Chapter Eight - (Almost) Murder on the Hogwarts Express
16 June, 2006 7:30 a.m., GDT
The third Friday in June was promising to be a wonderful late spring/early summer day. The sun was bright, but the forecaster on the BBC was predicting `pleasantly warm' temperatures, which were expected to continue through tomorrow for the Trooping of the Colours for the Queen's Birthday. All across the British Isles, and a few other places better left unmentioned, medallions belonging to select members of the alumni chapter of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix all registered the same message. "It's Hermione's Skiving Day! We're skiving off and meeting the train at fourteen to wish Minerva a Happy St. Swithin's Day." No explanation, no elaboration.
Sitting on the foot of their bed, Luna Weasley smiled as she read the message on her transfigured DA galleon. Stretching lazily in the warm sunlight that was streaming through the open windows into the bedroom she shared with her husband, Luna smirked as she wandlessly flipped the covers from her sleeping husband. As he started to waken, she slowly moved up the bed and straddled him, smiling seductively.
Opening his eyes, Ron smiled as he saw his wife, gloriously outlined in the morning sunlight, totally starkers. "Isn't it time for me to get ready for work?"
Shaking her head, Luna smiled and leaned forward, kissing her husband passionately while her silver blonde hair framed their faces. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she smiled. "Today's Hermione's skiving day. We've got about four hours before we need to get ready."
Looking puzzled for a moment, Ron's face lit up as he realized what was happening. "Four hours, eh?" Smiling, he reached over to the bedside table for his wand when Luna grabbed his hand and stopped him.
Shaking her head, she leaned over and kissed him again. "You've got four hours to make certain I'm not the only witch in the wedding party who isn't preggers." Smirking at the look on his face, she shrugged. "Cassandra's going to have to keep an eye on James, think of how much trouble Harry and Hermione's son is going to get into without someone sensible to watch out for him. Not to mention her cousins Fred and Colin."
"Cassandra? Fred and Colin?" Reaching up and caressing his wife's back, Ron quirked an eyebrow at her.
"2018 is going to see a very fine group of first years, including our daughter and Ginny's sons; they simply don't know it yet." Smiling down at him, she began to gently caress his chest as she moved back and forth, capturing his full attention. "Why don't we talk about this later, when we've got nine months to get used to the idea?"
-----
It was quarter of the hour, and Platform 9 and 3/4s was packed. Along with the usual family and friends there to welcome back the returning student body, there were an inordinate number of people with no returning students to meet. A curious mixture of Ministry personnel and private persons, they all had one thing in common, a close relationship with Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, was trying to unobtrusively blend into the crowd on the platform without a great deal of success. Less ostentatious and enamored of his position than most of his predecessors, Kingsley had successfully achieved a relative degree of anonymity until recently. Recently, however, it seemed as if his comings and goings were of the greatest interest to everyone, even more so than his position as Minister of Magic would warrant.
"Mr. Minister?"
Shaking his head, Kingsley looked out of the corner of his eye at his assistant, Percy Weasley. As he started to answer, the tall blonde beside him smacked Percy on the back of his head and started to chuckle. "Percy, are we at work at the moment?"
Rubbing the back of his head, Percy glared at his wife. "Audrey, of course not."
"Then why in Merlin's name are you bugging the man? Do you really want me to tell Hermione you're violating the rules on her skiving day?" Laughing, Audrey was watching her boss trying not to smile as she berated her loveable but a bit too tightly wound husband. "I'm an auror; I can haul you in and be back in time to catch the train."
"There are rules?" Looking skeptical, Percy tried to ignore the chuckles coming from his family as he tried to decipher, not for the first time, whether or not his wife was putting him on.
"Of course there are rules. Lavender and Luna organized this thing. If Hermione's going to have her name associated with a skiving day, there has to be rules." Shaking her head, Audrey winked at Kingsley. "Isn't that right, Coronet?"
"Whatever you say, Pocahontas." Smiling, Kingsley kept looking straight ahead, ignoring the death stare from the auror on his right.
"Percy dear, did you know that the mongoose is a distant relative of the mink?" Smiling slightly in return, Audrey deadpanned, launching the verbal quaffle back to her boss across her husband's head.
