Marcus Fawley

"...She even had the gall to accuse me of trying to kill Potter! As if I would ever do something as risky and amateurish as hiring an independent contractor to do the job! I mean, she must have been aware that this assassination attempt was just part of a much larger conflict between the Potters and the Malfoys, and yet she tried to frame me!" exclaimed Michael, clearly still outraged by Granger's accusations.

Hearing this, Marcus sighed (not for the first time), already exhausted by the conversation. Turning around, he saw that Luna seemed to actually be interested in Michael's story, which only increased his fatigue.

The three of them were currently sitting in one of the compartments of the Hogwarts Express, waiting for the train to reach the castle, which would allow them to begin their second year of education. The trip to Hogwarts was supposed to be a happy moment, full of all sorts of hopes and expectations, and yet Michael was of course able to ruin that by somehow getting involved in a failed assassination attempt on Harry Potter.

Because it only made sense.

That's why the first hour of the trip wasn't spent gossiping about the identity of the new DADA teacher or the content of their classes, instead being spent on listening about Michael's grievances and Potter's terrible luck.

A few months ago Marcus wouldn't have cared, simply ignoring the conversation and finding someone else to talk to, but unfortunately the extraordinary events of last school year made Marcus commit the terrible mistake of befriending the demented duo, practically forcing him to participate in their stupid conversation. That's why he couldn't really blame anyone but himself for his current predicament.

"Did you try to explain it to her properly, Michael? Hermione is a Muggleborn witch, so maybe she was just unaware of the political landscape of the wizarding world." Luna asked softly, as always acting like the "reasonable" half of the Hogwarts' resident weirdo couple. Well, reasonable was too strong a word. She was just less intentionally harmful to the other students than Michael.

" I did, but she didn't even try to listen. She just screamed about exposing me and blaming me for everything bad that ever happened to her. Can you believe that?" Michael replied, clearly looking for sympathy. Although Marcus had no doubt that he would have received some from Luna, he was already quite fed up with the conversation, so he decided to end it.

"I can believe it. Completely and wholeheartedly," Marcus stated simply, causing both Michael and Luna to look at him with slight surprise. Had they already forgotten that he was there? If so, rude. "Face it, Michael, you are quite a menace. Almost every first-year student already knows that."

Michael grabbed his heart upon hearing his words, pretending to be hurt, while Luna began to watch Marcus in silence, seemingly deep in thought.

"Marcus, how can you say something so cruel? Aren't we friends?" Michael replied with a fake whine in his voice. Marcus began to think that perhaps he had made a small miscalculation, as his desire to end an annoying conversation only made him the center of attention. "Have I ever done anything deserving of such suspicion?"

"...You literally once spent an entire week torturing me and the rest of our roommates, traumatizing several children and breaking dozens of rules?" Marcus stated belatedly, at this point wondering if the boy was just messing with him or if he was really that oblivious. He wasn't sure which answer would be worse for his mental health. " Taking that into account, I think suspecting you is completely justified."

He was about to add something, maybe bring up another example of Michael's erratic behavior, but then he noticed that he was being watched by Luna, who was looking at him with her usual strange 'I'm looking straight into your soul' gaze. This made Marcus stop in his tracks, as he had already learned that this kind of stare never led to anything good.

Unfortunately for him, that was also the case this time.

"You don't have to worry, Michael. Marcus wasn't trying to hurt you with his comments." Luna said slowly, her face as serene as ever. Despite the fact that the topic was completely mundane, the tone of her voice gave the impression that she was uncovering some unseen secret of the universe. Hearing that, both boys looked at her, Michael questioningly and Marcus with dread. "He's only acting so standoffish because he doesn't know how to get closer to us. He wants to be part of our group, but he's too embarrassed to admit it."

Silence fell in the compartment as the boys contemplated her words. After it was done, Marcus blushed, not expecting such a conclusion.

"T-that's not true! I just got fed up with Michael's screams!" Marcus exclaimed, using his hands to hide his blushing cheeks. It was true that he wanted to get to know Michael and Luna a little better after last year's events, but that wasn't his motivation for silencing Michael! He knew it would end like this! Why did he even decide to sit with them?!

"Hmm, yes, that makes sense. Marcus always seemed like a shy guy." Michael nodded to himself, apparently satisfied with Luna's incorrect statement. He then turned to Marcus with a gentle smile on his face. "Take as much as you need. We'll wait patiently until you come out of your shell."

"Don't patronize me, you loon! You're the one who spent almost an entire year with only Luna as company! I will have you know that I..." Marcus started, ready to defend his dignity with all his might, but then he noticed something very unusual. "Wait, don't you get the feeling that the train is slowing down?"

It was.

Due to yet unknown reasons, the Hogwarts Express, which was not supposed to stop until reaching Hogwarts, was gradually slowing down until eventually stopping in the middle of a bridge of some sort. This was quite unexpected, to say the least, especially since nothing like this had happened on any of their previous journeys. Perhaps there was a problem with the train, as improbable as it sounded?

With nothing else to do, Marcus looked around the compartment to see how the others reacted. Luna, who was sitting in the chair across from him, was apparently as confused as he was, looking out the train window with some confused interest, but Michael looked quite calm for some reason, nodding as if expecting such a development.

"Yup, seems about right." The boy said distractedly, looking out the window with a certain detached interest on his face.

"Wait, you know what's going on?" Marcus asked, surprised by Michael's reaction. While the boy certainly seemed to have some unexpected insight into various matters, the random stopping of the train didn't seem like something Michael would be an expert in. Hearing that, Michael looked at him surprised, as if not expecting such a question.

"I mean, isn't it obvious? We have two famous criminals on the loose, one linked to Harry Potter and the other to us, right?" Michael asked rhetorically, unintentionally reminding Marcus that it was very possible that Lockhart had some sort of grudge against them for beating him. It... certainly wasn't a comforting thought. But what did that have to do with the stopping train?

Unaware of his thoughts, Michael continued.

"Infiltrating Hogwarts is not easy because there are many enchantments protecting the castle... Well, some are better than others, but that's not the point. The important thing is that getting to the castle unnoticed is usually quite difficult. So what's the most obvious way to get to Hogwarts without anyone noticing? Simply boarding a train and arriving at the castle alongside hundreds of children sent there for indoctrination." Michael declared confidently, making Marcus nervous. There was certainly some truth to his words (except for the indoctrination part), so it was possible that Black or Lockhart had done just that. But if that was the case...

"So you're saying that the train stopped because the Ministry sent Aurors to search it for dangerous fugitives?" Marcus asked, finding the explanation surprisingly reasonable, despite the fact that it was provided by Michael. After all, it was only reasonable to send some officials to make sure Sirius Black or Gilderoy Lockart weren't on the train, planning something terrible. Yes, he could imagine that happening.

"No? Of course not." Michael exclaimed bluntly, looking at Marcus with a pitying look. What? Did he miss something? Sending the Aurors seemed the optimal choice in this situation. Seeing Marcus' confusion, Michael continued. "Your choice is certainly reasonable, but you forgot to take into account the fact that the Ministry is a totalitarian regime, hellbent on oppressing its population and making everyone afraid of them. That's why they wouldn't just send aurors. No, they would send something a little bit more... exotic."

As soon as Michael stopped talking, the compartment window began to be covered with frost.