(no subject)
Children and their families bustled around her, eager to get themselves or their loved ones settled in before the train whisked them off. Luna noticed the new students first, the fresh faces looking around in awe and just a little scared of leaving for the first time in their lives. She remembered her first trip to this platform. She’d been too excited to sleep the night before, so as soon as she’d stepped on the giant locomotive she’d founded the nearest comfy chair and fallen right asleep. No matter that someone was already sitting in it of course. She’d then been woken by a very flustered looking 4th year asking if she was alright with perhaps finding a better, more unoccupied seat. That person, it turned out, ended up being her first major crush. So many firsts. How time flew! And here she was, somewhat newly turned 15 years old, and now officially an older student in the Hogwarts scheme of things. Older students were more respected. With her OWLs imminent at the end of year she would have greater responsibility and access to more information. Such glorious knowledge. The very idea of it made her mouth start to water.
“Watch it, Loony!” was the call that came only after a cart had been slammed into her side, pushing her off to one side.
She glanced over her shoulder to only briefly see Pansy Parkinson walking with her father maneuvering her cart for her before they disappeared into the crowd. Her side ache, and she would have a bruise on her hip later tonight, but it hardly mattered. No one would be able to shake her first day of school cheer, not even a silly Slytherin girl with a self-confidence problem. Luna smiled to herself and started to gather her belongings which had scattered. Some people were just downright silly when she thought about it. The thought entertained her as she reloaded her cart and turned to see her father rush through the barrier.
“Here I am, love!” he said, slightly breathless. “Had to meet a man about an article. Have you got everything? Got your ducks in order? Yes? Good!”
Luna beamed up at her father, nodding enthusiastically, then let him lead her over to where she could deposit her bags. Their summer together had been simply fantastic, and while she was sad to see it end, it was one she was eager to share with others and write down in her annual “What I did during the summer” essay she wrote to herself. She managed to get her bags onto the train, then turned to look for more people as her father began to engage a rather flustered looking Mrs. Macmillan in a conversation as to whether she had read the Quibbler’s latest edition. “You-Know-Who enjoys warm socks” the headline had ran, and he was sure it would be a big success. Luna ignored their chatter, going up on the tips of her toes to look over the sea of heads for that distinct red color. So far it was nowhere to be seen, but then she was running a little on the late side today. He might already be on the train. Was that- Yes! There was Lisa. Luna called and waved enthusiastically, to which she received a flustered and short wave back. She would have gone over there if it were not for the hand on her shoulder.
“Come on now dear, time for you to get on the train,” her father said, smiling down at her. He directed her towards the nearest open area and leaned down to give her a hug. “Now, remember what I told you over the summer.”
“Keep the back of your ears clean, and always search for the truth!” Luna chirped back, grinning. When she received the smile she was looking for, she threw her arms around her father and squeezed him tightly. “I’ll write you after the first week of classes. If all goes well I’ll have an article for you come October!”
Her father laughed and gave her one last hug before sending her off. She gave him a wave just as she stepped onto the train, then disappeared into the cabin. It was even more bustling here with such tight spaces as everyone ran around to find a place to pass the time. Luna waved to a few familiar faces, but there was one in particular she wanted to see. Well, two really. Black and orange reminded her of Halloween, and she always thought of them together. So it was one in her mind. She opened compartment door after compartment door, being met each time with nervous stares or steely glares. Who would she sit with this time?
She neared the end of the train and threw open the very last compartment when she found who she was looking for. At least, in part. Ron Weasley was sitting across from a very grumpy looking Hermione Granger, who had her arms crossed and was refusing to look at him. Quite the typical scenario, Luna knew, and a smile crossed her face. Ron looked a bit petulant, but mostly anxious over the look on his friend’s face. There were a few stray candy wrappers in his lap, and a smear of chocolate at the corner of his mouth to suggest that any candy he’d bought or brought with him was long gone. Too bad, because it was a long train ride. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands, sighing again. Hermione, at the recognition of the door opening, looked up. At seeing Luna’s slightly wide face, her expression morphed from one of irritation to hesitance. It was an expression she wore often around Luna, as if there was something she always wanted to say, but was holding back for the sake of being overly polite. It made Luna giggle.
