XXXIX. OVER YONDER
19:09 ─❁────────── 19:79
◁ Ⅱ ▷
❝You better understand,
my love is magnificent❞
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IT WAS FINALLY THE MOMENT most of them both dreaded and excited for; the day in which they'll be returning to Hogwarts.
No matter how many times she had been convincing herself the night before the fateful day, she still couldn't manage herself to be excited for the upcoming year. She knew it was going to be hellish than last year, and that's simply a fact.
When she woke from another restless sleep at the verge of dawn, she never felt so desperate to just go back to sleep. Of course, she couldn't so she was tortured to spend the time that was left to clean her room and gather all her belongings into her trunk.
Lucia roamed idly around the house after having breakfasting earlier than the others, taking in what she assumed to be her last time being here. Despite herself, she unintentionally grown attached to this cursed house. Disgusted by it — but still attached, which she never understood how, but she did understand why she'd grown fond of a significant in the said house.
The library.
She never thought she would say that actually.
Huh.
Deciding to venture one last time inside the room she spent most of her days in, actually reading, Lucia was surprised to find Sirius sitting in one of the armchairs with a knowing smile, as if he'd been waiting for her.
She cocked a brow at him. "W-What are you doing here alone?"
"Shouldn't I be saying the same thing to you?" he said, amused.
"Professor Lupin told me that you find reading an inconvenience, so I can ask you why you are actually here." Lucia said, smirking at him.
"That snitch," mumbled Sirius, before redirecting back at her smugly, "And Harry told me that you find reading just as inconvenience as I do."
"What a snitch," Lucia said, though more loudly than Sirius. "But I changed!"
"You'll probably be dozing off the moment you step foot into the library in Hogwarts!"
"I —" she raised her hand in protest, but Sirius merely gave her a knowing and smug look. Heaving out a sigh, Lucia knew Sirius wasn't far off from the truth. "Okay! Fine! But you can't blame me for getting tired fast after reading a bunch of books for school!"
"See, this is why we get along!" Sirius rested his arm around her shoulder, leading her deep into the Black family library. "We have plenty in common,"
"No, we don't," said Lucia, doubting.
"— we both find reading an inconvenience —"
"Not because of the same thing," she judged.
"— and we both are known to be troubled Gryffindors,"
"Again, for different reasons," said Lucia.
"— we both love Harry,"
"Different reasons as well — hold on!" She finally caught onto Sirius' words. Lucia stared at him incredulously as he howled with laughter. "That was a trap!" she claimed.
"And you fell right into it," Sirius cackled madly.
"Devious... no, hold on!" she glared at him, "I do not love Harry."
"There's the denial," Sirius sang mischievously. "You don't think I've noticed how closed you two were over the summer? He's been so tensed with Ron and Hermione, and yet so calm with you..."
"Maybe Azkaban really did something to your head, because whatever you're saying is just not right." Lucia stated snarkily back. "Have you ever thought that maybe I'm just a good friend?"
"False!"
"Rude!"
"Says the one that basically called me not right in the head," Sirius disputed.
"Oh, and that's my fault for thinking that?" argued Lucia mockingly. "I only met you recently, old man" — Sirius let out a sound that came incoherently close to a whimper and a gasp — "and before this, I only knew you as a murderer. Plus, you did spend some time in Azkaban. Twelve? Thirteen years? That's a lot." She added.
"'That's a lot' she says," mimicked Sirius pettily, bitter. "Think I'm mental, do you?"
"Kind of..."
But that seem to not be the reason why he was upset as he burst out suddenly: "I'm not old, you know!" he whined. "I'm only in my... in my... in my t-thirties!"
"And that's not old?" Lucia said, tilting her head to the side, causing agitation within Sirius. But she was simply just milking this for fun... and perhaps revenge for his sudden ambush, overhearing about one of the few things that easily irritates him. "Heard you talking to Professor Lupin the other day. Reminiscing about the olden times, were you?" she emphasised.
"You — !" Maybe Sirius had underestimated this opponent of his. From what he was told by Ron, Hermione, and specifically Harry, Lucia DiFiore had always been known to be this reserved girl before they all accidentally form a small group together. She was kind, timid, and from what he was told, he assumed that she was just, well, a doormat. Not to mention how Remus had told him of how jumpy this girl could be...
Sirius privately gaped to himself.
