looking for nargles
“Harry?” Hermione’s voice broke through his thoughts, filled with concern, as usual. She was the first to notice. “What’s got you thinking so hard?”
Harry blinked, realizing only then that he had been staring at the ground for what felt like an eternity. Lost in thought, his mind swirling around something he didn’t quite understand. It could have been an hour, or maybe more.
“I’d rather wait until we’re on the train, ‘Mione,” he said quietly, his voice carrying a weight that felt out of place in the bustling surroundings of Kings Cross Station.
Hermione gave him a knowing look, nodding in understanding. With a swift motion, she slapped Ron lightly on the arm, and, though reluctant, he gave a grumble of agreement. The trio began their walk through the station, heading toward Platform 9¾.
The trio was in the thick of the crowd now, weaving between families and students. Platform 9¾ was packed as usual, and the train was scheduled to depart in fifteen minutes. They had just enough time to stow their trunks.
With little more than a glance at each other, they ran toward the wall, stepping through the magical barrier to find the Hogwarts Express waiting for them.
The moment they were through, the familiar chaos of the station greeted them: people bumping into them from all sides, a crush of magical folk, and the ever-present rush to get settled.
Harry quickly sent a soft, final farewell to Hedwig as he loaded her cage onto the train before following Ron and Hermione inside.
They found an empty compartment, and as soon as Harry sat down, Ron and Hermione’s eyes locked onto him.
" Tell us," they said in unison, catching Harry off guard.
He sighed, feeling the weight of the moment.
Slowly, he stood up. reaching into his bag to pull out the letter he’d received just days before. The envelope was still pristine, the edges slightly shimmering in the light, and it still carried a strong citrusy scent that was almost too delicate to place.
Both Ron and Hermione leaned forward, their curiosity piqued as Harry handed it to them with the gentlest of gestures, as if it might shatter if they weren’t careful.
"Who’s it from?" Hermione asked immediately, eyes scanning the ornate envelope.
"Such a beautiful envelope! Is it from a noble family?" Ron added, leaning in to inspect it.
"Argh, it’s not MALFOY, is it?" Ron asked, looking over at Harry, half-joking, half-serious.
"Ron, do you really think Malfoy would use lemon-scented paper?" Hermione shot back, arching an eyebrow.
Ron gave it a sniff, and reluctantly shook his head. “Indeed, he would not… BUT WHO THEN?”
Harry bit his lip and silently motioned for them to open it.
Ron immediately began inspecting the wax seal, while Hermione unfolded the letter carefully, her brow furrowing as she read aloud:
“Luna Potter, née Lovegood…?”
Both Ron and Hermione stared at the letter in disbelief.
"This is a snake.. eating a raven?" Ron muttered, eyeing the strange symbol next to the name.
“Harry, explain,” Hermione said, her voice now serious, a frown creasing her forehead. “None of this makes any sense.”
Harry slumped back in his seat, rubbing his temples. “I.. don’t know. At first, I thought it was some prank from Fred and George, but... seeing the wax seal, it’s clearly real. And well-kept. Not tampered with.”
He paused, staring at the letter. “And the words… it’s just Luna, isn’t it? No offense to her, but... it fits her way of speaking entirely.”
He was worried. It wasn’t hard to see that. His friends exchanged glances, and even though they hadn’t said anything aloud, they could tell. Harry was uncertain. not just about the letter, but about its implications. He didn’t know how to explain what it might mean for him and Luna.
“I mean, why would Luna Lovegood have your last name, Harry?” Hermione muttered under her breath, scanning the letter again. "It doesn’t make sense. "
Harry didn’t have an answer for her. The question itself felt like a riddle. He shifted in his seat, unsettled. "I don’t know. i was thinking of showing her when we got there, But-" His voice dropped lower, "-what if Luna’s just as confused by this as I am?"
Ron looked between the two of them, then raised an eyebrow. "What if you... send it back? Or track down where it came from? There has to be some way to find out more."
“I’m not sure…” Harry said quietly, his voice trailing off. “But I’ll think about it.”
Ron, ever the pragmatist, clapped his hands together. “Right, well, let’s not get all worked up over it. It’s the start of a new year, yeah? I don’t know about you lot, but I’m starving for some sweets. Let’s leave the mystery for now and just enjoy the ride. I’d much rather start the year with a sugar high than a tiring adventure.”
Hermione and Harry both nodded, the tension slowly dissipating. It had been a long summer, and the mysteries of the letter were something they could put off for a little while.
With a soft sigh, Harry carefully slid the letter back into his bag. The lemon scent still lingered on his robes, a faint reminder of the strange, cryptic message and the enigma that was Luna Lovegood.
For now, though, he’d look past it. The rest of the year awaited.
The journey to Hogwarts was a blur of conversation and quiet contemplation.
Ron, as always, was more interested in the trolley full of sweets than in any cryptic letters or mysterious messages. Hermione, though she glanced at the bag holding the letter once or twice, didn’t bring it up again, and Harry was grateful for the unspoken agreement to let the issue rest for now.
As the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station, the familiar sight of the castle silhouetted against the dark sky filled Harry with a strange mix of excitement and unease. He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was about to shift in his life.
Something that might involve Luna Lovegood, and something that wasn’t entirely good, or bad. He had no way of knowing what it meant.
But for now, there were other matters to attend to.
The students filed off the train and onto the platform, heading for the waiting carriages. Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed into one of the carriages, sharing a space with a few other students, all of them excited to begin another year at Hogwarts. The carriage ride seemed to fly by, and before long, they were standing in front of the massive castle, bathed in the warm glow of its many windows.
