Emma Potter

64: Anti-Dementor

Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry and me in the hospitalwing for the rest of the weekend. We didn't argue orcomplain, but harry wouldn't let her throw away the shattered remnants of his Nimbus Two Thousand. I knew he was being stupid,knew that the Nimbus was beyond repair, but Harry couldn't helpit; he felt as though he'd lost one of his best friends.

 He and I had a stream of visitors, all intent on cheering us up. Hagrid sent us a bunch of earwiggy flowers that looked like yellowcabbages, and Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with aget-well card for Harry she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harrykept it shut under his bowl of fruit. Various Slytherins came; Madame promfery had to throw Zoe, Draco and Nicholas out. 

The Gryffindor team visitedagain on Sunday morning, this time accompanied by Wood, whotold Harry (in a hollow, dead sort of voice) that he didn't blamehim in the slightest. 

Ron and Hermione left our bedside onlyat night, I made up with them too. I also introduced Zoe to Hermione. 

Things were awkward at first but when Draco flashed me a smirk, they erupted and a friendship was formed.

 But nothing anyone said or did could make Harry or me feel anybetter, because they knew only half of what was troubling us.

We hadn't told anyone about the Grim, not even Ron andHermione or Draco Zoe and Nicholas because we knew Ron would panic and the rest would scoff. The fact remained, however, that it had now appearedtwice, and both appearances had been followed by near-fatal accidents; the first time, Harry had nearly been run over by the KnightBus; the second, fallen fifty feet from his broomstick, and me from the stands. 

Was theGrim going to haunt us until we actually died? Were we going tospend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulder for the beast?And then there were the dementors. I felt sick and humiliated every time he thought of them

. Everyone said the dementorswere horrible, but no one else collapsed every time they went nearone. No one else heard echoes in their head of their dying parents.Because Harry and I knew who that screaming voice belonged to now. We had heard her words, heard them over and over again duringthe night hours in the hospital wing while we lay awake, staring atthe strips of moonlight on the ceiling

. When the dementors approached us, we heard the last moments of our mother's life, herattempts to protect us, from Lord Voldemort, and Voldemort's laughter before he murdered her. 

Draco was far from happy about my renewed bond but he simply shrugged. Defense Against the Dark Arts Class erupted when Lupin came back.

"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"

 "We don't know anything about werewolves —"

 "— two rolls of parchment!"

 "Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet?"Lupin asked, frowning slightly.The babble broke out again

."Yes, but he said we were really behind —"

 "— he wouldn't listen —"

 "— two rolls of parchment!

"Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face."Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to dothe essay."

"Oh no," said Hermione, looking very disappointed. "I've already finished it!" Zoe sniggered, and Hermione shot her a glare.

 We had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had broughtalong a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, ratherfrail and harmless-looking.