Sunday, 3rd September

If he hadn't read about it himself many months before, Harry would've thought Sirius was pranking him when he said he had to run headfirst straight into a brick wall without stopping.

As it were, however, he had read about it and although he didn't personally see the appeal of arriving at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters through such a... unique way, Sirius had been brimming with so much excitement to show it to him that he couldn't say no.

So instead, he ran headfirst straight into a brick wall without stopping.

It felt… weird. Definitely not as weird as Floo travel did, but it wasn't necessarily a pleasant sensation either. All of his grumbles and complaints quickly vanished, however, as soon as he reached the other side of the barrier and saw what awaited him.

A gleaming scarlet steam engine was stopped next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted at one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.

Behind him, he heard a faint whoosh as Sirius and Remus joined him.

"You're going to miss the train if you keep staring at it like that" his godfather teased, although there was a faint tremor in his voice.

Harry turned to face him and found the man's attempt at bravado thoroughly sabotaged by the tears glistening in his stormy-grey eyes. Sirius sniffled loudly, like the dramatic bastard he was, and then yanked him forward into a bone-crushing hug.

To be perfectly honest, Harry wasn't entirely unaffected himself. It wasn't fear, not really, or anxiety or nervousness or anything like that. But for the first time ever, he was leaving behind a place - and people - that he was actually going to miss, and the sudden realisation that he did have someone to miss felt heavier than he'd expected.

"I've got a bet with Tonks that you'll be in Gryffindor" Sirius murmured, "So don't let me down, yeah?"

Harry smirked into the man's leather jacket. "What House did Tonks bet on?"

"Slytherin through and through".

"Sorry, Pads". He smiled as he pulled back. "You might want to start counting out what you owe her now".

Next to them, Remus sighed at Sirius's scandalised look. "I did warn you".

Reaching out, Harry readily let the werewolf pull him into another hug, warmer and softer but no less meaningful than his partner's.

"Tell Minerva I'll accept my winnings by owl" he whispered, "She's half-convinced you'll be in Ravenclaw, but we know better, now don't we?"

Harry snorted and finally let the man go, feeling something twinge in his heart at the realisation that he wouldn't be able to hug him again until Christmas at the earliest.

Sirius cleared his throat. "I'll go to Gringotts next week, get everything sorted for the adoption process. Then I'll make an appointment with the Ministry's Magical Child Protection Services and hopefully start the paperwork".

Harry's smile faltered at the mention of the MCPS. The idea of their existence stung, given how utterly absent they'd been during the years he spent suffering under the Dursleys or locked away at St Brutus.

"They'll probably send you a letter" Sirius continued, "or something official-like. They'll obviously want to confirm it's what you want before we can bring our case before the Ministry, but, fair warning, pup, it'll likely take a few weeks, if not months, for all of this to start moving - you know how slow the Ministry is".

Harry did know, and it was yet another thing he'd added to The List for him to change as soon as he was able to. The problem was, of course, The List was starting to get rather horrifyingly long.

"Oh! Before I forget - here!" His godfather thrust a badly-wrapped package into his hands. "We thought you might, uh… find this useful".

"This better not be another present, Pads" Harry warned, carefully unwrapping it, "You already spent far too much on my Firebolt! I don't need or want anything else".

"Well, think of it as a present for us, then" he said, "Considering that we're going to be using it just as much as you will".

Frowning now, he pulled back the last piece of paper and saw-

"A mirror?"

It was small and square, and clearly very old - it looked like someone had tried to clean it and had given up halfway through too.

"Not just any mirror, pup; that's a two-way mirror!" Sirius said, grinning, although his eyes were still damp, "Moony and I have got the other one, so if you ever need to speak to us, just say one of our names - you'll appear in our mirror and we'll be able to talk to you in yours".

"We used to use them to talk to your father when we were in separate detentions" Remus continued, "Or, rather, Padfoot and Prongs used to use them considering that I rarely ever got detention since I was actually a good student".

"Uh, fuck you! You weren't a better student than us!" Sirius immediately exclaimed, "You just got caught less!"

Smiling, Harry carefully rewrapped the mirror and stored it safely in his backpack. He might not be able to hug them again until Christmas, but at least he'd still be able to see them and talk to them outside of letters.

"All aboard!" called the conductor; the sharp whistle of the train startling them back to reality.

