Chapter Ninety-Eight - Luna Lovegood

Harry woke to the sound of Millie telling him to get a move on. He had been dreaming of the corridor again. While Harry had been consumed by his fears for Sirius, the dream had abandoned him, giving way to darker nightmares of his godfather, lying lifeless on the floor before The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. But that night, Harry's dream of the long, dark hallway returned. He could still see the locked door in his mind's eye.

Normally, a recurring dream would have sparked a bit of curiosity. But since Voldemort's return, strange dreams were as common as the pain in his scar. Harry hadn't even thought to mention it to his friends. Any interest in the locked door and whatever secrets lay behind it vanished as Harry rolled out of bed and quickly threw on some muggle clothing. It was time to leave for the station.

There was already a bit of commotion when Harry and Millie stepped into the hall. Mrs. Black's portrait, awoken by the banging of trunks down the stairs, was screaming at the top of her lungs. Nobody paid the least attention to her, however, as they completed last-minute searches for missing textbooks, school robes, or extra quills.

"Alright, you lot! Fall in line!" cried a bent old woman wearing a purple porkpie hat and a matching corduroy jacket. Harry assumed this was Tonks, transformed into a disguise that she must have thought would let her pass by unnoticed at King's Cross. She turned, met Harry's eye, and winked. "Wotcher, Harry."

The plan was to leave in three groups to avoid notice. The Weasleys had kept their summer home a carefully guarded secret, fearing that it would draw unwanted attention if anyone discovered that they had spent the better part of their vacation with Harry Potter and the infamous Sirius Black. Mrs. Malfoy and Draco had already left Grimmauld Place before dawn, escorted by Mrs. Zabini and Blaise in a private car. The Weasleys would be traveling on foot.

"That's everyone, then?" asked Elphias Doge, craning his neck to count the heads of the assembled Weasley children, "Just the four of you, yes?"

"Five!" shouted Mrs. Weasley, rushing down the hall with Ron's owl in hand, "I'm going with you, Elphias!"

"Now, Molly. There's really no need," rasped the old woman with a light cackle, "I'm sure we can walk the kids a few blocks without…"

"I have never failed to see my children to the train, Nymphadora. I certainly don't intend to miss it now!"

Harry watched as Tonk's face colored at the use of her given name, but she knew better than to snap at Mrs. Weasley for this breach of conduct. Cackling again, she checked a pocket watch before carefully depositing it back in the inner pocket of her jacket.

"Very well, then. If that's all, we'll go now. Remus? Follow us in fifteen?"

Remus had just stepped through the front door, having assured himself that the square outside Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was not being watched.

"We'll be ready," he replied, smiling up at Harry and Millie, who were actually quite anxious to be getting on.

"Then we'll see you on the platform!" Tonks said cheerfully. Harry, who was watching her face closely, thought he saw a few of the wrinkles of her disguise disappear, almost as if she wanted to make herself a little more appealing. If Remus appreciated the difference, he didn't show it. He had turned to consult Sirius as the Weasley family shuffled out the door.

"Better to travel as Padfoot, I think," he said as Harry and Millie dragged their own trunks to the door. "The Malfoys seem to have made it to the station safely, but we don't want you attracting too much attention, either way."

"I won't wear a leash," Sirius warned, flicking his wand carelessly at the portrait of his mother, stunning her into silence at last.

Remus waited precisely fifteen minutes before allowing them out the front door. Millie assumed her avian form at his suggestion and circled high above their heads, looking out for threats or followers. Though the added security was a comfort, Harry was sure Remus had other intentions. He must have known that Millie wanted an excuse to stretch her wings. Harry watched the progress of her flight with envy, picturing himself on the back of a broomstick. He knew the exhilaration Millie must be feeling after so long indoors.

Sirius, on the other hand, was subdued. On any other occasion, he would have taken the opportunity to chase after the pigeons that bobbed along the streets, barking loudly and wagging his tail for Harry's entertainment. But now he padded silently by his side. Harry thought his black fur seemed grayer than it once was, though he told himself it was only his imagination. No doubt his godfather was merely practicing caution until they were safely on the platform.

He transformed the moment they stepped through the wall between platforms nine and ten, shaking his long black hair out of his face.

"There we are! Safe and sound," he said with a smile, as if he could read Harry's thoughts and sensed his disquiet, "I told Remus he was fretting for nothing."

"Or perhaps my caution is what keeps us safe?" suggested Remus as he pushed Millie's luggage through the gate. Millie circled once more above the heads of the other students assembled on the platform before she shifted back to her human form, landing heavily on her feet at Harry's side.

"Blaise is waiting near the rear carriage," she informed Harry, "Looks like Mrs. Zabini and Mrs. Malfoy have already left."

