The following morning was familiarly hectic.

As Harry was putting on his shoes Hermione came into the room. She had Hedwig on her shoulder, and Crookshanks in her arms. "Mum and Dad just sent Hedwig back." The owl fluttered over to perch on her cage. "Are you ready yet?"

"Nearly."

"Mad eye's complaining that we can't leave until Sturgis Podmore's here, otherwise the guard will be one short."

"Guard? Oh." Harry said. "I'll... Go talk to them."

"Do you think you can change Mad eye's mind?" Hermione asked.

"I'll try." Harry said, and set off down the stairs.

Mrs. Weasley was calling out to him. 

"Hold on!" Harry returned as he climbed over the trunks blocking the way. His animagus form would be useful right about now, Harry thought grumpily.

Mrs. Black's screeches made it hard to hear each other.

"I need to say something!" Harry shouted.

"Make it quick, boy!" Moody said from somewhere else.

"The guard is stupid!" Harry said before he could help himself. 

"You aren't going without so suck it up." Moody grumbled.

"I don't- I have a better idea," Harry said. "Tonks aced her disguise training, right? So what if we illusioned me to look different, and had Tonks pretend to be a relative escorting me?"

The members of the Order in the house stopped what they were doing to look at Harry.

"If Voldemort's going to attack me, they'll be looking for Harry Potter, not a random student." Harry said. "If I'm surrounded by a guard I'll only be that much more noticeable. If I look like an ordinary student, I'll slip right past without anyone being the wiser."

"They can't attack me if they can't find me." Harry added.

"I like it." Remus spoke first.

"So do I." Sirius said.

"We need to go now or we'll miss the train." Molly said. "Decide fast. I think Harry's plan will do."

"Fine." Moody relented, then waved Tonks and Harry over to a mirror, where they quickly worked out the two's new faces. 

Tonks was a woman with curly blonde hair, warm brown eyes, bushy eyebrows, and a long nose. Harry had inherited the hair, eyes, and nose, though his brows were rather thin, and he sported a cleft chin. The resemblance was plain, but not glaringly obvious that they were made to look similar.

"Alright, let's get a move on." Moody growled.

Harry managed to give Sirius a tight hug before he left. 

They'd even disguised Hedwig. For the journey she looked like a barn owl. It was a bit unsettling for Harry, if he was honest. But she completed the ensemble. 

Tonks and Harry didn't catch any second glances. They even had a bit of fun doing some acting along the way. Tonks was playing the part of worried 'did you forget so-and-so?' mother, and Harry was the reluctant child, 'No, Mum, I got it.'

"We grabbed Cinnamon's food, didn't we?" Tonks asked, looking at Hedwig.

"She gets her own food, or the owlery feeds her." Harry said. "I don't think they'd like us bringing sacks of mice on the train."

"Yes, yes, you're right." Tonks nodded. "That would smell an awful mess, wouldn't it?"

Harry made a disgusted noise. "I don't even want to think about it."

"Mhm." Tonks said. "We got all of your books, right?"

"Uh, yeah?" Harry said. "I packed all the ones we got."

"Did we get all of the new ones you needed?"

"Pretty sure." Harry said. "If we didn't we can nab it later."

"Right, right." Tonks said.

"Mum, it's fine." Harry said, and then they looked at a clock as they passed it.

"Well, Nathan, If we don't hurry it won't be fine." Tonks said.

They made it to the station with ease.

Harry gave Tonks a hug before boarding the train. For a moment, she was surprised. Then she returned it with glee. 

"Wotcher, Nathan." Tonks said, giving him a wink when he stood in the doorway.

"Wotcher yourself, Mum." Harry said, giving her a mischievous grin. Then he slipped inside.

Ron and Hermione followed in after him. The young witch undid the illusion on Harry before any of the students saw someone unfamiliar, and got to asking questions. 

"Thanks Mione." Harry said.

"Well," Fred said. "Can't stand and chat."

"Got business with Lee." George said, and the twins took off.

Harry looked at his friends. "I'll find a compartment. You guys find the prefect's one."

"Sorry mate." Ron winced.

"Nah, it's fine. I'll see you later." Harry said, and went looking for the compartment.

"See you, Harry." Hermione said, and then gave Ron a light push in the right direction.

Harry and Ginny went looking for the compartment. Harry wasn't paying much attention. The Deja vu was distracting again.