Remus quickly pulled Harry in for one last hug. "You've got this, don't worry".

"Give 'em hell for us, pup" Sirius whispered, taking his place.

Standing back with a sharp nod, Harry took a deep breath, picked up his trunk and Hedwig's cage, and determinedly turned towards the train. As he climbed onboard, he couldn't help but glance back for one last sight of the men - of his family - only to find Remus smiling wetly and waving, while Sirius dramatically dabbed at his eyes with an imaginary handkerchief.

Laughing, Harry watched as the door slid shut behind him and the train began to pull away, that ache in his chest lightening somewhat. He had the mirror now so he could talk to them whenever he liked, and he knew that Hedwig would only be too happy to deliver letters since Remus spoiled her rotten.

Even though they wouldn't be there with him physically, he wasn't going into this alone.

Having gotten on near the front of the train, Harry headed south, hoping to find an empty compartment where he wouldn't be stared at - he'd be getting enough of that as soon as he appeared next to the first years at the sorting ceremony.

The first few carriages he passed, however, were all full, and as he reached the very end of the train, he was just about ready to give up all hope, except-

Except there was only one person in the final compartment - and if the dirty-blonde hair, butterbeer caps necklace, or distinctive dreaminess didn't give her away, the fact that she was reading The Quibbler upside down most certainly did.

A Lovegood.

How… interesting.

Dropping his trunk, he knocked on the door before sliding it open. Large silvery eyes immediately pinned him in place, and he wondered briefly if the Lovegoods and the Ollivanders were distantly related.

"Hello" Harry said, "Sorry to interrupt, but would you mind terribly if I took a seat in here? Everywhere else seems to be full".

She nodded silently.

"Thanks".

Picking back up his trunk, he reluctantly but dutifully took out his astronomy textbook before lifting the case up into the above overhead compartment and carefully placing Hedwig's cage on the seat next to him.

The girl was still staring at him.

She did not seem to need to blink as much as other humans.

Part of him wondered if she was also, perhaps, not as human as other humans.

Harry sat down, made himself comfortable, and decided to stare back.

"You're Harry Potter".

Her voice was just as dreamy and distant as the rest of her, with a soft Irish lilt.

"I know I am".

She nodded, as if having expected that answer.

"May I ask what your name is?"

"You know that, too".

Harry blinked and then frowned. Rowle had told him that there was more than one rumour floating around that the Lovegoods' distinctive dottiness was just a cover for their Seer abilities, but this… this was something… else.

"Do I?" he countered evenly.

"Yes" she replied simply, "You knew before you even came in. It was strange of you to decide to sit here anyway".

"And why's that then?"

"Most people think I'm a bit odd, you know. Some people call me 'Loony' Lovegood actually".

"As opposed to-?"

"Luna". She smiled, a flash of sharp white teeth. "My name is Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter".

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Luna" he replied, genuinely enjoying this strange conversation of theirs, "Are you in fifth year too?"

"Fourth. Ravenclaw".

"Ah". He held up his book. "We'll just have one class together, in that case. I'm taking fourth-year astronomy as well as fifth to try and catch up a bit".

"But you won't be in Ravenclaw, will you?"

"And why do you say that?"

"The dabberblimps told me".

"... Right". For all his knowledge of magical creatures, Harry didn't have the first clue as to what 'dabberblimps' were. "I don't suppose they told you which House I will be in, did they?"

Luna smiled again. "They told me that you already know that, too".

Damn. Sirius was going to lose that bet after all.

As if reading his mind, Luna suddenly tilted her head to the side and gave him a curious look.

"I always knew that your godfather was innocent".

"Uh… thanks?"

"Is he really a good singer?"

"Is he- A good- What?"

"A good singer" she repeated, unperturbed, "I know that Sirius Black is just an alias for the lead singer of The Hobgoblins. Of course, I also know that the band retired a few years ago after your godfather got struck in the ear by a turnip at one of their concerts - Dad wrote an article about it recently. But what I don't know is if he's actually a good singer or not. Is he?"

Harry stared at her, blinked, and then stared some more.

Sirius Black, the lead singer for a decades-old band?! Oh, he was definitely never going to let his godfather hear the end of this!

"I don't know" he replied honestly, "You'll have to ask him some time".

Before she could reply, the door to their compartment slid open once more.

