Chapter 1- The Arduous Flight
Bloody rain…such a nuisance, thought Liadan as she squinted against the sharp droplets of precipitation that stung her face. And somehow she had thought that flying to Hogwarts would be an easy task. It had started raining just barely an hour into the flight and hadn't let up since. She had been in good humor about it at first, but three hours of being sopping weight and freezing cold had drained her of anything but numbness.
Of course, she had had every intention of riding the Hogwarts Express with Remus. He was her guardian, as well as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at the school, and therefore also going to Hogwarts. In fact, Remus' new job was the only reason Liadan was going to Hogwarts at all. He had already taught her everything she needed to know about magic, except perhaps Apparition. That was perhaps just a tad bit illegal, but no one was the wiser.
They had been just about to walk out the front door to head to King's Cross Station when an owl landed on the walkway, letter in beak. Liadan had been summoned to the Ministry of Magic in order to be questioned about the recent jailbreak of her father, Sirius Black. She could've laughed in the face of Cornelius Fudge himself. What could she possibly know about the jailbreak of a man she hadn't seen since she was three years old? They obviously reckoned that Liadan and Sirius would be in constant contact somehow, although Remus seethed at the mere mention of Sirius' name. Needless to say, good old Sirius wasn't exactly a hot topic of conversation in the Lupin household.
So, Liadan found herself flying on her broomstick above the countryside, looking for the bright lights of Hogwarts castle. She knew that she was close. It was an unexplainable thing, the feeling she got when she approached Hogwarts. She'd gotten the same feeling as she and Remus arrived for his job interview with the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. It was a lovely, warm feeling, akin to the feeling she got from the house she shared with Remus. But there was something else, too. Something dark and foreboding about the place. What the hell was it? The question often played on Liadan's mind. It was like a word she couldn't remember, but it was just on the edge of her tongue.
After just a few more painful minutes of flying, she saw the lights in the distance. Below her was the small village of Hogsmeade; she wished she could go into the Three Broomsticks for a pint of butterbeer, but continued on through the downpour. Liadan felt the tingling sensation which indicated that she had passed through Hogwarts' invisible magic barrier. It prevented unexpected visitors (or enemies, perhaps) from getting into the school.
She sighed at the prospect of the warm interior of the vast castle. Just as relief had begun to flood her limbs, it was replaced by a feeling of sheer despair. Liadan recognized the feeling immediately. Dementors. Without even a second thought as to what those horrible guards of Azkaban were doing at Hogwarts, she pulled out her wand with her right hand and held tight to the broomstick with her left. Her whole body shook as her mind raced to recall the spell that Remus had taught her. It was supposed to stop the Dementors in their tracks. Now if only she could just recall the words…
With mere moments to spare, she noticed the Dementor gliding silently towards her from behind. She went into a sharp dive, her natural skills as a flier coming in real handy. A foot above the lake, she leveled out and flew swiftly towards the school. Another Dementor approached her then, forcing her to side-shift. Her feet hit the icy water of the lake, and her breath fled from her body. It seemed that the shock of the frigid water to her system activated her brain. The spell came back to her in an instant.
"Expecto Patronum!" she shrieked, her voice hoarse from disuse. A white cloud in the shape of a majestic bird alighted from the tip of her wand and flew towards the Dementors. The horrid offenders let out an unearthly scream and were gone.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, Liadan," she whispered to herself with a shaky laugh. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a piece of chocolate. After all, Remus said that chocolate could heal anything. As per usual, he was right. The chocolate spread warmth throughout her limbs and even left her feeling a bit cheerful.
Thank Merlin for sweets, she thought as her feet finally touched solid ground just outside the entrance to Hogwarts.