In the last carriage they found Neville tugging his trunk with one hand, the other hand holding Trevor. "Hi Harry," He panted. "Hi Ginny. Everywhere's full. I can't find a seat."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny squeezed past Neville to look into the compartment behind him. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here-"

Neville mumbled something about not wanting to disturb anyone.

"Don't be silly," Ginny laughed. "She's alright." She slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside, Neville and Harry following behind.

"Hi Luna." Ginny said. "Is it okay if we take these seats?"

Luna looked up. Harry couldn't help but smile at her. People who didn't know her called her loony, and Harry didn't understand perfectly, but he knew she was anything but. Luna's eyes traveled over the three, and she nodded.

"Thanks." Ginny and Harry said in unison.

Harry and Neville stored the trunks and Hedwig's cage on the luggage rack and sat down. Luna watched them over her upside-down copy of the Quibbler. She stared at Harry more than would have been comfortable.

"Have a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Luna said without taking her gaze from Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter."

"Last I checked." Harry replied.

Neville chuckled, which made Luna turn to him. "And I don't know who you are."

"I'm nobody," Neville said hurriedly.

"No, you're not." Ginny said sharply. "Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood. She's in my year, but Ravenclaw."

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." Luna said in a singsong voice. She raised the Quibbler high enough to cover her face.

"Guess what I got for my birthday." Neville said.

"Another remembrall?" Harry asked, knowing full well it wasn't.

"No," Neville said. "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago... no, look at this..."

Neville dug into his bag with one hand, and pulled out the odd cactus-like plant. "Mimbulus mimbletonia." He said proudly.

"It's really, really rare," Neville beamed. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My Great Uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

"What does it do?" Ginny asked.

"Loads of stuff!" Neville said proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism. Here, hold Trevor for me..." He dumped the toad into Harry's lap.

Luna peered above her copy to watch what Neville was doing. He took a quill from his bag, and brought the Mimbulus mimbletonia to eye level, and with his tongue between his teeth, he used the quill to poke it.

Harry expected the reaction, and covered his face in time. Ginny managed to cover her face, and only looked like she had a green slime hat. The back of Harry's head felt like that, and he managed to prevent Trevor's escape. The smell of rancid manure filled the compartment.

"Sorry." Neville gasped, drenched in the stuff. "I haven't tried that before... didn't realize it would be quite so... don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous." He added nervously.

At that moment Cho Chang, Seeker of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team opened the door. "Oh... Hello, Harry." She said nervously. "Um... Bad time?"

"Oh. Hi." Harry blinked.

"Um." Cho said, "Well... Just thought I'd say hello... Bye then." She blushed as she closed the door.

"Never mind, we can get rid of all this." Ginny said. "Scourgify!" The stinksap vanished.

