Chapter 3: Kings Cross
The rest of the summer flew by with the company of Fabian and Gideon especially with the upcoming anticipation of going back to Hogwarts.
Fabian and Gideon especially took the morning of September first off to escort Lily to Kings Cross. They had grown close over the past couple months and had started to feel like each others family. They joked initially that she was their adopted daughter, which then turned into Molly and Arthur having a kid when they were young that nobody knew about. So they now called Lily niece, which she liked because of how eerily close to the truth it was. They had many laughs with each other to bury what was going on deeper with what was happening in the world around them.
Gideon and Fabian each walked on a side of Luna which made them look like body guards. As they were walking Luna thought she saw a shimmer in the air, which looked like her brother James invisibility cloak, but now would be in the possession of her Grandad. She wondered if they were out here to watch and laugh at the first year muggle borns struggle to get through to the platform.
"Now our dear niece all you have to do is run straight through the brick wall between platform 9 and 10."
"Haha you guys are hilarious. Give Luna a black eye to make her look tough on the first day of school. No way. How do I actually get through? Where is the port key?"
"No we are serious. That's what you have to do. Now you should go before people can tell that you were a homeschool kid."
"No, I'm going back to the escalator."
"The what?" Gideon asked.
"Really you don't know what an escalator is you pure blood supremest." Lily laughed.
"You guys and Hagrid are the reason we stick out to muggles."
"I think we would stick out regardless." Fabian replied with a laugh.
"Now Luna this is where we love you and leave you. People might think there is an issue if two Aurors show up through the platform for no real reason," Gideon said.
"No making good friends while there Lily, we still want you to come home over the break to make us brownie," Fabian added to lighten the mood.
"Oh no worries of that. I'll bring out my inner Severus Snape personality," Luna deadpanned which they cracked up laughing too.
"Write us letters ok. We're like family now. Don't feel like you're missing out when others are talking to their families at home all the time," Gideon said seriously.
Lunas eyes watered, and she gave him a bear hug. Fabian then joined the hug from behind.
"Also remember, we will still love you even if you become a Slytherin." Fabian added with a chuckle.
"Yeah I actually think I will try to join Slytherin from what you have said about it. I'll just tell everyone that I'm the heir of Salazar himself. They will be so frightened of me, they won't realise I don't know an ounce of defensive magic." Luna laughed.
"Just try not to make a target for yourself. There will definitely be people in Slytherin planning to join ranks with you know who as soon as they finish, if not already in talks with him," Gideon added.
"Yeah that's fair. I hope I can just blend in. Can you think of anyone who will be in my year who is good?" Luna asked anxiously.
"Well we finished four years ago, so the seventh years now will be… Hmm, who will they be? Oh that's right, James Potter and Sirius Black were on the quidditch team with us as 3rd years. James Potter is a bit full of himself as he comes from money and is too talented for his own good. Sirius Black is a little wild as well and comes from a dark crazy family. I probably wouldn't trust him all that much to be honest. There's Lily Evans though who is a muggle born, and I think is going to be Head Girl," Fabian explained.
"Oh really. The only person you can suggest is Head Girl. She won't have time for me. Everyone will already have their friends and cliques. People probably won't trust a new person either, with all the disappearances and evil going around," Luna said with a frown.
"You will be fine," Fabian encouraged. "You can always come back and stay with us if it doesn't work out and find a job outside the Ministry."
"No thank you!" Luna said in exasperation. "No more robe selling for me or any retail for that matter. I can't deal with the old men flirting. As flattering as it is to be told by Senior Bagman that he's going to take me travelling on his giant yacht after he wins the lotto. I think I'll pass."
"Hahaha good old Bagman. Well being a trophy wife is always a good opt." Before Fabian could finish Luna smacked him in the arm.
"I'd be a better one than you, that's for sure," Luna replied laughing. "Any way I had better go and find a seat by myself, before I have to start asking strangers to join them. Take care guys." Luna gave the boys another hug each and walked through the barrier.
