crabbe just looked at him like he was insane and shrugged his shoulders. "Do what I tell you, now!" he screamed again covering the boy in spit. Crabbe looked unsure but arched his fist that was intended for Seymour and swung it hard into Malfoy's face which in turn sent the silver haired snake flying back against the carriage window. He crumpled like a clotheshorse and looked up at Crabbe with a look of fury. "Not me you stupid lug!" but these words didn't reach Crabbe's ears as he too was now dancing around on the spot ripping at the neck of his jumper and stamping his feet on the floor. He flung his ams about wildly striking Malfoy again about the head and then tearing off in the same direction as Pansy. Draco still trying to pull his skin off rushed to his feet sporting a bloody nose and took off in the same vein as the other students laughed at their departure.
Seymour sat for a while looking in the direction of his fleeing attackers before pushing himself up and rubbing the back of his head feeling a massive lump beginning to form which throbbed and twinged with pain. He brushed off his clothes before stumbling into his carriage to be greeted by Luna who was smiling politely up at him with a look of triumph on her face.
"Are you alright?" she asked swapping her smile for a look of concern. Seymour pondered his answer before deciding things could have turned out a lot worse.
"Yeah, dented pride and a nasty lump on the back of my head but… yeah not bad." he forced a smile and sat back down in the seat opposite her. "What the hell happened back there? It was as if they were on fire or something." he pictured Malfoy and co tearing at them selves again and wondered what could have forced them to take off running like that.
Luna just smiled and picked up her copy of the Quibbler opening it up to an article about flying razor crabs and disappearing behind it. "It's a mystery." she calmly added leaning out her hand to the side and patting the now open brown box sat beside her.
"How did you know that would work?" asked Seymour as he helped Luna with her trunk off the heaving train.
"I didn't." she replied calmly, giving one last look down the train carriage before looking defeated. "I wish they hadn't run off after them though." she declared putting her luggage with the rest of the students. "I was really looking forward to setting them free." she frowned and quickly pulled another copy of The Quibbler out of her bag before returning to his side. How she could find the freedom setting of a creature she couldn't even see gratifying was beyond Seymour but he was glad she had thought so quickly for if not he would have been sporting a fair few bruises to match the lump on his head.
"Maybe it's for the best Luna, they might have destroyed the forest when you think about it, didn't you say they liked to craft things out of wood? They could have gone through the entire forest before the end of term from the looks of it."
Luna thought on this before smiling happily at Seymour and nodding. "Yes you could be right there Seymour. Maybe it was for the best." she skipped in front of him and Seymour trailed behind her trying not to pay attention to the stares the two were now receiving.
The first years departed from the rest as they made there way to their boats which would sail across the lake to the castle. Everyone else made their way towards a small clearing on the edge of the Forbidden forest which contained row after row of ancient looking black carriages, each one being pulled by a Thestral. Seymour already knew about these creatures and the reason behind him being able to see them but he was surprised however to see Luna trot over to one of the beasts and place a soft hand on it bony nose and rub it gently.
"You can see them too then Luna?" he asked, half of him wouldn't have been surprised if she couldn't and that she merely assumed something to be there.
"Oh yes, beautiful creatures Thestrals. They get a lot of bad things said about them because of the whole death thing but I think they are rather charming." she gazed at the creature lovingly and then back at Seymour.
"You won't say that if it takes your arm off." he noted drawing up to her side and also patting it on the back.
"No, you wouldn't do that would you?" she asked the Thestral which merely registered her remark as a passing wisp of the wind. "I can see them because I saw my mother die when I was nine, a spell she was working on went wrong and killed her." she explained to Seymour her face wasn't with him though it appeared to be off somewhere else lost in thought.
"That's awful." blurted out Seymour and he instantly went to say sorry for being so tactless but she nodded at him and smiled warmly. "It is isn't it. I hope she's managed to get it right by the next time I see her."
Seymour thought of his own mother and how he'd always imagined her playing Quidditch all day if there was an afterlife and nodded sincerely. "Yeah, I bet she has. There's probably no limits on the other side is there? I bet the first thing my mum will want to do when I see her is chuck me in goal so as she can take shots at me." Seymour laughed and remained fondly in this thought for a few seconds before looking back at Luna who was also looking rather more cheerful.
"Is that why you can see them then?" she asked giving the Thestral another stroke down it's spine. Seymour explained to her about his mothers death and she patted him on the arm but said nothing, she just continued to listen and then frowned once he mentioned trying out for the Quidditch team this year because his mother had been on the same team.
