CHAPTER 47: ACADEMIC ADVENTURES
After bidding farewell to Daphne, Harry felt a surge of relief as he made his way through the Hogwarts Express. The tension in Parkinson's presence had been suffocating, like the thick fog that sometimes enveloped the Forbidden Forest. Her attempts at causing discord between him and Daphne were as transparent as a glass pane, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of her frustration resembling a mandrake's rear end.
As he wandered through the train's narrow corridors, Harry's footsteps echoed softly against the floor. He glanced into various compartments, catching snippets of conversations and laughter. It wasn't until he stumbled upon Ginny, Neville, and an unfamiliar girl that his curiosity piqued.
Ginny sat with her trademark fiery hair cascading over her shoulders, engaged in animated discussion with Neville. Beside them sat the enigmatic girl, her appearance strikingly unconventional. Her dirty-blonde locks were tousled, and her eyebrows arched in perpetual surprise. What truly caught Harry's attention were her peculiar fashion choices—her wand tucked behind her ear and a necklace adorned with butterbeer corks dangling around her neck. And to add to the intrigue, she was completely absorbed in reading an upside-down issue of The Quibbler.
Harry couldn't resist the urge to join them. "Hey, Ginny," he greeted, sliding the compartment door open. "Mind if I join you guys?"
Ginny looked up, a grin spreading across her face. "Of course, Harry! Pull up a seat." She gestured to the empty space beside her.
Neville nodded in agreement, offering a warm smile. "Hey, Harry. How's it going?"
"Good, good," Harry replied, settling into the seat. He glanced at the unfamiliar girl with curiosity. "And who might you be?"
The girl looked up from her magazine, her eyes widening in surprise as if she had just noticed Harry's presence. "Oh, hi there! I'm Luna Lovegood," she said cheerfully, her voice dreamy. "It's nice to meet you."
"Luna Lovegood," Harry repeated, the name rolling off his tongue. "I don't think we've met before. Are you a first-year?"
Luna shook her head, a whimsical smile playing on her lips. "Oh, no. I'm a fourth-year. I just have a tendency to get lost in my thoughts and miss a few train rides," she explained, her tone utterly matter-of-fact.
Harry couldn't help but chuckle at Luna's candidness. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Luna. What's got you so engrossed in The Quibbler?"
Luna's eyes lit up, a spark of enthusiasm evident in her gaze. "Oh, I'm just catching up on the latest edition. Did you know that Crumple-Horned Snorkacks have been spotted in the Forbidden Forest? Fascinating creatures, really."
Ginny exchanged an amused glance with Neville, and Harry couldn't suppress a smile. This unexpected encounter had certainly brightened his day, and he found himself looking forward to getting to know Luna Lovegood better.
Recognition dawned on Harry as he caught sight of The Quibbler in Luna's hands. Memories of his encounter with Xenophilius Lovegood, the eccentric editor, flooded his mind. Could Luna be related to him?
"Hey, Harry," Neville greeted warmly, pulling him out of his musings. "Come on in."
Ginny's scowl didn't go unnoticed by Harry as he entered the compartment. Her sarcasm was as sharp as ever. "What happened? Greengrass and Parkinson too much for you?"
Harry closed the compartment door behind him with a deliberate exhale. "Well, I did promise I'd find you guys, right?"
Ginny's sneer softened slightly as Harry explained. "I bet Greengrass just loved that," she couldn't resist a dig.
Harry offered a soft smile, trying to diffuse the tension. "Not particularly, but she understands. If she gets to have me spend time with her and her friends, then the least she can do is let me spend time with mine."
"Of course," Ginny retorted, her tone still tinged with skepticism. "It's not like she'd deign to sit with yours."
Harry raised an eyebrow, his own patience wearing thin. "And you'd welcome her, would you?"
Ginny faltered for a moment, caught off guard by Harry's question. She struggled to form a response, her usual quick retorts failing her.
"Look," Harry began, a sigh escaping his lips. "A lot has happened over the summer, and I haven't exactly been forthcoming about it. Daphne and I… we're together, and we'll be wed in a year."
Ginny's eyes widened in shock, and she opened her mouth to protest, but Harry cut her off. "And no, I'm not against it."
The compartment fell into a heavy silence as Ginny processed Harry's revelation, her words failing her for once.
"Yeah…" Harry sighed once more, the weight of unspoken emotions hanging in the air. He took a seat beside Ginny, ready to address the elephant in the room.
"You're Harry Potter," Luna interjected suddenly, her dreamy voice cutting through the tension.
Harry turned to Luna, surprised by her sudden comment. "Uh, yes, I am. And you're Luna Lovegood, right?"
