Astra

XXXVI - The Full Moon

Harry and Hermione dashed over to Ron. Luna was still trying to hold back Astra, who was now trying to follow Sirius.

"We'd better get them up to the castle and tell someone," said Harry, pushing his hair out of his eyes, trying to think straight. "Come --"

But then, from beyond the range of their vision, they heard a yelping, a whining: a dog in pain...

At the sound, the Ravenclaw second year was no match for Astra, who pulled out of Luna's hold and ran towards where Sirius was. Harry followed quickly, and Hermione and Luna glanced at each other, and went as well.

The yelping seemed to be coming from the ground near the edge of the lake. But Astra made it, Harry nearly bumping into each other as they felt the eery coldness spread around.

The yelping stopped abruptly. As they reached the lakeshore, they saw why -- Sirius had turned back into a man. He was crouched on all fours, his hands over his head.

"Nooo," he moaned. "Nooo... please...."

And then they saw them. Dementors, at least a hundred of them, gliding in a black mass around the lake toward them. Astra spun around, the familiar, icy cold penetrating her insides, fog starting to obscure her vision; more were appearing out of the darkness on every side; they were encircling them...

She reached for her wand, only to realize that she had dropped it by the Whomping Willow.

"Hermione, give me your wand!" she shouted. Hermione looked at her, and threw it without a second's thought.

"Harry, now's the time! Conjure a Patronus! Luna, Hermione, get back!" Hermione looked hesitant, not willing to get away from Astra and Harry, but Luna grabbed her arm, following the orders and knowing it was the best choice, and pulled Hermione back to where they came from, hoping the dementors wouldn't find them. The Ravenclaw gave Hermione her wand and said, "You know more spells than me, we need to go."

Hermione, still in shock, followed.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" yelled Astra, and her snowy owl erupted, but only lasted a few seconds before it disappeared. 

Harry started to chant, "Expecto patronum! Expecto patronum!"

Sirius gave a shudder, rolled over, and lay motionless on the ground, pale as death.

Astra cleared her mind of the bad thoughts the dementors brought to her, and said the incantation again. The owl pushed away five of the dementors before promptly vanishing again. More of them were coming, though. 

A thin wisp of silver escaped Harry's wand and hovered like mist before him. It gave Astra a moment to conjure her's once more, chasing away another three dementors. But there were too many. They were closing in.

Harry collapsed next to her.

A dementor was grabbing him, but Astra couldn't get it away because her neck was pulled by a pair of cold, strong, clammy hands. She tried to stay strong but the dementor forced her face upward as it took a shallow breath.

Astra's words were lost as she pulled away from the dementor's grasp, vaguely seeing a bright figure, a stag, a Patronus with three people behind it before everything went black.

***

Hermione and Luna were running. Hermione was holding Luna's wand in her hand and muttered, 'Lumos' as they tried to find their way back. Luna was leading the way and soon they got to the clearing by the Whomping Willow, only to find Snape slowly getting up.