Remus Lupin disappeared from your life twelve years ago, returning once in the form of a brief letter attached to a brand new Comet Two Ninety that arrived the summer after your second year. According to the note, the broomstick was a reward for making the Quidditch team and doing so well on your exams.
Prior to this, not one letter from him had come. In return, not one letter from you had been sent, so you weren't sure how he'd come to learn of your achievements. The most reasonable assumption was that your parents had told him, but even this seemed unlikely; there was no reason for him to know. Regardless, you happily accepted the gift.
The difference between your uncle and other relatives was an absolute certainty your memories of him were real. Sunday dinners and early birthdays and nights he spent babysitting. In some of these memories, you swore you saw the vague face of Sirius Black smiling alongside him.
The recognition had been hesitant, because the Remus Lupin you remembered wasn't the one that had been in front of you. His distinct face wouldn't allow you to mistake him for someone else, but he was different. In your mind, he closely resembled your dad. Fuller, with less greys and facial lines. Clothes less worn. He was happy, and despite having only seen him asleep for a few brief seconds, there was something about this Remus Lupin that was not.
Now, here you were. Aboard the Hogwarts Express, burdened with the knowledge that an uncle long left unconsidered was coming back into your life not as a family member, but as the teacher of one of your favourite school subjects.
Walking alongside Fred and George, you tried to remind yourself that now wasn't the time to dwell. They would notice quicker than you could come up with a good lie for what was occupying your thoughts. When they asked, what would you tell them?
The truth? No.
The truth was too complicated. Not something you could casually share over a box of Bertie Botts with your friends. It wasn't something to tell and brush over like you would want to.
But if you couldn't dwell now, then when? With every passing second you were getting closer to school. In a few days you'd be in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, taking your first lesson from Professor R.J. Lupin. How would you manage eating in the Great Hall with him looking down on you from the staff table? How long would you stay awake tonight, head swirling with tarnished thoughts of being back at school? Vast fields and marshes flew past rapidly outside the windows; you were running out of time to prepare. To process the situation.
You got an elbow to the upper arm, a nudge for your attention. Blinking away your thoughts, you looked to your side. Fred was watching you, and by the looks of it, had been for a while.
"Don't worry." He told you comfortingly. "I reckon if Sirius Black polyjuice'd his way onto the train he'd pick a more creative disguise."
This was the perfect opportunity. A temporary solution to your problem. A quick fix, placing the blame on Sirius Black instead of the real issue. So, you scoffed amusedly, and in playing along with what he'd said, bought yourself a little more time to sort out your feelings.
After doubling back down the train, you finally found Lee. He had settled into a compartment near the front, one you swore had been full of third year girls the first time you passed by it.
There was some quick catching up, followed by half an hour in which the twins talked animatedly about Egypt. You listened quietly as they retold stories you'd already heard, pausing briefly as the Trolley Witch arrived. You emptied your pockets of gold in exchange for some snacks, the conversation resuming as soon as her and her cart disappeared down the hall.
London had long disappeared outside. Buildings and muggle streets were now endless marshes and fields drowning in the increasing rainfall. The conversation had changed course completely; What moments earlier had been Fred dramatically detailing an Egyptian tomb where all the skeletons had extra heads, had turned into a conversation about Sirius Black.
The twins were repeating everything you had told them about Sirius Black to Lee. With nothing to add, you found your mind wandering, lingering on the man asleep just down the train. There was a feeling, a sort of bitter resentment. You were burdened with his presence while he slept, blissfully unaware you had come and gone from his compartment. The joy the journey on the Hogwarts Express always brought was gone.
Droplets of rain raced down the window, and you found it easier to focus on the swirling patterns they left in the condensation than the conversation at hand. The Azkaban convict was trying to push Professor R.J. Lupin from your mind, fighting for a dominant thought, but he kept slipping into your brain, more present than he had been for twelve years.
However, you managed to stay as inconspicuous as possible. You laughed at things meant to be laughed at and corrected the boys when they detailed something wrong. False engagement, proof you weren't off in your own world, before falling silent again.