I was bamboozled by everyone!
"Listen here, you poisonous flower in disguise! I am the adult here —"
"Then act like one and bugger off of my lovelife," said Lucia simply.
Sirius was about to argue again when he caught her. "So, you do agree then? You agree that Harry's apart of your love life?"
Lucia froze, and all she could think of was hope stupid she was. Frankly, she didn't think Sirius would be fast enough to catch her, perhaps that was her down fall: underestimating Sirius...
"Look, Sirius, Harry and I do not have any sort of feelings for each other," she stressed, but it was a lie in her part. A big — fat — lie.
"False again!"
"Harry does not fancy someone like me,"
This was when his smirk faded into a frown. "What does that supposed to mean?"
Lucia fiddled with her fingers, "I'm just being realistic here. A person like Harry to like someone like me is just a bit too far-fetched, am I not wrong? Harry very much deserved someone pretty, smart, witty, and brave. And I don't fit those criteria..."
"That's a load of dung!" Sirius declared.
"Is it really though? I'm most likely the person that gets the lowest of grades. I couldn't even come close to protect myself and was stupid enough to get myself capture last year!" Faintly, Sirius though he heard a sniffle from her. Her voice croaked, "And beautiful? I'm the opposite of that..."
That can't be right.
Is she wallowing in her own self-pity?
Where was all these claims coming from? Because he was definite that all he's been hearing were good things about her. How she had the prettiest eyes and so on, so where were all of these coming from?
"Let me tell you something," he patted at the spot in couch beside him. She obeyed, slumping herself on the couch. "You're beautiful, that's unmistakable. So, what if you are not courageous, or brave, or the smartest witch in your year? I don't think anyone should judge you about that. And I know for sure that Harry won't care about that one bit, because you have your own characteristic already."
"But me pining over Harry already told me enough of how he'll never fancy me," said Lucia in dismay, leaning her head on the palm of her hand.
"So, you do agree that you at least fancy him?" he grinned.
"Not the point, Sirius," she glared at him.
"Okay, okay," chuckled Sirius. "I'll tell you this; I knew this boy once, and he pined over this girl for years. But instead of watching him being a sad sod, I ended up watching him marry her and have a family with her."
"It is plausible that he is the complete opposite of me," she stated.
Sirius shrugged. "Perhaps, but there are some similarities," he said, causing her to look at him questionably. However, he left her in anticipation. "My point in the first place is that I think it doesn't matter whether you are pretty, witty, brave, courageous or not, because Harry already saw through that. And I reckon that he feels the same, only a bit confused."
Lucia snorted.
"How about we make a bet out of this?" suggested Sirius with a smirk. "Harry will eventually fancy you."
"You're persistent, but seeing as I'll probably win, I'll take the chance." Lucia managed.
"I'm never wrong," he said.
"Are you sure about that? I think you're wrong. Really, really wrong." She said coyly at him, "Are you ready to be wrong?"
"I'm ready to be right," said Sirius.
The two shook hands, "Fifty galleons?"
"Fifty it is," she nodded.
"You lot better hurry down, we'll be late!" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed around the house.
Just as Lucia started toward the door, Sirius pulled her to the fireplace. She glanced at him, confused, but was soon filled with astonishment as he set three books in her arms. "There."
"What's this for?"
"You shouldn't underestimate Harry's feelings for you so much, because whenever he and I talk he'll always end up talking about you. And one of those talks so happens to be about the things you are great at — which he finds everything great about you — but Potions, he told me that you're exceptional at it that even Snivellus despised you for it," said Sirius, causing Lucia to turn pink at this. "So, I thought that I should give you these."
"Thank you..." breathed Lucia, heart clenching somberly.
If she didn't want to leave before, she really didn't want to leave now. Who knew goodbye could be so hard to accomplish?
"My dear old family has some books that even Hogwarts have, but instead of it being restricted, you could have them anytime," explained Sirius.
"I'm guessing that being one of the most oldest wizarding family has its pros," said Lucia.
"You gotcha," winked Sirius.
Lucia set the book in her trunk that she she had brought down with her, twirling around, and pouncing on the man, hugging him as she couldn't contain her jubilation from his actions. Sirius took a moment to comprehend the situation, but soon reciprocate the action.
"Thank you," she mumbled into his shoulder.
