𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬 [𝖍.𝖌]

three | the witch who cried wolf

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧—𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧—𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐞

"Rennervate."

Dahlia stirred. Her eyelids fluttered, and at once painful flashes of light attacked her eyes. Kaleidoscopic colours flitted across her vision. She sat up abruptly and rubbed her eyes.

"Lia!" A force attacked her, sending her to the ground. Small arms wrapped around her torso.

"Yes?" she mumbled sleepily. She blinked again and the world finally shifted into focus. The train was moving again. The lamps were lit again too. And there was a man—a boy. Dahlia blinked hard, then opened her eyes expecting for it to be gone, like a manifestation of her nightmares. But he was still there after she cracked her eyes open.

Dahlia was now fully alert. She jumped to her feet, pulled Julie behind her, and pulled out her wand.

"Lia!" cried Julie. Dahlia pressed the tip into the man's chest and he winced, putting his hands up.

"Get away from us," she snarled. Ares snarled with her, and the man's eyes widened, then his jaw clenched and his fluffy, sandy brown hair fell into his face. He looked up and his amber eyes met Dahlia's forest green. And then she felt it.

A challenge. A danger.

Her hand clenched into a fist. And she drove her wand harder into his chest. Yelling filled the compartment, and someone else entered. Harry.

Chaos ensued as Harry and Julie attempted to pull Dahlia away from the man, but both he and she were practically salivating at the mouth. She raked her nails across his bicep—her nails were always long and tough and pointed now, no matter how short or how often she clipped them.

The man seethed in pain and grabbed hold of her neck, choking her. He was strong, and Dahlia's face was starting to turn red. She screamed and forced her elbow down on his arm, and he let go with a hiss. She snarled, and unbeknownst to her, her eyes sparked with a chilling acid green—a colour familiar to him. His eyes widened.

"Impedimenta!"  Dahlia was ripped away from the man and launched into the window, her back hitting the wood with a loud crash. Cracks in the glass appeared at the point of impact. She gasped for air, the wind knocked out of her lungs.

Julie started for her. "Lia!" As she attempted to get Dahlia up, the sine witch turned her head, seeing a surprised Fred Weasley at the compartment door. She looked away with a scoff, not wanting to see the judgement on his face. She looked up and stared at the man, who gawked back at her with equal apprehensiveness.

"What the hell?" demanded Julie, looking up from where Dahlia was crumpled on the floor, trying to stand. "Will someone tell me what just happened?"

Harry stared at the young professor. He sat on the seat across his sister, breathing hard and his eyes fixed on Dahlia. He hadn't seen his calm, collected professor act like this.

"Professor Lupin," he urged, trying to get the man to look at him. "Professor!"

The man, or Professor Lupin tore his eyes away from Dahlia, who was talking to a flustered Julie. "Yes?" he asked, clearing his throat and fixing his sandy hair so that it looked more polished. He straightened his robes and shot a suspicious look towards Dahlia, who was still talking to Julie. "Pardon me, I must speak with the conductor." He exited swiftly, pushing past Fred, who left after glancing back at the third year.