Antithesis

Chapter 50: Train

'Sometimes I feel like there's nothing. Inside my body, where my lungs and stomach are. Just an empty cavern where potions go and slosh around. And I'm always so hungry.'

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Dumbledore returned one afternoon, accompanied by Moody. Once entering the building, they were quickly shushed into the meeting room. Dumbledore couldn't help but feel amused as he spotted several curious faces look at him from the stairwell.

He took his seat, Alastor settling into another rickety chair heavily.

"Albus," Sirius nodded, closing the door behind as Mrs. Weasley hurried into the room.

"Albus, Alastor," She gushed, looking relieved at their appearance. At once, Dumbledore felt alarmed.

"Molly, what is it?" Alastor asked bluntly, recognizing that something was very much wrong.

"It's that boy," She spoke, voice hushed yet sharp, "Adrian!"

Dumbledore felt himself silently sigh.

"I hate to say it, but she's right, Albus." Sirius grimaced, pulling out a chair for himself, "There's something not right with him. Besides what we thought before."

Moody leant forward, scowling but listening intently.

"He eats too much!" Mrs. Weasley blurted, "Not that he shouldn't- he's a growing boy, but he ate five bowls Albus! Five bowls of stew, and half of the crumble I made! He still looked hungry!"

Sirius looked away guiltily, which confirmed it.

"Have you talked to Remus about it?" Albus asked quietly.

"I tried, but the little demon went savage on Mundungus again, stabbed him with a fork and looked right happy with it." Sirius grimaced.

"It was horrible, Albus!" Mrs. Weasley whispered sharply.

"That's expected, Molly. We've talked about this, that curse scar likely is making him more aggressive, twisting his thoughts in a way he doesn't even know. We're lucky he only went after Mundungus, and not after one of us in our sleep." Moody grunted.

"His hunger is suspicious," Albus confirmed with a small hum, "Has he been taking the potions Madam Pomfrey gave him?"

"Yes, I don't think they're doing anything. But look, there's more, Albus."

Mrs. Weasley looked at Sirius sharply, and in surprise.

"Out with it," Moody grunted.

"We were cleaning out the cabinets, just getting rid of some of the shite in here. He seemed affected by something, dazed and out of it as if he had been cursed, but he didn't touch anything. Ron was watching, said he wasn't anywhere near anything when he stalled out like that."

Albus brought one hand to his mouth, running his weathered knuckles against his lips.

"I grabbed him to help Sky and me with a boggart, just in case it wasn't a boggart. It was, we had Sky closest so we could deal with the Dementor. But ah…" Sirius trailed off, sounding unsure even as he remembered, "He...Adrian walked up to it, and it didn't shift. Said something about Occlumency, but, but when he was near the Dementor, he tried to touch it."