Immortal Magic (Book 1)

Chapter Six

Allison's Point of View.

"Allison? Ally?" Ron's voice sounded distant at first, like I was hearing it through water. Slowly, I forced my eyes open.

Everything was blurry for a moment, but eventually Ron's face came into focus above me. Relief flooded his expression the second he realised I was awake.

"Thank Merlin," he breathed. He carefully helped me sit back up against the seat while my head continued spinning slightly. "Thanks," I muttered weakly before looking around the compartment in confusion. "What happened?"

"What was that thing?" Harry asked at the exact same time from across from me. I looked over and saw Harry sitting up slowly as well, his face pale while he held a large piece of chocolate in one hand.

Professor Lupin stood nearby, watching both of us carefully. "That," he explained calmly, "was a Dementor. One of Azkaban's guards. They were searching the train for Sirius Black."

He held out another piece of chocolate toward me. "Eat this. It'll help." "Thanks," I said quietly while taking it from him. Lupin gave me a small nod before grabbing his coat.

"I'm going to speak with the driver," he told us. "Eat the chocolate. You'll feel better." With that, he left the compartment. The moment the door shut behind him, I turned toward Hermione.

"What happened after I passed out?" Hermione looked shaken herself, though she quickly tried to hide it.

"You and Harry both fainted," she explained quietly. "Professor Lupin stepped over you and cast some kind of spell. A silver light shot from his wand, and the Dementor left."

I nodded slowly while unwrapping the chocolate. The sweetness immediately helped slightly, though the cold from the Dementor still lingered deep in my bones.

Moving slowly, I got up and sat beside the window, staring out at the dark rain streaking across the glass.

Behind me, Harry was talking quietly with Ron and Hermione. "No one screamed, Harry," Hermione was saying gently. I turned away from the window.

"I'm going to check on Ginny." Harry immediately looked up. "I'll come with you." I smiled faintly and nodded. Together, we stepped out into the corridor.

The atmosphere throughout the train had completely changed. The earlier excitement was gone, replaced by nervous whispers and frightened faces.

We made our way toward the compartment Ginny usually shared with some other first and second years. When we reached it, I immediately noticed Ginny wasn't there.

Several of her friends looked shaken, huddled together nervously. "Hey," I said softly, "have you seen Ginny?" One of the girls nodded quickly. "She went to find Fred and George," she explained. "She said they were closer."

Relief flooded through me immediately. "Are you all okay?" I asked gently. They nodded, though none of them looked particularly convincing. Harry gave them a reassuring smile before I gently grabbed his hand and began pulling him further down the corridor.

"Come on." Eventually, we found Ginny safely tucked between Fred and George while the twins loudly attempted to distract everyone in the compartment with jokes.

The second Ginny saw me, she launched herself at me in a hug. "You alright?" I asked quietly while smoothing her hair back. She nodded against my shoulder. "I'm fine." Fred looked between Harry and me suspiciously. "You two alright?" 

"We're fine," Harry answered quickly. George raised an eyebrow. "You both look like you've seen a ghost." 

"Worse," I muttered. After making sure Ginny was truly alright, Harry and I headed back toward our own compartment. The closer we got, the more exhausted I suddenly felt.