George sighed as he fiddled with a box of Bertie Botts. "They're probably gonna cancel all the Hogsmeade visits. I mean, mum almost didn't sign Ron's form over the summer. Reckon she expects Black to be hiding out in the village or something."
"We can just sneak out of the castle." Fred said. "I've waited all summer to go to Honeydukes."
Another cue for you to enter the conversation; the need for a level headed voice of reason.
"Another brilliantly crafted plan, Freddie." You sighed sarcastically, turning away from the window to look at him. "Sneaking out of the castle with a mass murderer on the loose. What could possibly go wrong?"
"But if we all go together -" The boy started.
"Don't be stupid." You cut him off, already knowing what he was going to suggest. You adjusted in your seat to face them better, suddenly feeling like you could be a bit more present in the conversation. "He murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street, do you really think he's not going to attack us just because we're walking around in groups?"
"Reckon we'd be okay going with you though, Y/N." Lee said casually. "He's not gonna kill a Dolohov."
"Not really keen on taking that chance though, am I?" You shot back.
It fell silent. Awkward. Uncomfortable. You wished you hadn't turned away from the window.
There were very few lines to be crossed when it came to you, yet Lee Jordan managed to find the largest one and mindlessly step over it. He had meant no harm, you knew that much, but the mention of your relation to the Dolohov family set you off at whoever brought it up.
Staring back out the window to ignore the boys' gazes, you realized that avoiding any mention of the wizarding world's evilest wizards was starting to seem impossible. Sirius Black was the wizarding world's most prominent issue. People were going to talk about it. They were going to theorize about his escape and cast doubt on the innocence of anyone with a connection to him.
Maybe the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher could vouch for you.
Before Lee could apologize or try to lighten the mood, there was a considerable decrease in the train's speed. It jolted, as if someone's hand had cramped around the brake by accident, which moved the four of you uncomfortably around in your seats. The train was slowing to a stop.
As the noise of the pistons fell away, the sound of the wind and rain grew louder. On instinct, you looked out the window, expecting to see the Hogwarts castle in the distance. There was no castle anywhere, no train station either. You were in the middle of a large field, only miles of marsh outside, drenched in rain with grasses blowing in the howling wind.
Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were no longer your biggest worries.
"Why are we stopping?" You asked, confused. "We can't be there yet."
The train came to a full stop with another jolt, and distant thuds told you that luggage had fallen out of nearby racks. Never once had there been a premature halt of the Hogwarts Express. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out, plunging you into almost total darkness. The car was filled with the deep blue hue of the clouded sky outside, your friends reduced to silhouettes.
"What's going on?" Fred questioned.
"I don't know." George replied. "Maybe we've broken down."
Pulling your sleeve over your hand, you wiped the condensation off the window. You couldn't see much through the downpour except vague, blurry shadows moving towards the train.
"There's something moving out there." You said. "I think... someone's coming aboard."
Fred appeared over your shoulder, taking a glance out the window himself. "Go check."
Your brows furrowed, looking at him. "Me?" You asked. "Why me?"
"Cause you're a prefect." He replied simply.
"And that entails me investigating strange people coming onto the train?" You questioned dubiously, eyeing him before turning and heading for the compartment door.
You slid it open, poking your head out into the hall. There were shadowy outlines of other students who had done the same, checking for any sign as to what was going on. There was no movement, none that you could see in the feebly flickering lights.
Fred appeared by your side. "You know, Percy would throw himself at this opportunity." He said matter of factly, at this point only there to bother you. "To be the hero and save us all."
"Why don't you go out there if you're so brave?" You suggested annoyedly.
"Fine." He replied shortly, as if he was proving some kind of point. "I will."
You rolled your eyes as he stretched out his shoulders, pushing them back as if to appear taller (or to mock Percy's stiff posture). Then, with zero hesitation, he stepped past you and out into the dim corridor. Despite having challenged him, you couldn't help but feel a little worried.
He made it roughly two steps before he was stumbling right back in.
