Whispers in the Dark

Untitled Part 7

Dumbledore called Harry and I to his office on the fourth day of term, pulling me out of Transfiguration, where I had almost mastered making a frog into a teacup.

The only explanation he offered was a note.

Mister and Miss Potter,

Please come and see me in my office immediately. Professor McGonagall has been informed and the necessary arrangements have been made for the completion of your assignments.

Headmaster Dumbledore.

P.S.: I like Blood Pops.

I look up from the note and at my brother as he grabs his bag. "What do you think he needs?"

Harry just shrugs. "We haven't done anything relatively dangerous...yet."

I grab my bag and follow him out of the classroom, giving Ron and Hermione what I hoped was a reassuring (not nervous) smile. "Well," I muse as I catch up to my twin, "at least we know the password."

He glances at the note in confusion. "What are Blood Pops?"

I shrug. "How would I know? I hope they're artificial blood, though, or else I'm worried about our dear Professor."

Harry says nothing in response, but I can see his lips twitch up slightly.

We eventually find the right gargoyle, and I give the paper one more glance before declaring "Blood Pops."

It jumps aside, so I tuck the note into the pocket of my robes before leading the way up the winding staircase

Halfway up, I pause as my stomach suddenly flips and colored spots dance in front of my eyes. My stomach cramps and shivers, forcing to bend almost in half with pain and forcing me to brace myself against the cool stone wall next to me.

"Ally?" Harry asks softly, worry shading his tone as he kneels next to me. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," I gasp as the pain slowly fades and my vision returns to normal, although a little blurrier than normal, but I toss that off to needing a new prescription and remind myself to ask Madam Pomfrey about it. "I'm okay."

"No, you aren't," he argues. "That's the fourth time that's happened in the last month, and they are getting worse."

"You don't even know what it is," I remind him as I resume climbing the stairs.

"Neither do you," he grumbles, but lets it go.

I knock softly on the door, waiting for a soft voice to call "Enter," before nudging it open and stepping inside. "Professor Dumbledore."

"Ah, Harry, Allison!" he waves us to the seats opposite his desk. "Please come sit."

I settle into a chair, politely refusing a lemon drop and waiting for Harry to sit next to me before turning an expectant gaze on the headmaster.

He clears his throat. "Professor Lupin told me you two had taken ill on the train?"

"Yes, but he took care of it. Might I ask what happened, sir?"

He sighs and twists his hands in a gesture of apparent nervousness. "You were the subject of a Dementor attack."

"You mentioned those in your speech," Harry notices. "What are they?"

"They are the guards of Azkaban, the wizarding prison."

"What do they do?"

"Dementors...they feed on souls. They're meant to take the souls of the evil, dark prisoners, eventually either turning them insane or leaving them in a vegetative state."