Chapter 123: Meeting Luna Lovegood

I woke up to Mum's furious attitude, yelling at me to hurry up and get dressed, we were running late. I threw a pillow at Harry, but he looked as if he were in a deep sleep.

I hurried through a shower and got dressed. When I got back to the bedroom, Harry was still sleeping. This time, I shook him until we woke up.

'Better hurry up, Mums going ballistic, she says we're going to miss the train." I told him, lacing up my trainers.

There was a lot of commotion in the house. Fred and George had bewitched their trunks to fly downstairs to save the bother of carrying them, with the result that they had hurtled straight into Ginny and knocked her down two flights of stairs into the hall; Mrs. Black and Mum were both screaming at the top of their voices.

"-COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS-"

"-FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS-"

Hermione came hurrying into the room looking flustered, carrying a squirming Crookshanks in her arms.

"Mum and Dad just sent Hedwig back, are you ready yet?"

"Nearly-Ginny all right?' Harry asked, shoving on his glasses.

"Mrs. Weasley's patched her up," said Hermione. "But now Mad-Eye's complaining that we can't leave unless Sturgis Podmore's here, otherwise the guard will be one short."

"Guard?" said Harry. "We have to go to King's Cross with a guard?"

"You have to go to King's Cross with a guard," Hermione corrected him.

"Why?" said Harry irritably. "I thought Voldemort was supposed to be lying low, or are you telling me he's going to jump out from behind a dustbin to try and do me in."

"I don't know, it's just what Mad-Eye says," said Hermione distractedly, looking at her watch, "but if we don't leave soon we're definitely going to miss the train ..."

"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mum bellowed and Hermione jumped as though scalded and hurried out of the room, followed by Harry and I.

Mrs. Black's portrait was howling with rage but nobody was bothering to close the curtains over her; all the noise in the hall was bound to rouse her again, anyway.

"Harry, you're to come with me and Tonks," shouted Mum over the repeated screeches of 'MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!'

"Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage... Oh, for heavens sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"

A bearlike black dog had appeared at Harry's side as he was clambering over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mum.

"Oh honestly..." said Mum, defeated, "well, on your own head be it!"

She wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight. Harry and the dog followed her. The door slammed behind them and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.

Hermione and I waited back with Dad for about 10 minutes before we left. It took us another 20 minutes to walk there, which was not at all fun.

We reached King's Cross and went through the barrier. Where Harry, Mum, and Tonks were waiting. We had almost unloaded Moody's luggage trolley when Fred, George, and Ginny turned up with Lupin.

"No trouble?" growled Moody.

"Nothing," said Lupin.

"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," said Moody, "that's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

"Well, look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He reached Harry last and gave him a clap on the shoulder. "You too, Harry. Be careful."

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking Harry's hand too. "And don't forget, all of you-careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging Hermione and Ginny. "We'll see you soon, I expect."

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying on to the train.

"Quick, quick," said Mum distractedly, hugging us at random and catching Harry twice, "Write... Be good... If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on... Onto the train, now, hurry..."

For one brief moment, the great black dog reared on to its hind legs and placed its front paws on Harry's shoulders, but Mum shoved Harry away towards the train door, hissing, "For heaven's sake, act more like a dog, Sirius!"

"See you!" Harry called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Hermione, Ginny, and I waved beside him. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody, Mum, and Dad shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, then we rounded a bend, and Sirius was gone.

"He shouldn't have come with us,x said Hermione in a worried voice.

"Oh, lighten up," I said, "he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke."

"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later," and he and George disappeared down the corridor to the right.

The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past, and we swayed where we stood.

"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked.

Hermione and I exchanged looks.

"Uhhhh..."

"We're-well-Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.

I felt so bad for having to abandon him that I couldn't even look at him. I awkwardly picked at my fingernail

"Oh," said Harry. "Right. Fine."

"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."

"Fine," said Harry again. "Well, I-I might see you later, then."

"Yeah, definitely." I said. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather-but we have to-I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy."

"I know you're not." said Harry, grinning. Hermione and I went into the other direction, dragging out things.

"Well that was brutal." I said to Hermione, as we journeyed to the front of the train.

"Yeah. I felt so horrible leaving him like that." said Hermione, struggling with Crookshank's cage. I switched Pig's cage with her since it was easier to carry.

"Ginny's with him, so he's alright. I reckon they found somewhere we all can crash." I said.

