Hogwarts is my Home

Chapter 43: Death Castle (PA CH5)

Ron and Hermione had already stood up and grabbed their trunks and were now standing there waiting for us, but Harry and I still had to finish a conversation from earlier.

"Go on ahead, Harry and I'll catch up." They made for the door. "Close it, please."

"Toni," Harry groaned, knowing what I was going to ask.

"Nuh-uh. I wanna know what happened last night."

"Are you sure? Like I said, it's really embarrassing."

"For me or you? 'Cause I don't get embarrassed."

"Fine, then I'll just go tell Lupin all about how you think you're his daughter." He started to stand up.

"No, don't do that! Just tell me, I'll be fine."

"Okay. Well, last night you rolled over in bed so that you were on top of me... and you were moaning my name, and... acting like we were...." He made an obscene hand gesture.

I gasped and jumped up in horror. "Oh, my god, I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's okay. It happens, don't worry about it."

But I couldn't shake the feeling that I violated him out of my mind, even when he stood up and rubbed my arm, assuring me that it was fine and it didn't bother him.

I ran out of the compartment door, trying to get as far away from him as I could quickly. So much for never getting embarrassed.

I found the twins and Rian and rode with them in a carriage pulled by the invisible creatures. 

"Are you okay? What happened?" Rian asked breathlessly, pulling me into a hug.

"I'm fine now that we're away from those things."

Seeing the castle for the first time again really hit me hard, harder than I'd expected. I remembered the first time Spencer had to ride the train and was so scared she'd hit the barrier, but trusted that I wasn't lying to her. I stopped at the door to the Great Hall, not ready to go in just yet. 

"Marston! Granger! Potter! I want to see you all!" We all turned around to see Professor McGonagall standing a few steps up. "No need to look so distraught, Antonia, I just want to see how you're doing." 

How I was doing? How was I doing? Let's see- I was back at the place where my sister met her end underneath the school just a few months ago. She was only thirteen- she was so young and had so much more life to live, but now we'll never get to know.

Harry grabbed my hand as he walked past me, pulling him up the stairs with him and Hermione as McGonagall ushered us away from the crowd. The three of us followed her out of the Entrance Hall, up the Grand Staircase, and down a corridor until she opened the door and we were back in the room where the news of Spencer's death was broken to me. 

She motioned for us to sit down in the three chairs placed in front of her desk while she took the one behind it. Harry sat down on my right then scooted his chair closer to me.

"Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you were taken ill on the train, Potter, Marston." She had said my name as an afterthought, but I don't think the other two noticed.

Before either of us could answer, there was a knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey came bustling in. 

"I'm fine," I assured. "I don't need anything-"

"Oh, it's you," she said humanely. She then turned to Harry. "And you. I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?"

"It was a dementor, Poppy."