Guts Over Glory ⇀ Harry Potter

[03]

"OI, POTTER." SLAP. "WAKE UP HARRY." SLAP.

"What---what?"

Pale eyelids peeled back and Anex sighed as green eyes blinked up at her in confusion. She had been the first to act when she had arrived at the compartment that contained an unconscious Harry Potter and his quivering friends.

She had been the only one willing enough to use a rather violent method of 'gently' patting his face so that he would wake up. Ronald and Hermione had done nothing but stare in complete shock and horror as the Slytherin crouched over their friend and attempted to 'coax' him out of his unconscious state.

"Are you okay?" Ronald questioned his friend, nerves dripping from his voice as he shakily sent a glance over in Anex's direction; she was helping Harry to his seat.

"Yeah," Harry vaguely replied as he looked at the door. He looked as if he was expecting the Dementor to reappear. "What happened? Where's that -- that thing? Who screamed?"

Ronald glanced over at Hermione before answering, "No one screamed."

Anex continued to sit on the floor, glancing around the compartment. Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley both looked about as pale as a sheet and Ginny was actually shaking while Professor Lupin was casually sitting to Harry's left as he peeled back the wrapper of a chocolate bar. Anex could only assume that he was the one who summoned the Patronus.

"But I heard someone screaming-" Harry seemed utterly baffled and his eyes blinked rapidly behind his glasses.

Professor Lupin began to then to loudly break up his chocolate bar into smaller pieces and then proceeded to hand one over to Harry. "Here. Eat it. It'll help."

"What was that thing?" Harry asked while taking the slab of chocolate.

Anex's answer was instant, "A dementor."

Heads turned in her direction and the girl sprawled on the carpeted ground had to avoid glaring right back at them. It wasn't as if the existence of Dementors was some secret, she almost expected Hermione to know what they were as she seemed to know everything and yet, only Professor Lupin seemed to know what she was talking about.

He crumpled the wrapper into his pocket before giving Harry a pointed stare, "Eat." He repeated, more firmly this time and Anex knew he was referring to the untouched chocolate slab that Harry was still holding. "It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me."

And with that, he left the compartment.

"Are you sure you're okay, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking positively shaken and just as apprehensive of Anex's presence as Ronald as she nervously sent Anex a glance.

Harry wiped away the sweat that had begun to drip from his face, "I don't get it, what happened?"

"Well, that thing -the dementor- stood there and looked around, I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face,and you, you." Hermione stuttered, anxiety oozing from her.

"I thought you were having a fit or something," Ronald spoke again, worry and woe etched into every word ."You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching-"

Hermione continued on for him with another wary look in Anex's direction,"And Professor Lupin stepped over you, and walked toward the dementor, and pulled out his wand, and he said, 'None of us are hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' But the dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned around and sort of glided away.... "

"It was horrible," Nevill squeaked, "Did YOU feel how cold it got when it came in?"

"I felt weird," Ronald agreed. "Like-