Emerald [Cedric Diggory]

Chapter Three

While Seamus and Dean were arguing about the possibility of having a Dementor on the train, Maya remembered something.

"What about Neville?" she asked, slightly alarmed. "He was outside when those things boarded the train."

"Merlin's beard." Seamus muttered, as all of them shot up from their seats and made their way towards the door. Once outside, they decided to split up, with Maya and Damien going in one direction, and Seamus and Dean going in the other.

"Neville is the most misfortune-prone person I've ever met." Maya said, as the two of them looked into compartments, hoping to find the boy. "You're forgetting about Potter." Damien reminded her.

Before Maya could respond, she spotted Neville in one of the compartments. She pointed him out to Damien and he let out a sigh of relief. As they made their way towards him, Maya noticed that the other figures in the compartment were crowded around something on the floor.

"This can't be good." Maya said under her breath, as she slid the door open. Everyone in the compartment jumped at the sudden sound, and turned around to face them, wands in their hands. Maya instantly recognized Harry Potter laying on the floor.

"Whoa." Damien exclaimed, holding his hands up. "Calm down, we're all friends here."

"What the hell happened to him?" Maya asked, scrunching her eyebrows at the sunken heap of a boy lying in front of her. She knelt down to examine him. The boy was out cold.

"None of your business, Caufield." Ron Weasley sneered, and Maya's eyes narrowed. Maya had met Ronald Weasley in first year, and it was hate at first sight. He was the kind of self-righteous asshole that Maya had always despised. Ever since she had been sorted into Slytherin, whenever Ron had looked in her direction, it had always been with hatred. And the feeling was mutual.

  Unfortunately for Ron, Maya knew just how to handle tools like him.  

"No one here is talking to you, Wesley." she said, looking at him with mild disgust. She knew that the lack of recognition would annoy the redhead. 

"Weasley! My name is Ron Weasley! Not Wesley!" Ron shouted, with the fiery rage his house was famous for. Maya smiled coldly at that. He was so hopelessly predictable.

"And if that doesn't tell you how little I care about you," she began with a wicked smile. "you're stupider than you look." she whispered to him, relishing in his look of disbelieving vexation.

"That is humanly impossible." Damien interjected looking at Maya, ignoring the redhead's presence completely. "Because that would have to be troll level stupid." Damien knew of her hatred towards Ron, and supported it wholeheartedly. 

Ron's jaw dropped, and he just stood there gaping at them. Times like these, Ron reminded Maya of a stunningly dense goldfish.

Maya pretended to scrutinize Ron. "He could pull it off though. I think I see some trollish resemblance." she said conversationally, as if she were talking about some new fashion accessory she wanted him to try out. Damien turned to look at Ron with the same look, and then nodded.

"Harry passed out because of something that came into our compartment. He'll come around in a few." Hermione interjected before Ron could respond, shooting him a nervous look. His face looked red enough to blend in with his hair, Maya noticed with satisfaction.

"Oh." was all she said. So that thing had been here too. She turned towards Neville and Hermione. "Are you alright?" she asked them. They both nodded. "Good. Now do we know what that thing was?"

"It was a Dementor." a voice said.

 It was only then that Maya noticed the skinny figure of a man standing near the window. She was surprised to say the least. In all her three years, the only adult Maya had ever come across on the Hogwarts Express was the old lady with the trolley.

As always, her manners kicked in when she was confused. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met." Maya said. The man smiled at her. He had a kind face, Maya noticed. And even though his robes were a tattered mess, he held himself with dignity. His brown hair was peppered with grey, despite the fact that he looked like he was in his early thirties.

"My name is Remus Lupin." the man said. "I'm your new Defense against the dark arts teacher." 

"Pleasure to meet you." Maya said, holding out her hand out of sheer habit. The new defense professor looked pleasantly surprised as he shook her hand. She heard Ron scoff.

"Now, what are you doing roaming around when there are Dementors on the train, Miss.." the professor trailed off.

"Caufield. Maya Caufield. And Damien and I were looking for a friend." she replied, nodding towards Neville, who blushed. "He left our compartment just before the train stopped, and we wanted to make sure that he was safe." she explained, and Professor Lupin nodded.

"And now that we have, we should go tell Seamus and Dean. They must still be looking for him." Damien reminded her. Maya nodded.

"I'll stay here, make sure Harry's okay." Neville said, looking at them uncertainly. The two Slytherins shrugged.

"If you'll excuse us." Maya said, making her way towards the door. Then out of sheer spite, Maya looked back. "See you at school, Wesley." she called out, before she leaving the compartment, a smile firmly in place.

"And put something under Potter's head, will you? The poor bloke's going to have a sore neck when he comes around." Damien said to them. "See ya, Wesley." he said, nodding at the bristling redhead, and followed Maya out. 

*************

Aaand now the fun begins! Next chapter will have the start of term feast!

And yes I don't really like Ron Weasley, and neither does Maya.

This chapter is dedicated to Up_with_the_clouds for her amazing cover! Stay awesome :D

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Love,

RJ.