Sirius smiled softly, "Anything for you,"
"I'm not joking, Sirius. I really am thankful for those books; how can I repay you?"
"There's no need to repay me for some boring old book," said Sirius earnestly. "i never needed 'em anyway,"
"I insist!"
He smirked. "Then why not admit to Harry —"
"Anything but that," she said quickly.
He laughed. "All right..." Sirius tapped his chin, thinking deeply before snapping his finger. He clamped his hand on her shoulder, giving her a hopeful smile.
"Be there for Harry."
"What — ?"
"Be there for Harry when I can't." Sirius said, eye glazed slightly. "Be a pillar for him. Be his shoulder to cry on when he needs it, because Godric knows when he'll break when he currently is being stubborn about it. Just... just be there when I can't."
Lucia stared into his grey eyes sadly. "Sirius..."
"That's all I'm asking from you, Lucia." He said, "Please."
For a moment, she hesitated. She didn't know why, but somehow his words felt ominous. Why's that?
Nodding, she assured him with a small smile, "O-Of course,"
The two soon got out of the library, and thanks to Sirius she didn't need to lift a single weight as he insisted on carrying her heavy trunk down, saying how nostalgic he was at the mere feeling of dragging trunks around. It was weird, but Lucia just went with it as she already concluded that Sirius indeed is an odd man.
At the bottom, they were met by Mrs. Weasley, who was looking up the flight of stairs impatiently.
"Lucia dear!" Mrs. Weasley fretted once Lucia hopped down the last step. "Where are the others? We'll be late if they don't —"
"Calm down, Mrs. Weasley," said Lucia wearily. "I'm sure they'll be down in any minute."
"Oh, they'll be better or else —"
"Threaten the others, Mum. Don't associate me with those tardy lots," Ginny said as she came down the stairs, unbeknownst of Fred and George behind her.
"Yes, yes, just come down!"
"I'm coming!"
Lucia's eyes widened as the next thing she knew; the twins' trunks were bewitched and was now floating down behind Ginny. And of course, like always, things went south quick: The trunks had hurtled straight into Ginny and knocked her down two flights of stairs into the hall; Mrs. Black and Mrs. Weasley 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 —"
Lucia quickly helped Ginny up, the younger girl glared daggers at her older brothers.
Ginny grumbled, "Stupid Fred and George..." before fading into incoherent words, but Lucia could tell that all were colourful indeed.
"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed.
Lucia jumped in startlement; Ginny rolled her eyes, dusting off herself; Fred and George were looking happily that they were no longer in the receiving end of Mrs. Weasley's wrath. Soon enough, Lucia saw Harry coming down the stairs with Hedwig in her cage, all the while Hermione was dragging down his trunk.
"What a chaotic morning..." Lucia sighed wearily.
Ginny snorted. "Typical Weasley experience,"
"I can imagine how chaotic the years before were," said Lucia. "Poor Mrs. Weasley..."
Realising what the older girl meant, Ginny took offence: "Hey!"
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, Lucia, and Tonks," shouted Mrs. Weasley 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 heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"
Lucia wheeled her head around and gaped immediately at the sight. She didn't know Sirius was an Animagus.
"Woah..." was all she could muster up. Despite looking like a drama queen, Lucia couldn't doubt that Harry's godfather may be one of the coolest people she had ever have the pleasure to meet. Breaking out of Azkaban on his own was impressive enough, but being an Animagi?
Lucia pouted her lips in deep thought. No one told her that he could turn into a dog...
Suddenly, she felt her hand itching. Itching to pet as the bearlike black dog appeared at Harry's side while the Potter boy clambered over the various of trunks that cluttered the hall just to get to Mrs. Weasley and Lucia.
"Oh honestly..." said Mrs. Weasley despairingly, "well, on your own head be it!"
She wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight. Lucia behind her, while Harry and the dog followed after the two. The door slammed behind them, and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.
"Where's Tonks?" Harry said, looking around as they went down the stone steps of number twelve, which vanished the moment they reached the pavement.
"She's waiting for us just up here," said Mrs. Weasley stiffly, averting her eyes from the lolloping black dog beside Harry.
"I'm guessing in disguise?" said Lucia, guessing.
"Right you are," An old woman greeted them on the corner. She had tightly curled gray hair and wore a purple hat shaped like a porkpie.
"Tonks?" Lucia said, susprised.
