Summary:
Rating: T (Moderate Language, certain strong words, scenes of violence and death)
Characters: Harry P. Hermione G. Ronald W. Fred and George W. Prof. Remus L. OC
Year Three:
Chapter One: The Dementor and Redheads
I found the most isolated compartment on the train, away from the hassle of the other travelers. Dragging my heavy trunk into the compartment, I slammed the door shut. The whistle outside blew and I knew the train was about to depart the station. I peered outside, knowing no one was there for me. When the station was no longer in sight, I managed to push my trunk onto the luggage rack above the seats.
"C'mon Taffy..." I cooed as my black cat glared at me from the bottom of her cage. Taffy was a stray cat at heart really, and she loathed confined spaces. I had the scratches all over my arms to prove that. She eventually gave up and bounded out. Taffy was a jet black stray cat I rescued as a kitten. When she was young she had fought off a group of older cats from attacking her sick Mother. During the fight half of her right ear was bitten off, but she still stood her ground. I found her wandering, nearly dead from blood loss, and nursed her back to health.
She laced in and out from my ankles as I sat down next to the window, looking out at the scenery. After ten minutes, the door of the compartment slid open. A tall blonde girl stood in the doorway, pulling a Hogwarts trunk behind her. Taffy jumped onto my lap, purring as she curled up into a ball. "Is that taken?" The girl asked, pointing to the seat across me.
I briefly considered saying yes, it was taken, but the girl threw her trunk on the opposite rack, and sat down. "Is now!" She chuckled. I suppressed a sigh. I knew this girl was a talker. It was written all over her face. "I'm Therese. Therese MacFadden. I'm in Hufflepuff." She said, extending a hand, which I shook politely, careful not to knock Taffy off my lap. "What house are you in?" She asked, smiling.
"I don't know." I replied carefully. The smile faltered slightly. "Are you in First year?" She asked, a little too interested. I shook my head- No. "I'm new here," I explained, "I was home-schooled but Professor Dumbledore thought maybe I'd enjoy it here." I finished simply. Therese nodded. "Ah. I see. I say you'd be in Ravenclaw, you seem like one, my friend Tara..."
The conversation proceeded for a lengthy time, I learnt that Therese had five siblings. Her younger brother Aaron, who was a squib, and her eldest sister, Jennifer, who was Head Girl. Therese didn't particularly want to talk about her. She also had an older brother, Michael, who was in his final year in Hogwarts and planned on being a Dragon Keeper in Latvia. Michael and Jennifer were twins, and both in their final year.
Her parents worked for the Ministry of Magic, her Mother was an Auror and her Father she never said. Her Dad left them when she was young, and she didn't remember him. All she got now are messy handwritten letters in leaked black ink and dirty old paper, which she doesn't even bother to reply to. Her Step-Dad was called Robert (Bob) and she had two Step-Brothers, Samuel (the oldest) and Christopher. Samuel was an Adventurer, who collected Treasure for Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank, and Christopher was a player for the English Quidditch team, as a Chaser.
"What about you?" She finally said, looking at me as we munched on our Bertie Botts, which Therese kindly bought. I didn't have a sickle to my name. I cleared my throat, beginning. "My Dad works for the," I paused, thinking, "My Father studies Magical Creatures. And I never knew my Mum, also, I'm an only child." Therese nodded, muttered something along the lines "wished I was an only child."
Our conversation continued until the train began to slow, the brakes screaming in protest. Suddenly, the lights went out, and we were plunged into darkness. Therese stood, and wiped the condensation off the window, and peered out into the late raining afternoon. "What happened?" I asked, squinting to see Therese's shape in the weak light. "Did we break down?" I suggested. She scoffed, "This is the Hogwarts Express! We don't "break down" for Christs sake...There...there looks like there's something moving out there, something coming-" She was interrupted by the door slamming opening and two sets of footsteps entering the compartment. "Oi, what's happening?" One voice asked, "Good question, Fred. Very good." Replied the other. I could barely make out Therese's scowl. "Push off, Weasleys." She growled. "You love us really, MacFadden." Insisted the first voice.
Therese sat down, grunting in denial of the accusation as she crossed her arms. The first boy, Fred, I presumed, sat down. In the weak light, I could make out vivid red hair. The second boy threw himself down beside me. In the weak light from the window I could make out soft eyes, a nice smile, and of course- the vivid red-hair. The two were twins. "Fred," Therese gestured to the boy next to her, "And George," pointed to the boy next to me with a flourish, and than to me, "This is Hannah Punil. She's new here. In third year. Hannah, these two are Fred and George Weasley."
"Digging the blue, Punil." Fred said cheekily, nodding towards my hair. I smoothed my turquoise hair back, frowning. The door of the compartment opened again, and a pretentious, snobby voice drifted into the room, but the voice that seemed to be usually calm could not hide its fear. "What's going on?" The boy asked. I could see George faintly scowl. "Sod off, Malfoy." Fred growled menacingly. The boy was about to say something but he gave a yelp and threw himself down beside Fred suddenly. I frowned as the compartment turned freezing, in a wave of cold. We could all see our breath and the window iced up.
And then I saw it. A long, spindly skeleton hand that looked like it had been left in marsh water too long, with flesh decomposing still draped on its hand, clutched the door-frame as the long towering owner of hand entered the compartment, hovering above ground. Its dark frame was draped in a long fraying hooded cloak. I felt like I could never be happy again. That all the happiness had been sucked from me. I grasped George's hand tightly, terrified. To my surprise he just held it back, tight. The thing hovered there for a moment, its gaze seemingly looking at all of them each at a time. I shrunk down, recoiling.
With a rattling noise, the thing left. Soon enough, the train began to sway again and the lights flickered back on. Malfoy, I presumed, disappeared as quick as bullet. Whereas George and Fred remained momentarily, ashen faced. After a while George released my hand, and beckoned to his brother, and the two left. I stared at Therese, horrified. "Does that happen often?" I asked, my voice quivering. She stared back at me, "What do you mean? The Dementor, or holding hands with George Weasley?"