“Hello, chaps! Nice day, isn’t it? Beautiful weather for the return of our young selves to a fine institution! Redhead, you’ve got a bit of chocolate there,” she said, pointing to the corner of her mouth as she took a seat next to Hermione. The bushy-haired girl squirmed uncomfortably and scooted closer to the window.
“Hullo, Luna,” Ron replied sullenly, sitting back. He wiped at the corner of his mouth but unfortunately missed the perseverant chocolate. As an afterthought, he added, “Er. Thanks.”
The compartment fell into silence, which Luna knew was uneasy from the way the other two held themselves, but to which she also ignored. She gave a good stretch, then went about trying to make polite conversation. She complimented Hermione on her new earrings, which were dangling silver hearts, but Hermione only thanked her distractedly. They fell back into silence, and Luna fought the urge to sigh in exasperation.
“So,” she said after another moment. She might as well ask the question she wanted to, since they weren’t in the mood to chat. “Where’s-“
“He’s not on the train,” Hermione quickly cut off, shooting Ron a Look.
Luna looked between them curiously, before Ron spoke up. “He’ll be along later tonight at the Sorting Ceremony. Dumbledore-“
Ron shut his mouth rather tightly with another Look from Hermione. Luna wanted to press further, but she knew that even after last year, it wasn’t quite her place to go asking after him. She mostly wanted to see how he was doing. It was silly, yes, but after all, he’d last his godfather. One doesn’t go through something like that well in any situation. She wanted to be there for him, if he wanted it, and to commiserate with him on those silly thestrals. But from the look of things in the cabin, no one was going to be talking about him any time soon. Luna turned and met Hermione’s eyes, then gave a slow nod. Hermione relaxed back into the seat a bit. Luna turned her attention back towards the redhead, the smile once again on her face.
“So, Redhead. Up for chess sometime this weekend before classes start?” she asked.
“What?” Ron broke his eyes away from Hermione and looked confused for a moment. “Oh, chess. Yeah, sure. We’ve got a day or two before… classes… sure.”
His expression drifted away again. Luna knew that the two friends were more worried than they should be, but perhaps it wasn’t all unfounded. Unfortunately, the boy had a bad track record for putting himself in positions that make people worry. She figured it was best if she left them alone for now, seeing as how she wasn’t going to get anything out of them. Maybe she could corner the three of them tomorrow after breakfast. Yes, that was a good plan.
“Well, it’s time I found Ginny. See you two, remember to keep behind your ears clean!” she beamed, standing.
Ron groaned as she left the compartment, sliding the door closed behind her. Not the best start to the term, but certainly not the worst either. Ginny would be better. Ginny would also tell her what she wanted to know. Best friends were good at things like that. Luna was all smiles again, as was her nature. She began humming to herself as she passed the doors she knew weren’t filled with the person she wanted to see. She was naming people in her head as she went. Terry Boot, the Patil twins, those silly Hufflepuff second years… oh what were their names.
The door two spaces in front of her opened, and out lumbered a figure she knew too well. Gregory Goyle was, while not famous or infamous, certainly someone who was well recognized at the school. He was slightly heavyset, but had obviously lost quite a bit of weight over the summer. He lumbered, his arms swinging heavily at his sides. His hair, longer now, was a dirty indistinguishable color and fell into his eyes so that every few moments he would have to reach up and push it aside. He was, despite all the nasty things that were said about him during the school year, not really all that bad looking. He had a proud face, when he wore an expression, and she could tell that someone had made him do a few exercises. Good for him. Luna felt her smile widen on cue as they stepped closer to each other. Oh, there was an expression! He was looking like he didn’t want to run into her. Too bad the aisle was too small. She turned her body at an angle to let him by smoothly.
“Hello, mate!” she greeted, giving him a friendly wave.
He only grunted in return, but Luna knew that meant hello in Goyle-ese. He had a certain way of speaking that she’d noticed. Minimal words for the least amount of meaning possible to get what he wanted. It was, she had concluded, a very effective way of communicating when one thought about it. Other students had been astounded and confused as to why she’d even noticed these things in the first place, but that was just her. Luna’s favorite thing to do, above even researching, was people watch. A person could teach one a lot of things about human nature and society if one just watched them for a little while. She did it every single chance she could, and everyone was fair game. She glanced over her shoulder to see him lumbering away. What an interesting person, really.