"Wotcher!" she said, winking. "Better hurry up, hadn't we, Molly?" she added, checking her watch.
"I know, I know," moaned Mrs. Weasley, lengthening her stride, "but Mad-Eye wanted to wait for Sturgis... If only Arthur could have got us cars from the Ministry again... but Fudge wouldn't let him borrow so much as an empty ink bottle these days... How Muggles can stand traveling without magic..."
"It's quite calming actually," chimed Lucia. Taking a walk was very normal for her during the summer way back before the Beaumont were kind enough to buy her a bike in the beginning of this summer. It was odd, but she wasn't going to complain since it was, to her, compensation for all those years of emotional distress.
The great black dog gave a joyful bark and gamboled around them, snapping at pigeons, and chasing its own tail. Lucia couldn't help but stared at Harry fondly as he stifled a soft laugh. It was nice to see that in such time, and it was all thanks to Lucia, who had been trapped inside for a very long time. Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips.
It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross by foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for the pair of teens' entertainment. Once inside the station they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through onto platform nine and three quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families.
"I hope the others make it in time," said Mrs. Weasley anxiously, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, through which new arrivals would come.
"Nice dog, Harry!" called a tall boy with dreadlocks.
"Thanks, Lee," said Harry, grinning, as Sirius wagged his tail frantically.
Harry side-glanced at Lucia and saw a sour look upon her face. After knowing her for a few years, he already knew what that face meant. She was itching to pet.
"Must... resist..." gasped Lucia theatrically.
"Oh honestly, just give him a pet," sighed Harry with a faint smile.
Sirius bobbed his head in agreement, and instantly the godfather and godson were blinded by the brightest, eager smile they had ever seen.
Giddily she petted Sirius' head, letting out occasional "Awws" before coming back to reality and restrict herself once more. Though that didn't stop her from having a look of adoration and fondness as she watched Sirius and Harry playing around.
"Oh good," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding relieved, "here's Alastor with the luggage, look..."
A porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes; Moody came limping through the archway pushing a cart full of their trunks.
"All okay," he muttered to Mrs. Weasley and Tonks. "Don't think we were followed..."
Seconds later, Mr. Weasley emerged onto the platform with Ron and Hermione. They had almost unloaded Moody's luggage cart 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."
They said their goodbyes to the adults, which Lucia still found it very foreign to do so as before she had gotten close to the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione, she was just another orphaned child setting off for another school year, alone in the platform.
"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging Lucia, Hermione, and Ginny. "We'll see you soon, I expect."
A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying onto the train.
"Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random. "Write... Be good... If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on... Don't be a stranger will you," Mrs. Weasley said, "Onto the train, now, hurry..."
Lucia snorted when she saw the great black dog reared onto its hind legs and placed its front paws on Harry's shoulders. So much for being a normal dog... But Mrs. Weasley shoved Harry away toward 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 Ron, Hermione, Lucia, and Ginny waved beside him. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley 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, and then they turned the corner, and Sirius was gone.
"He shouldn't have come with us," said Hermione in a worried voice.
"Oh, lighten up," said Ron, "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 and to find Erin. 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 they swayed where they stood.
"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione.
Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.
"Er," said Ron.
"We're — well — Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.
Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.
"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," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. "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," he finished defiantly.
"I know you're not," said Harry and he grinned. But as Hermione and Ron dragged their trunks, Crookshanks, and a caged Pigwidgeon off toward the engine end of the train, Harry felt an odd sense of loss. He had never traveled on the Hogwarts Express without Ron.
Lucia shared a gaze with Ginny, and the two nodded at one another.
"This year would be a bit different without Ron and Hermione in the same compartment for a while, but you at least still have us, right?" Lucia grinned at Harry, shouldering her purse. "I can't wait to see that lovely trolley lady again,"
"Come on," Ginny said, "if we get a move on, we'll be able to save them places."
The pair of girls walked along the corridors, but Lucia halted in motion when she noticed that someone was missing. She wheeled around and gave Harry a look.
"Hurry up, Harry," she said. "My legs can't handle anymore standing."
Harry blinked and smiled at her. "Right," He picked up Hedwig's cage in one hand and the handle of his trunk in the other.