"Then you'd better catch up to him," Sirius suggested to Harry, overhearing this exchange. "Remus and I will find Molly and the others. We'll make sure everyone gets back safely."

But Harry was in no hurry to be separated so soon. He dithered by his luggage trolley, needlessly unfastening and retightening the straps that kept Hedwig's cage in place. There were a million things he felt he needed to say to his godfather, but now that the moment for his departure had finally arrived, he found that he didn't have the words.

"You'll write to me, won't you?" Harry said when nothing else occurred to him, "You'll let me know what's happening with the… What's happening at home?"

"Of course not!" Sirius teased, "At least, you'll get nothing you want to hear. I'll only write if Remus trims his mustache, or if Kreacher unearths another family heirloom!"

Harry returned his jest with a half-smile. The reference to family heirlooms gave him pain, though he knew Sirius meant nothing by it. He wondered if Dumbledore had learned anything from the fragments of Slytherin's locket. He supposed if he really wanted to know, then he was going to the one place where he could possibly ask the headmaster for answers.

Blaise was waiting for them when Harry finally said his goodbyes. His early morning had clearly taken its toll. He tried vainly to suppress a yawn as he said, "Uneventful trip, I take it?"

"Very," Harry replied, "Where's Draco?"

"Don't know, don't much care," Blaise replied testily, "I'm just glad to be finally rid of him."

Harry made no reply. Naturally, he had told his two friends of his meeting with Dumbledore at St. Mungo's Hospital, but he'd neglected to mention the mission he had been tasked with. A part of him wanted to agree with Blaise, but it made him uneasy not knowing where Draco was now, or who he might be talking to.

"Should we grab a compartment, then?" asked Blaise, prompting a grimace from Millie.

"Prefects are supposed to meet in a different carriage," she said, sounding sincerely remorseful that she wouldn't be joining her friends.

"I'm sure they won't keep you there the whole trip," said Harry. Privately, he rejoiced. Draco, as a prefect himself, would at least be under Millie's watchful eye for part of the journey. Perhaps he was already seated in the prefect's carriage now, dutifully awaiting his instructions.

The boys had hardly learned to feel Millie's absence when they were joined by a third. Neville Longbottom, struggling to pull his trunk while balancing an ugly, pulsating cactus in his arms, approached them with a smile.

"Harry! Blaise! Have a good summer?" he asked.

Harry, unsure how to reply to even this simple question, offered instead to carry Neville's toad for him, seeing as he already had his hands full.

"How's Hermione?" he asked, hoping he sounded casual, "Have you seen her yet?"

"She made prefect this year!" Neville informed him brightly. "I thought she might have told you, Harry. I saw her on the platform earlier, but she's already gone to meet the others."

Internally, Harry chastised himself for not thinking of this sooner. Hermione was a brilliant student, always the top of their class. It was no surprise she had been selected as a Gryffindor prefect. She had the makings of Head Girl, already. For the first time, Harry was a little sad that he wasn't a prefect, as well. He could picture himself meeting up with Hermione in the prefect's carriage, congratulating one another and planning after-hours patrols around the school together…

He was pulled from this pleasant reverie when a voice called to them from the train. Eleanor Willoughby poked her head outside the window of the last compartment and beckoned to them.

"Are you coming aboard or not? We've got plenty of room!"

Before anyone could reply, Nell had drawn herself back into the carriage. Harry soon learned who Nell's companion was when he, Blaise, and Neville joined them. A girl with dirty blond hair and large, protuberant eyes sat on the seat opposite Nell. She was reading from a magazine, which she held upside down, and barely acknowledged the newcomers as they noisily hoisted their trunks above their heads and into the storage compartments. Harry noted that she had already changed into her Ravenclaw robes.

"Harry, Neville, Zabini," Nell began by way of introduction, "This is Luna Lovegood."

Luna's large eyes glanced up from her magazine. She stared at Harry first, her gaze swiftly moving over his scar before turning to gawk at the others. This examination seemed to take a very long time before she finally said, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Luna's in the class below us," Nell explained, "When I changed dormitories last year, I was placed with Luna and a few other fourth years. We're roommates!"

"How nice for you," Blaise commented in a detached way. He then took Harry by the arm, pulling him back into the corridor so he could whisper, "Harry, I'm done. I tolerated Millie and Hagrid and even Longbottom, but I absolutely draw the line at Loony Lovegood!"

"And what exactly is wrong with Millie and Hagrid and Neville?" Harry demanded, his voice stern.

"Oh, they turned out alright, I suppose. But Loony Lovegood? I've heard stories about her. She's an absolute raving lunatic!"

