"Sorry I couldn't fall asleep with that thing open", I apologize to the both of them.
They both turn away from me and closed their eyes once again. I closed the window and sat back down. I kept going back to the same thing. That night and what it did to me. How could it be that I brought forth my patronus and why was it a stag? So many things made so little sense but somehow they all interconnected. My father being an Animagus, Severus having a doe as a patronus and now seeing myself with a twin patronus, the same as my father's.
I adjust my body and pull my legs up to my chest, hugging my knees. I try and close my eyes and a few moments go by where my mind is blank. Its good, it feels good.
*BAM*
All three of us jump forward. "What in the bloody hell was that?", Ron questioned.
"Probably nothing, you two need to go back to sleep.", Hermione reasoned with him.
I lean forward and look to the people in the cabin across from us. They all have frightened looks on all their faces. "Do you guys know something?" I ask.
"Its him … he's back, we know it", Ginny whispered across to me.
"Who's back? Who are you talking about?" I say.
Ginny turns and looks out the window.
I lean back. Theres nothing I can do to relax. Everything feels gross, my hands are like ice and my lips are so dry I try and tear at them with my teeth and they start to bleed. I brush the blood away. I have to get up and move around. Ron and Hermione stare at me as I make my way out of our cabin. I look down the hall, both ways, and proceed to my left. Something is drawing me to the left. Walking by everyone they all have their doors shut and they're all staring at me.
"Go back to your cabin!" Someone shouts.
I keep moving. The further down I walk the colder it gets. It's darker down here and at this point I don't see anyone. I'm alone, but I keep going. I need to find out what's going on. Abruptly, I stop in my tracks. Out of the corner of my right eye I see a large black figure. I am drawn to look but I'm too scared.
"Surprised to see me or surprised I'm here?" A quiet but strong male voice speaks to me.
I turn, it's Sirius.
"Sirius!" I exclaim. I turn and walk into the cabin he's sitting in and I make myself comfortable directly across from him.
"Was that noise you? Are you coming back to Hogwarts with all of us?", I say with some hope.
"Unfortunately no, I can never go back there. I'm here under worse circumstances. I've been on the train this whole time looking out for you guys in case something were to happen and of course, this happens."
"What do you mean? What happened?", I say.
"The death eaters have let the dementors out of prison once again and they are coming for you Emily, they are coming for all of you. They don't trust Hogwarts and want no one to return this year."
"So what do we do now?", I ask.
"It's too late, they are already on the train."
My heart sinks into my stomach. I have no idea what to do or what to expect. I have so many questions but decide to say nothing because theres no more time. We ran out of time the second we all heard that noise. Does Sirius expect me to save everyone? I haven't yet mastered the patronus charm so I'm basically useless.
"Trust your instincts Emily, you know what you have to do", he says to me before standing up and moving me aside to exit the cabin.
"Well what are we supposed to? What am I supposed to do?" I turn and say to him as a cry for help.
"I have done all that I can do now, I have warned you and now it is your time. You are stronger than you think".
Sirius turns back around and walks down to the end of the hall and climbs out the top of the train. I turn around myself and see Nevill standing there. He must've heard that entire conversation.
"I'm ready to help." He says to me in a nervous voice.
"Okay, let's d-", I stop myself. Neville and I look up to the train ceiling.
*click* *click* *click*
Someone must be walking up there, or some thing. I pray it's Sirius. We look back down at each other.
"What do we do?" Neville says to me.
The ceiling breaks and the first dementor flys down in between Neville and I. We pull out our wands and point them at the dementor. It turns back around and fly's towards us.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Both of us say together. A silvery white vapour immediately appears from only my wand. Neville puts his down and looks at me. I have to grip my wand with both hands. It's too strong, I know I'm going to loose. Suddenly I feel hands on my shoulders. Neville is keeping me steady. My spell gets stronger. The dementor screams, and flys back through the top of the train where it came from.
"You did it! You vanished it!" Neville says to me.
"Not without your help", I laugh.
I look past him, theres a silhouette of a rabbit in the cabin next to us. It hops around the cabin, out into the hall and past us, and then jumps through the ceiling tracing the path the dementor left.
I turn to Neville, "What was that?" I ask him.
He looks at me, "You know I've tried the patronus charm once before and successfully completed it and I think my patronus is a rabbit. Maybe I did actually help you!".
"Wait what? Your patronus is a rabbit?" I say to him.
Neville shrugs his shoulders. He turns away from me to look back at his wand and a distinct feeling overcomes me. I turn my head to glance behind me over my shoulder and see Sirius at the end of the hallway. With a smirk on his face he turns, waving for something to come to him. I see the same white rabbit jump into sirius' arms and he holds it tight. He winks at me and proceeds to walk out of the train. I turn back around.
"So yeah I guess you could say I'm the slayer of all dementors", Neville says to me in a cocky way.
I turn my head around back to where Sirius was, "Yeah sure Neville, whatever you say".
We both walk back down the hall and everyone is outside.
"What happened? We all saw a dementor, and then we didn't, and then we saw a white shadow and then we didn't, and then i don't even know. I think I'm gonna faint." Ron says and everyone laughs.
I say, "Its okay Ron, the dementor's gone and we're all safe now."
Neville puts his hand on my shoulder, "Yeah guys don't worry, I saved the day for all of us, you see I was the one who actually casted the patronus charm, it just looked like Emily did but my patronus was there, it was a rabbit!" He says to everyone.
I role my eyes and return to my seat, Ginny is sitting there already. She looks up at me and winks. I guess she was right about what she said before. But we'll let Neville have his fun.