"Hi, Luna" Ginny Wealsey said, "Is it okay if we- oh".

"Hello" Harry greeted politely, although he was secretly amused by her quickly her face turned red - and also secretly dreading the awkward encounter they were no doubt about to have.

"Harry" she started, "Uh… hi".

There was a shuffling in the corridor, and he glanced over her shoulder only to see a clumsy-looking blond standing behind her, looking very uncomfortable indeed.

"Oh!" Ginny exclaimed, quickly stepping aside, "Yes! Of course! Sorry, uh, this is- this is-"

"Viscount Coke" Harry finished, standing up and giving him a respectful nod.

"Just Neville, please, Lord Gloucester" the boy replied, with a somewhat embarrassed grin, and he couldn't help but grin back at the familiar discomfort. "Just Harry then, too, if you would".

"It's a deal".

"Oh no". They all turned to look at Luna as she spoke, but her silvery gaze remained firmly on Harry. "Was I supposed to use your weird arbitrary title when you first came in?"

Ginny snorted, which caused Neville to chuckle, which eventually caused Harry to laugh as well.

"Only if you care about what the rest of society thinks" he answered honestly, and she blinked, slowly. "Well… That's alright then. I don't".

"Me neither" he replied, retaking his seat, "You know what, Luna? I think you and I are going to get along wonderfully".

As the train started gaining speed, there was a knock on their carriage door, before it opened and a familiar blond boy stepped in, flanked by two rather… distinctive-looking individuals.

Ginny immediately scowled at them, hand flying to her wand. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

Harry almost baulked - that was most certainly not how you addressed the Marquess of Winchester!

Draco merely sneered at her, briefly, before turning to face Harry, his entire posture appropriately formal, but stiff. Clearly he was doing this under Narcissa's orders, rather than through any willingness of his own.

"Good afternoon, Lord Gloucester".

Based on the look of disbelief that came across both Neville and Ginny's faces, this sudden politeness was not his default setting. Harry wished he could say he was surprised.

"Lord Malfoy" he greeted evenly, "I trust you and your family are in good health?"

Now, Neville and Ginny were staring at him.

"Yes, we are. Thank you for asking" Draco said, before taking a step to the side, "May I introduce the Honourable Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle?"

"You may" Harry replied easily, secretly amused at how uncomfortable all three boys looked - apparently it wasn't just Malfoy's parents who had given instructions to their children. He nodded at them, all the same. "Gentlemen".

"Lord Gloucester" the one to Draco's right said, a rather large, gorilla-looking boy, whereas Goyle, standing at the blond's left, remained silent.

Harry didn't take offence - there seemed to be very little going on behind those small dull eyes, which was yet another point in muggle-borns favour. Surely, achieving this level of stupidity had only been made possible through centuries of careful inbreeding.

In fact, now that he thought about it, he was surprised that Crabbe and Goyle were even with Malfoy at all. Admittedly, they appeared to be more so his lackeys than his friends, but they were still an odd choice for one of the most influential families in Britain to associate with.

If he remembered correctly, Vincent Crabbe was next in line to be the Baron of… Thurlow after his father stepped down or passed away, but a barony was nothing compared to the Malfoy dukedom - and Goyle didn't even have a title to begin with!

Harry was most certainly above befriending people based solely on such "weird arbitrary titles", as Luna had aptly put it, but something told him that the Malfoys were far more selective in their acquaintances - so just why on earth did Draco hang around these baboons?

Malfoy, maintaining his formal posture, gestured toward the two boys accompanying him as if reading his mind.

"They're here at the behest of my mother, the Duchess, who wished for their presence during our… meeting".

Harry acknowledged this with a nod, though his curiosity about the unusual companions Draco had brought along continued to grow. Ginny's scowl had not diminished a fraction, and Neville seemed torn between fascination and disapproval. Luna, rather understandably, was not paying any of them a single iota of her attention.

"I trust the presence of Crabbe and Goyle doesn't disturb you?" the blond inquired, although the tone of his voice carried more than a hint of challenge.

"Not at all" Harry replied calmly, "I'm always open to making new acquaintances".

He glanced briefly at Crabbe and Goyle, offering a polite smile - an olive branch that was promptly destroyed by Ginny, who was unable to hide her scepticism.

"New acquaintances? More like Malfoy's hired muscle!"