"Aren't you scared though Seymour?" she asked looking directly at him. "I mean after seeing something as terrible as you have, aren't you worried the same thing might happen to you?" her blunt but true statement had hit the nail right on the head and Seymour was taken back for a second as he looked at the girl in front of him.
"Well… yeah I guess it's always at the back of my mind but I don't think she'd want me to quit over it." he smiled at Luna who thought on this and nodded in agreement.
"You're right, my mother wouldn't have wanted me to give up being a witch just because she got a spell wrong." she gave the Thestral one final pat and then stepped up into the carriage sitting herself comfortably in the end seat and opening her magazine.
Seymour looked around him searching for any of his friends but only spotted Robin who was waving to him from two carriages down, he was sitting in between Parvati Patel and Lavender Brown and looking thoroughly smug. He pointed at the two girls between him, gave Seymour a thumbs up and then motioned with his hands to shoo him away. Seymour laughed to himself and shook his head in dismay before deciding to clamber into Luna's carriage which was also occupied by two other Ravenclaws he didn't know and two Gryffindors, Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas.
He sat into the seat opposite Luna who looked up from her reading material and smiled before going back to "The hidden meanings of Muggle Telephone directories and the secrets they hold."
The dignified old coach rumbled over the harsh terrain and bumped along it's seasoned route towards the grand old castle of Hogwarts School. Seymour leaned against the open window and breathed in the fresh countryside air which purified and purged his sullied lungs still churning the polluted atmosphere of busy London. The great open fields of yellow and green gave way to the thick and dark realms of the Forbidden forest which stretched out as far as the eye could see casting the road ahead in a eerie gloom as the moon winked from inbetween the large trees. The bare twisted branches reached out hungrily from the outskirts as if waiting to grab an unsuspecting passer by. The sound of students laughter warmed to chilly September breeze with the occasional unidentified grumble emanating from the forest for good measure.
The pleasant calm of the journey was cut short however when a coach full of third year Slytherins rolled past them. One boy a particularly weasely looking student spotted Luna sitting in the window opposite them and he quickly conducted the rest of his group into a emotive rendition of "Loony Luna loopy lord of the losers" breaking out in a cackle of laughter and pointing in her direction. Seymour glared at the occupants of the carriage but Luna on the other hand merely smiled politely and looked upon them as if it was a friendly joke and then went back to reading.
Seymour failed to hide his annoyance and sat forward in his seat peering into her face. "Doesn't that get on your nerves? Why Don't you say something back, really stick it to them. They'll just carry on if you don't." he didn't want to sound like he was preaching but couldn't deny he felt troubled by her lack of concern.
"Oh no." she replied looking up at him with a forced smile. "I'm sure they mean no harm, just a bit of playful joshing. I don't really give them much of an option do I? I don't know if you've noticed yet Seymour but I'm a little odd." she smiled at him more earnestly now and Seymour couldn't help a grin crack over his lips.
A deep purple sky now hung over their heads as the long journey came to an end just outside the gates to the school. Large groups of robed students piled out of their carriages and all congregated in front of Professor Snape who said very little and lead them up to the large oak doors of the castle. Nothing had changed since Seymour's last visit and it was comforting to him to finally be back within it's spacious grey stone halls. It appeared that Luna felt the same way as she smiled fondly at her surroundings and took in everything like meeting an old friend again.
"It's good to be back." she announced cheerfully as she waved in the direction of Nearly Headless Nick who smiled back busy readjusting his crooked head.
"It is isn't it?" Seymour replied shaking off the remaining creak from his bones brought on by the long trip.
"Oh you'll have to come and feed the Thestrals with me, they are ever so sweet and have you ever been in the room of requirement before? I could show you that too… and what about Hagrid's Blast Ended Skrewts? I wonder how they're getting on, it would be worth paying him a visit too don't you think?" she was almost quivering with excitement like a child talking about fairground rides and it seemed to be rubbing off on Seymour as he nodded and went along with her but reminded Luna that there was a feast they needed to attend first of all.
Making their way into the great hall they were greeted with large elegant banners of Red, Green, Gold and Blue. All the houses were represented proudly and the enchanted ceiling showed the now pitch black cloudless sky speckled with a thousand tiny white dots. The four long house tables stretched the length of the room and rows and rows of gold plates and empty platters were set out waiting to be filled with delicious food. Luna waved and wandered off to her house table and Seymour was on the verge of following behind her when a hand grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.