"I guess. Oh look, we made it."

Hermione opened the door to the head's compartment. I heard her groan and when I stepped in, I saw why.

The other prefects were already seated around a table.

Ernie and Hannah of Hufflepuff, Anthony Goldstein and Padma of Ravenclaw, and Ferret Ass and his precious pug for Slytherin.

Did Dumbledore not have anyone else to choose? What about the Blaise Zabini bloke or Daphne Prissy Ass Greengrass?

We parked our things near the door and took a seat near Ernie and Hannah, who both smiled cheerfully. I smiled back at Hannah, but it faded on Ernie. He was a slick git.

We listened to the Head Boy and Girl whose names I didn't care to remember (because I remembered faces much better) prattle on about the rules and what was to be expected of us.

Hermione, of course, had her parchment out as well as a quill jotting down every single thing that was said. The pug looked at her and giggled. I prepared myself to say something.

When they got to patrol schedules, I was happy that I was paired with Hermione. Hannah or Anthony would have been alright, but I knew Hermione better than all of them, and already knew what it would be like with her. Besides, I really didn't want anyone to push her around. I knew she could handle her own, but still.

After about an hour later, the meeting was over. Hermione and I rushed out of the room to avoid the Slytherin trash that was Malfoy and Pansy.

We finally found Harry and Going in a compartment with Neville, Ginny, and a girl with lots of blonde hair that I had seen Ginny with before around school.

"I'm starving," I said, stowing Pig next to Hedwig, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and plopping into the seat next to him. I ripped open the wrapper, bit off the frog's head and leaned back with my eyes closed, trying to push out the past hour out of my head so I could relax.

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house," said Hermione. "Boy and girl from each."

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" I said in a knowing voice, my eyes still closed.

"Malfoy," replied Harry at once, disappointed.

"Course," I said bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into my mouth and taking another.

"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll."

Hearing Hermione calling Pansy names was kind of a turn on.

"Who are Hufflepuff's?" Harry asked.

"Hannah Abbott,and that prat Ernie Macmillan."

"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione

"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice.

We all turned to look at the girl with the blonde hair, who was gazing unblinkingly at me over the top of her magazine.

"Yeah, I know I did," I said slowly, somewhat surprised that she would just up and speak to me when we had never met.

"She didn't enjoy it very much," the girl informed me. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded. I don't like dancing very much."

She retreated behind her magazine, The Quibbler, again. I stared at the cover with my mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then looked around at Ginny for some kind of explanation, but Ginny had stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop herself giggling. I shook my head, bemused, then checked my watch.

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," I told Harry and Neville, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something."

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" said Hermione sharply.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," I said sarcastically.

"So you're going to descend to his level?"

"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine."

"For heavens sake, Ron-"

"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing," I mused happily, ignoring whatever Hermione had to say. I lowered my voice to the baboon's low grunt and, screwing up my face for a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. 'I ... must ... not ... look ... like ... a ... baboon's ... backside.'

Everyone laughed, but nobody laughed harder than the blonde girl. She let out a scream of mirth that caused Hedwig to wake up and flap her wings indignantly and Crookshanks to leap up into the luggage rack, hissing. She laughed so hard her magazine slipped out of her grasp, slid down her legs, and onto the floor.

"That was funny!"

Her prominent eyes swam with tears as she gasped for breath, staring at me. Everyone was laughing at the bewildered expression in my face, while she was obviously still laughing at my joke.

"Are you taking the mickey?" I asked, frowning at her.

"Baboon's ... backside!" she choked, holding her ribs.

"Can I have a look at this?" Harry asked Luna, pointing at the magazine on the floor.

She nodded, still gazing at me, breathless with laughter.

Harry read over the magazine, his facial expression changing with every article he read.

"Anything good in there?" I asked as Harry closed the magazine.

"Of course not," said Hermione scathingly, before Harry could answer. "The Quibbler is rubbish, everyone knows that."

"Excuse me,' said the girl; her voice had suddenly lost its dreamy quality. "My father's the editor.'

"I-oh," said Hermione, looking embarrassed. "Well ... it's got some interesting ... I mean, it's quite..."

"I'll have it back, thank you," said the girl as she snatched it out of Harry's hands. Riffling through it to page fifty-seven, she turned it resolutely upside-down again and disappeared behind it, just as the compartment door opened for the third time, revealing Ferret Fuck smirking at us from between his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. I braced myself for a fight.