Luna nodded, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "That's right. I've heard a lot about you."
"I know I am," Harry responded, his voice carrying the weight of familiarity with being recognized by strangers. Neville chuckled at the remark, finding Harry's self-awareness amusing. But Luna Lovegood remained unfazed, her gaze fixed on Harry with a curious intensity.
"I don't know who you are," Harry continued, breaking the silence and addressing Luna directly.
Ginny seized the opportunity to make introductions. "This is Luna Lovegood. She's in my year in Ravenclaw. I've known her since we were little."
Luna chimed in, her voice airy and unconcerned. "She tolerates me," she said, completely disregarding the scandalized look Ginny shot her way.
"Lovegood," Harry recalled, the pieces starting to fall into place. "Then Mr. Xenophilius… err?"
"Xenophilius Lovegood," Luna clarified. "He's my father. He met you at your party, Harry Potter. I didn't believe it when he said your wrackspurts left you. But it's true, isn't it?"
"Err…" Harry hesitated, feeling a bit befuddled by Luna's eccentricities. "Wreck—"
"Wrackspurts," Luna corrected with a helpful smile. "It's strange. Once a wrackspurt latches on to someone, it brings other wrackspurts with it. Crumple-horned ones, anyway. But you… your wrackspurts are all gone." Luna blinked her large eyes at him, her gaze penetrating. "Did you drive them away?"
Harry swallowed, unsure of how to respond to Luna's peculiar theories. Yet, there was something magnetic about her stare, as if it carried its own weight and strained the very air around them, making it nearly impossible not to take notice.
"I, uh… I guess so?" Harry replied tentatively, his uncertainty evident in his voice.
Luna abruptly shifted her attention away, hiding her face behind the upside-down magazine. Harry and Neville exchanged bemused glances, both perplexed by Luna's sudden change in demeanor. Meanwhile, Ginny couldn't help but suppress a giggle at Luna's whimsical behavior.
"She does that," Ginny explained with a nonchalant shrug, accustomed to Luna's eccentricities.
As the Hogwarts Express rattled onwards, carrying them into the vast expanse of open countryside, the atmosphere inside the compartment mirrored the unsettled weather outside. One moment, golden sunlight bathed the carriage in warmth, and the next, ominous grey clouds cast fleeting shadows over them, lending an air of unpredictability to their journey.
Neville, ever curious, broke the silence that had settled among them. "What did Daphne want, Harry?"
"Daphne?" Ginny interjected, her tone laced with intrigue. "You're on a first-name basis with her now?"
Harry hastened to clarify, "Oh, no, it's not like that. We just happen to meet at family functions. Astoria and I are second-cousins, so..." He trailed off, realizing he was divulging more than he intended. "Anyway, guess what I got for my birthday?"
"When was your birthday?" Ginny inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"July thirtieth," Neville answered, his eyes widening in realization. "Ah, just a day before you were born, Harry. I knew you stayed at the Dursleys', and we weren't as close as you are with Ron and Hermione, otherwise, I'd have invited you. Not that I didn't want to invite you, but I didn't know if you'd like to attend, and then you invited me to your party, and—"
Harry gently interrupted, placing a hand on Neville's arm. "Neville, breathe."
"Sorry," the shy Gryffindor apologized, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "You know what I mean."
"Yeah," Harry agreed with a smile. "And I didn't know about yours, or else I'd have gotten you something."
"It's okay," Neville reassured him with a grin. "Maybe next time?"
Harry nodded, appreciating Neville's understanding. "So, what did you get? Another Remembrall?"
"No," mumbled Neville, a hint of excitement in his voice. "I could do with one, though. I lost the old one ages ago. But no, look at this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, intricately carved wooden box. Opening it carefully, he revealed a collection of beautifully crafted miniature plants, each one exquisitely detailed.
Harry's eyes widened in awe as he examined the tiny botanical specimens. "Merlin's beard, Neville, these are amazing! Where did you find them?"
Neville beamed with pride. "I stumbled upon a magical garden shop in Diagon Alley. They had the most incredible selection of miniature plants I've ever seen. Thought you might appreciate them."
"They're fantastic," Harry exclaimed, genuinely impressed by Neville's thoughtful gift. "Thank you, Neville. I'll treasure them."
Ginny leaned in for a closer look, her eyes gleaming with interest. "I must say, Longbottom, you have excellent taste. These are truly remarkable."
Harry observed with curiosity as Neville dug into his schoolbag, his free hand still firmly holding Trevor, his toad. After a bit of rummaging, Neville proudly presented a small grey cactus in a pot. However, it wasn't a typical cactus; instead, it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.