She opened the second compartment on the left when she came to it, and was greeted warmly by Ginny and the other girls in their somewhat mismatched group. Luna sat down and instantly picked up on Ginny’s new robes, which didn’t have patches this year. How good for her! She became absorbed in the idle chatting of the people she considered her friends, and before she knew it, Hogwarts loomed above them. Another year. Another chance. Just the way Luna liked it.
“Watch it, Loony!” was the call that came only after a cart had been slammed into her side, pushing her off to one side.
She glanced over her shoulder to only briefly see Pansy Parkinson walking with her father maneuvering her cart for her before they disappeared into the crowd. Her side ache, and she would have a bruise on her hip later tonight, but it hardly mattered. No one would be able to shake her first day of school cheer, not even a silly Slytherin girl with a self-confidence problem. Luna smiled to herself and started to gather her belongings which had scattered. Some people were just downright silly when she thought about it. The thought entertained her as she reloaded her cart and turned to see her father rush through the barrier.
“Here I am, love!” he said, slightly breathless. “Had to meet a man about an article. Have you got everything? Got your ducks in order? Yes? Good!”
Luna beamed up at her father, nodding enthusiastically, then let him lead her over to where she could deposit her bags. Their summer together had been simply fantastic, and while she was sad to see it end, it was one she was eager to share with others and write down in her annual “What I did during the summer” essay she wrote to herself. She managed to get her bags onto the train, then turned to look for more people as her father began to engage a rather flustered looking Mrs. Macmillan in a conversation as to whether she had read the Quibbler’s latest edition. “You-Know-Who enjoys warm socks” the headline had ran, and he was sure it would be a big success. Luna ignored their chatter, going up on the tips of her toes to look over the sea of heads for that distinct red color. So far it was nowhere to be seen, but then she was running a little on the late side today. He might already be on the train. Was that- Yes! There was Lisa. Luna called and waved enthusiastically, to which she received a flustered and short wave back. She would have gone over there if it were not for the hand on her shoulder.
“Come on now dear, time for you to get on the train,” her father said, smiling down at her. He directed her towards the nearest open area and leaned down to give her a hug. “Now, remember what I told you over the summer.”
“Keep the back of your ears clean, and always search for the truth!” Luna chirped back, grinning. When she received the smile she was looking for, she threw her arms around her father and squeezed him tightly. “I’ll write you after the first week of classes. If all goes well I’ll have an article for you come October!”
Her father laughed and gave her one last hug before sending her off. She gave him a wave just as she stepped onto the train, then disappeared into the cabin. It was even more bustling here with such tight spaces as everyone ran around to find a place to pass the time. Luna waved to a few familiar faces, but there was one in particular she wanted to see. Well, two really. Black and orange reminded her of Halloween, and she always thought of them together. So it was one in her mind. She opened compartment door after compartment door, being met each time with nervous stares or steely glares. Who would she sit with this time?
She neared the end of the train and threw open the very last compartment when she found who she was looking for. At least, in part. Ron Weasley was sitting across from a very grumpy looking Hermione Granger, who had her arms crossed and was refusing to look at him. Quite the typical scenario, Luna knew, and a smile crossed her face. Ron looked a bit petulant, but mostly anxious over the look on his friend’s face. There were a few stray candy wrappers in his lap, and a smear of chocolate at the corner of his mouth to suggest that any candy he’d bought or brought with him was long gone. Too bad, because it was a long train ride. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands, sighing again. Hermione, at the recognition of the door opening, looked up. At seeing Luna’s slightly wide face, her expression morphed from one of irritation to hesitance. It was an expression she wore often around Luna, as if there was something she always wanted to say, but was holding back for the sake of being overly polite. It made Luna giggle.
“Hello, chaps! Nice day, isn’t it? Beautiful weather for the return of our young selves to a fine institution! Redhead, you’ve got a bit of chocolate there,” she said, pointing to the corner of her mouth as she took a seat next to Hermione. The bushy-haired girl squirmed uncomfortably and scooted closer to the window.
“Hullo, Luna,” Ron replied sullenly, sitting back. He wiped at the corner of his mouth but unfortunately missed the perseverant chocolate. As an afterthought, he added, “Er. Thanks.”
