Magic? || Years 1-5

The Dementors: Year 3/Summer

"Who's that?" Hermione asked.

"Who's that?" Came Ginny's confused voice.

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron -- "

"Come and sit down -- "

"Not here! I'm here!" Harry protested.

"Ouch!" That was Neville.

"Quiet!" Came an unfamiliar voice.

Amisty squinted through the darkness, barely able to make out Professor Lupin shifting around in his corner of the compartment.

He made a strange hand motion, and then there was a flicker and crackle and then he was holding a ball of flames.

"Stay where you are," He ordered, his voice gravelly and hoarse.

The flames in his hands sent shadows against the walls. He got to his feet, moving slowly toward the door.

But once again, it slid open before he reached it.

The person... thing outside it was cloaked in black, it's 'head' almost brushing against the ceiling. Amisty couldn't see its face, even with the added light of the flames.

She examined it, her heart stopping as she saw its hand. It was glistening and grey, like it had rotted away long ago. When it breathed it was shaky, slow, and terrifying as if it wasn't only air it was breathing in.

Cold washed over her, and she dragged her knees up to her chest as her breath quickly became faster and faster.

And then she couldn't breathe, all she could feel was the bitter cold and a heavy sadness in her heart. Tears gathered up in her eyes and she buried her face in her arms, refusing to let her friends see her cry.

All she could see was darkness and the noises inside the compartment seemed muffled, as if she weren't there at all. The one thing she could hear clearly was the sound of crying.

But it wasn't her own, she had made sure of that.

She was quiet.

The sound of crying and yells and chaos. Shadows darted across her vision, the occasional flicker of what seemed to be a ghostly wolf tail and then a flash of green.

Her body was shaking all over no matter how hard she squeezed onto her knees. It seemed as if the harder she tried to hold on the more she started to shake.

There was a soft thump, and a scratching that could only be clothes against carpet.

It was muffled, so it had to be inside the compartment.

"None of us are hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go," Professor Lupin's voice sounded distant, even with her hearing.

It only enhanced her fear more.

She couldn't keep the quiet sob that escaped her mouth. It was small but it sounded thunderous to her, strangled and meek and pathetic.

And then it was gone.

The cold disappeared, the grief and sadness she had felt vanished, but she refused to lift her head up. Lights flickered back on around her, the train started up again.

"Harry! Harry! Are you alright?" That was Ron.

"W-what?" And that was Harry, sounding very shaken up.