The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement. The usual sorting ceremony had already taken place, and the first years had been led away to their new houses. Harry and his friends made their way to the Gryffindor table, where they were greeted with smiles and claps on the back from their fellow housemates.
As the food appeared, the conversation turned to what each of them expected from the year ahead. Harry was lost in thought again, still turning over the mysterious letter in his mind, but Ron and Hermione seemed to be doing their best to make him forget about it for the time being. The feast passed in a blur, and soon enough, the students were heading out of the Great Hall to their respective common rooms.
The next morning, after a full night’s sleep in the Gryffindor Tower, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way to the Great Hall again for breakfast. Hermione was holding her new timetable, frowning slightly at it as she scanned the list of classes.
“Right, so first up we’ve got Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall,” she said, reading off the parchment. “Then, after lunch, it’s Charms with Flitwick. And .. oh, it’s Ancient Runes right after that.”
Ron, who had been trying to eat his way through a stack of pancakes, stopped mid-bite and stared at her in shock. “Ancient Runes? Hermione, you’ve got ..onetwothreef.. twelve classes?”
Hermione’s eyes flicked to her timetable, and she quickly ran a hand over it as if smoothing out some imaginary wrinkle.
“Oh, no, it’s.. it's a mistake!” she said casually, her voice too light.
“It’s probably just a mix-up in the system. I’ve got only 8 classes, really. Must’ve been a clerical error or something.”
Harry raised an eyebrow “Twelve? You’re taking twelve classes, Hermione? You’ve got your normal load, plus Divination, Muggle Studies, and Care of Magical Creatures? You’ve never shown any interest in dragons or Hippogriffs before.”
Hermione’s smile wavered just a fraction before she recovered.
“It’s a new elective. I thought it might be useful, you know? Practical,” she added quickly, as if trying to convince herself as much as Ron.
“I thought I might want to learn more for ..study purposes.” She smiled too brightly.
Ron’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t know you were that interested in magical creatures. And since when do you ever take twelve classes? You don’t even have time to breathe when you take eleven, Hermione! What on earth made you decide to take twelve?”
Hermione twitched a bit. “I already said it was a glitch in the system, didn’t i?” She gritted her teeth, staring at ron in a demanding way, almost as if to say shut up already.
But Harry could tell there was something off. Hermione was definitely hiding something. She had a way of glossing over things when she didn’t want to discuss them, and right now, that’s exactly what she was doing.
“Right,” Ron said skeptically, still eyeing her suspiciously. “But twelve classes, Hermione? That’s… a bit much, even for you.”
Hermione glanced down at her timetable again, her fingers lightly tapping the edge of the paper as if lost in thought. “Well, if that’s all i need to get going.” she said softly, more to herself than anyone else. “I might as well start studying early.”
Harry exchanged a look with Ron. He was starting to get a weird feeling about this. Before he could say anything more, a loud voice rang through the hall.
“Students! Time to get to your first classes! Don’t be late!” Professor McGonagall called from the head table.
Ron let out a groan, pushing back from the table. “Well, there goes my breakfast. I’ll see you two later. I’ve got Transfiguration first with you, right, Harry?”
Hermione stared at ron, before remarking: “Ron, you’ve eaten atleast 3 servings of breakfast. You ate a whole day.”
Ron looked back at her and scowled. “Nuhuh! Go to your twelve classes now, wont you missy?!”
Harry had enough of the two, they bickered the entire time while walking to their first class. They sat down in their class, everyone starting to read the year’s upcoming subjects. but harry’s mind wasn’t on Transfiguration. It was still on the letter , and its words..
The day passed in a blur of classes and introductions. Harry couldn’t help but notice how preoccupied Hermione seemed every time someone asked her about her timetable, and how quickly she would change the subject whenever it came up. But it wasn’t until the end of the day, as they were leaving the castle for the first Quidditch practice of the year, that he finally decided to confront her.
“Hermione,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. “What’s going on? Why are you taking twelve classes?”
She looked at him for a long moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. “I am not doing such a thing, harry.” she said coldly, before trying to walk away.
But Harry wasn’t convinced. He could see her holding a necklace, remembering the past other year where she had used a time turner to go through more classes.
“‘Mione..” he said gently, holding her hand, that held the turner.
“I understand you like to learn. But we both know the turner and all of these subjects aren’t going to do good. You can study more if you’d like, but if this is about you needing to show you can do magic as a muggleborn i implore you to calm this down.” he was gentle, almost whispering to her so no one would notice it.
“I dont.. I dont know what you’re talking about harry. I can do it, i’m the smart one. I need to know everything, to help.” she hesitated to speak. She does like to study, but she also feels that its her duty as harry’s friend, the Boy-who-lived. He deserved a follower worthy of keeping.
“You are not my devotee, hermione. I have no inner circle or followers. You don’t need to prove yourself. I am friends with you because you are friends with me. It’s almost as if you see me as Voldemort.” harry giggled a bit after saying that. she was the one that said being afraid of the name makes you afraid of the thing afterall.
but imstead of reciprocating the laughter, it hurt her. It wasnt meant to, but it hurt her. She was taken aback a bit. That he would even speak his name or compare the two. She was his follower, and if he couldn’t see it what was the point of all of this?
“Is that how you feel? You stay with me because i stay with you? I get it. If i left you wouldnt come running, is that it?! Would you prefer i go back in time and make sure you never meet me then? I can do that!” she was close to tears, quickening her speech faster as she spoke.
It was anger in her voice, but sadness in her face. Had he said something wrong?
“ No!- of course not hermione! You’re my friend! I care about you, i dont want you as a Follower!!”
Hermione held up the time turner and spun it in anger.
“NO!”
He grabbed it and ran.
Past the corridor
through the doors
-and right into an unsuspecting Luna lovegood.