"What the -" He fell back over the threshold with the force of being pushed. He knocked right into you, and you nearly lost your footing in the dark.
"Ow, Fred. That was my foot." You complained.
"Sorry." He mumbled.
"What was that?" George questioned. Him and Lee had stood up.
It was too dark to tell who or what had just barrelled into the compartment. Worried it was whatever had boarded the train, you pulled out your wand, whispering a quiet lumos. The incantation filled the space with blinding white light, a collective wince following as everyone's eyes adjusted.
Standing at the end of your illuminated wand tip was none other than Draco Malfoy. Self proclaimed leader of the Slytherin third years and an absolute burden on your life.
With an annoyed exhale, you lowered your wand.
"Hello, Draco." You greeted him plainly, sounding less than pleased at his arrival.
The boy shot a quick glance over his shoulder back out into the hall, like he was expecting someone to be standing there. Then, he swallowed thickly, taking a moment to compose himself; fix a few strands of his striking blonde hair, straighten his posture to his usual attempt at intimidating confidence, adjust his sweater which had scrunched up upon running into Fred.
"Y/N." His greeting was just as plain and formal as yours, only a tinge more bitter. Both you and him seemed less than pleased that yours had been the compartment he stumbled into.
"Who were you running from?" You asked. Maybe he had caught a glimpse of whoever had come onto the train. Or, what seemed more likely, he'd mouthed off to someone who had no problem putting him in his place.
"Wouldn't you like to know." He mumbled vindictively.
Your brow quirked. "Started some trouble you couldn't finish?"
"What?" He scoffed out. Again, he looked back out into the corridor. "No."
You were quite enjoying patronizing him. "Not so tough without your goons, are you?"
"You're one to talk." He replied, motioning his head in the direction of the boys standing behind you. "Sending your body guards out to see what's going on?"
There was a comeback right at the tip of your tongue, but you were suddenly too distracted to vocalize it. Your focus was drawn to the clouds of air that accompanied every bitter word Draco spat at you. It was suddenly cold enough in the compartment to see his breath.
This realization was followed by a physical chill. A new cold nipped at your skin, tickling your ankles and neckline and sending goosebumps down your arms. The temperature was dropping rapidly. You let out an exhale to find that your breath fell from your lips and hung softly in the air.
There was a noise, small, like ice cubes cracking in a glass of water. You turned your head over your shoulder, looking past the dark outline of Fred at the window. Frost clung to the glass, rapidly climbing up the pane and freezing the moisture left behind by the rain.
There shouldn't have been frost in September. Your brows furrowed.
"What's going on?" You asked. Your next breath left a more prominent cloud.
The frost crackled louder now, covering the entire window and climbing up the interior glass of the compartment door. The lights gave a bright flicker before dimming completely. Your teeth had begun to chatter, your hands losing their warmth, the cold air blowing right through the knit of your sweater. Everyone looked around for the source of the rapid temperature change, but no one could find anything.
Then, there was another jolt of the train, the most powerful one yet. All of you were sent stumbling around. There was a feeble whimper from Draco, and had you yourself not been growing increasingly worried, you would've made fun of him for it.
"Bloody hell." Lee groaned. "What's happening?"
Unless he'd just blown a compartment full of students apart, Sirius Black wouldn't have caused the train to move the way it did or the lights to flicker down to nothing. You were almost certain it wasn't him, but you had absolutely no ideas as to what else could've been going on.
The temperature fell another few degrees, and then the dim light from the hallway was blocked by a large shadow. Momentarily, you thought it was a person, the train conductor coming to tell you that the train had lost power in the storm. However, you quickly realized it wasn't.
A figure floated hauntingly towards the compartment, towering over you and the others. It was a creature of some sorts, wearing a billowing black cloak that was blowing in a wind you couldn't feel. It's head nearly reached the roof of the train, but it's face was hidden beneath a dark hood.
Fragile arms and hands were protruding from the cloak's wide arms. Fingers with black nails gripped the side of the compartment door. The skin, if you could even call it that, was withered and a grey sort of rotten colour. Long dead and decaying, looking more like bones than flesh.
