Violet Summer: Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter 19: The Demonstration - Part Two

 Toni felt her breath growing heavier as the creatures beneath the ice pushed further and stronger as she got closer to finding Neville. She desperately wished she had her wand or even the time to attempt a spellcast with her eyes alone.

But she refused to give up. The trail to Neville shifted as the current beneath her moved. Her body was cold and stinging from the ice below. Toni pulled herself to her feet once more, feeling the crackling ice beneath her. The creature below was moving towards her, ready to emerge. A moment passed, and she placed her hands against the ice, trying to envision what lay beneath. Her eyes burned. Then, just as the creature was about to break through the ice, she leaped, narrowly avoiding its impact. She slid harshly across the ice, tearing the skin on her palms and leaving blood stains in her wake. Determined, she rose to her feet again, following Neville's trail.

Toni knew she had to focus now. She had lost all sense of time around her. She had to concentrate on Neville alone. Her Violet Summer moved swiftly in her mind, showing her the trail and the depths of Black Lake beneath her. It was in perfect unison, as if the Violet Summer was guiding her where to go and warning her of impending danger.

With her heart pounding in her chest, she finally found the end of the trail. Looking down at the ice, she saw a faint shimmer that seemed to be the top of Neville's head. But the ice was too thick to break open with her pounding. Every failed attempt caused her eyes to burn and blur. Frustration set in until the Violet Summer revealed the creature beneath her. That's when it struck her.

"Hold on, Neville," she whispered.

Taking a deep breath, Toni pulled herself to her feet, glaring down at Neville and promising him that she would reach him in time. As the ice shifted again, she readied herself. The giant snake-like tentacle hurled through the ice beneath her. She stepped aside and seized it, allowing it to pull her beneath the ice sheets.

The water was bitterly cold as the tentacle flailed in panic at the sudden grasp. Toni quickly let go, her eyes on Neville before the creatures could strike. She swam as fast as she could, determined to save him. Untying his ankles, she grabbed his arm and tried to swim upward. But the water shifted again, and she glanced around to see what was causing it.

It was them—the creatures she had finally managed to see. Black-skinned with twelve eyes, they were monsters she had never encountered before. Each bore eight tentacle legs, accompanied by bulging noses and sharp teeth. Strange fin-like arms and large inflated gills adorned their grotesque forms. They surrounded them, swirling about hungrily. Toni held Neville tightly, watching as they pressed towards them. She shut her eyes, pleading, begging, and thinking. Suddenly, a bright force surged from her, forcing the creatures to recoil in the water. Another burst sent the ice above them shattering, propelling Neville and Toni onto a small island in the middle of the lake.

The others on the shoreline were in awe as the water sprung up like a great tower, saving Neville and Toni.

"She did it!" Dean laughed with joy, grabbing Seamus into a victorious embrace.

The students erupted in cheers, Roan and Gus hugging each other tightly in celebration with the students. Wolfe and Lupin shared a relieved smile, but Harry remained still, unable to shake an eerie feeling that had overcome him. His instincts led him to look upward, and he saw a large number of dark-cloaked Dementors floating downward towards the island, aroused by the commotion.

"The Dementors..." Harry mumbled, causing Ron and Hermione to turn to him. Harry's gaze remained to the sky as the Dementors closed in on the island. "The Dementors!"

All the students looked up, their eyes fixed on the Dementors trailing overhead as if they hadn't noticed the students at all. Lupin, Gus, and Roan stood ready with their wands, prepared to act if their enchantment went awry. But it didn't. The Dementors were solely focused on Toni and Neville on the island. Harry moved to the water's edge, his heart racing with worry as he saw Toni and Neville slowly rise from the impact.