Uncontrolled (Remus Lupin x oc)

5. Dementors

Hours later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were joined by none other than the last three people they wanted to see. "Well, look who it is," Draco Malfoy drawled. "Potty and Weasel. I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley. Did your mother die of shock?" Before anyone could respond, Remus gave a sort of snort in his sleep, drawing Draco's attention to the two sleepers.

Looking paler than normal, he demanded, "Why's Ollivander in your compartment?"

"Who?" Harry replied.

"Willow Ollivander?" Draco said as if talking to an idiot. "The youngest potioneer in a century? Mr. Ollivander's granddaughter? You really know nothing." He scoffed, leaving the compartment.

Looking at Ron, Harry repeated, "Willow Ollivander?"

"Never heard of her," Ron admitted. "Malfoy must know her or something."

"Probably not good then," Harry said bitterly.

"But, Mr. Ollivander is all right," Hermione countered.

"If not a little odd," Harry added. Hermione glared at him.

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"We must be nearly there," Ron said, leaning over Remus to see out the window. Instantly, the train began to slow. "Great," he said, standing up. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast..."

"We can't be there yet," Hermione interrupted, glancing at her watch.

"So we're we stopping?" Ron countered. Harry got up and looked along the train, seeing several others doing the same.

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The train stopped suddenly with a jolt and there was a heavy thud as Willow's trunk fell from the rack. She woke with a start just as the lights went out. Glancing over, she saw the noise had woken Remus as well.

"What's going on?" a redheaded boy demanded. Willow grabbed her wand as Remus did the same.

"Ouch!" a girl cried. "Ron, that was my foot!"

"D'you think we've broken down?" a black-haired boy asked as he went back to his seat.

"Dunno," the redhead replied. Willow was still groggy from the potion and quickly grabbed a wide-eyed potion she always kept, ignoring the people coming in as they could see her anyway.

Leaning closer to Remus, she handed him the rest of the potion, explaining, "It'll get rid of the effects of the sleeping draft." He made no reply but downed the potion and handed back the vial.

"Quiet!" Remus said suddenly, silencing the now many students in the compartment. They did and after a moment, he stood, holding a handful of flames. "Stay where you are," he ordered in a hoarse voice. Just as he came to the door, it rolled open revealing a tall figure in all black. Instantly, Willow knew what it was from her studies. A dementor. It drew in a deep breath, giving off a sound like a drunken rattlesnake. Willow felt her insides go cold. One of the boys went ridged, falling to the ground in a faint as Remus said, "None of us are hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks."

Going back to everything she remembered reading about dementors and the Patronus Charm, Willow raised her wand and instantly, a phoenix sprang from it and flew at the dementor. It moved away, repulsed by the light and moved on. The Patronus shimmered before disappearing again. After a few more moments, the train began moving again and the lights came back on. Willow felt sick.

The girl crouched beside the black-haired boy, crying, "Harry! Harry! Are you all right?" She was slapping him. Willow put her head in her hands, attempting to calm herself and the magic pounding in her veins.

"W-What?" he said, beginning to sit up.

"Are you okay?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah," the boy, Harry, Willow realized, replied. "What happened? Where's that - where's that thing? Who screamed?"

"No one screamed," the redhead replied.

"But I heard screaming," Harry said. There was a loud snap and Willow let out a cry, not expecting it. The light shattered before Willow quickly mended it again. Seeing this, Remus quickly handed out the chocolate and crouched in front of her.

"Willow," he said gently, taking her hands from her face. "Calm down. It's all right."

"Sorry," she said in a whisper. "I just-"

"There's no need to explain," he assured. "I'm going up to the front to talk to the driver. Why don't you come along with me." She nodded and got shakily to her feet. Turning to the children, he said, "Eat the chocolate. It'll help." He handed the last bit to Willow as they walked to the front.

"What about you?" she asked shakily.

"Willow, I'm fine," he assured. "Frankly, I'm impressed. That was quite the Patronus. When did you learn?"

"I...didn't," she admitted, taking a small bite of the chocolate after breaking off a piece. He frowned at her, but she barely noticed as she felt the colour return to her cheeks. Finishing off her piece, she handed him the other one with a pointed look. With a sigh and a small smile, he ate it, waiting for her explanation. "I read how to once. It just came back to me."

"That was your first try?" he said in surprise. She blushed, not knowing how to respond.

Finally, she said, "Well, I am a woman of many talents, Remus."

"I don't doubt that," he replied, causing her blush to deepen. They had reached the front and Remus quickly wrote and sent off a letter detailing Harry's collapse while also getting Willow some more chocolate.

"Eat some of this," Willow prodded as they headed back. "I can't be expected to eat all of it."

"You're very stubborn," he remarked.

"No, I just care about people," she countered. He smiled at that and agreed to eat some of the chocolate. When they got back, they saw that none of the children had eaten any of theirs.

After looking around at them all, Remus, with a small smile, remarked, "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know." Once they had begun eating, he added, "We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes. Are you all right, Harry?"

"Fine," he muttered, his cheeks flushed. Remus and Willow took their seats.

Timidly, the girl asked, "Are you feeling better, Pro-"

"I'm not a professor," Willow interrupted with a kind smile. "It's Madam Ollivander."

"Are you related to the wandmaker?" she asked.

"Yes," Willow replied, her smile widening fondly. "He's my grandfather. But yes I am feeling better. Thank you."