You wracked your brain, trying to place the creature in the endless list of magic animals and beasts you'd studied over the past few years. To give it a name would gauge exactly how much danger you were in. Your brain skipped quickly over ghost, banshee, ghoul, phantom -
Dementor.
A soulless creature who fed on human souls. With a thirst for happiness and joy, they had been utilized by wizards as guards for Azkaban prison, stationed in the middle of the ocean.
And now there was one on the Hogwarts Express.
Although missing eyes, the dementor's head moved as if it was searching for something inside the compartment. It scanned the dark corners and shadows that were you and your friends.
On the one hand, you were quite pleased that of all people, Draco Malfoy was acting as a human shield between you and the creature. On the other hand, you were slightly off-put at the idea that if you were to die in that moment, someone would find your body with his.
Dementors don't kill, you reminded yourself. They only...
Suck out your soul. Equally horrible as death.
There was nothing you could do. No way for you to cast it away. No way for you to defend yourself if the creature suddenly swooped down on you. At the very least, Draco Malfoy's soul would be the first to go, if the Dementor managed to find any.
The frost on the glass still crackled and there was the slight buzz of electricity in the lights, but none of you dared make a noise. Then, there was a slow, rattling sound. A long breath.
The slight shiver and discomfort you had been feeling before was unmatched to the new wave of frigid air that swept over you. You felt your next exhale freeze in your chest, seeping below your skin, mixing with your blood and swirling around your bones.
While your head had been swarming with heavy thoughts of your uncles and Sirius Black, it appeared that some fleeting joy had been buried deep beneath them. With another raspy inhale, the Dementor pulled it right from your chest. The emotion fell from your lips with a gasp.
You stepped back, and as if your survival instincts were pushing you to anchor yourself, you unconsciously reached out for something, anything. You took hold of the arm of the shadow behind next to you. With your eyes still glued to the Dementor, you weren't sure who it was.
There was a new feeling that accompanied the chill inside of you. Absolute certainty happiness was an emotion you'd never feel again. A dullness. Numbness. Filled with the colour grey.
The Dementor lingered, cocking it's hooded head. Even with no telling emotions, you felt that it was unsatisfied. Even with no eyes, you felt like it was staring right at you. You wondered if it could sense the blood in your veins tying you to a prisoner confined within the walls of the prison it guarded. Then, the Dementor drew in a final shaking breath before it's fingers released the side of the door. It floated backwards, and started off down the hallway.
It was silent for a long moment after it had gone. Each of you stared at the threshold where the Dementor had just loomed, worried that any speech or movement would draw it back. The air was still frigid in it's departure, shaky exhales accompanied by light clouds.
You were still holding onto someone. Seemingly, this registered to both of you at the same time, as when you glanced to your side, you found Fred staring back at you. He glanced down at your hand, although not necessarily in a way that urged you to move. Regardless, you released it quickly, bringing your hand to rub away your goosebumps and awkwardly avoiding his gaze.
"What the hell was that?" Lee breathed out eventually.
Draco scoffed arrogantly. "Haven't you ever seen a Dementor?"
"Been to Azkaban a lot, Draco?" You asked.
"Yeah, visiting your uncle." He quipped back.
Defeated in a battle of quick shots and snide comments by Draco Malfoy. You fell silent.
"What are you still doing here, you git?" Fred questioned.
The corner of Draco's mouth turned up into a cruel smirk. "I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley. Did your mother die of shock?"
He could insult you all he liked, but you drew the line at your friends. With a non-tolerant shake of your head, you took a step closer to him, motioning out into the hallway.
"Get out."
"But -" Draco started, his fearful demeanour returning.
You felt no sympathy, no thought spared to his of the creature patrolling the corridor. Hands square on his shoulders, you pushed him out of the compartment, slamming the door shut as he stumbled over the threshold and into the dark hall.
In a quick blur, Draco retreated back towards the Slytherin compartments of the train, but the door didn't stay closed for very long after you shut it behind him.
