Chapter 94 - A precius little airhead

Two days had passed since Thomas visited the Malfoy Mansion, and his talk with Lucius had left him with a bad taste in his mouth. Call him paranoid, but Thomas can swear that Lucius will do something to him this year and it will not be pretty.

As the morning sun rose, Thomas woke up excited. It was the day he had been looking forward to for quite a while now, mostly because that will mean that this was the start of his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had spent a peaceful summer with his family and friends, not to mention that his mother's condition had slightly improved with the help of his latest potion, which brought him a sense of relief and hope for a future where his mother will regain her voice.

After a quick breakfast with his parents, Thomas gathered his belongings and stood by the door, eager to leave for the magical platform at King's Cross Station. Even though he was supposed to be at work today, Jonathan took some time off to drive his boy to the station, while Kate simply wanted to see him reaching the train and bidding her farewell there.

"Are you all set, son?" Jonathan asked, checking if Thomas had everything he needed.

"Yes, Dad. I'm ready to go," Thomas replied, with a wide smile on his face.

His mother hugged him tightly, and if Thomas didn't know her better, he would have said that she was about to cry right now.

"I will be fine, Mom. Don't worry," Thomas assured her, feeling grateful for the support and love of his family.

With that said and done, Thomas's parents drove him to King's Cross Station. When they reached Platform 9¾, they immediately saw the various students getting ready to board the Hogwarts Express. Luckily for him, it didn't take him all that long to spot his roommates, Michael, James, and Adam, waving and waiting for him among the crowd alongside their parents.

Upon seeing them, Thomas felt a wave of relief wash over him. His friends were his rock, his comfort during the school year. Waving energetically, he jogged over to them, his grin widening at their friendly banter. Every one of them had changed in their ways over the summer.

"Thomas!" Michael shouted, wrapping him in a friendly hug. "You're finally here!"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Thomas chuckled, returning the hug.

After greeting Michael, he turned to James and Adam, exchanging pleasantries and sharing brief hugs and high-fives between them. It felt good to be reunited with them again, especially after what he had gone through the summer with both Rias and Sona as well as with Lucius and Draco.

Turning to their parents, Thomas greeted each one of them politely, shaking hands and sharing a few words. He noticed how each of his friends mirrored their parents in some way; James's father had the same humor, Adam's mother shared his quiet wisdom, and Michael's parents had his same serious-like persona.

Once the greetings were done, Thomas and his friends bid their parents goodbye. The beaming faces of the adults filled them with warmth even more so as they were wishing them a peaceful and easy school year.

Jonathan and Kate approached Thomas right before he was about to climb into the train. His father ruffled his hair, with a proud look on his face, while his mother planted a kiss on his forehead, as her eyes filled with unshed tears. "Take care, son," Jonathan said, patting his shoulder. "And make sure to write to us."

"I will, Dad. I promise, besides, Dr. Whoo loves our home more than he loves Hogwarts." Thomas assured him with a smile, hugging his mother for one last time before turning to join his friends.

With the last goodbyes said, the four boys turned towards the magnificent red steam engine, ready to embark on their journey to Hogwarts. As they climbed the steps onto the train, Thomas felt a sense of freedom wash over him, as he imagines just how exciting this new year will be. And for some reason, it also felt as if he was coming home, to the place where he belongs.

They walked down the narrow corridor, passing compartment after compartment filled with students until they finally found an empty one, a God sent considering just how many students were on this red train. Each one of them claimed a seat, and they put their trunks away when the train started to move, making the boys look out of the window, and watching their parents wave them off.

Once the silhouettes of his parents grew too distant to see them, Thomas turned to his friends, who were chatting animatedly about their summer holidays. Adam was telling them about his trip to France, where he had seen the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Michael was recounting his visit to his grandparents' farm, where he had helped with the animals and learned some new spells. James was showing them his new broomstick, a Nimbus 2000, that he had received as a birthday present.

Thomas chimed in, eager to join the discussion since there wasn't a lot one could do, besides he kind of missed their friendly banter. He spoke about his own experiences spending time with his parents, his visits to the underworld, and the recent conversation he had with Lucius Malfoy.

As soon as Thomas finished his revelation about meeting Lucius Malfoy, he was greeted with silence from the other boys. They all knew the rumors that Lucius was a Death Eater, one of the dark lord's followers.

Michael was the first to recover from the shock. "Blimey, Thomas! Are you alright? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Thomas shook his head. "No, he didn't do anything. But he didn't believe me at all when I told him I saved Draco simply because we were schoolmates. He looked at me like I was some poor muggle not even worth his time," Thomas said with a frown, remembering that look on Lucius' face as he talked with him.

