Cedric's Sister

Ch 1

Harry's p.o.v

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

It's the start of my third year in Hogwarts and things aren't turning out so great. I had a lousy summer (as usual), my uncle Vernon's sister came to visit. All she ever does is criticize me and my parents.

Earlier, she made me so angry that I ended up using magic to turn her into a huge balloon. She was floating into the sky towards who knows where. I was in deep trouble because of the Wizard Law declaring that minor wizards are not allowed to use magic in the presence of a muggle. To my surprise, all I received was a lecture and a reminder from the Minister of Magic himself.

Later, Mr Weasley had given me a warning that a criminal had escaped Azkaban, who was a Death Eater of the Dark Lord. His name is Sirius Black and he wants me dead.

I had just finished telling Ron and Hermione about the events with my aunt. We walked all over the train, leaving an empty compartment for us. Unfortunately, there were none left.

"Come on. They're aren't any more left. This one will do." Hermione told us, and we followed her. It seems empty, minus what looked to be an older man sitting on the edge of the seat with a black coat covering his face. My guess is he is sleeping.

"Do you think he is asleep?" I asked them.

"Looks like it. Why?"

"I need to tell you guys something." I said as I was about to close the door. But right before I could, a girl had stepped in very quickly.

It was Penelope Diggory. Her brown hair was still as long as last year's and still had that bright smile.

"Sorry I'm late. Ron, your mum gave Scabbers to me to give to you." Penny had told him as she handed his rat over to him. Sometimes I forget how close those two are. I remember in our first year, I thought they were siblings when I met them on the train. They are neighbors and close friends of the family.

"Harry, are you okay?" She asked me. I guess I got lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize that I was still staring at her.

"F-Fine!" Why did I stutter?

We took our seats across from Hermione and Ron. But because of the man taking up most of the space, Penny and I were sort of squished together.

Did she always smell like strawberries?

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing much. Except the fact that Harry made his aunt turn into a fat balloon!" Ron laughed/ But she wasn't laughing along.

"What? Why?" She turned and asked me.

"Ignore Ron. Harry was just about to tell us something." Mione said. Right, I was going to tell them what I learned about Sirius Black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After informing them about Black's escape, the train made a sudden stop.

"Why are we stopping? We can't be there yet." Hermione said. Then there was a large bump, causing a shake.

"What's going on?" Ron panicked.

"Maybe we have just broken down." Penny suggested.

"Oh sure! The bridge breaks down in the middle of a bridge on a dark rainy day. A perfect day to break down!"

"Ronald, calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of." Penny was pretty calm even though Ron is clearly freaking.

"Easy for you to say. You're a Hufflepuff! It's in your nature to be patient." He still argued

"And is it not in your nature as a Gryffindor to be brave?" Hermione reminded him. Both Penny and I chuckled a bit at Ron's embarrassment.

The cheerful mood ended when the lights went out and the room began to get a chilling feeling. It was getting colder and colder by the second. I guess without thinking, Penny was holding my hand. I looked at her and noticed she was scared. I am too.

I held her hand tighter and waited for her to look at me.

"Don't worry. It's going to be okay." I whispered to her, hoping it would comfort her. She managed to form a small encouraging smile.

But it soon disappeared when she was looking at something. Her eyes grew wide, fear was written all over her face. I turned around to see what she saw. There was some sort of figure floating in the air and covered in a black cape. The worst part was that it was right in front of me. I felt as if it was sucking the life out of me.

Suddenly, there was a bright light, a sound of a woman screaming, then darkness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Harry"

"Harry, wake up."

I opened my eyes and gasped for air. I was laying on the seats and took a moment to see my surroundings. My friends and a man were watching me.

"What happened? What was that thing?" I asked them.

"What about you? How do you feel?" Penny asked me with concern.

"I-I feel funny." I admitted. The man offered me a bar of chocolate.

"Eat it. You will feel much better." He instructed me to do it. So I took it.

"And to answer your question, that was a Demonter." He continued to explain.

"A Demonter? But aren't they supposed to be in Azkaban? Penny asked him. I didn't know she knew what that thing was.

"Yes. The reason why it was here is because it was searching the train for Sirius Black. I'm going to leave and have a word with the driver." He said and left us alone in the compartment.

"Penny, what was that thing doing to me?" I asked her, hoping that if she knew what it was, maybe she knew what it did to me.

"It sort of sucks the air out of you. That's why they have dementors at Azkaban. So if anyone tries to escape, they..... well... you know." she told me. I have to keep reminding myself that Penny's father works in the Ministry. That is why she knows all this.

"She's right about that. It seems they failed at their job though. Since Sirius Black did manage to escape." Ron added.

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded him and hit his arm.

"Did any of you pass out?" I asked them.

"No," they said in union. Maybe they know about the woman.

"What about the scream from a woman?"

"What woman?" Mione asked me, looking confused. Did they not hear the scream?

"You didn't hear it? You didn't hear a woman screaming?" I asked again, but they stayed quiet.

"Sorry, Harry. But there was no woman here, or a scream." Penny stated. That's strange, I was certain that I heard it.

"Maybe you need to rest some more. Sleep. We'll be at Hogwarts before you know it." Penny told me to do it with a smile again. I listened and laid back down on the seat.

I looked back at my three friends who were not sitting next to each other in front of me. Ron started to eat a snack. Hermione was reading a book, like always. And Penny was just staring out at the window.

For some strange reason, my heart was beating faster than normal. Perhaps it's from the Demonter's visit.