"Actually, the mongoose is closer to the lynx than it is to the mink." Nodding, Kingsley shrugged. "Wouldn't you say they were well suited to each other, Percy?"
"The signboard says that the train is on time. They should be here in a few minutes." Eager to avoid getting caught as a verbal quaffle between his boss and his wife in their ongoing banter over Kingsley's not quite secret relationship with Padma Patil, Percy reverted to the obvious, hoping the both of them would tire of putting him in the middle of the on-going contest of wills between the Minister of Magic and the head of his security detail. "Hopefully no one will wonder why people are getting on the train instead of exiting."
"Honestly Percy. Most of these people haven't seen their children since the Christmas hols. You could have a herd of hippogriffs tap-dance to `God Save the Queen' and they wouldn't notice." Shaking her head, Audrey sighed at Percy's attempt to derail her fun with her boss.
"A congregation." Kingsley abstractly noted as his face lit up when he spied a familiar head of long, black hair working its way towards him through the crowd.
"Beg pardon?" Looking around, trying to find out what her boss was going on about, Audrey didn't fail to notice the witch in the healer's robes zeroing in on her boss.
"Hippogriffs come in congregations, not herds." Breaking into a wide grin, Kingsley nodded to a witch in green robes as she deftly inserted herself into the crowd beside him. "Healer Patil, fancy meeting you here. Meeting someone on the train from Hogwarts?"
Turning and smiling as if she had just realized who she was standing next to, Padma Patil shrugged and winked. "Mr. Minister, it's good to see you. It's been too long since we've had a chance to chat." Ignoring Audrey's muttered, `it's been less than twelve hours for Merlin's sake', Padma beamed at Percy. "Percy, it's good to see you also. How's work at the Ministry going?"
"Things are tolerably well, Padma. Of course the two meetings I had to reschedule today…" The rest of Percy's discussion was abruptly halted when his wife's elbow suddenly found itself lodged in his ribs.
"What Percy means is that this is such a glorious day, we decided to come down to the station and see if we could find Headmistress McGonagall to wish her a happy St. Swithin's Day."
"And that's another thing; do we really have to keep saying that? St. Swithin's Day isn't until next month." Looking peeved, Percy shook his head.
Smiling sweetly and ignoring her husband, Audrey nodded to the younger witch. "Busy day at playpen central?" Audrey's eyes were twinkling as she twitted her boss's not so secret girlfriend.
Scowling slightly, Padma muttered under her breath in Hindi as she stared at the head of the Minister's security detail. When the knowing grin on Audrey's face told her that the other witch understood, at least in part, what she was saying, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "If I ask, will you tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Grinning, Audrey was watching her boss out of the corner of her eye as he started to get a look of concern on his face. "Honestly, I don't have an earthly idea of what you're talking about."
Looking around to see if anyone was paying them any undue attention, Padma glared. "Why my presence seems to cause you to go into snark mode."
Sighing and shaking her head, Audrey turned slightly towards her boss, who seemed to be just as interested in her answer as Padma was. "Coronet, did I ever tell you why I turned down a transfer to Protective Services back in Nevada?"
Looking puzzled, Kingsley shook his head. "Pocahontas, I don't believe you ever mentioned that. Considering where you are now, I find that curious."
"It was just that back there, the local politicians all suffered from the delusion that any part of their personal life was, well, personal." Seeing the look on her boss's face, she held up her hand to forestall an outburst. "Not that politicians and other public figures aren't deserving of a personal life, but that they were under the delusion that they could actually keep something like that out of the public eye." Seeing the faint blush on Padma's cheeks, she concluded. "Especially since most of them were worse than you two at maintaining some sort of public façade regarding their personal relationships."
Chuckling, and trying to ignore the look of shock on the face of the witch beside him, Kingsley nodded graciously. "And with your vast experience, how would you advise a hypothetical public person in that situation to proceed?"
Seeming to think for a second, Audrey frowned as she hummed a tuneless melody. Finally looking up, she shrugged. "Well, hypothetically speaking of course, I'd advise the hypothetical public person that unless his real intent was to amuse the ninety plus percent of the staff that works with him that have already figured out what's going on, not to mention anyone with eyes and two active brain cells that sees the hypothetical couple together, performing the worst impression of a non-couple since Harry and Hermione, they might as well come clean and actually start acting like a couple. Hypothetically, of course."