"That sounds like Lucius Malfoy all right," James said bitterly. "Thinks he's better than everyone else just because he's a pureblood."

"I can't believe you spoke to him. The man even gives my father the creeps," Adam shuddered. "Did he threaten you at all?"

"No, he didn't, or at least he didn't dare to. But he gave me a lot of suspicious looks and kept questioning my motives to the point that he asked me what I wanted from him as a reward. "

Adam patted Thomas on the back reassuringly. "Well, I'm glad you made it out of there safely. Malfoy Manor is not a place I'd want to visit, not after what my old man told me about all the things they confiscated from Malfoy's establishments."

Thomas nodded as his friends expressed their concern over his meeting with Lucius Malfoy.

"Honestly, I was a bit nervous going there myself," Thomas admitted. "The manor is huge and imposing even to me who had seen some of the manors the devil has. The decor is so cold, dark, and formal, nothing welcoming about it at all. And the way Lucius looked at me like I was something he'd scraped off his expensive dragonhide boots..."

Thomas trailed off with a shiver. He decided not to tell his friends about the hissed threats and subtle legitimacy probes Lucius had tried on him, luckily Bahamut was there to stop that from happening otherwise, Thomas didn't know what could have happened to him. No need to worry them further than they already are, right?

"Draco was there too," he continued after a moment. "He didn't say much, just in his seat looking torn. I got the sense he wanted to thank me once again for saving his life but didn't dare defy Lucius. Even if his mother, god bless her heart, was gently suggesting him to thank me."

James scowled. "That slimy git Draco. As bad as his father if you ask me."

"Now James, Draco was civil to Thomas at least. It can't be easy for him with a father like that," Michael pointed out fairly. "Frankly anyone would have been in the same boat if they had Lucius Malfoy as their father."

Thomas nodded. "Michael's right. I feel bad for Draco having to grow up in that environment. And from what I saw that day, I don't think Mrs. Malfoy had a better life either."

"So what did dear old Lucius want anyway if not to thank you?" Adam asked. "He didn't just invite you over for tea and biscuits I gather."

"No, certainly not," Thomas chuckled. "Mostly he just wanted to size me up."

The boys all shook their heads. Pureblood prejudices die hard.

"The important thing is you're safe, mate," Michael said supportively. "And you did a good thing saving Draco, no matter what his father thinks."

After that, the boys choose to forget about this for now. So to do that they decided to play some cards. Almost an entire hour later, as Thomas and his friends had just settled in to play another round of Exploding Snap when there was a knock at their compartment door.

They all glanced at each other curiously. Who could that be? Maybe Hermione with Ron and Harry? Or maybe the twins? Or maybe some of their friends and housemates?

Then the door slid open and a petite blonde girl who looked to be a first-year student peered in hesitantly.

"Oh, hello," she said in a dreamy voice. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but would you mind if I joined you here? Everywhere else is full and people don't seem to want me in their compartments even if they have some free space."

Damned purebloods and their sticks up their asses, that was all four of the boys thought as soon as they heard the girl's reason for bothering them.

"Of course, you can join us," Michael said kindly. "Come on in."

The girl smiled gratefully and stepped inside dragging her rather heavy trunk, shutting the door behind her. Thomas and James quickly got up and help her settle her trunk somewhere as she took a seat beside James.

"Are you alright?" Thomas asked, concerned that the Slytherins might have done something to her. "Did anyone do something to you?"

She shook her head, causing her long hair to sway. "Oh no, nothing like that. I think I'm just a bit odd for most people's tastes. But that's fine too, after all, not everyone can be like by all right?"

James frowned, not liking the idea of this girl being excluded for being "odd." Besides she was way too pure and innocent for her good. What if some bad guy did something to her?

"I'm Luna Lovegood," she introduced herself with a serene smile. "I'm a first-year or at least I will once we get to Hogwarts. What are your names?"

"I'm Thomas Grayson," Thomas replied with a kind smile.

"Adam Wood," said Adam with a little wave.

"Name's James O'Sullivan," James said.

"And I'm Michael McKenzie," Michael chimed in. "We're all second-year Ravenclaws."

"Oh lovely!" Luna's silvery eyes lit up. "I do hope I'm sorted into Ravenclaw as well. I quite like books and learning new stuff. My papa says that Ravenclaw is the best house at Hogwarts since everyone there is nice and won't care from what family you came."

The four boys grinned, already feeling a kinship with this unusual but refreshingly guileless girl. However, they also got quite curious about what she meant by the family part, a mystery that will be answered in time.

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