The compartment fell into silence, which Luna knew was uneasy from the way the other two held themselves, but to which she also ignored. She gave a good stretch, then went about trying to make polite conversation. She complimented Hermione on her new earrings, which were dangling silver hearts, but Hermione only thanked her distractedly. They fell back into silence, and Luna fought the urge to sigh in exasperation.
“So,” she said after another moment. She might as well ask the question she wanted to, since they weren’t in the mood to chat. “Where’s-“
“He’s not on the train,” Hermione quickly cut off, shooting Ron a Look.
Luna looked between them curiously, before Ron spoke up. “He’ll be along later tonight at the Sorting Ceremony. Dumbledore-“
Ron shut his mouth rather tightly with another Look from Hermione. Luna wanted to press further, but she knew that even after last year, it wasn’t quite her place to go asking after him. She mostly wanted to see how he was doing. It was silly, yes, but after all, he’d last his godfather. One doesn’t go through something like that well in any situation. She wanted to be there for him, if he wanted it, and to commiserate with him on those silly thestrals. But from the look of things in the cabin, no one was going to be talking about him any time soon. Luna turned and met Hermione’s eyes, then gave a slow nod. Hermione relaxed back into the seat a bit. Luna turned her attention back towards the redhead, the smile once again on her face.
“So, Redhead. Up for chess sometime this weekend before classes start?” she asked.
“What?” Ron broke his eyes away from Hermione and looked confused for a moment. “Oh, chess. Yeah, sure. We’ve got a day or two before… classes… sure.”
His expression drifted away again. Luna knew that the two friends were more worried than they should be, but perhaps it wasn’t all unfounded. Unfortunately, the boy had a bad track record for putting himself in positions that make people worry. She figured it was best if she left them alone for now, seeing as how she wasn’t going to get anything out of them. Maybe she could corner the three of them tomorrow after breakfast. Yes, that was a good plan.
“Well, it’s time I found Ginny. See you two, remember to keep behind your ears clean!” she beamed, standing.
Ron groaned as she left the compartment, sliding the door closed behind her. Not the best start to the term, but certainly not the worst either. Ginny would be better. Ginny would also tell her what she wanted to know. Best friends were good at things like that. Luna was all smiles again, as was her nature. She began humming to herself as she passed the doors she knew weren’t filled with the person she wanted to see. She was naming people in her head as she went. Terry Boot, the Patil twins, those silly Hufflepuff second years… oh what were their names.
The door two spaces in front of her opened, and out lumbered a figure she knew too well. Gregory Goyle was, while not famous or infamous, certainly someone who was well recognized at the school. He was slightly heavyset, but had obviously lost quite a bit of weight over the summer. He lumbered, his arms swinging heavily at his sides. His hair, longer now, was a dirty indistinguishable color and fell into his eyes so that every few moments he would have to reach up and push it aside. He was, despite all the nasty things that were said about him during the school year, not really all that bad looking. He had a proud face, when he wore an expression, and she could tell that someone had made him do a few exercises. Good for him. Luna felt her smile widen on cue as they stepped closer to each other. Oh, there was an expression! He was looking like he didn’t want to run into her. Too bad the aisle was too small. She turned her body at an angle to let him by smoothly.
“Hello, mate!” she greeted, giving him a friendly wave.
He only grunted in return, but Luna knew that meant hello in Goyle-ese. He had a certain way of speaking that she’d noticed. Minimal words for the least amount of meaning possible to get what he wanted. It was, she had concluded, a very effective way of communicating when one thought about it. Other students had been astounded and confused as to why she’d even noticed these things in the first place, but that was just her. Luna’s favorite thing to do, above even researching, was people watch. A person could teach one a lot of things about human nature and society if one just watched them for a little while. She did it every single chance she could, and everyone was fair game. She glanced over her shoulder to see him lumbering away. What an interesting person, really.
She opened the second compartment on the left when she came to it, and was greeted warmly by Ginny and the other girls in their somewhat mismatched group. Luna sat down and instantly picked up on Ginny’s new robes, which didn’t have patches this year. How good for her! She became absorbed in the idle chatting of the people she considered her friends, and before she knew it, Hogwarts loomed above them. Another year. Another chance. Just the way Luna liked it.