Monachopsis • Harry Potter • Book II

.5.

The figure's face was hidden by its hood. Steph shrieked and tried to slam the compartment door shut but the walking silhouette stopped him, a decayed hand darting out and stopping the door.

For something that looked like it had been rotting in water for weeks, it was ridiculously strong. As quickly as it had appeared, the hand suddenly withdrew into the black folds.

Then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.

An intense, awful cold swept over the group. It was choking, going deeper than Keziah's skin and squeezing around her heart. The cold was soaked with misery, like a sponge leeching any happiness from the air.

As she watched the dementor, images played in her minds' eyes as if they were on a reel. She could see Harry laying dead, blood soaking through his clothes and onto her robes. Then Harry turned into herself, dangling from the jaws of Fluffy.

The scenes got confusing after that. Keziah was standing in a hospital room, watching somebody lie in the miserable bed, but everything looked like somebody had wiped a cloth over a watercolour painting that hadn't finished drying. She tried to take a closer look and the vision fizzled out.

Suddenly, she was back in the compartment and the hooded creature was gone and the door was shut.

The lights were still out, but Steph had his wand lit. Ally Jones and Zacharias Smith were holding each other but let go immediately when they noticed, grimacing.

Daphne and Theo were very pale; the former wiping away tear tracks while the boy was stoic as ever. Blaise stood up, peering through the door.

"That was a dementor," he said shakily. "An Azkaban guard. That shouldn't be around us! Why the FUCK is it here?"

He took a shuddering gasp, gripping his chest as if it hurt to breathe.

"Is anybody hurt?" he asked.

Everybody shook their heads and after that nobody spoke until the lanterns lit up all at once and the train began moving again.

After the silence, the sound of the pistons shot Keziah's ears.

"I need to speak to the driver," said Blaise flatly. "I'll be back."

She suspected the boy was leaving for more reasons than one. Still, no one objected as he slammed the door shut, marching away.

"We should - erm - go too," said Steph awkwardly. "I need to check if Ollie's alright." Ally gave him a look. "A- and the others, of course."

So, they left, leaving Keziah, Theo and Daphne.

"I hope Astoria's alright," said Daphne miserably. "I want to see her."

She got up but Keziah quickly pulled her down. "Don't leave yet. We don't know if that thing's gone. Or if it's safe to leave yet. You can see her at the station. We're nearly there anyway."

Daphne seemed as if she was about to argue but then she flopped down heavily. After that, nobody said anything. Keziah was too busy trying to comprehend the man in the hospital to try and make conversation and Theo didn't look ready to do anything, really.

Blaise came back with a huff. He carried a chocolate bar wrapped in bright yellow packaging, with pink swirly lettering.

"Did you speak to the driver?" Keziah asked.

"Nope," he replied, popping the p. "Turns out there was a professor onboard. Bumped into him and he said that the dementor was just checking we weren't 'harbouring Sirius Black under our cloaks.' It's ridiculous." He rolled his eyes. "Gave me chocolate, though... Said it helps with dementor attacks."