"Where do you think you're going Seymour?" Robin asked with a large wide grin on his face. "You're a Gryffindor remember? Ravenclaw's for the loonies and weirdos… actually why weren't you put in that house again?"
Seymour shot him a disgruntled look before smiling back and slinking away from Luna and towards his own house.
"What happened to Parvati and Lavender Rob? Don't tell me you're losing your touch?" They both slumped onto the Gryffindor bench as Robin shrugged and smirked in the direction of the two girls ignoring him only a few seats away.
"All I suggested was that Lavender would be a lot happier if she left me and Parvati alone for a while and she got all offended and called me a Glubberworm. They didn't talk to me for the rest of the journey, I should have joined you in your carriage with your Loony new friend."
Seymour frowned at his him and was sorely tempted to tell him about Ginny and Dean but was cut short when Alice sat into the seat next to him with a heavy sigh joined by a rather jaded looking Lloyd who ghosted into the seat next to Robin and slumped his head into his arms and remained silent.
"Have fun?" asked Robin looking thoroughly amused at his friends rather frayed appearance.
"It's not meant to be fun." Alice shot back rubbing the temples of her head and glaring at him. "It's hard work, something you know nothing about. There's so much to remember and so much responsibility." she looked genuinely exhausted and gave a concerned glance over at Lloyd who had yet to move from him slumped state.
"What happened to lion heart here?" asked Robin slapping his friend on the back.
"Well… he… err… ran into a bit of trouble when he tried to discipline some students on the train. I merely suggested he start doing it now to get used to it and they were being really obnoxious ranting on about pure-bloods and picking on some new students. Lloyd did his best but they didn't take too kindly to being told off and chucked a load of stink bombs at him, then they tripped him up and ran off." she tried to lean over the table to pat him on the arm but couldn't reach so merely sat back down and looked over at her other two friends.
"That's was bang out of order Lloyd but it sounds like there was a few of them so don't get to disheartened. Me and Seymour have been given a fair few kickings before as well." Robin tried his best to cheer his friend up and looked over at Seymour for support.
"All that stuff about pure-bloods, it's ridiculous. You were right to give em a telling off. It's hardly brave picking on first years… they were Slytherins I take it?" asked Seymour glancing over at Alice after Lloyd failed to stir. Alice shifted uncomfortably in her seat and shook her head.
"No… that's the thing… they…. they were new students too."
"What they were first years?" asked Robin looking confused.
"Yeah… but there's was at least five of them." added Alice looking anywhere but Lloyd who for the first time since sitting down moved but only to sink his head deeper into his arms.
Seymour and Robin exchanged looks as if begging the other not to smile but Robin could hardly contain himself and his thinly masked look of outraged gave way to a quivering grin which he struggled with all his power to keep from growing on his face. Seymour took a deep breath and looked over at his tall friend. Lloyd had never been one to relish a confrontation and always fitted the description of the gentle giant well.
"Lloyd don't think about it too much mate… shut up Robin… I've met some pretty big first years in my time… Robin give it a rest… if it makes you feel any better I nearly got beaten up too… Robin stop it." Seymour shot an angry look at Robin who had given up trying to keep calm and was laughing loudly in his seat and rolling back nearly falling off the bench.
Seymour desperately tried to stifle a chuckle as Alice asked him about what had happened to him. Seymour began to explain what had happened on the train journey which even provoked Lloyd to look up form his pit of self loathing. "What are Pugglesnops?" asked Lloyd ignoring Robin who was still hadn't quite finish his laughing fit.
"Oh never mind but I'm glad Luna thought so fast or I would have been broken into pieces by now." Seymour smiled over at Luna who was busy pressing her ear to the table as if she thought something was going on underneath them.
"Oh yeah Sey, thank god the nutter set her box of thin air on them. When did you become Loony's personal bodyguard anyway?" smirked Robin fixing Seymour with a curious look.
"Since you left me to go looking for Parvati and Lavender... and don't call her Loony." Seymour was growing tired of his friends corse attitude towards a girl he didn't even know and met Robins gaze with a frown.
"I didn't go looking for them, they were the only ones who would talk to me." shot back Robin not realizing his admittance before it was too late, which prompted the other three to burst out laughing whilst Robin begrudgingly smiled.