Harry glanced back at the girl, wondering from whom Blaise had heard these rumors. Luna didn't seem mad to him. She had lowered her magazine and was now chatting quietly to Neville, seeming interested in his strange cactus. When Harry considered the many false rumors that had circulated about himself over the years, he was decided.

"She seems fine to me," he declared, "I say we give her a chance."

Blaise groaned, "Fine, Harry. Have it your way. But don't say I didn't warn you."

As if to demonstrate how little he cared for Blaise's warning, Harry chose the open seat by Luna's side. Blaise, not bothering to hide his displeasure, even for Harry, settled on the other side of Neville, careful to keep plenty of distance between himself and Neville's strange pulsating plant. Harry privately rejoiced at the arrangement. It kept his other side open. If Hermione came to find them after completing her prefect duties, perhaps she would sit by him?

In the anticipation of this possibility, Harry was in a charitable mood with everybody. Turning to Luna with a smile, he tried to engage her in conversation.

"So you're a fourth year? You seem familiar. I would have thought we shared a class together."

Luna's large eyes once more fixed him in place. He would never admit as much to Blaise, but there was something unsettling about the way she stared. It occurred to him that he hadn't seen her blink since they arrived.

To his relief, she finally lowered her eyes and turned away, resuming her examination of Neville's plant as she replied, "That's unlikely. I may be in Ravenclaw, but my grades are hardly good enough to skip a year."

"Good enough!" Nell cried, having caught only a portion of what Luna had said, "I should say not! You're lucky to have progressed beyond second year with your marks."

Turning to Harry, Nell added with a smirk, "I've been tutoring Luna in most of her classes. You wouldn't believe the essays she writes for Binns!"

Harry covertly glanced at Luna, unsure of how to respond. He expected her to take offense at this light teasing from Nell, but her expression remained cool and impassive, as if used to such comments from her tutor.

"I appreciate your help," Luna said to Nell with a serene, far-away expression, "But you must know I would never lie simply to get a good grade. What Binns teaches about the banishment of the giants is nothing more than Ministry propaganda."

That attracted Harry's notice, giants and Ministry propaganda being two of his primary interests at that moment. He would have enjoyed questioning Luna further on the subject, but at that moment they were joined by Millie. She had not come alone, but brought Hermione along with her, much to Harry's delight.

"Cedric Diggory is Head Boy," Hermione informed them almost the moment she entered their compartment. Harry had unconsciously moved closer to Luna, if only to ensure Hermione noticed the space he had reserved by his side. When she accepted the open seat, it was all he could do to maintain his composure enough to offer a suitable response.

"That makes sense. He was a champion last year."

"And came in second," Blaise reminded him with a smirk. "If being a Triwizard Champion is all it takes to make Head Boy, I think you might have been selected as prefect, Harry."

Harry felt his face redden. He didn't glance at Luna, but he felt her gaze upon him as he sharply reminded Blaise, "It was a little different in my case. You know I didn't enter that tournament on purpose."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement, then added, "There are two fifth year prefects from each house. A girl and a boy."

"Gryffindor and Slytherin we already know," commented Blaise, "Who are the others?"

"Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw," Millie reported.

"And Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff," concluded Hermione.

"Goldstein and Abbott are both in my wandmaking class," Harry said, voicing his thoughts aloud.

Hermione looked interested. She, like Harry, had started taking the elective in their third year. But Hermione had been so overwhelmed taking as many classes as she possibly could, some at the same time. Wandmaking had been one of the classes dropped when she inevitably realized that her course schedule was unsustainable, even with the assistance of a time-turner. She asked him about their other classmates, and whether or not anyone else had continued with the less-than-popular course.

Homework and classes were not exactly romantic topics, but Harry was enjoying his conversation with Hermione nonetheless. It was a relief to be able to talk to her casually after a long summer apart. After the insinuations he'd faced at Grimmauld Place, he half expected Hermione to be astonished that Draco was preferred over himself. But Hermione didn't mention the prefect selection, and the pair of them were able to talk to one another as if no time had passed since their last conversation.

He had been enjoying the relaxing atmosphere so much, he'd almost forgotten Draco entirely. When it finally occurred to him that if Hermione and Millie were there, then Draco had certainly been dismissed, he felt a pang of guilt. The new term hadn't even begun, and he'd already allowed Draco well and fully out of sight. So much for his secret mission for Dumbledore. He longed to know if Millie made note of where he'd slipped off to after their meeting, but thought the question might seem odd to Hermione, Neville, and Nell.

"I suppose you saw Malfoy in the meeting?" Harry asked, directing a significant look at Millie and praying his voice sounded only mildly curious.