They struggled off down the corridor, peering through the glass-paneled doors into the compartments they passed, which were already full. It was hard to notice the evident changes around them; a lot of people staring at them, specifically Harry, with great interest and that several of them nudged their neighbors and pointed him out. After having to endure this behavior in five consecutive carriages, the pair of girls before him saw the expression upon his face.
"Come on," Lucia pulled him along with her, tearing him away from his thoughts.
In the very last carriage they met Neville Longbottom, Harry, and Lucia's fellow fifth-year Gryffindor, his round face shining with the effort of pulling his trunk along and maintaining a one-handed grip on his struggling toad, Trevor.
"Hi, Harry," he panted. "Hi, Ginny. Hello, Lucia,"
"Hello, Neville," she beamed.
"Every where's full... I can't find a seat..." said Neville defeatedly.
"What are you talking about?" said Ginny, who had squeezed past Neville to peer into the compartment behind him. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here —"
Neville mumbled something about not wanting to disturb anyone.
Lucia furrowed her eyes. Was there actually someone named "Loony" in their school? How come she had never heard of them before?
"Yeah, don't be silly," said Ginny, laughing, "she's all right."
She slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside it. Lucia, Harry, and Neville followed.
"Hi, Luna," said Ginny.
Oh.
Lucia's lips parted into an O as she realised whom it was that occupied the compartment. It was Luna Lovegood, a very odd girl but still kind as Lucia remembered passing by her once in the corridors.
"Is it okay if we take these seats?"
The girl beside the window looked up. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty-blond hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Lucia tilted her head at the girl; she did have a bit of dotty look. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of butterbeer caps, or that she was reading a magazine upside down. However, judging right away was a bit shallow.
Lucia didn't think she had any right to say whether a person was dotty, for that would be a bit hypocritical of her then.
Her eyes ranged over to Lucia, and then at Neville and came to rest on Harry. She nodded.
"Thanks," said Ginny, smiling at her.
Harry and Neville stowed the four trunks and Hedwig's cage in the luggage rack and sat down. The girl called Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called The Quibbler. She didn't seem to need to blink as much as normal humans; she stared and stared at Harry, who had taken the seat opposite her and now wished he had not.
"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.
"Yes," said Luna dreamily, without taking her eyes off Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter," she added.
"I know I am," said Harry.
Neville chuckled. Luna turned her pale eyes upon him instead.
"And I don't know who you are."
"I'm nobody," said Neville hurriedly.
"No, you're not," said Ginny sharply. "Neville Longbottom — Luna Lovegood. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," said Luna in a singsong voice.
Lucia smiled, while Harry and Neville looked at each other with their eyebrows raised. Ginny suppressed a giggle.
"Pleasure to meet you, Luna," said Lucia finally. Luna turned to her. "I'm —"
"You're Lucia DiFiore, the girl trapped in the trunk last year,"
To say she was surprised by how blunt the girl was would be an understatement. Not once since she returned to the Wizarding World did anyone straightforwardly call her 'The Girl Trapped in the Trunk Last Year'. It was a jaw-dropping way to start a conversation...
However, despite her shock, Lucia couldn't help but smile and nod at the girl's statement, which was the opposite of what the rest of the compartment reaction was as they merely frowned upon what Luna said.
Harry glared down at his lap dangerously, not meeting any eyes. Although the dementor caused the start of his problem against the Ministry, but he did not find any remorse toward Barty Crouch Junior, especially after what he had put Lucia through...
"I didn't know people know me by that," said Lucia musingly, hand against her cheek. "I thought that no one knew about it..."
"Oh, no one did. But some fairies told me once," said Luna dreamily.
Luna raised her upside-down magazine high enough to hide her face and fell silent.
The train rattled onward, speeding them out into open country. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next they were passing beneath ominously gray clouds.
"Guess what I got for my birthday?" said Neville.
"Another Remembrall?" said Harry, remembering the marblelike device Neville's grandmother had sent him to improve his abysmal memory.
"No," said Neville, "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago... No, look at this..."
He dug the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small gray cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.
"Mimbulus mimbletonia," he said proudly.
It was pulsating slightly, giving it the rather sinister look of some diseased internal organ.
"W-Where did you get it?" Lucia asked with uncertainty. As much as she was okay with Herbology, she wouldn't be as loving toward the subject as Neville.
"It's really, really rare," said Neville, beaming. "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."
"Does it — er — do anything?" Harry asked.
"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism — hold Trevor for me..."