You'd barely turned to your friends and let out a relieved exhale, before the lock clicked. You spun back around, expecting to see Draco, but coming face to face with Professor Lupin instead.
His head was poking into the compartment. Awake he looked a lot more like your dad, especially with the emotion currently splayed on his face. His features were creased in worry, but softened by a sort of protective instinct, a look you'd seen on your dad's face countless times after a long day at work or particularly bad raid.
"Is everyone alright in here?" Professor Lupin asked.
George nodded. "We're fine, thank you."
"What was that?" Lee asked, hoping for a better response from the adult than Draco's.
"It was a Dementor." The man replied, confirming you had accurately named the creature. "An Azkaban guard. It's gone now. It was searching the train for -"
"Sirius Black." You finished for him. There was no other reason for an Azkaban guard to be so far away from it's post, searching a train that was taking Harry Potter to Hogwarts.
The temperature was starting to level out, but you could feel yourself shaking. It was more noticeable than the others, clearly, as the man's eyes narrowed on you.
"Are you sure you're alright, Ms...?" He asked.
He didn't know who you were.
You couldn't lie. Not with your friends standing there.
"Y/L/N." You told him.
Hesitation. The exact kind you had predicted.
A blink. A brief softening of the features before they hardened once more. Recognition, then disbelief. A quick crease in his forehead and a furrow in his brows. A parting of his lips as he willed to say something. To maybe ask you to repeat yourself. To say hello after twelve years.
All of it happened in a fraction of a second. It was unnoticed by the others, but obvious since you had been expecting it. Then, he neutralized. His face returned to his pleasant small smile.
His gaze left you, giving everyone a small nod. "I'm going to speak with the driver. Rest assured the train will continue on in a few minutes. We should be arriving at school soon. Excuse me."
Then, he was gone.
A few minutes passed before the lights feebly flickered back to their full glow. The rain was still pouring, but the frost had melted from the windows. The pistons of the train began to grind soon after that, and there was a slight shake of the train as it started down the track once more.
As soon as they were certain there was no more danger, the three boys launched into speculation about the Dementor. Luckily, you got away with not engaging, left to your thoughts under the assumption you were still a bit off from the creature's appearance.
There was a sunken feeling in your gut that the Dementor hadn't left.
The train pulled to a stop for a second time, only now having arrived at the station. There was loud commotion as students scrambled off the train, all having quickly changed into their Hogwarts robes. On the platform, Hagrid stood amongst the large crowds of absolutely horrified first years, beckoning them to gather together before heading to the boats.
The rest of the students passed under the arch of the station and started down the dirt road that led to the carriages. You tried to find Harry in the crowds but you couldn't.
"What did it think?" Lee thought aloud. "That one of us was hiding Sirius Black in our luggage?"
"I would assume that's exactly what it was thinking." You replied dryly, lacking any kind of humour that he had been hoping to incite.
Lee made the wise decision not to engage. He turned to George, saying something you tuned out in favour of watching rocks scatter along the path as you kicked them. You got away with walking in silence for a moment before Fred spoke.
"Hey." He said pointedly, getting your attention. "Are you okay? You've gone all quiet."
"We nearly just got our souls sucked out." George spoke before you could, and you couldn't help but feel a little relieved. "I reckon she's allowed to be a little shaken."
"I know that, I'm just asking." Fred said defensively. He returned his eyes to you for an answer.
You offered him the most convincing smile you could manage. "I'm fine."
Clearly, it was less convincing than you'd hoped. He raised his brows slightly. "Are you sure?"
No. But you couldn't tell him that.
He was so obviously skeptical, and you anticipated him continuing to pester you until you gave in and revealed what was bothering you. Luckily, however, you were about to be given another perfect opportunity to avoid what was slowly becoming the unavoidable.
"Y/N." Someone appeared on your unoccupied side; Cedric.
In your peripheral vision you saw Fred, who looked absolutely uninterested at Cedric's arrival, turn back to Lee and his brother. You put your attention on the boy on your right.