"He was there alright," Hermione said, answering for them both, "But he didn't seem as proud about his nomination as I had expected. Everyone knows he's a pompous, preening, pernicious little…"

"He's not boasting," Millie interrupted before Hermione could conclude her rant, "But he seemed just as eager to get started as anyone else. I even saw him volunteer to patrol up and down the carriages with Weasley before we left."

"Probably just wants an excuse to start deducting house points before we've even reached Hogwarts," Harry commented lightly, hoping to keep up the ruse that his interest in Draco only extended as far as a hated rival. "You'll have your work cut out for you, Millie. Sorry you have to work with him."

It soon occurred to Harry that Luna Lovegood had contributed very little to their conversation. She had retreated behind her magazine, though it was clear she was interested in what they were saying. Every so often, he saw her inclining her head slightly in their direction, or even hiding a smile behind the pages of her magazine. He wondered if she felt shy being surrounded by so many upperclassmen at once, and decided to make a second attempt to draw her out, if only to annoy Blaise in the process.

"What are you reading?" he asked in a friendly tone.

He only succeeded in drawing Hermione's attention to the cover of the still upside down magazine.

"The Quibbler?" she interjected, answering on Luna's behalf, "There's nothing but rubbish in that. As bad as the Prophet has been lately, it's still more reliable than that rag."

"My father happens to be the editor," Luna said rather stiffly.

Hermione's eyes widened with embarrassment. She tried to apologize, making some awkward comment that some of the articles are actually very interesting, but it was no use. Luna had retreated behind her magazine cover again, and no attempts by Harry or Nell to gain her interest prevailed for the duration of their journey.

Finally, the Hogwarts Express pulled up to the station. Harry and his friends gathered on the platform in the cool evening air. Harry listened for Hagrid's familiar voice, there to guide the first year students to the boats moored on the edge of the Black Lake. To his surprise, Professor Grubbly-Plank appeared instead.

Harry wondered where Hagrid was before remembering that he'd been given a mission of his own from Dumbledore at the start of summer. Perhaps Hagrid was still completing this task, although Harry wondered what mission for the Order could take this long.

Deciding to keep his thoughts to himself until he could talk to Blaise and Millie privately, Harry followed the others toward the line of carriages waiting to take students second year and above to the gates of the school. Normally, these carriages rolled uphill to the castle on their own, but this year something was different. Standing in front of each of the carriages were ghastly, horse-like creatures.

"What are those?" Harry asked as the others prepared to enter the nearest open carriage.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, attempting to follow the direction of Harry's gaze.

"Those things pulling the carriage," Harry clarified, pointing directly at one of the creatures. Up close, it looked more lizard-like than mammalian. It had black, scaly flesh stretched taut over a protruding skeleton. Its long face was dragonish. Harry realized that each creature had a pair of leathery wings tucked neatly against its sides, keeping it clear of the harness that attached it to the carriage. Harry didn't understand how Hermione hadn't commented on the bizarre and unsettling creatures.

But what was more worrisome still, Hermione continued to look confused, and now Blaise and Millie had turned, wondering what was holding them up.

"You can see them, can't you?" Harry asked, feeling slightly worried now, "The things in front of the carriage?"

"I can see them," Luna replied dreamily. She had finally put away her magazine and was looking at Harry with interest, "Funny though… I thought I was the only one."

Harry might have been concerned, fearing that only himself and a girl with a reputation for insanity could see the strange beast, had not Neville suddenly said, "You mean those strange horses? I can see them. D'you mean you all can't?"

Hermione turned to Neville with a shocked expression, "You mean you see something, too?"
Neville blushed, clutching his strange cactus closer, "Well I… They've always pulled the carriages, haven't they? Strange things… But no one ever mentioned them so I didn't think it was a big deal."

"No one has mentioned it because we can't see them, Neville!" exclaimed Hermione. "Do you mean you've been able to see them this whole time?"

"What are you all talking about? Have you all gone mad?" Blaise demanded.

Harry was still perplexed, but he had the presence of mind to grab one of Blaise's hands and place it against the flank of the nearest horse.

It was obvious that although Blaise couldn't see the creature, he could feel it. He recoiled in horror when his hand touched the scaly, invisible beast.

"What!? I felt something!" he shouted.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Harry said calmly, "I wonder why you can't see them?"

"I've always been able to see them," Luna said, a note of pride in her voice, "I think it's strange that you're only noticing them now."

"But what are they?" Blaise demanded to know.

But neither Luna nor Neville seemed to have an answer. Luna was simply pleased to find two other students who could see them, too.

"No one ever believed me before," she said.

If they were pulling the school's carriages, Hagrid must know about them. Harry was about to suggest they ask him about the creatures, before he recalled that Hagrid wasn't there. Feeling a little dispirited, Harry at last mounted the steps into the carriage, and they rolled to the castle through the deepening night.