Ink and Parchment ~ blood and bone

36

The train ride to Hogwarts was a calm one, especially in comparison to their third year, but it was especially quiet without Daphne and Draco in the compartment with them. It reminded her of first year, with just Blaise and Theo by her side. Blaise’s mother had apparently grown bored of her latest husband and so Blaise had packed up over the summer and stayed over at the Malfoy’s for a while. He usually would have stayed at Theo’s but with Tom staying there as well he had decided to give it a miss that year.

“The dark lord is a perfectly well-mannered house guest actually Blaise” Theo said with a wry smirk “as long as you can ignore the brief torturous screams that sometimes echo from the office”

Blaise looked at Theo in horror and Eliza frowned incredulously “He doesn’t even have that many inner circle followers left? Who does he ever have to torture?”

Theo shrugged his shoulders.

“From what I gathered professor Snape had been withholding some information. I tend to pop out when the dark lord decides he’s feeling murderous”

Eliza didn’t comment on that. She knew perfectly well what information Severus had been withholding. She just hadn’t known that Tom had tortured the man for it.

To be fair it had taken Eliza a couple of days to calm down as well.

After that the conversation moved on. They debated who the new defence teacher was going to be. Gossiped about the Bulstrodes apparently allying with the Goyle’s although that was mostly Blaise and Eliza tried to explain what a muggle cinema was when Theo asked how her ‘family bonding’ had gone this summer.

Eventually the sky darkened and the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into the Hogsmeade station.

“At least it’s not raining like last year” Blaise commented as they all hopped of the train, barging through the crowd to make their way to the carriages.

“That’s not the only thing that different” Theo said gesturing over to where the first year boats where “Hagrid’s not here either”

“He got sent on an Order mission” Eliza disclosed as they finally made it to the carriages. The thestrals pranced oddly when they walked closer and Eliza stroked the one closest to her until it calmed down “Dumbledore decided to send Hagrid to the giant’s but obviously Tom managed to establish an alliance first. Hagrid will be back in a week or so” she finished and they all hopped into the carriage. Except they weren’t alone.

A blonde girl was already sat inside the carriage, wearing some very odd looking glasses. Eliza thought she could see a Ravenclaw tie which would explain it. Ravenclaw’s tended to be more eccentric than the rest.

They settled into the carriage and then the thestrals began trotting towards the castle, it was then that the girl spoke

“The thestrals seem to like you Eliza Potter” she said in a soft dreamy voice “you have the least amount of nargles I’ve ever seen on a person”

Eliza paused and tried to make sense of that for a second before giving it up.

“I assume that can only be a good thing Miss?”

“Lovegood. Luna Lovegood” she replied with a vague smile “I find that most people are positively infested with nargles – they make your brain all fuzzy you see”

Blaise muffled a snort beside her but Eliza quieted him with a glare. Lovegood might seem insane but Eliza thought she saw an odd clarity in that gaze, beyond the ridiculous glasses that is.

“Lovegood? Does your family happen to own the Quibbler by any chance?”

“Daddy runs the paper – I have a copy with me if you want one?” she asked happily and Eliza shook her head in response. She could feel Theo and Blaise looking at her strangely but she opted to ignore them for now.