Blue (Fred Weasley)

Chapter Three

At around one o'clock, the trolley witch appeared at their compartment.

"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked, gesturing towards Professor Lupin. "He looks like he could do with some food."

"Don't worry, dear," said the witch, handing them an assortment of sweets. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."

"I suppose he is asleep?" whispered Ron as the witch closed the compartment door. "I mean - he hasn't died, has he?"

"No, no, he's breathing," responded Hermione, taking the cauldron cake Brynn passed her.

Another event occurred around mid-afternoon, when a certain Draco Malfoy and his cronies showed up at their compartment. The pointed face, pale blond Slytherin was almost always accompanied by two boys that resembled boulders more than humans.

"Well, look who it is," sneered Malfoy. "Potty and the Weasel." The two boulder boys, as Brynn called them, seeing as she never bothered to remember their real names, chortled.

"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?"

"I heard your father used to have lots of gold, Malfoy. But he must of spent it all on your hair products."

"No one asked your opinion, MacArthur," Malfoy spat, clearly taken aback by the feisty Ravenclaw.

The corners of Brynn's mouth turned slightly upwards. "Professor Lupin did."

Malfoy raised his eyes brows slightly. "Who?"

"New teacher," said Harry, gesturing towards the Professor. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at them. Although he was a git, he wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to pick a fight under a teacher's supervision.

"C'mon," he muttered resentfully to Crabbe and Goyle, and sauntered off.

Hermione patted the two boys on their shoulders, lowering them back into their seats.

"I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year," Ron announced angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and -" Ron punched the air with his fist.

"Ron," warned Hermione, pointing at Professor Lupin, "be careful..."

"It's fine, Hermione. I've never slept that well in my life."

—

"We must be nearly there," huffed Ron, leaning forward to get a glimpse out the window, but his vision was blocked by the drops of rain on the window pane.

As if on que, the train began the slow down.

"Great," said Ron, rising to his feet. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast..."

"We can't be there yet," said Hermione, noting the time.

"Why else would we be stopping?"

The train halted, many people popping their heads out to the sliding doors belonging to their compartment. Crashes and bangs were heard as luggage fell from over head compartments. Out of nowhere, they were engulfed in darkness.

"What's going on?" Ron asked, shuffling backwards.

"Ouch! Ron, that was my foot!"

Brynn stuck her hands out to the sides, attempting to find her way back to her seat, and eventually succeeding. "D'you think we've broken down?"

"Dunno..."

Brynn leaned forward to try and see through the glass pane on the door. She saw something coming towards them.

"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard..."

The compartment door opened and Brynn felt her toes be squished.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry! D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry --"

"Hullo, Neville," said Harry.

"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"

"No idea! Sit down --"

Brynn glanced over to her left to try and make out what was going on beside her. Neville had tried to sit on Crookshanks.

"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," Hermione spoke out into the darkness.

"Good idea. I'll come too." Brynn and Hermione got up. Brynn felt the younger girls hand latch onto her wrist as she made her way to the door. Before she could get there, however, someone hurtled towards her, pinning her down.

"Who's that?"

"Who's that?"

"Ginny?"

"Hermione? Brynn?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron --"

"Come in and sit down --"

"Not here!" yelped Harry. "I'm here!"

"Ouch!" said Neville.

"Quiet!" said a raspy voice, belonging to Professor Lupin.

Silence.

The sound of a spark appearing filled the air; Professor Lupin had just lit a small candle, with enough light that Brynn could see his tired eyes and the flecks of grey in his hair.

"Stay where you are." Lupin arose, advancing towards the door, candle in hand.

But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it. A boney, scabbed grey hand with fingers longer than Scabbers'  tail grasped the edge, sliding the door into it's place. The hand extended into a large being with a long black cloak, and a hood that covers it's face.

A dementor.

Brynn had read about them last year. They were some of the deadliest creatures to inhabit the earth, with the ability to suck out your soul with a kiss. Brynn thought of a few people who would make a lovely couple with the dementor.

The Dementor took a slow breath in, and Brynn felt the warmth she had previously felt drain her body. She knew what was happening. A dementors main objective was to rid people of their happy feelings. The cold surged deeper into Brynn's body, entwining itself into her heart.

Brynn heard voices inside her head. The voices of the children she had endured in kindergarten for being different. She heard the hospital monitor beeping from beside her Grandfather's bed slowly fading away.

Brynn opened her eyes, peering through the darkness that her eyes had finally adjusted to, to see the figure across from her go rigid, collapsing out of their seat.

"Harry!"