Draco shot her a disdainful look but held his tongue, before turning back to Harry.

"My mother thought it prudent to ensure my safety, considering the recent… unrest among certain factions in our society".

It was, admittedly, a rather subtle threat - but he understood the message all the same. The political landscape was shifting, after all, what with Lord Voldemort in the Ministry, Harry's own return to the wizarding world, and the noncommittal way he'd yet to formally choose a side.

Narcissa Malfoy truly was a wonderfully intelligent woman - a shark in the water who had just smelt his blood. It would do her no harm to get Harry on the Malfoys' side, after all, but it would benefit her family greatly. Just… not at the expense of her son.

He had no doubt that if he were to pick a side, and if that side necessitated himself and Draco being sworn enemies for life, then Crabbe and Goyle would more than prove to him their usefulness as "hired muscle".

Neville, still looking rather unsure at the unfolding drama, finally spoke up. "Are you suggesting that Harry's a threat?"

Draco raised an imperious eyebrow. "Merely taking precautions, Longbottom. One can never be too careful in times like these".

Ginny huffed in disbelief, so Harry decided to steer the conversation away from potential conflict. The last thing he needed was to start his time at Hogwarts off with a brawl.

"Regardless, I appreciate the… proactiveness of the Duchess. Now, is there a specific reason for your visit, Lord Malfoy?"

Draco's stiff posture relaxed ever so slightly.

"My mother wished for me to convey her interest in corresponding with you. Given her relation to your… godfather and the current political position of the Black family, she feels as though you have much to discuss. She wished for me to ask if you would be amenable to receiving a letter from her".

He considered the invitation carefully, his mind calculating the potential benefits and pitfalls. The main advantage, of course, was that it gave him the in he'd been looking for with the Malfoys and, eventually, the Dark Lord himself. The main disadvantage, on the other hand, was that his answer would ruffle more than a few feathers in the Order - plus, it was going to drive Sirius crazy.

Oh, who was kidding; he'd already made up his mind.

"I would be delighted" he replied honestly, ignoring Ginny's rather choked-sounding cough, "Please, tell your mother I look forward to hearing from her".

Draco nodded, once, clearly satisfied with the response, before inclining his head ever so slightly and turning on his heel, striding from the carriage and followed closely by his lumbering bodyguards.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Ginny spun on him, furious.

"Have you lost your mind?! You want to write to Narcissa Malfoy of all people?! Do you have any idea how- how- how ridiculous that sounds?!"

On the plus side, her anger and frustration seemed to have overcome any and all embarrassment she'd previously felt.

"Why is it ridiculous?" he asked, "Narcissa Malfoy was born a Black; she's Sirius's first cousin. In fact, she's technically even my cousin, too, given that her grandaunt married my great-great-granduncle. It's only natural that she's interested in the Black family".

"She's not interested in the Black family, Harry, she's interested in you!" she exclaimed, "Her and her Death Eater husband are You-Know-Who's closest followers!"

"And so what if they are?" he shot back, "First of all, that doesn't define them; people aren't one-dimensional like that. And I'm not going into this with my eyes closed, Ginny, I know that Lady Malfoy has an ulterior motive - she's far too clever not to have one - but you're forgetting the fact that this gives me just as much an advantage as it gives her".

The redhead crossed her arms, looking equal parts righteous and petulant. "And what if this is a trap? What if she's going to send you a- a- a bloody portkey or something to whisk you off to You-Know-Who?!"

Neville, who had been silently observing the exchange, chimed in. "She's got a point, Harry. The Malfoys aren't exactly known for their good intentions".

"Exactly!" She nodded quickly. "And- And what about Sirius? He's not exactly going to be happy about this, is he?"

"I'll talk to Sirius" he replied, sighing, "I know that this is a risk, you guys, but if it works out in the long run, then it'll be worth it!"

They didn't look convinced.

"Look, I… I appreciate your concern" Harry said, quietly, "And if this goes too far, if things start getting dangerous or weird or whatever, then I'll just stop replying… But it's too good an opportunity for me to let go".

Ginny huffed and looked away, clearly done arguing since he was just as clearly not going to change his mind. Neville, on the other hand, looked surprisingly shrewd.

"... You're not going to be sorted into Gryffindor, are you?"

The redhead immediately whipped back around, outrage on her face and denial on her tongue, but Harry spoke up before she could.