"Of course?" Frowning, Kingsley looked at Padma out of the corner of his eye and sighed at the blush that was gracing the younger witches' cheeks. "A hypothetical ninety percent you say?"
"Well, it's an estimate. The hypothetical cleaning witch seemed genuinely confused and shocked when she found a pair of hypothetical red lace knickers hanging from a hypothetical chandelier the other night, so I'm guessing that she might not know."
Speachless, Kingsley turned and stared at the head of his protective detail. "What?" Padma was sputtering and trying to find her voice. Grinning evilly, Audrey turned to her husband and patted him sharply twice on the back, since he seemed to be having a bit of trouble breathing.
As the train approached, she nodded. "Everything's under control, Nargle covered for you and said they were hers." If anything, that addition made Kingsley's eyes get bigger, pushed Padma a couple of inches closer to total collapse, and caused Percy to stare at his wife in horror.
"And how in Merlin's name did that make things better?" Shaking his head, Kingsley slowly reached down and took Padma's hand, and gently squeezed it.
"She explained that she must have splinched her knickers when she left after a meeting that afternoon. She was going to meet Keeper in Hogsmeade and since she really wouldn't need them once she got there, she must have forgotten them in mid-apparition." Seeing the look on all three faces, Audrey chuckled. "You should have been there to hear her tell it. By the time she was finished, the cleaning witch believed it, Gunn was almost peeing herself trying not to laugh, and I was almost convinced that it was possible."
Finally finding her voice, Padma asked "How?"
Shrugging, Audrey rolled her eyes. "How does Nargle do anything? You had just left after your `meeting' with Coronet on funding for St. Mungo's, Coronet was down in the situation room being briefed, and the cleaning witch starts yelling. I go busting into the inner office, expecting to find an invading dementor or something equally dangerous, and she's just standing there, pointing at the chandelier by the floo." Chuckling at the memory, Audrey smiled. "All of a sudden, Nargle appears from the floo, looks up and says, `Oh, there they are,' calmly as you please. Then she launches into a fifteen minute explanation that actually makes sense as long as you're willing to credit the influence of albino Meteor Toads and left-handed Norman Pixies."
Seeing the question in Padma's eyes, Audrey chuckled. "How Nargle knew to be there, your guess is as good as mine. I've know the girl for two years now, and I can't make heads nor tails about how she does anything she does." Looking down at the entwined hands of the two, Audrey smiled. "That's much better. Train's here." Looking over at her husband she elbowed him again. "Percy dear, it's not polite to stare. You act as if you've never seen a couple hold hands before. Honestly, how did you survive before you married me?"
As the train slowed to a halt, the general noise level of the crowd began to rise as anxious parents and family members began to try to catch the eye of their returning students. As the students began to swarm off the train, trailing trunks, cages, and brooms behind them, twenty-five witches and wizards began to make their way onto the train. Nodding pleasantly to the staff and crew of the train, they all began to make their way forward to the train compartment usually occupied by the Head students.
Equally unnoticed, a solitary beetle made its way onto the train and clung to a door frame for a second. A member of the family Scarabaeus sacer, the Egyptian sacred scarab beetle paused for a moment as it seemed to watch the witches and wizards boarding the train. Clicking it's mandibles in a satisfied manner; the beetle launched itself into the air and made its way up the corridor, following behind the witches and wizards heading for the Heads' compartment.
-----
"For Merlin's sake, stand still. Honestly, I can't do anything with your hair if you're going to storm around the room like that." Shaking her head, Ginny Weasley turned to the mother of the bride. "Helen, could either you or Mum convince bridezilla here that she needs to stand still for two seconds so I can finish her hair?"
As the laughter rang out through the Prefect's compartment, Hermione stopped pacing and took a deep breath. "What every possessed me that I could plan a wedding in secret? On a moving train no less?"