He dumped the toad into Harry's lap and took a quill from his schoolbag. Luna's popping eyes appeared over the top of her upside-down magazine again, watching what Neville was doing. Neville held the Mimbulus mimbletonia up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot, and gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill.
Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant, thick, stinking, dark-green jets of it; they hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered Luna's magazine. Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy hat. Lucia, who'd been swift to take out her handfan and shield herself, was fortunate enough to not get it on her face. But Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing the escape of Trevor, received a face full. It smelled like rancid manure.
Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.
"S-sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before... Didn't realize it would be quite so... Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful onto the floor.
Ginny grimaced; Lucia covered her clean hand over her mouth, gagging.
At that precise moment the door of their compartment slid open.
"Oh... hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um... bad time?"
A very pretty girl with long, shiny black hair was standing in the doorway smiling at him: Cho Chang, the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.
"Oh... hi," said Harry blankly.
"Um..." said Cho. "Well... just thought I'd say hello... 'bye then."
She closed the door again, rather pink in the face, and departed. Harry slumped back in his seat and groaned, but Lucia wasn't sure it was out of embarrassment for he had made a full out of himself in front of his crush, or the fact that it was because he was covered by some slime in front of someone.
Lucia could merely busy herself with her slimy fan as she gathered the image of Cho and Harry together.
Sirius' words echoed in her mind, "You shouldn't underestimate Harry's feelings for you..." What a load of rubbing, she thought.
Well, at least she would be getting her fifty galleons the next time she sees Sirius...
"Nobody panic," sighed Lucia finally.
"Nobody was, Lucia," scoffed Ginny.
"Zitta, principessa," said Lucia, knowing how easily it made Ginny melted.
And she was right; Ginny's face turned red in an instant.
Triumphantly Lucia took out her wand, forgetting about their short encounter with the beautiful Cho Chang. "We can get rid of all this easily," she said. "Scourgify."
The Stinksap vanished.
"Sorry," said Neville again, in a small voice.
"It's all right, Neville." Ginny assured him kindly.
Lucia nodded in agreement with a soft smile gracing her lips. "You were just excited to show us your present." She said, "It wasn't like it hurt anyone," Except for Harry's dignity probably...
Neville sent the two a grateful, yet small smile.
Ron and Hermione did not turn up for nearly an hour, by which time the food trolley had already gone by. Harry, Lucia, Ginny, and Neville had finished their Pumpkin Pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog cards when the compartment door slid open and they walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage.
"I'm starving," said Ron, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to him. 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.
"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House," said Hermione, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took her seat. "Boy and girl from each."
"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron, still with his eyes closed.
"Malfoy," replied Harry at once, his worst fear confirmed.
"'Course," said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into his mouth and taking another.
"Of course it is," grumbled Lucia under her breath, "It always have to be that dunce bleach pillock that Snape would pick out of any Slytherin..."
Harry snorted, having heard her words.
"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll..."
"I would pick Astoria Greengrass's older sister than pugface anyday," said Lucia before adding, "not that Daphne's all that better..." Lucia still didn't understood why Daphne treated as though Astoria was a speck of dust...
"Agree. Greengrass is much milder than that cow," said Hermione.
"Everyone is milder than Parkinson though," said Lucia.
Hermione nodded. "Fair,"
"Who's Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.
"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," said Ron thickly.
"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione.
"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice.
Everyone turned to look at Luna Lovegood, who was gazing unblinkingly at Ron over the top of The Quibbler. He swallowed his mouthful of Frog.
"Yeah, I know I did," he said, looking mildly surprised.
"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded," she added thoughtfully, "I don't like dancing very much."
Lucia reminisce the time she went to the Yule Ball during Christmas last year; she had expected the ball to be boring, for she did not have a date at all, but she guessed she was wrong back then because in the end she wasn't alone at all. Closing her eyes, Lucia couldn't help but feel guilty for practically stealing Parvati's date and not to mention how neither of the Patil twins felt any thrill while attenting the ball with Harry and Ron. She was quite glad to know that they ended up having fun with some Durmstrang guys.
Luna retreated behind The Quibbler again. Ron stared at the cover with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then looked around at Ginny for explanation, but Ginny had stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop herself giggling. Ron shook his head, bemused, then checked his watch.
"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," he 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," said Ron sarcastically.