"Likely not, no" he admitted evenly, "Will that be a problem for you?"

"No" he said immediately, "Not for me. But I can't imagine your… future housemates will take kindly to you associating with me".

"Future housemates not taking kindly?" Ginny repeated in disbelief, "You're talking like he's going to go into Slytherin!"

There was a beat of silence, then two, then three, and then she jerked back in equal parts shock and surprise and what appeared to be fear.

"No" she said, turning to him, "No way! Not a chance! Harry bloody Potter cannot possibly be a Slytherin!"

"The Boy Who Lived cannot possibly be a Slytherin" he corrected quietly, "But I'm not him. Not really. Maybe if I'd entered the wizarding world back when I was eleven… Too much has happened since then, Ginny, and I'm not the same person I was back then either. I've got plans now, future goals, things I want to change… Things that I will change".

"Ambition, power, and determination". Neville shook his head, but he was smiling. "You're going to ruffle more than a few feathers, aren't you?"

"I'm going to do more than that" he replied with a grin, "I'm going to change the world".

Ron didn't turn up for nearly an hour, by which time the food trolley had already gone by. Harry, Ginny, and Neville had finished their Pumpkin Pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog cards when the compartment door slid open - apparently Luna wasn't a fan of sweet things.

Harry glanced up as two people stepped in, Ron with a small hooting owl in a cage and a shorter bushy-haired girl he presumed must be Hermione Granger, who had a large rather ugly-looking creature weaving its way around and through her legs.

"I'm starving!" Ron announced, stowing his owl next to Hedwig, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Ginny and throwing himself into the seat across from her. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the Frog's head, and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning.

Harry traded an amused look with Neville while Hermione, the poor thing, just hovered there by the door looking extremely awkward. Ron remained oblivious until Ginny finally reached out and kicked him.

"Ow!" he yelped, jerking up and rubbing at his shin, "What the bloody hell was that for?!"

"For making Hermione stand there like a lemon, you idiot! You still haven't introduced her to Harry!"

"I still haven't- Well, what's stopping you from doing it?"

Ginny pointed her nose in the air and started with a very hoighty-toighty voice, "Courtesy dictates that he who is familiar to both the invitee and the-"

"Merlin, alright, I get it! You sound exactly like mum when you do that… Harry, this is Hermione Granger. 'Mione, this is Harry Potter, the Earl of Gloucester, the Boy Who Lived, yada yada yada".

Hermione, still slightly flushed, took the seat in between him and Ron and Harry gave her a mischievous smile. "Yada yada yada is actually my favourite of the three titles".

She snorted as the others laughed and Ron's ears turned red.

"It's nice to meet you, Hermione".

"You as well" she replied, "I've read all about you, of course - you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events-"

"-of the Twentieth Century" he finished, mentally groaning, "Yeah. I know".

"Oh". She flushed. "Sorry. I'm a bit of a bookworm".

"A bit?!" Ron exclaimed, but they both ignored him.

"But you're in Gryffindor?" Harry asked, "Not Ravenclaw?"

She shrugged. "It was fifty-fifty, honestly, but I wanted to be in Gryffindor so that's where I ended up. What about you? Gryffindor?"

"I'd like to be put in Ravenclaw" he said lightly, "But I know I'm going to be put in Slytherin".

Ron abruptly choked on his chocolate frog and although Hermione paled ever so slightly, she almost immediately recovered and quickly elbowed the boy in the ribs.

"Well, I'm sure wherever you end up, it'll be in the House that's best for you" she replied diplomatically, and Harry couldn't help but smile.

"And hey, speaking of Houses" Neville said, to break the awkward silence, "Who're the other prefects?"

"Well, there are two fifth-years from each House - a boy and a girl" Hermione started, "Hufflepuff has Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott, and Ravenclaw has Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil".

It was a good mix of nobility and non-nobility and Harry wondered if that was by Dumbledore's design or merely a coincidence.

"And for Slytherin?" Ginny asked, an audible edge to her voice, and Ron grimaced. "Who d'you think?"

"Malfoy" Neville said, a flash of concern and dread coming across his face.

"Got it in one" he agreed bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into his mouth and taking another.

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

Ron shook his head in disgust. "We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often, 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!" Hermione said sharply.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all" he replied 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 heaven's sake, Ron!"