Chuckling, Lavender raised her hand from where she was lounging against one of the freestanding wardrobes that occupied one wall of the compartment. "That would have been me. I said that Harland and I were getting married where we first met, and you decided that it would be horribly romantic to do the same thing." Taking a sip from the flute of sparkling pumpkin juice she was holding, she giggled. "Hey, it sounded like a good idea at the time."
"It sounded good because the two of you had just sent half the birds in bloody England after my poor defenseless sister." Kicking her feet idly, Parvati chuckled as she tried to keep from looking at Helen. "All the poor girl did was steal a teensy, weensy, kiss from Harry Potter and you'd think she'd horribly wronged both of you."
Looking out the curtain covered window into the corridor, Angelina Weasley began shaking her head. "Damn, I had the second week of August in the Padma-Kingsley pool. Who has this week for them going public?"
"That would be me." Chuckling from the annoyed glares she was getting, Luna got up and curtsied. "I'll check with George after the ceremony to see how much I win, this time."
"This isn't helping." Standing in the middle of the compartment, Hermione stared at her friends and relatives with a slightly manic look in her eyes. Shaking her head, Helen stood up and walked slowly over to her daughter. Looking over at Molly, who was trying to cover a smile, she nodded. "A little help, please."
Nodding graciously, Molly conjured an overstuffed chair that would have been at home in the Gryffindor common room right behind the distressed bride. Helen took her daughter's hands in hers and nodded. "Mi, everything is going to be fine."
As the whistle blew, indicating the train was beginning its return trip to Scotland; Hermione blushed and sat gingerly on the edge of the seat behind her. Nodding in appreciation, Helen knelt in front of her daughter. Looking around she smiled.
"Ginny?" When the younger witch acknowledged her with a wry smile and a wink, Helen nodded back. "Hair."
"Lavender?" Seeing Lavender's thumbs-up, she nodded. "Nails."
"Chastity? Get the dress ready." "One bridal special, coming up."
"Angelina? Shoes." "Size four trainers with bells on."
"Fleur? Les cosmetiques, s'il vous plait?" "Oui, Mama Granger, certainment."
Looking at her daughter, Helen smiled reassuringly. "Everything is going fine. Today will happen, and it will be perfect because it's your wedding." Looking over at Petunia who was smiling, Helen smiled. "As far as Harry's concerned, you could shave your head and walk out there in a flour sack and the boy would be convinced you're the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. We're got three hours until we start, and everything is in place."
"Mum, he scares me." Blushing Hermione lowered her head as her friends quietly worked on finishing her wedding preparations. "I can't live up to his expectations. He thinks I'm something I'm not."
Kneeling beside the chair, Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "Hermione, I'm only going to tell you this once. You are the standard that Harry has measured every witch, every woman, he's met by since he was eleven. He's not with Cho, because she's not you. He's not with me, because I'm not you." Nodding reassuringly to her friend, Ginny glanced over at her mother before continuing. "Trust me, I tried everything I could think of, but what it came down to I wasn't who he needed in his life. I wasn't Hermione Jane Granger. Remember Fleur's wedding?"
Nodding, Hermione smiled. "It was a beautiful wedding. The last bit of normal we had before everything started."
Ginny chuckled. "If you can call a Weasley family wedding normal, then fine. The point I was trying to make is that there was a gaggle of Fleur's cousins running around, all of them part-Veela and very French. Not to mention Gabrielle, who was on a one witch crusade to turn `The Boy Who Lived' into `The Boy Who Lives in my Bedroom'." Looking up and seeing the amused nod from Fleur, Ginny chuckled and continued. "Three wizards weren't making fools of themselves that day. Monsieur Delacour and my brother Bill were two of them, because they already had their own personal veelas. The other was Harry, because his heart was already taken by the only witch who ever really stood a chance."
"What if I'm not the witch he thinks I am?" Looking up at Ginny, Hermione's eyes were filled with tears. "After everything he's been through…"
Suddenly, a burst of silver light appeared in the room. A stag patronus was standing beside the chair Hermione was sitting in. The stag lowered his head and began to nuzzle her hair as every witch in the room just stared. Helen and Petunia looked at each other and then at the scene before them as Hermione reached up a hand and gently scratched the nose of the stag.
