Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Rowling's world, but this story and the main character are MINE! My precioussss...
It would be very nice if you could leave a little review after reading it! Thanks!
Special thanks to my beta reader, Sibyll Nocefler! And, of course, to everybody who supports me!
I wrote this story for an essay, topic: Write a one-word essay about "Chocolate"! This is the result! I hope you'll like it!
„Expecto Patronum", she shouted, but nothing happened.
"Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!" With every attempt to produce a Patronus, her voice became weaker and weaker.
The Dementor in front of her came nearer.
She had to stop him or she would faint and maybe she would never really wake up again because the Dementor would rob her soul with his kiss – and this would be worse than death.
"Expecto Patronum!" she cried for one last time, but she felt that her strength was leaving. Everything around her was moving in circles and she felt very dizzy.
Every second now, she would faint and then, she would have to return to the nightmare that she had tried to forget.
But she knew that the Dementor would evoke that dreadful feeling in her again, which she had felt in that night long ago, and she would have to hear the screams.
She had been her best friend…
Now, the Dementor was standing in front of her and everything went black.
When Lina woke up, she felt that she was lying on the floor and saw some people kneeling beside. Somebody took her hand and pressed something into it.
Gradually, the whole truth came back to her mind and she remembered every detail of that dreadful night long ago.
Then, Lina suddenly realized where she was: it was not that street in London, not that evening, that she feared so much. No, she was in a classroom in Hogwarts – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!
She recognized that the people around her were her classmates and the person who had given the "something" to her was her Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin.
Everybody looked very concerned.
It could have been a totally normal lesson, they had to fight a stupid Boggart, which she had always found very easy. But why did this thing have to transform into a Dementor? Why had she overreacted? She could not understand it.
All the thirteen-year-old knew was that she would not get rid of her repressed memories that fast this time.
Now, her classmates helped her to get up from the floor and she examined the thing in her hand. It was chocolate!
"Eat and you will immediately feel better!" said Lupin. She did what he had told her to do and felt that he was right.
Then her teacher said: "The class is dismissed for today! We will meet again on Thursday. But he added in a whisper, looking at her: "But Lina, could you please stay here? I want to have a word with you!"
She tried to find out what he was thinking. Was he angry at her? But she had done nothing wrong! It was not her fault!
A strange feeling spread in her stomach, she didn't want to leave Hogwarts, her second home!
But she stayed.
Instead of looking at her teacher Lina examined her shoes and tried to hold back her tears. Everything was too much for her. She just wanted to get out of the hot classroom and get some fresh air.
"Why haven't you told me that you have seen somebody die before? Then I wouldn't have let that Boggart in the shape of a Dementor come to you! What happened?"
She lifted her eyes from her shoes and sized Lupin's expression up.
He was not angry! He felt sympathy for her!
"I am sorry Professor!" her eyes went back to her shoes before she said the next words: "I didn't want everybody to know that Voldemort killed my best friend Berta!" Tears rolled into her eyes.
"I am so sorry, Lina!" It was everything he said, but it was enough. She didn't want to have a long conversation about this topic again. Her parents had forced her to talk about that evening to some psychiatrists, but that made everything worse! She successfully repressed the whole night! Yes, she even repressed the memory of her friend Berta!
Now, everything was back and she felt great pain. But she also thought that it was right, that a part of her, which had been missing since that night, was finally back.
Lina started to sob and Lupin took her into his arms immediately.
They stayed in this position for a while without saying a further word.
When Lina freed herself from this embrace, she saw that Lupin had tears in his eyes, too.
Her teacher rubbed his eyes and looked to the floor.
Lina didn't know what to do, so she just observed him.
"I know what it is like to lose somebody you love!" With these words, he looked up at her and she saw the same pain, which she felt, in his eyes.
"Wh – who?" she stumbled?
"One of my best friends and his wife were killed by a servant of the Dark Lord some years ago!"
She felt that he showed her feelings, which he had never showed somebody else before.
"And are you – could you get over it?" She had always wanted somebody to give her the answer to this question, but she had never met anyone, who had lost a beloved one like her.
"You can never get over it completely! And it's not a good solution to repress everything!"
He seemed to be able to read her mind.
"But life goes on! Believe me, you will find many other people, who will love you and whom you will love! And your friend will always stay in your heart, as my friends do!"
There were no more tears in his eyes and he showed her a smile. First a weak one, but it became so merry and bright, that it made her smile, too.
Lupin took Lina's hand and gave another bar of chocolate to her.
"I know that it may sound strange to you, but this bar is very good remedy for your pain! Always carry a bar of it with you and eat it when you feel very bad! It will really help you! I always have one with me!"
He showed her his bar. This impressed her a great deal.
She couldn't help, but had to laugh and he laughed with her. She felt that he was right: she would be happy again – some time.
They hugged for one last time and before she left the classroom, Lupin said: "And Lina?"
"Yes?"
"You can always talk to me! I will be there for you!"
"Thank you so much, Professor!" They smiled at each other and Lina left the classroom.
Even though, she didn't realize it immediately, they had build up a special connection to each other in these few minutes.