"Are you indirectly telling us that you're going to descend to his level?" Lucia cocked a brow at him.
"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," said Ron happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle's low grunt and, screwing up his face in 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 Luna Lovegood. 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 that 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 Ron. Utterly nonplussed, he looked around at the others, who were now laughing at the expression on Ron's face and at the ludicrously prolonged laughter of Luna Lovegood, who was rocking backward and forward, clutching her sides.
"Are you taking the mickey?" said Ron, frowning at her.
"Baboon's... backside!" she choked, holding her ribs.
Everyone else was watched as Luna laughed, while Lucia rested her head on Harry's shoulder after he had asked Luna to read her magazine and before she knew it, she slowly succumb into slumber as the last thing she saw was the headline of the magazine that she read with a very faint and hard stare:
SIRIUS — Black As He's Painted?
Notorious Mass Murderer OR Innocent Singing Sensation?
"Nice headlines," she muttered into Harry's ear, getting her head comfortable on his shoulder.
"Nice and wacky," said Harry with a soft smile at her before turning back to read. He had to read this sentence several times before he was convinced that he had not misunderstood it. Since when had Sirius been a singing sensation?
For fourteen years Sirius Black has been believed guilty of the mass murder of twelve innocent Muggles and one wizard. Black's audacious escape from Azkaban two years ago has led to the widest manhunt ever conducted by the Ministry of Magic. None of us has ever questioned that he deserves to be recaptured and handed back to the dementors.
BUT DOES HE?
Startling new evidence has recently come to light that Sirius Black may not have committed the crimes for which he was sent to Azkaban. In fact, says Doris Purkiss, of 18 Acanthia Way, Little Norton, Black may not even have been present at the killings.
"What people don't realize is that Sirius Black is a false name," says Mrs. Purkiss. "The man people believe to be Sirius Black is actually Stubby Boardman, lead singer of the popular singing group The Hobgoblins, who retired from public life after being struck in the ear by a turnip at a concert in Little Norton Church Hall nearly fifteen years ago. I recognized him the moment I saw his picture in the paper. Now, Stubby couldn't possibly have committed those crimes, because on the day in question he happened to be enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with me. I have written to the Minister of Magic and am expecting him to give Stubby, alias Sirius, a full pardon any day now."
"Oh this is gold," said Lucia quietly when she had finished reading.
It brought a sense of bewilderment into Lucia and Harry. Perhaps it was a joke, they both thought, perhaps the magazine often printed spoof items.
Harry flicked back a few pages and found the piece on Fudge.
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, denied that he had any plans to take over the running of the Wizarding bank, Gringotts, when he was elected Minister of Magic five years ago. Fudge has always insisted that he wants nothing more than to "cooperate peacefully" with the guardians of our gold.
BUT DOES HE?
"Why do they keep writing it like that?" Lucia snorted, amused. "It sounds ridiculous..."
"For suspense I reckon," said Harry, shrugging.
Sources close to the Minister have recently disclosed that Fudge's dearest ambition is to seize control of the goblin gold supplies and that he will not hesitate to use force if need be.
"It wouldn't be the first time, either," said a Ministry insider. "Cornelius 'Goblin-Crusher' Fudge, that's what his friends call him, if you could hear him when he thinks no one's listening, oh, he's always talking about the goblins he's had done in; he's had them drowned, he's had them dropped off buildings, he's had them poisoned, he's had them cooked in pies..."
That was a bit of a barbaric scene to imagine, Lucia thought. She did not like Fudge as much as the next guy — Harry — but, she could hardly imagine him having the guts to even step on a cockroach, much less order the goblins to be cook in pies. And she could tell that Harry had thought of that as well as he hastily flicked through the rest of the magazine to find more articles.
Lucia peered over his shoulder once again when he stopped to read something and thought it was another important article, but it was merely an article on the accusation that the Tutshill Tornados were winning the Quidditch League by a combination of blackmail, illegal broom-tampering, and torture.
She shook her head with a fond smile. Sometimes people tend to forget about it, but at the end of the day, Harry was still a teenage boy with the love of the stuff that other people love as well. It's a shame, really, that people do forget about that fact...
Instead of chiding him to focus, she joined him to read the article to read it the article. It was rather interesting to even think that those kinds of things could happen just due to Quidditch. But as someone who watched Quidditch matches for years, apart of her told her that it was rather normal and mild thing to happen.