Shaking her head, Ginny sighed. "Prongs, just don't mess up her hair or makeup, we've almost got her ready for her big day." Blushing as the stag looked up at her and nodded, Ginny gently squeezed Hermione's shoulder. Standing, she shook her head. "I'm not certain if this counts against the groom not seeing the bride on the day of the wedding. I can't believe Harry sent Prongs because you were feeling jittery."
Shaking her head, Hermione smiled as the stag settled itself to the ground and rested his head in her lap. "Harry probably didn't consciously send him. We both promised to try not to listen in on the other until we get ready for the ceremony to begin."
Staring in disbelief, Parvati shook her head. "Hermione, how long has Prongs been manifesting for you?"
Looking up with an expression of joy on her face as she scratched the stag along the line of his muzzle, Hermione shrugged. "About three years or so. He started showing up in the evenings when Harry was away on that mission to Tibet back in '03, I think. I was worried about him, the muggle situation there was very unsettled and some of the people he was looking for were living in the muggle communities."
Looking over at Lavender, Parvati smirked. "Remember that dusty old tome I borrowed from Hannah last year?" Seeing the blonde witch's nod, she continued. "That was a copy of Handellson's `Curious Habits of Witches and Wizards'." Looking over and seeing the curious expression on Hermione's face, Parvati nodded. "It's pretty much the only scholarly treatise on the social habits and relationship patterns of the wizarding community and some of the things that set us apart from the muggle world. One of the things it mentions as very rare, almost legendary if you will, is what occasionally happens with patronuses and life-pairs."
"Don't be ridiculous Parv. I'm certain all of the married witches in here have the same sort of connection with their spouse." Looking around the room, Hermione started to frown when she saw nothing but knowing smiles and shaking heads. "This is absurd. It can't be that uncommon for two people who care about each other…" Trailing off, Hermione stared as the room broke into laughter again.
"Hermione, there's something you're missing here." Nodding thoughtfully, Luna smiled at the embarrassed look on her friend's face.
Laughing, Hermione smiled at Luna and looked a bit wistful. "Luna, I've felt like I've been missing something since I realized I loved Harry. Hopefully today will be the end of that feeling. But what is it that I'm missing about Prongs here."
Chuckling, Luna smiled as she watched the pair of them. "Hermione, the patronus is an expression of the wizard or witches' soul, true?"
"Basic magical theory. The patronus is the person. You know that as well as I do." Looking a bit puzzled, Hermione smiled at Luna, waiting for the quirky Ravenclaw to come to her point.
"Prongs here, isn't Harry's, he's yours." Seeing the incredulous look on her face, Luna nodded. "You two are a life-pair. Soul-bonded, as it were. While popular romantic theory says that there's always a bit of the other person in your heart, for you two, it's quite literal."
"That's preposterous." Looking down at the patronus who was calmly waiting beside her, she smiled. "You're here from Harry, aren't you, big fellow."
The stag raised his head and stared into Hermione's eyes. As she waited, the stag nuzzled her cheek and then settled back down.
"Harry's literally part of you and Prongs here manifests when you stress and need him. You were worried about him in Tibet, so Prongs comes to reassure you, set your mind at ease. You're worried now, you doubt the fact that the two of you are scarily perfect together, and Prongs is here as a physical manifestation of the love the two of you share. The two of you have anchored each other for a long time now." Looking uncharacteristically serious, Luna's eyes glowed a bit as she smiled at her friend. "This wedding is something the two of you have been moving toward since the day you met. Just take a deep breath and let the rest of us take care of the little details."
There was a knock at the door, and everyone looked up as Angelina shook her head and opened it. Smiling at Kingsley, who was standing in the doorway, she shook her head. "You two couldn't have waited one bloody week, could you?"
Shaking his head in disbelief, Kingsley looked at Padma and grimaced. "It seems no one's happy, regardless."
"I'm happy." Luna chimed in from her place perched on the edge of a table dressed in a bright yellow bridesmaid gown. "Angelina is just a bit miffed because she didn't factor Harry and Hermione deciding to get married today into her calculations." Looking at the blush on Padma's face, Luna smirked. "I'll give them back to you after the wedding. You probably won't need them tonight; so you'll have them for the morning." Looking around the room at the curious faces, she smiled. "I know I've never needed them for a wedding reception."
