Wot In The Harri Potter?

26 - The Dementor

Terrified of Fred's warning, both my aunt and uncle stay out of my way.

It's great - they don't even bat an eyelid when I go into the kitchen and help myself to food. Although I still don't get invited to sit with them at mealtimes, but that's a good thing.

I hang out with Dudley for most part of summer. It's such a hot, sticky one that we don't do much other than sit on the swings at the park. Sometimes we just laze around on the roundabout eating ice creams. But it's too hot to do much else.

I write to Fred every day, reassuring him that I'm not being locked up or starved. I think about writing to Draco, too, but change my mind, fearful of the thought of Lucius intercepting Draco's mail.

I wait for Fred to turn up,hoping against hope he'll drop by despite me not being in trouble. But he never shows. And eventually his letters just stop. I grow fearful, and I think about not writing to him to see if he'll just show up like he promised my uncle.

But I'm pretty sure if he did do any of the things he'd threatened Uncle Vernon with, then he'd get arrested and I didn't want that to happen, so I carried on writing to him, letting him know I was safe and fed.

It's not just Fred who stops writing to me, it's everyone. I even send Ron a letter casually asking how things are at the Burrow. But again, no reply.

"What's up cuz?" Dudley asks as I sit forlornly on the swing. "You've barely said two words today, and it's getting late."

I shrug my shoulders, sighing. "I just hate not knowing what's happening out there. I feel so in the dark."

"Oh." Dudley's face falls. "Is it about what happened that night? Everyone was in such a panic. They wouldn't even let me stay to see you."

"There's a bad man out there, Dudley," I say, shivering, despite the heat. "And he wants me dead. You too, actually."

"Sounds like a bloody psycho if you ask me," Dudley mutters. "What's he want to kill two sixteen year olds for? Doesn't he have a telly?"

I roll my eyes at this very Dudley comment.

In the end it starts to get dark, so we head back home, both of us exhausted even though we'd done fuck all.

We are walking through an underpass when it happens.

"Fuck, I feel as though someone's just stepped on me grave," Dudley shivers, his eyes suddenly flashing with fear. "And I feel- I feel- ugh, what's happening?"

I stop in my tracks, my blood instantly turning ice cold. For Dudley cannot see what I can see: a great big Dementor floating above his head.

I whip out my wand, heart pounding. "Dudley, RUN!" I scream as it swoops down upon him.

But he can't seem to hear me anymore, and collapses to the ground.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" I yell, aiming my wand at the soul-sucking monster trying to french kiss my cousin.

Of course, I'm bloody brilliant at this spell so have no problems casting a Patronus. I smugly watch as my stag chases away the scummy Dementor.

Then some batty old neighbour who used to babysit me comes hobbling over and reveals herself to be a Squib.

Oh, okay then.

She helps me drag an conscious Dudley home, which is no mean feat, and we keep having to stop to catch our breaths and do some stretching.

My uncle and aunt are so livid, when we arrive back, that they forget about Fred's warning and Petunia smacks me hard across the face, accusing me of killing Dudley.