"Mimbulus mimbletonia," Neville declared proudly, his face lighting up with excitement.
Harry stared at the peculiar plant, noting its pulsating appearance that gave it the rather sinister look of a diseased internal organ. "It's really, really rare," Neville continued, his enthusiasm contagious. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My Great Uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."
Although Harry knew Neville's favorite subject was Herbology, he couldn't quite fathom what he would want with this stunted, peculiar plant. "Does it—er—do anything?" Harry inquired, genuinely curious.
"Loads of stuff!" Neville responded proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism." Then, with a sudden change of focus, he added, "Here, hold Trevor for me…"
Dumping the toad into Harry's lap, Neville retrieved a quill from his schoolbag. However, he hesitated, looking at Luna and then back at Harry. "Erm, maybe I can show that to you later? It can get, err… messy?"
Harry nodded understandingly, feeling a bit clueless about what else to say. "Sure."
"Say, Harry," Neville continued, changing the subject, "How's that runespoor? Did you get to talk to Professor Dumbledore?"
"What runespoor?" Ginny inquired, her interest piqued, and even Luna Lovegood turned her attention to Harry.
"Neville gifted me a runespoor on my birthday," Harry explained, realizing he hadn't yet shared this news with Ginny and Luna. "You know, because I'm a Parselmouth. See if I can make it do things." Harry glanced at Neville. "I did ask Professor Dumbledore, and he gave me his permission. Unfortunately, Hagrid's on a… sabbatical, so he told me I'd have to take care of it myself."
"You've brought it with you?" Ginny asked, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension in her tone.
Harry made a mental note of Ginny's unspoken reaction, intending to revisit it later. "Yeah, hang on. I'll show you." With a flick of his wand, he summoned a gold chain from around his neck and placed it on the floor. With another wave of his wand, the trunk attached to the chain, along with another mysterious object, enlarged itself before their eyes.
Ginny, on the verge of saying something, promptly closed her mouth, likely taken aback by Harry's almost nonchalant casting of the enlarging spell without uttering a single incantation. Kneeling down, Harry placed his palm on the second lock of the trunk and muttered, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." The trunk responded, verifying his magic with the one it had recorded. This, along with the passphrase, served as the key for the compartment.
With a soft click, the lid popped open, and Harry extended his right arm into the compartment. The air filled with the sounds of slithering and hissing above the soft, wet grass. Slowly, he felt something entwine around his arm. As he withdrew it, Ginny yelped in surprise, and Luna Lovegood emitted a delighted coo.
The tiny runespoor, barely two feet long, slithered all the way up his arm before coiling around his neck, resting one of its three heads against his left shoulder.
"You feel so agitated, ma' dahling," hissed the left head, its voice dripping with mischief. "Perhaps it's the sight of so much prey?"
"Foolery!" spat the right head indignantly. "We don't hunt when they can see us, do we, Speaker?"
"Sssss… I was having such a delightful dream…," mumbled the middle head, its tone dreamy as it drooped over Harry's shoulder.
Ginny and Luna watched with fascination, their eyes fixed on the mesmerizing sight of the runespoor coiling around Harry. Harry couldn't help but feel a surge of pride at their reactions, knowing that his newfound companions were just as intrigued by the magical creatures as he was.
Harry rolled his eyes, the complexity of naming the runespoor proving to be more daunting than he initially anticipated. A brief study of herpetology had taught him that magical snakes were indeed more animated and displayed anthropomorphic behavior, but the eccentricity of the runespoor was beyond his expectations. How the three heads managed to coexist without biting each other off was nothing short of a minor miracle.
"What do you call them?" Luna inquired with genuine curiosity, her dreamy gaze fixed on the intertwined heads of the runespoor.
Harry grimaced, feeling a pang of frustration at the thought of naming the enigmatic creature. "Haven't decided on anything yet," he admitted with a sigh. "I'd have a better chance with Snape giving me points in potions class than having these three agree on something."
Ginny raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eye. "That bad?"
"Why don't you think of something?" Harry challenged, turning the question back to Ginny.
"That's easy. The Gorgon sisters," Ginny proposed, her voice brimming with confidence. "Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa," she pointed at the left, the right, and the middle head of the runespoor, respectively. "Fits in with the snake theme, too."
"Flatterer, this one is," the middle head rose, its tone teasing.
"You're always a whore for flattery!" accused the right head, its voice sharp with indignation.
"I'm not Stheno; I'm Medusa. You're Stheno, and she's Euryale," Ginny clarified, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Euryale? You might as well call me Morrigan," muttered the right head, its tone dripping with sarcasm.