Shaking his head, the Minister swatted at something by his ear before turning his attention to the bride. "Hermione, I don't want to intrude, I just popped my head in to say that I couldn't be more pleased. I'm certain that you've got everything planned, but in case there's anything I can do, for Merlin's sake let me know."
"Kingsley, thank you." Taking a deep breath, Hermione tried to calm herself as her friends put the finishing touches on her preparations. "I think everything's under control, though I keep asking myself why I didn't follow Percy and Audrey's example and just elope."
Sticking her head around the corner of the door, Audrey winked at her friend. "We had the excuse that we'd only known each other for three hours and no one knew we were a couple. If you two had wanted to do that and survive, you'd have had to fly to Vegas the night you finally admitted you loved each other and done it then. Since you broke the twenty-four hour rule, you have to suffer through like everyone else."
Nodding, Hermione smirked. "I'll keep that in mind next time I realize I'm in love with someone I've known forever."
"Works best with a total stranger, though. Hit the jackpot with Percy. You wouldn't believe how many dodgy tourists I let rescue me before I found a keeper." Smiling at the offended noises her husband was making, she shrugged. "Hate to break up the party, but we need to get up to the front so you ladies can continue getting ready."
Laughing, Hermione nodded slowly as Ginny finished putting the final touches on her hair. "We'll talk after the ceremony. We're going to be in the States for part of our honeymoon, and I wanted to get your thoughts on some places to see. If we actually get out of the rooms, of course."
As the room erupted in laughter, Kingsley shook his head and nodded to Hermione one last time as the door to the hallway closed. As everyone settled back down, Lily and Petunia Dursely came up in their matching flower girl dresses and tugged on Luna's sleeve.
"Aunt Luna?" Lily began.
"Our earrings started chiming." Petunia continued.
"And we saw this bug lady fly in when Aunt Audrey's boss opened the door." Lily noted.
"Technically, he's Uncle Percy's boss also." Petunia corrected.
"He's Uncle Harry's and Aunt Hermione's boss too, but we'll never get to the good part if you keep wandering." Lily admonished, shaking the glass sphere she was holding for emphasis. "How are we supposed to tell Aunt Luna the good parts if you keep bogging us down?"
"Ladies, what good parts, did you tell anyone else that your earrings were chiming, and where did you get that glass globe?" Bending over and whispering to the young witches, Luna immediately became attentive as the girls reported that the earrings she had given them that contained miniature sneak-o-scopes had gone off. Staring in fascination at the glass globe was holding, she frowned a bit at the scarab beetle that was being bounced around the interior by Lily's gesturing.
"You're the first person, since you know what they do, Aunt Luna." Petunia answered.
"It wouldn't be very much fun to tell Aunt Ginny or Mum, they'd just look at us like we were babies." Lily continued, giving the globe a shake and smirking as the beetle took another spin around the inside of the globe.
"I conjured the globe after Lils made the bug lady stop flying." Petunia nodded seriously as she watched her sister send the trapped insect spinning around the inside of the globe. "Careful, if she gets sick, they'll make us clean it up."
"That's not a ladybug, dears, it's a scarab beetle." Shaking her head, she looked closely at the insect that was scuttling furiously around the globe, as if it were searching for some means of egress. A bit unusual, the head of the beetle looked as if it had flown into a couple of walls at high speed.
"It's a bug lady. And Mum's correct, she eats what she writes." Matter of factly, Lily waited patiently for Luna to catch up.
Eyebrows rising, Luna began chuckling. "Tuney, did you conjure that globe?" Seeing the young witch nod solemnly, patted her on the shoulder. "Well done. You too Lils, I can just imagine the look on her face when the two of you captured her." Shaking her head, Luna waved her hand in the direction of the globe. "Did you consider putting a couple of small holes in the globe, so she could breath?"
Rolling her eyes, Petunia Athena Dursely glared at Luna. "Honestly, do you think we're babies?"
"Air and food can get in, but nothing can get out." Looking at her twin, Lily Rowena sighed dramatically. "Honestly, adults can be so difficult to work with."
