Harry Potter 06 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry stubbornly.
    ‘Well, maybe,’ said Mr Weasley, but Harry could tell that Mr Weasley was humouring him.
    There was a whistle behind them; nearly everyone had boarded the train and the doors were closing.
    ‘You’d better hurry,’ said Mr Weasley, as Mrs Weasley cried, ‘Harry, quickly!’
    He hurried forwards and Mr and Mrs Weasley helped him load his trunk on to the train.
    ‘Now, dear, you’re coming to us for Christmas, it’s all fixed with Dumbledore, so we’ll see you quite soon,’ said Mrs Weasley through the window, as Harry slammed the door shut behind him and the train began to move. ‘You make sure you look after yourself and –’
    The train was gathering speed.
    ‘– be good and –’
    She was jogging to keep up now.
    ‘– stay safe!’
    Harry waved until the train had turned a corner and Mr and Mrs Weasley were lost from view, then turned to see where the others had got to. He supposed Ron and Hermione were cloistered in the prefect carriage, but Ginny was a little way along the corridor, chatting to some friends. He made his way towards her, dragging his trunk.
    People stared shamelessly as he approached. They even pressed their faces against the windows of their compartments to get a look at him. He had expected an upswing in the amount of gaping and gawping he would have to endure this term after all the ‘Chosen One’ rumours in the Daily Prophet , but he did not enjoy the sensation of standing in a very bright spotlight. He tapped Ginny on the shoulder.
    ‘Fancy trying to find a compartment?’
    ‘I can’t, Harry, I said I’d meet Dean,’ said Ginny brightly. ‘See you later.’
    ‘Right,’ said Harry. He felt a strange twinge of annoyance as she walked away, her long red hair dancing behind her. He had become so used to her presence over the summer that he had almost forgotten that Ginny did not hang around with him, Ron and Hermione while at school. Then he blinked and looked around: he was surrounded by mesmerised girls.
    ‘Hi, Harry!’ said a familiar voice from behind him.
    ‘Neville!’ said Harry in relief, turning to see a round-faced boy struggling towards him.
    ‘Hello, Harry,’ said a girl with long hair and large, misty eyes, who was just behind Neville.
    ‘Luna, hi, how are you?’
    ‘Very well, thank you,’ said Luna. She was clutching a magazine to her chest; large letters on the front announced that there was a pair of free Spectrespecs inside.
    ‘ The Quibbler still going strong, then?’ asked Harry, who felt a certain fondness for the magazine, having given it an exclusive interview the previous year.
    ‘Oh yes, circulation’s well up,’ said Luna happily.
    ‘Let’s find seats,’ said Harry, and the three of them set off along the train through hordes of silently staring students. At last they found an empty compartment and Harry hurried inside gratefully.
    ‘They’re even staring at us ,’ said Neville, indicating himself and Luna, ‘because we’re with you!’
    ‘They’re staring at you because you were at the Ministry, too,’ said Harry, as he hoisted his trunk into the luggage rack. ‘Our little adventure there was all over the Daily Prophet , you must’ve seen it.’
    ‘Yes, I thought Gran would be angry about all the publicity,’ said Neville, ‘but she was really pleased. Says I’m starting to live up to my dad at long last. She bought me a new wand, look!’
    He pulled it out and showed it to Harry.
    ‘Cherry and unicorn hair,’ he said proudly. ‘We think it was one of the last Ollivander ever sold, he vanished next day – oi, come back here, Trevor!’
    And he dived under the seat to retrieve his toad as it made one of its frequent bids for freedom.
    ‘Are we still doing DA meetings this year, Harry?’ asked Luna, who was detaching a pair of psychedelic spectacles from the middle of The Quibbler .
    ‘No point now we’ve got rid of Umbridge, is there?’ said Harry, sitting down. Neville bumped his head against the seat as he emerged from under it. He looked most disappointed.
    ‘I liked the DA! I learned loads with you!’
    ‘I enjoyed the meetings, too,’ said Luna serenely. ‘It was like having friends.’
    This was one of those uncomfortable things Luna often said and which made Harry feel a squirming mixture of pity and embarrassment. Before he could respond, however, there was a disturbance outside their compartment door; a group of fourth-year girls was whispering and giggling together on the