They then proceeded on other articles; an interview with a wizard who claimed to have flown to the moon on a Cleansweep Six and brought back a bag of moon frogs to prove it; and an article on ancient runes, which at least explained why Luna had been reading The Quibbler upside down. According to the magazine, if you turned the runes on their heads, they revealed a spell to make your enemy's ears turn into kumquats. In fact, compared to the rest of the articles in The Quibbler, the suggestion that Sirius might really be the lead singer of The Hobgoblins was quite sensible.
"Anything good in there?" asked Ron as Harry closed the magazine.
"Of course not," said Hermione scathingly, before Harry could answer, "The Quibbler's rubbish, everyone knows that."
Lucia frowned and was about to disagree with her when Luna suddenly spoke up.
"Excuse me," said Luna; 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..."
"Awkward..." Lucia whistled, making Hermione glare; Harry and Ron giving her a look that was stating whether this was the time for it.
She shrugged.
"I'll have it back, thank you," said Luna coldly, and leaning forward she snatched it out of Harry's hands. Rifling 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.
Draco Malfoy stood at the doorway, smirking from between his cronies Crabbe and Goyle any more enjoyable.
"What?" Harry said aggressively, before Malfoy could open his mouth.
"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy, whose sleek blond hair and pointed chin were just like his father's. "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 git, so get out and leave us alone."
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville laughed. Lucia smiled. 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."
"Listen here you manky raggedy bleach knob of a head," said Lucia, glancing up at Malfoy with disgust written in her soft exterior. "I would say that you should be watching yourself. Because if you don't, you'll be visited by some good friends of mine. So, get out."
"Like you have any friends," scoffed Malfoy pathetically.
"Perhaps you're blinder than Harry,"
Harry's face twisted. "Hey,"
"Sorry, but it's the truth," she said apologetically to Harry before turning back to Malfoy scathingly. "You only have two gorillas that could barely make up their own mind to eat. Who is the one that doesn't have friends exactly?"
Malfoy's eyes twitched irritatingly when out of the blue, his lips curled. "How did it feel, DiFiore? In that trunk?"
Lucia froze. Perhaps she was just over-imagining it, but the way Malfoy had said it... it was as though he could do that to her himself. And that frightened her a bit.
At that, Lucia felt suffocated, memories of that fateful day flashing into her mind widely even as she tried to busy herself by thinking of the adorable kittens that lives around the neighbourhood in Little Whinging. She clenched the cuff of her sleeves, having a hard time to breath as she stared up at Malfoy.
"Was it fun?" He went on wickedly, "Reckon you would've —"
Before Lucia could respond with any sort of words or tones, pandemonium fell in the small compartment; Hedwig rustle dangerously within her cage; the two Weasleys were in the verge of pouncing on him, but was held back by Neville and Harry, who were as equally angered by the Slytherin.
Harry was internally enraged and truthfully, words could not describe of how much Harry wanted to throw Malfoy off this train immediately. He didn't think he could restrain himself from doing so and to be frank, if it weren't for Ginny and Ron, he would have already sent Malfoy six feet under already.
"Get out. Now!" Harry growled.
"Better count your hours, Malfoy!" yelled Ron, fuming.
"You won't even need hours, 'cause we'll catch your sorry little ferrets arse in seconds!" Ginny bellowed.
"Get out!" shrieked Hermione, standing up.
Sniggering, Malfoy gave Harry a last malicious look and departed, Crabbe and Goyle lumbering in his wake.
Lucia gazed at the door, gaze cold as winter than had never been present from her eyes. Her neck was starting to ache, like the shackles that were holding her back were threatening to shatter, yet she refrained herself and instead slammed the compartment door, chest heaving. She had never wanted to pummel someone so much before, but it seem that Malfoy truly is the icing in the cake.
However, just as she was about to sit back down, she recalled his words prior. 'I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line'... then it finally dawned on her what he meant by that.
She gave the rowdy bunch, specifically Harry, an alarmed look.
And in an instant, Harry and Hermione looked as alarmed as she did.
"Chuck us another Frog," said Ron, calming himself from his previous burst of outrage and clearly noticed nothing.
With Neville and Luna in the same compartment with them, they weren't able to discuss the situation. Harry exchanged another nervous look with Hermione and Lucia who sat down limply back beside Harry.
Merlin Saggy tits.