After Luna had left Gideon turned to Fabian and asked, "do you think she will be ok?"
"I really don't know. Hogwarts is meant to be the safest place on earth. It doesn't change the fact there are psychopaths like Roddy LeStrange and Bella Black there. I even heard a rumour that shy weird boy, Severus Snape, has allied up with you know who," Fabian replied darkly.
"Dumbledore will always be there to protect the students though. I think it would have scared her too much, you know, telling her not to walk around by herself," Gideon reasoned.
"Yeah, I think you're right. She's smarter than she lets on too. We don't need to worry. Come on lets get going. We still need to deal with that random dementor in Surrey case.
Sirius Black and James Potter stood staring after the boys in interest, hidden beneath the invisibility cloak.
After the twins were out of earshot, James turned to Sirius and said excitedly, "I wonder what the case was! This will be us next year as trainee Aurors, catching the loose dementors."
"Really, you wonder about the case? I wonder who that girl was! Did you not see her!"
"Oh yeah, she was quite something, wasn't she."
"Quite something? You mean she was hands down the best looking Witch to wear the Hogwarts uniform," Sirius bellowed.
"Settle down. You're forgetting about Lily." James replied.
"Agree to disagree. Well like you staked your claim on Lily in first year. I'm calling dibs before Remus and Peter see her. You heard it here first alright?" Sirius said grinning.
"All yours, although you might have to fight off Fabian and Gideon, and the rest of the male population at Hogwarts," James replied seriously.
"Nah, did you not hear them talking about being like family. That's as good as a friend zone. As for the rest of Hogwarts, who knows I might be lucky. Maybe people will be suspicious of her. With the black family fortune, I can always buy a bigger yacht than Bagman too." Sirius winked at James which earned him a punch in the arm too.
"Come on, we better get on the train too. We missed laughing at the first years struggle with the barrier. I mean directing them with the barrier because we were eavesdropping," James said, and they too disappeared through the bricks.
Climbing onto the train was surreal for Luna. It was the first time in this era that there was something so familiar and recognisable. The Hogwarts Express. It still looked the same 50 years earlier. The grief that had been coming in waves came on strongly, and she found an empty compartment as far down the train as possible by herself. She pulled out her phone and ear pods (that had been on her person when she had travelled back) and listened to her downloaded music. This continued to sadden her, as she listened to the song she had sung with her friends on every trip to Hogwarts in their special compartment. This was never going to happen again, as this song didn't even exist in this time. She also doubted whether any of the pure bloods would listen to muggle music at all. In her era, even though she was a pure blood, it was in, to love all the great muggle inventions. The Wizarding World had completely swung the other way after the war. You were considered a "muggle hater," if you didn't know what was going on in their papers. Grandad Arthur was considered the coolest Grandad because he knew so much about muggles for an old pure blood.
Luna couldn't contain the tears. She couldn't let people in this time see her like this. If the Slytherins saw her they might think her weak, and target her and she didn't want the Gryffindors to pity her. Luna locked her compartment and faced out the window so to any passers by it would look like she was sleeping, and her face was disguised.
James left Sirius when they entered the train to do his head boy business, so Sirius took this opportunity to look for the new girl. He spent 30 minutes looking, as he kept getting side tracked by people wanting to talk about their summers with him. It was frustrating him because all he really wanted to do was talk to this girl. When he finally reached the end and her compartment, he pulled at the door. After realising it was locked, he knocked. Softly to begin with, as not to give her a fright, then gradually harder as she didn't move. Sirius' shoulders slumped and he placed his forehead against the door, as he stared at her longingly. She had strange looking white things in her ears, obviously to block out noise for her to sleep. Sirius stood there for longer than he should have just to stare at her, before he realised what he was doing. He didn't want to look like a creep and he figured he would get an opportunity to talk to her later. He just hoped he would somehow get her by herself. Sirius knew he also had to act fast, as he didn't want the rest of the school to taint her opinion of him. One of the twins had already made a harsh comment about him being in with the crazy Blacks. He hoped that she would see him like he really was.