"I'll make Goyle do lines. It'll kill him - he hates writing".

"And speaking of" Ginny cut in, "Guess who we got a visit from earlier on?"

"Don't tell me it was thing one and thing two!"

"Plus their little overlord".

"Draco Malfoy? Here?!" Ron exclaimed, half-choking on his Chocolate Frog, "What the bloody hell was he here for?!"

"What d'you think?" she shot back, nodding in Harry's direction, "Came to ask permission for Narcissa Malfoy of all people to write to Harry!"

"What?!" He turned his wide blue eyes to him. "Please tell me you said no!"

"And insult the most politically powerful woman in Britain?" Harry replied dryly, "I don't think so".

"You said yes?!"

At all of his shock and outrage, Hermione simply rolled her eyes.

"Oh, honestly, Ronald! Lady Malfoy isn't the devil reincarnate! I've heard that she's a perfectly lovely woman".

"From who?!"

"From everyone outside of Gryffindor!" she snapped, "And there's more than one rumour going around that Lady Malfoy is the real brains behind half of what Lord Malfoy get passed in Wizengamot".

"Behind every successful man…" Harry mused, "What a load of bollocks".

She immediately spun on him. "I know, right?! It's almost the twenty-first century for goodness sake! In the muggle world, there have been women in parliament since the nineteen-twenties and the first noble lady took her seat during the fifties! And then I show up here and I'm told 'oh no, witches couldn't possibly have anything important to say in Wizengamot' like what the hell?!"

"Nobody's saying that, Hermione" Ron replied with a heavy sigh, "No one thinks that women aren't capable! It's just… tradition!"

"And as I've told you, Ronald Weasley, that's all well and good for you to say because you're not the one being affected by it!"

Evidently, it was an argument they'd had more than once.

"I mean, for Godric's sake, the first female Minister for Magic, Artemisia Lufkin, held her position at the end of the seventeen-hundreds - that was almost two hundred years ago! So Wizengamot can trust a woman to run their country but not to make any legislative decisions?! What sort of backwards fucked up-"

"I completely agree" Harry quickly interrupted before things could get any worse, "I think it's beyond daft that women can't inherit titles from their fathers, and honestly, that outdated clause has caused more trouble than it's worth with families like the Blacks. The muggles realised this decades ago and have slowly started to change things, so it's just stupid that the wizarding world hasn't done the same".

"Yes! Precisely! And calling it 'tradition', Ronald, is a terrible excuse for perpetuating inequality!" Hermione finished, her eyes blazing with righteous anger, "Tradition for tradition's sake is what holds society back. We have so much potential, and it's wasted on outdated, patriarchal systems that reinforce the same power structures. Honestly, how is anyone supposed to-"

Ron groaned, his hands going up in surrender. "Alright, alright, I get it! No need to give me another lecture on how everything is unfair - I'm not the one making the rules!"

Neville, attempting to mediate the tension, cleared his throat. "I mean, he's got a point, Hermione. It's not Ron's fault and he isn't in any position to change things. It's the dukes who have the real power".

"And all of the dukes are men! And pure-bloods on top of that!" she exclaimed, "No offence to any of you of course, but… there are still so many outdated, archaic notions of blood superiority that have leaked into Wizengamot and that, combined with the frankly ridiculously rigid class system is just- it's maddening!"

Harry found himself nodding in agreement, watching her with a kind of awe. She was passionate, and sharp, and relentless, in a way that almost reminded him of himself.

"Pure-bloods will always have an unfair advantage over muggle-borns with Wizengamot's current structure" he said, "It's one of the major things that needs to change if the wizarding world plans on developing anytime soon - which is why it's one of the first things I plan on changing as soon as I take my seat".

Hermione turned back to him with raised eyebrows and a curious tilt of her head. "You do? Really?"

"Really. There's a lot about the wizarding world that's outdated. I've seen enough from both sides - muggle and magical - to know that. I don't care much for blood or old traditions, but once I turn seventeen, I'll get some leverage that I can use to change it. The wizarding world's long overdue for a revolution and if I have to be the one to kickstart it, then I will".

Her warm brown eyes widened. "That's… well, that's certainly ambitious".

"Blimey, Harry" Ron muttered, shaking his head in disbelief, "You've gone from being the Boy Who Lived to the Boy Who Wants to Change the Whole Bloody System!"