Chuckling, Luna nodded in apology. "Why don't you let me hang onto that for you ladies?" Holding out her hand, Luna smiled as Lily gently placed the globe in her hand. "I'll keep it safe, and when we get to the castle, we'll find a safe place for her to wait." Looking around, Luna nodded as she bounced the globe in her hand a couple of times. "Why don't you two go back to playing, and if your earrings chime again…"
"We know." Lily nodded.
"Look to see who isn't what they seem to be." Petunia added.
Walking back over to where Hermione was sitting, her transformation almost complete, Luna took her wand and tapped the globe once, causing it to ring briefly, glow with a faint blue sheen, and then return to normal. Bouncing the globe in the palm of her hand twice, she smiled at the irate skittering coming faintly from the globe.
"Collecting specimens today?" Looking up, Hermione quirked an elegantly sculpted eyebrow at Luna as her friend approached. "That looks a bit mundane for your interests. Out of place, but mundane."
"I think it's rarer than you think, but the twins actually caught it. I think they saw it as a potential disruption to the wedding, so they spontaneously solved a problem." Looking over at Chastity, Luna smiled broadly. "I think the girls are progressing nicely. You're still going to let them start the new pre-Hogwarts program next fall?"
"Of course, if nothing else it will give them a channel for their `accidental' magic." Shaking her head, Chastity chuckled. "Dudley might believe that everything the girls come up with is accidental, but they're just too bloody smug about some of it for it not to be planned out." Shaking her head, she looked fondly over at her daughters as they were playing quietly by one of the windows in the compartment. "What did they catch, this time?"
Nodding thoughtfully, Luna looked over just in time to see Lily wink at her and then turn her attention back to the exploding snap game she was engaged in. "Just a scarab beetle. Probably just followed someone onto the train, looking to scavenge something."
"Dung." Hermione added as she was watching Lavender work on her nails.
Chuckling, Luna shook her head. "I didn't think Mundungus was on the guest list."
"No, I was talking about what the beetle was looking for. Scarab beetles are just a variety of dung beetle. That's all they eat. They don't even drink; they get moisture from the dung also."
"Excellent." Hermione looked up sharply at the satisfied tone in Luna's voice. "Tell me, did you ever read about a castle cesspit in `Hogwarts: A History'?"
"Through a small door to the left of the entrance to the Slytherin dungeons. Take two flights down and then go through a small iron gate. Why?" Looking amused, Hermione carefully shook her head as Lavender finished with her nails.
"Just thought I do something nice for our little friend here. Put her someplace when we get to Hogwarts where she'll be happy and at home." Smiling mysteriously, Luna looked thoughtful for a second. "And I have it on good authority that Ms Parkinson won't be bothering anyone or crashing the wedding. She's going to be occupied for the next 72 hours or so."
"Luna? What did you do?" Trying not to smile, Hermione glanced suspiciously at her quirky friend. "And just how do you know this?"
"A pair of owls told me. Pansy's going to be occupied elsewhere for the next 72 hours." Smiling knowingly, Luna reached into her clutch bag and pulled out her version of Hermione's infamous beaded bag. Taking her wand, she moved it in a peculiar pattern over the globe in her hand before inserting the globe, beetle and all, into the beaded bag and returning it to her purse.
"Luna, why did you just obliviate a scarab beetle?" Looking at her friend suspiciously, Hermione narrowed her eyes and bit her lip as she pondered the past couple of minutes. Suddenly, all the pieces fell together and she started giggling
"It's easier all around." Chuckling, Luna patted her clutch purse and nodded. "She's really too small for the wrackspurts to notice right now, so this was kinder. Honestly, I'm putting her up with a free buffet for the next few days; I'd just prefer that she doesn't quite remember how she got there. Witch Weekly usually doesn't do a story about how I'm cheating on Ronald with Harry until late August; I'd hate to get them off their schedule." Looking over at the girls who were innocently playing cards by the window, she smiled. "Besides, it'd be much crueler for Pansy if she actually got on the bad side of the twins by printing articles about them and their parents. Right now, they're just playing. Give them ten years and they'll be serious." Shuddering a bit, Luna turned back to Hermione and nodded. "Even I'd feel sorry for her then."
-->