"Sorry..." Neville apologized again, in a small voice.

~~~

Hermione and Ron didn't turn up for nearly an hour. In that time the trolley had come and gone, Harry, Ginny, and Neville had finished their pumpkin pasties and were trading chocolate frog cards when the two prefects arrived. They were accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon. 

Ron stored said owl next to Hedwig's cage, though the snowy owl was presently snuggled up on Harry's lap. "I'm starving." Ron said, plopping down next to Harry and grabbing a chocolate frog from Harry. He ripped it open and bit off the head, then leaned back with his eyes closed as though he'd had a very exhausting day.

"Well, you were right Harry." Hermione said. "Malfoy's a prefect."

"You're kidding!" Neville exclaimed.

"No, she's not." Ron said sadly, then checked his watch. "We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often. We can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something."

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" Hermione said sharply.

"Yeah, 'cause Malfoy won't." Ron said sarcastically.

"So you're going to descend to his level?"

"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine." 

"For heaven's sake, Ron-"

"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing," Ron said happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle's low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. "I... must... not... look... like... a... baboon's... backside."

They all laughed, but Luna was the loudest. She made Hedwig hoot indignantly, and Crookshanks leapt up to the luggage rack, and hissed. Luna's magazine fell to the floor.

"That was funny!" Luna exclaimed, her eyes teary from laughter, and gasping for breath.

At this point the others were now laughing at Luna's laughter, and Ron's face.

"Are you taking the mickey?" Ron asked Luna.

"Baboon's... Backside..." She wheezed, holding her ribs.

Harry glanced down, and saw the Quibbler. He shook his head, but didn't bother to look over the articles.

Eventually, Luna recovered from her laughter, and picked it up, returning to reading. Ginny recounted the stinksap incident for Ron and Hermione.

Then for the third time, the compartment door opened again. Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway, Crabbe and Goyle behind him. This year, something about Malfoy seemed different to Harry.

"Hello Malfoy." Harry said calmly before anyone else got a word in.

Draco took a second to hide his surprise. "So, Potter... How does it feel? That the weasel got prefect and you didn't?"

"Oh, I don't mind." Harry said. "Ron deserves it. I don't think I'm missing out on much. Got far better things to do with my time."

"Really? And what would that be?" Malfoy countered. "Snogging the weaslette? Or that Chang girl?"

"It's pitiful if you think girls are the only thing on my mind." Harry said. "And careful there, it almost sounded like you were jealous."

"Jealous? Of you? You wish." Malfoy said, and then mocked Harry. "And careful there, unlike you, I have been made prefect, and can hand out punishments."

"Sounds kinky if you ask me." Harry said before he could stop himself.

The look that crossed Malfoy's face for just a second was entirely worth it, though. "I see your mind's in the gutter, where the rest of you should be." He returned.

"You brought up snogging in the first place, Malfoy." Harry shrugged. "Now, if you would please leave, I don't want to fight."

"Hard to believe. Seems like you really want to fight the Dark Lord. That's what the papers say, isn't it?" Malfoy said. "The Boy Who Lived turned The Boy Who Was A Nutter."

"My fight isn't with you, Malfoy." Harry said. "Now, I think I'm going to change, so unless you want to stay for the show, I'd suggest you leave."

Malfoy turned to leave.

"Oh, and Malfoy," Harry said, the blond pausing for a second. "You can't hide behind that badge forever. Don't get used to it."

Malfoy scoffed and closed the door.

Luna giggled. Ginny stifled hers.

"Blimey, mate!" Ron exclaimed. "What was that? You were practically flirting with him!"

"I don't want to fight him." Harry said. "And if you want to beat a slytherin, you have to beat them at their own game."

"And he thought you'd snog Ginny!" Ron stared in horror.

"He also thought I'd snog Cho." Harry said.

"You fancy Cho, though." Ron frowned.

"No. That was-" Harry frowned, just barely managing to stop him from saying 'ages ago'. "-Last year."

"Oh." Luna said. "She'll be sad to hear that."

Harry felt a small pang of guilt. "It's for the best... We wouldn't have made a very good couple."

"That's true." Luna agreed.

"That's a bit rude." Hermione said, looking at Luna.

"I don't think so." Harry said.

Hermione gave Harry a funny look then. "Are you feeling alright, Harry?"

"I'm fine." Harry said. "It's been a long summer."

~~~

Ron and Hermione left early to help supervise the other students as they got off. 

"I'll carry that owl if you like." Luna offered, reaching out for Pigwidgeon in his cage.

"Thanks." Harry said, and let her take him, getting a more secure hold on Hedwig's.

Professor Grubbly-Plank called for the first years.

"Where's Hagrid?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know, but we're blocking the door." Neville said.

"Oh, right."

They headed off for the carriages. The Thestrals waited dutifully. 

"Where's Pig?" Ron asked from right behind Harry.

"Luna's got him." Harry replied. 

"Have you seen Hagrid?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head.

"He'd better be okay..."

"He's Hagrid. He'll be fine." Harry said.

"Where's Crookshanks?" Hermione asked, joining them.

"Ginny's got him." Harry said, and then she appeared from the crowd. "There she is."

"Thanks," Hermione said, relieving Ginny of said cat. "Come on, let's get a carriage before they all fill up."

"I haven't got Pig yet!" Ron said, but they were already heading off for the nearest unoccupied coach.

Luna joined them, Pigwidgeon twitting excitedly from within his cage in her arms. "Here you are." She said. "He's a sweet little owl, isn't he?"

"Er, yeah, he's alright." Ron said. "Come on, let's get in."

They all climbed into the coach. After a long, awkward minute, Luna spoke to Harry.

"You can see them."

Harry nodded. He knew she was talking about the Thestrals.

"See what?" Ron asked.

Luna just smiled. Ron and Hermione exchanged a look, but Harry was busy watching Hogwarts grow closer.