"What?" Harry said aggressively, before Malfoy could open his mouth.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy. I have Hermione a look that said I told you so.

"You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a fucking git, so get out and leave us alone."

Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and I laughed loudly at this. Malfoy's lip curled.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Malfoy, smirking. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line."

"Get out!" said Hermione, standing up.

Sniggering, Malfoy gave Harry a last malicious look and departed, with Crabbe and Goyle lumbering along in his wake. Hermione slammed the compartment door behind them and turned to look at Harry, who knew at once that she, like him, had registered what Malfoy had said and been just as unnerved by it.

"Chuck us another Frog," I said, trying to hold in the delight that was trying to overflow out of my body, that Hermione had once again looked like she was going to slap Malfoy. If she would have done it, I probably would have snogged her in front of everybody.

"So what is this girl's name?" I whispered to Ginny.

"Her name is Luna Lovegood." my sister said. "She's really a sweet girl, just has a bit of an out there imagination."

"I'll say."

"Don't you dare make fun of her." growled Ginny." "She's my best mate."

The weather remained undecided as we travelled farther and farther north. Rain spattered the windows in a half-hearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. When darkness fell and lamps came on inside the carriages, Luna rolled up The Quibbler, put it carefully away in her bag and took to staring at everyone in the compartment instead.

"We'd better change," said Hermione at last, and all of us opened our trunks with difficulty and pulled on our school robes. Hermione and I pinned our prefect badges carefully to our chests. I looked over myself in the black window.

'I refuse to be Percy, I refuse to be Percy," I thought to myself.

At last, the train began to slow down and we heard the usual racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pets assembled, ready for departure. Hermione and I had to go and supervise, so unfortunately the others had to help with our stuff.

After we helped with everyone getting off the train (which made up of Hermione having to boss some sixth years around, and I having to talk a very nervous firstie off the train)we went and found Harry standing near the carriages.

"Where's Pig?" I asked

"That Luna girl was carrying him," said Harry, turning quickly. "Where d'you reckon-"

"-Hagrid is? I dunno," I said, thinking the exact same thing when I seen that Grubbly-Plank woman. "He'd better be okay."

A short distance away, Draco Malfoy, followed by a small gang of cronies including Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy, was pushing some timid-looking second-years out of the way so that he and his friends could get a coach to themselves. Seconds later, Hermione emerged panting from the crowd.

"Malfoy was being absolutely foul to a first-year back there. I swear I'm going to report him, he's only had his badge three minutes and he's using it to bully people worse than ever... Where's Crookshanks?"

"Ginny's got him," said Harry. "There she is."

Ginny had just emerged from the crowd, clutching a squirming Crookshanks.

"Thanks," said Hermione, relieving Ginny of the cat. "Come on, let's get a carriage together before they all fill up."

"I haven't got Pig yet!" I said, looking around and trying to spot Luna, but Hermione was already heading off towards the nearest unoccupied coach.

"What are those things, d'you reckon?" Harry asked me.

"What things?"

"Those horse-"

Luna appeared holding Pig cage in her arms; the tiny owl was twittering excitedly as usual.

"Here you are," she said. "He's a sweet little owl, isn't he?"

"Er ... yeah ... he's all right," I said. "Well, come on then, let's get in... What were you saying, Harry?"

"I was saying, what are those horse things?" Harry said, as he, Luna, and I made for the carriage in which Hermione and Ginny were already sitting.

"What horse things?"

"The horse things pulling the carriages!" said Harry impatiently, as if I should have known

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about-look!"

Harry grabbed my arm and wheeled me around to absolutely nothing. I looked at him, hoping he hadn't gone round the bend.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" I asked slowly.

"At the-there, between the shafts! Harnessed to the coach! It's right there in front!"

Merlin, my best mate was looking touched in the head.

"Can't ... can't you see them?"

"See what?"

"Can't you see what's pulling the carriages?"

I was beginning to really worry about him. Maybe everything was starting to take a toll on his mental state.

"Are you feeling all right, Harry?" I asked.

"I ... yeah..." he said, looking utterly bewildered.

"Shall we get in, then?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, go on."

"It's all right," I heard Luna's airy voice say to Harry as I climbed into the carriage and sat beside Hermione. "You're not going mad or anything. I can see them, too."

"Can you?" asked Harry in disbelief.

"Oh, yes," said Luna, "I've been able to see them ever since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am."

Maybe he had been sitting around Luna way too long.