Malfoy Amongst The Chaos

Welcome Back To Hogwarts

<03>

Wanda

I could tell that Harry was tense as we made our way through the carriages, lugging our trunks and owl cages past countless full compartments, "Where are Ron and Hermione?" I asked.

"Prefect's carriage." he answered. "Ginny?"

"With Dean."

Harry scowled, though I'm not sure if it was on purpose and continued on, looking troubled and deep in thought. "Harry?" I asked tentatively.

He looked back at me, his bright green eyes hiding nothing from behind his glasses. "I'd rather not talk about it." he muttered, turning back around until we eventually found a half empty compartment with Neville and Luna inside. 

"But you're alright?" I asked, just before we went in.

"Yeah, of course." 

I frowned at his abysmal attempt to smile and he slid open the door, greeting Neville and Luna. "Hi, guys," Neville said, smiling enthusiastically, his round face was glowing and he held a brand new plant in his hand, "Good, summer?"

Harry lifted our luggage into the rack and did not answer, and I - I was staring at that reflection again - it didn't match, it wasn't a reflection- the countryside whirring past in a blur of vivid green and yellow was the same, and although cold mist pressed against the windows and obscured many of the morning sun's honey-yellow rays, small ribbons still shone in through the glass, illuminating the waves of my hair - the waves that were flaming orange. 

I pulled a curl free and looked down at it again - it was brown, the same golden brown it always was, but when I looked back at the window-

"Perhaps they don't want to talk about it, Neville." came that airy, unflinchingly honest voice belonging to Luna Lovegood. She was sat in the corner with a pair of sparkling pink cardboard glasses perched upon her dirty-blonde hair. "I don't think I would want to talk about it either, especially not with all those wrackspurts floating around their heads- it makes you awfully distracted."

I turned away from the window at that and gave them both a strained, but friendly, smile; I had no idea what wrackspurts were, but I was grateful for any excuse. "Yeah, that's probably it, Luna." I agreed, sitting down next to Harry.

Harry's frown quivered as he obviously fought a laugh and bit into his lip to contain it.

"What about you two?" I asked.

The plump, blonde-haired boy smiled softly and patted his small, green plant - one that was thankfully not pulsating a horrible green slime this time - and said, "Well, it was alright I suppose. Gran got me this little guy," he held up the plant and stroked its leaves fondly, looking back at Harry and me. "-and a new wand!"

He pulled out a brand new wand and gave it a twirl, the checkered cushion of the seat behind our heads exploding in a puff of fluffy white stuffing. I yelped and Harry reflexively pushed me down with his arm, "oh, God - I'm so sorry-" he clamoured as Harry and I both sat up, panting. "I'll just fix it- reparo!"

Unfortunately, the DA had not covered this spell last year and instead of fixing, the chair simply broke further.

"Er, maybe one of us should do it, Neville." Harry said, and the boy flushed.

"I'm so sorry, are you both okay?" he asked, looking upset.

"Fine, Neville. Don't worry." Harry replied, giving him a comforting smile as I turned around and pointed my own wand at the torn seat, muttering the spell and watching as the material restuffed itself and knitted back together again.