He grinned. "Someone's got to".

Ginny was frowning, although she seemed more thoughtful than disbelieving.

"I'm definitely not disagreeing with you" she started slowly, "I want those idiotic misogynistic laws eradicated too, but… changes like that don't happen overnight. There's a lot of people currently in power who won't like it - people who'll fight against you to keep things exactly as they are because they benefit from it".

"And that's exactly why it needs to happen" he replied firmly, "The entire point of Wizengamot is to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, and if someone is benefiting from the current corrupt system then they need to go. And it's not just about blood purity either; it's about the way the entire system works, the way muggle-borns and muggles are treated, the way magical creatures are treated, even down to the standard of education we get at Hogwarts! Like Hermione said, there's so much potential for things to just be… better".

"You know, for a Slytherin, you're starting to sound an awful lot like a Ravenclaw right now" Neville remarked, and Ron snorted. "More like a Hufflepuff, I'd say, demanding fair treatment like that".

"Or a Gryffindor" Hermione counteracted, "Leading the fight against a corrupt government… That's positively lion-ish".

Ginny smirked. "Ambitious too, though, which is very firmly a snake-ish trait… Honestly, I don't think I'll ever get used to the idea of the Boy Who Lived being in Slytherin, but… changing the world? That's something I think I can get behind".

"Something we can all get behind" Hermione corrected, even as the boy on her other side shook his head. "You're absolutely mad, you know that, right? Completely mental!"

Harry gave a modest shrug. "Yeah, probably".

Luna, who had so far been fully engrossed in her upside-down copy of the Quibbler, suddenly spoke up.

"The dabberblimps say that big changes are coming. But they also say that we shouldn't worry too much about wrackspurts this year. So, that's nice. Not sure about the Heliopath though".

"The Heliopath?" Harry asked, confused, and next to him, Hermione groaned. "Oh, don't get her started!"

"Too late" Ginny said with a mischievous grin, "When Luna gets on a roll, there's no stopping her".

Luna, seemingly oblivious to the teasing, continued, her voice dreamy as ever. "Heliopaths are fascinating creatures. They're fire spirits, you see, made of pure flame and fury. They only appear when someone is trying to control something they shouldn't, but they're also known to create chaos in times of big change".

"Fascinating" Harry said, not entirely lying, "But how do the, uh… dabberblimps know all this?"

"No idea, but the dabberblimps are usually right about these things" she replied, matter-of-factly, "They're very perceptive. Of course, they did warn me about wrackspurts earlier, but I haven't noticed any floating around yet, so that's a good sign".

Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples. "Luna, do you ever stop making things up? Wrackspurts aren't real".

"I don't make things up" Luna said, smiling serenely, "I just see the world a little differently. You should try it sometime, Hermione. You might find it's less complicated".

Hermione opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Neville interjected, a little too eagerly, "Well, maybe- maybe there's something to it. I mean, who's to say that there aren't things we don't understand yet?"

She shot him a wry look. "Oh, Neville, don't encourage her".

Luna, entirely unfazed, gave a soft laugh. "I'm not asking anyone to believe me. I'm just saying, the world is a lot stranger than people think. The heliopaths are just one example".

Harry, still trying to process the idea of creatures he'd never heard of before, flashed her a grin. "Well, you've certainly given me a lot to think about, Luna. I'm going to keep my eye out for any wrackspurts, just in case".

"That's a good idea" she said with a nod of approval, "And remember, if you see a heliopath, don't talk back to it! They don't like it when you do".

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh as she stood up, shooting Luna one final, pointed look as if she could physically dispel the conversation.

"Right, Ron, we've got rounds to do" she said, her tone clipped, "We're supposed to be patrolling the train, remember?"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming" he grumbled following her out, "Hey, Nev, save me a chocolate frog, will you?"

The boy nodded. Luna, meanwhile, didn't seem to notice the abrupt exit, too busy flipping her Quibbler upside down again and humming to herself. The door to the compartment slid shut but they could still hear Ron and Hermione's bickering as they headed off to their rounds, causing Ginny to roll her eyes at the pair and turn back to the window.

Harry simply smiled, leaned back in his seat, and picked up his Astronomy book. He had a feeling that this year was going to be full of unpleasant surprises - the least he could do was make sure to enjoy it while he still could.