"Are you okay?" Cedric asked, a worried furrow in his brow.
"Yeah." You nodded. "You?"
"Mhm. That thing..." Cedric trailed off, shaking his head. While it may have not stopped for long, clearly the Dementor had affected him similarly; fear, uncertainty, and a bone chilling cold. "It only swept past my compartment. Did you hear what happened to Potter?"
Your brows furrowed in response.
"He fainted." He revealed.
The confusion in your brows released as they raised in surprise. "Harry fainted?" You repeated.
Cedric shrugged. "Apparently. That's what I heard some other third years saying, at least."
Not once had you learned Dementors induced fainting. Nowhere in your textbooks did it detail such intense physical side effects. There had been a little nausea in the creature's presence, but it had come from the frigid air combating the warmth inside of you. You'd heard of people losing consciousness to hypothermia, but the creature hadn't induced that kind of cold.
Fred and George had disappeared, up ahead somewhere in the crowd, so you kept walking with Cedric. The boy didn't seem keen on talking about why Harry fainted upon seeing the Dementor, or the Dementor itself. Not that you minded. Instead, as you situated yourself in a carriage with a few other students, the two of you discussed predictions for that year's house quidditch cup.
Winding turrets and the tall towers of the castle cast shadows down on you as it drew closer. You caught a glimpse of the entrance gates to the grounds. Flanked on either side, hovering by the stone pillars, were two more Dementors. The same unease you'd had in the train returned as you approached, but the carriage drove past them without incident.
Eventually, the carriage pulled itself to a stop, allowing those inside to disembark. The Hogwarts student body formed together into a sea of people once more, headed for the doors. Soon, you crossed the entrance foyer and stepped into the Great Hall.
The room was filled with the light of thousands of floating candles, set against the ceiling which was dark and cloudy to mimic the sky above. Voices were magnified now, echoing around the cavernous room as everyone headed for their table.
You said goodbye to Cedric, joining the crowd headed for the Gryffindor table. Percy was shouting for students to sit down. He was doing a poor job of corralling the excited first years who had seemingly forgotten about the Dementor now that they had entered the Great Hall. You found Fred, George and Lee watching Percy fail at his first Head Boy duty of the school term, and as you sat down across from them, you found it in you to laugh along.
You caught a glimpse of Harry, halfway down the table from you with Ron and Hermione. You considered getting up and asking him if he was alright, but you missed the chance. At that moment, the headmaster stood up to speak.
Professor Dumbledore, though very old, had a great and youthful energy about him. As you watched him beaming around the room and winking at students over his half-moon spectacles, you felt really calm for the first time since the Dementor had entered the train.
"Welcome!" He spoke loudly, and all whispers ceased. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Now, I'd like to say a few words... before we all become too befuddled by our excellent feast."
In a sweeping motion, he indicated someone down at the end of the staff table. "First, I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin... who's kindly consented to fill the post... of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor."
The hall erupted in polite, welcoming clapping. Professor Lupin stood up, giving a humble sort of bow before sitting back down. You joined in the clapping, not wanting to appear out of place.
The clapping began to fade away and Professor Lupin's eyes raked over the house tables, passing over Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff before landing directly on you. The eye contact was pointed, but brief, as you glanced down and busied yourself with the rings on your hand.
Dumbledore continued over the ceasing applause. "Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be taken by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid."
You looked back up, slightly stunned. There was more applause, especially from the Gryffindor table near where Harry, Ron and Hermione sat, as Hagrid waved a large hand.
The applause ceased again. "Finally, on a more disquieting note..." Dumbledore's face had fallen, solemn. "At the request of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban... until such a time as Sirius Black is captured."
There was a collective murmur around the room.
"The Dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds." Dumbledore revealed.
You were surprised to note the emotionless tone in which he spoke. Like his students, the headmaster didn't seem thrilled that the Dementors would be around.
"Now whilst I've been assured that their presence will not disrupt our day-to-day activities, a word of caution." He spoke. "Dementors are vicious creatures. They'll not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore, I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving."