"That takes us back by so long!" whispered the middle head, seemingly amused by the banter. "How about Diana, Marie, and Florence?"
The left head hissed disapprovingly, clearly not fond of the proposed names.
The right head echoed the sentiment with a sharp hiss.
"Oh! Sowie!" the middle head apologized sheepishly, a hint of embarrassment coloring its tone.
And so it began, the comical banter between the three heads of the runespoor, each suggesting a different name and vehemently protesting against the others' choices. The naming process of Harry's eccentric magical creature turned into a lively debate, adding a touch of whimsy to the otherwise ordinary train ride.
"I'll just call you the three gracious ladies," Harry hissed back with a hint of amusement.
"Flatterer!" exclaimed the Middle-head.
"He's a clever one," remarked the left head, its tone tinged with begrudging admiration.
"One doesn't need to be clever with you, fool," hissed the right head, its voice dripping with sarcasm.
Harry sighed and turned to his friends for help. "Any other ideas?"
"How 'bout the Greek Fates?" Neville suggested, offering a new perspective. "Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos."
"Atropos, eh?" questioned the left head. "Might as well call us Tisiphone, Alecto, and Megaera."
"Oh yes," agreed the right head, "might as well call us Deino, Enyo, and Pemphredo."
Harry mentally berated himself for opening those mythology texts. What was he thinking? How could he have known the runespoor could read? It didn't even make sense!
"I'm… Cynthia," mused the Middle-Head, its tone thoughtful.
"She's Juno," claimed the left head with certainty. "I'm Juventa, a stupid name. I ought to be Ops!"
"You're always confused. Nothing new 'bout zat!" retorted the right, its voice sharp with annoyance.
Now, Harry was getting a headache. Dealing with the runespoor always gave him those.
"What are they saying?" Ginny asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Runespoors," Harry sighed, rubbing his temples. "I might've opened up some texts on Greek and Roman myths during the summer. Each of them has a fresh set of names they want the others to confirm with. Trust me, they can go on for hours on end. It's like dealing with three babies at once."
"You're going about it the wrong way, Harry Potter," Luna chimed in suddenly, her dreamy voice cutting through the conversation.
"Huh? Why's that?" Harry asked, genuinely curious about Luna's insight.
"You're dealing with a runespoor. A planner, a dreamer, and a critic, all in one. Leave them by themselves, and they won't get anything done. Separate them, and they become less. Engage all of them, and you'd only get conflict," Luna explained, her voice carrying a wisdom beyond her years.
Harry blinked, absorbing Luna's insight. "Then… what should I do?"
"It's obvious, isn't it?" said the dotty girl, her eyes shining as they rested on his face. "You need something that addresses them individually, and yet, collectively. And what better name than the triple-headed goddess of the crossroads? The Three who are One. The One who is Three. The Hecate."
"Hecate…" mused the left head, its voice tinged with contemplation.
"Hecate?" asked the right, its tone uncertain.
"HECATE!" hissed all three of them as one, their tiny form filled with so much fury that it glowed brighter and brighter, shining with a multicolored radiance. Harry realized he was witnessing something unprecedented, something he had never seen or even heard of before.
The runespoor had agreed on a name, and that name was becoming a bedrock of their existence. They were changing. Moulting. Evolving. So very fitting for a snake. The body elongated, twisting and entwining all around his right hand until it fell on his lap, while the head portion expanded in three different directions. By the time the sheen faded, it was easily twice as long and thicker; the heads covered with thick horned scales, reminding him of a certain King of Serpents.
"Bloody hell," Neville remarked, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Your runespoor just molted."
"Yeah," Harry mumbled, still caught up in his surprise. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them stated that runespoors usually ended up dying within a year, and that was without the heads eating each other off. But those that molted ended up living long lifespans, often for centuries, growing to massive sizes. Newt Scamander, the author of the book, claimed to own a runespoor that was close to fifty feet, before releasing it to the wild forests surrounding Ouagadou, the African wizarding school of magic in western Uganda.
As Harry gazed at the transformed runespoor, now Hecate, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the magical world's wonders and mysteries. And in that moment, he knew that his journey at Hogwarts was bound to be filled with even more extraordinary adventures than he could have ever imagined.
The newly named Hecate arose from Harry's shoulder, its additional weight forcing him downwards. The runespoor raised its hoods and began hissing intimidatingly.
At that precise moment, the door of their compartment slid open. It was Cho. Harry only had a moment to register the angry look on her face before her eyes went up to the runespoor, and she screamed.
This only made Hecate hiss at her angrily, the left head swerving in her direction, fangs raised.
"SSTOPP!" Harry commanded, his voice cutting through the tension like a whip. Hecate froze and focused its attention on his voice. But by then, Cho had already raised her wand and was shakily pointing it in the runespoor's direction.
