Back Together
It had been a long summer, longer than usual. I had all of my things packed and ready to go by late August, waiting to get out of my house. And finally, I was. I was walking down the train platform to hand in my luggage, wearing my usual dark blue jeans, AC/DC tank, and cowboy boots (something I learned was not normal to wear) when someone grabbed my arm. I whipped around only to face Ally Marcus.
“AHHH! How was your summer? You look so tan!” She yelled while pulling me into a bone crushing hug.
“It was good, spent a lot of time outside. What about you?”
“Well, can’t complain. Mom was in the office quite a bit. And now that Sirius Black has escaped she has barely been home.”
“I heard about that, who is he exactly?”
“He is a mass murderer who killed 12 muggles and Peter Pettigrew. Also a known supporter of You-Know-Who. I believe he was the reason the Potters were killed as well,” a deep voice said from behind me.
“Jack! How are you?” I practically yelled while throwing my arms around his neck.
“Oh you know. I had a great summer though. But I’ll have to tell you about it on the train. Let’s go before we are left behind,” He said while taking off down the platform.
I glanced over at Ally, who burst out in laughter at Jack before darting to catch up to him. We finally did and turned in our luggage. Most of the front compartments were full, so we made our way to the back of the train.
Somewhere along the way we found Katie McMillian, that last member of our quartet. Asleep in a compartment, with her coat thrown over her face. I gave a quick look to Ally and Jack before quietly opening the door. We shuffled in and settled down Jack and I on one side while Ally sat by Katie.
“One...Two...Three.”
At the count of three we all started to yell our greetings to Katie, who abruptly threw her coat in my face and drew her wand. Upon realizing who was with her she quickly put her wand away and let a smile cross her face.
“What the bloody hell is wrong with you lot!?”
The three of us shrugged our shoulders and dove right into conversation.
“So Jack what did you do over the summer,” Katie asked innocently.
“You mean who did he do,” I corrected lightly, earning a punch from Jack.
“Well I played tennis quite a bit and had a fling with this lovely woman who worked at the center.”
“Of course, well I spent it in the library and muggle coffee shops. Did you know they have different ways of drinking coffee,” Ally asked truly amazed.
“Yeah, I prefer lattes to anything else. I spent it outside, avoiding my parents at all costs. Ooo I also got a job in an ice-cream store.”
“Really Sophia! You spent your summer working? Do you ever take a break,” Katie asked.
“I will take a break when I get my own home and don’t have to go back to Dean and Veronica. What did you do over the summer?”
“Nothing much, my mother finally convinced my father to get a Tv into the house. So Jake and I spent most of our days infront of that.”
“You got a Tv! I’ve been begging for one forever. My mother says “You have magic for a reason,” Ally said, imitating her mom.
“Yes, well it is really amazing, you will have to come see it for yourself,” Katie said hinting at the unspoken invitation.
We fell into smooth talking from there. About random events and things that happened over the summer. But I found it hard to pay attention, something on the train was pulling me. Not physically but mentally. I managed to get so tired that I fell asleep. The others soon followed suit.
--------------------
I awoke with a start, due to the train coming to a halt. Looking out the window, I could see that we were nowhere near Hogwarts yet. The others had yet to wake, so I got up and left the compartment. It was only then that I realized how cold it actually was on the train. The windows started to frost over and I felt this sense of dread come over me. Like all the happiness was gone from the world, and that’s when it clicked.
Dementors
I briskly walked down the center of the train, looking in all the compartments to see if the kids were ok. I came across a group of younger kids huddling around a boy. I immediately recognized him as Neville Longbottom, someone Draco had a habit of picking on. He had seemed to pass out while investigating the train. I looked up into worried green eyes, surrounded by freckles and red hair.
“Go get some help,” I said calmly, trying to keep them calm.
The cold got colder if that was possible. My fingers became numb from the cold and I knew it was right behind me. Of course at that moment Neville decided to wake up. Fear took over his face and his hand lifted to point at the floating blackness behind us.
It began to suck the happiness out of Neville, going right past me. I managed to find my balance and stood to my full height. I pulled my wand out of my boot, like Alex Russo, and pointed it at the dementor. I thought back to a memory that improved my life and made me happy.
“Expecto Patronum,” I said as I watched the silver wolf shoot out of my wand.
It pushed back the dementor, and I dropped to check the damage it had done to Neville, who had lost consciousness again. I saw the beat up shoes, before I heard the footsteps. Slowly looking up, my eyes met with the deepest green eyes I had ever seen. The second he looked into my eyes, I could have sworn they flashed gold before returning green. My throat felt like it was constricting and my stomach started to twist.
He crouched down to observe Neville’s condition, then returned his gaze to my eyes. Which had yet to leave him. I took that time to notice the scars that covered his face, faded from age. Most would think less of him because of them, but to me I had never seen such a beautiful man. It was after a few minutes of looking at him, that he touched my arm slightly sending shocks through my body. I could see his lips moving, but couldn’t hear the words coming out of them.
“Darling, are you alright?”
“Um, yeah uh, yeah I’m I’m good. Thanks” I shakily responded trying to avoid his eyes.
“Was that your patronus I saw?”
“Uhh yeah it was. I learned it a few years back,” I admitted. Only my group and Dumbledore knew I could cast a patronus.
“That was very impressive, but must have also drained you. Here eat this. And also give some to him. He’ll need it. I’m going to talk with the driver.”
He handed me chocolate and moved to get around me. Unfortunately for me I seemed nailed to the floor, unable to move. His hands wrapped around my upper arms bringing my focus back. His gentle smile made my heart stop, as a few strands of his sandy brown hair fell into his face. He silently moved me aside and took two steps before I rushed out the question that had been at the front of my mind.
“And who exactly are you?”
“Remus Lupin” he said, smirking and walking off.
‘Remus Lupin you might be the death of me’