The air in the hall had gone stiff. Each of you hung onto Dumbledore's grim words.
"But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times..." With a flick of his hand, the nearest candle flame disappeared. "If one only remembers to turn on the light."
The candle reignited, and there wasn't a single student who didn't clap.
As if Dumbledore's conclusion was a cue, the golden plates and goblets on the table filled suddenly. You'd assumed your appetite had been lost in the events of the train, but you were suddenly aware of how hungry you were. Students reached for plates and began to eat.
It was delicious; excited voices, laughter, and clattering knives and forks filled the hall. People ate and caught up with the friends they hadn't seen all summer.
Roughly an hour passed. Dessert had come and gone, and the magic sky overheard had grown exceptionally dark. It was now that Dumbledore gave the word that it was time to go to bed.
Benches scraped against the floors and conversation buzzed as everyone filed out of the Hall, splitting up around the castle. Hufflepuffs and Slytherins descended into the depths of the caste while the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors climbed up towards the highest towers.
As you approached Gryffindor tower, you were met with what appeared to be the entirety of the house crowded on the stairs. You and your friends fought your way as close to the front as possible, finding the portrait hole closed.
"We've been here for an hour. Someone can't have forgotten the password already." You said.
However, it appeared that Seamus Finnagin, standing right in front of the Fat Lady, was well aware of the password.
"Fortuna Major." He called up to the portrait.
"Here, listen." The Fat Lady insisted, and before anyone had the chance to shout the password in her direction, she had begun to sing. It was high pitched, off key, and an absolute ear sore.
Students groaned and grimaced as the woman continued to wail. There was a collective shuffle as someone weaved through the crowds to stand next to Seamus. It was Harry, looking as regular as always, not like he had fainted in the presence of a Dementor a few hours earlier.
"She just won't let me in." Seamus explained to the newly arrived.
Harry turned to the portrait. "Fortuna Major." He tried.
"No, no, no. Wait, wait." The woman said impatiently. It was clear she wasn't going to open her portrait just yet. "Watch this."
Another shrill attempt at a delicate opera note left her throat, growing higher and higher as she grew more frustrated with the glass in her hand that had yet to break. Then, thinking none of you would notice, she jerked her hand, smashing the glass against the pillar behind her.
Her face turned up in surprise, holding the broken remnants of the glass handle to show everyone. "Oh, amazing! Just with my voice."
"Fortuna Major." Harry said impatiently, sounding less than amazed.
The Fat Lady's face fell, dropping her shoulders in an exasperated motion. "Yes, all right. Go in."
There was a click, and the portrait hole swung open slowly. Chatter resumed as students clambered through, saying aggravated 'thank you's' to the woman who finally let you in.
"Bust my eardrums, why don't you." You muttered unhappily. Others issued similar sentiments as you stepped past the portrait and into the foyer that opened into the common room.
It looked just as you remembered. The room basked in the light from the ever-blazing fire and floating candles. Portraits of famous Gryffindor predecessors hung along the brilliantly red walls, moving between each other's frames to whisper about the students. Books were stacked in several floor to ceiling shelves, and it looked like the carpets and couch cushions had recently been recoloured after fading from sun exposure and use the previous year.
From the portrait hole to the dormitory entrance, people laughed and talked. The fire crackled, rain tapped against the windows, and the Gryffindor ghost greeted students as they passed by.
The boys and girls divided up the separate staircases. You said goodnight to the twins before you ascended after your roommates, no thought in your head except how glad you were to be back.
The winding staircase took you up to a familiar wooden door. Pushing it open you were met with the familiar comforting smell of cinnamon, fresh pine and hints of burning wood.
Dim golden lamplight illuminated the deep crimson sheets on the four-poster beds that lined the circular walls of your dormitory. All of your belongings had been brought up from the train; your trunk was lying at the foot of your bed and Stella lay dozing on the window ledge.
Looking around, the joy that the dementor had pulled from deep inside of you returned in full force, and if possible, felt like a more genuine happiness than it had before.