"Cho," Harry said slowly, raising his hands in surrender. "Lower your wand. Hecate will not attack you."
"The hell that thing isn't!" Cho shrieked, taking a step back, her aim constantly shifting from the runespoor to Harry and back. "I knew it! You're a dark wizard, Potter! You killed Cedric and framed him, and now you— you—"
"I did not frame Cedric," Harry asserted firmly, his patience wearing thin. He had always admired the soft expression on Cho's face, which beautifully complemented her ethnic looks and wavy, long black hair. But now, her eyes had all but narrowed to slits, and her tone carried a note of hysteric desperation. She looked like a mare about to bolt or a mouse thrown into a snake pit.
"SHUT UP!" Cho continued, her screams growing louder, attracting attention from others in the background. "Just. Shut Up. I know you did it! You wanted me on your arm at the Ball, and then I went with Cedric! I know you couldn't take it! Cedric was the real champion, and you, you're a fake. You can fool the Wizengamot and the Ministry, but I know you, Potter. You're a dark wizard. Like, look at that dark creature. Clearly, it was about to kill Longbottom and—"
"That— that isn't true at all!" Neville protested, standing up. "Harry was just showing us the runes—"
"Don't—don't lie, Longbottom!" Cho hissed, her voice dripping with accusation. "He's got something on you! Hasn't he? Hasn't he? But don't fear! I'm a sixth-year. A prefect! I'll—I'll—"
Before Cho could finish her threatening tirade, Luna Lovegood intervened. With a swift motion, she plucked the quill from Neville's hand and gave the cactus a sharp prod.
Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant; thick, stinking, dark-green jets of it. They hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered over Neville's front. Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat. While Harry received a faceful, the worst of it was—
"MERLIN! YAAK!" Cho yelled, her face, hair, and torso completely drenched, shaking her head to get the worst out of her eyes. "Fuck! This stinks!"
The nauseating stench enveloped the compartment like rancid manure, causing everyone to recoil with grimaces. Cho, attempting to escape the malodorous assault, awkwardly stepped out, her shoes barely maintaining traction on the slippery floor as she stumbled. With a forceful slam, she shut the door behind her, as if hoping to contain the olfactory offense within the compartment's confines.
Luna, seemingly unaffected by the unpleasant ordeal, glanced up from her magazine with an air of curiosity. "Well," she remarked in her ethereal tone, "you were entirely accurate, Neville. This train certainly boasts an extraordinary defensive mechanism!"
Neville, a mix of pride and embarrassment evident on his face, beamed at Luna's acknowledgment. "Yes, I did mention it," he admitted, trying to suppress a chuckle.
Meanwhile, Harry, wearing an expression that mirrored the collective disdain, couldn't help but roll his eyes at the absurdity of the situation. "Defensive mechanism or not, it's not exactly a feature I'd brag about," he muttered under his breath.
Seamus, who had been fumbling with a spellbook, looked up with a wry grin. "I reckon Hogwarts Express needs a charm for air freshening instead of these fancy defense mechanisms."
Dean, always one to inject humor into tense situations, quipped, "Maybe Professor Snape designed it. This could be his idea of an air freshener."
Laughter rippled through the compartment, momentarily alleviating the unpleasant atmosphere. Amidst the banter, the students exchanged amused glances, finding solace in humor as the train hurtled towards Hogwarts.
As they continued their journey, the camaraderie among the group grew, each moment contributing to the tapestry of memories that would define their time at Hogwarts. The air, once tainted by the offensive odor, gradually cleared, leaving behind an atmosphere of friendship and anticipation for the adventures awaiting them at the magical school.
Laughter rippled through the compartment, momentarily alleviating the unpleasant atmosphere. Amidst the banter, the students exchanged amused glances, finding solace in humor as the train hurtled towards Hogwarts.
As they continued their journey, the camaraderie among the group grew, each moment contributing to the tapestry of memories that would define their time at Hogwarts. The air, once tainted by the offensive odor, gradually cleared, leaving behind an atmosphere of friendship and anticipation for the adventures awaiting them at the magical school.
With each passing mile, the excitement mounted, palpable in the eager chatter and the occasional burst of laughter that echoed through the corridors of the Hogwarts Express. They knew that despite the challenges and uncertainties ahead, they had each other to rely on, forging bonds that would last a lifetime.
And so, as the train chugged along, carrying them closer to the enchanted castle nestled amidst the Scottish Highlands, the students of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and even Slytherin, found comfort in the shared journey ahead, united by the magic of friendship and the promise of new beginnings.
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