Chapter 2
James
James had finally regained his feet when the train gave a dreadful lurch while coming to a screeching halt. Before James could ask what was going on, frost began to creep on the edges of the windows and on compartment doors. The ground began to be covered with a thick sheet of ice which James slipped on. Suddenly, an emotion overcame him so strongly that he could feel the force of it: Despair. Despair overcame his thoughts, his lungs and his very being. He groped in the air to find something, anything to grab onto to take away the anguish that dwelled in his soul. Finally, he found something but it was a bony, black, withered hand. The feeling of despair was only deepened as well as rage, sorrow and jealousy. Afraid that his biggest fear was about to be confirmed, he looked up into a faceless, black cloak. A single though entered his mind: Dementors. Although... this Dementor seemed larger than most. The hand clamped around his throat and lifted him into the air. James clawed at the hand, but it only tightened it's grip. He was being brought toward the horrible, hideous face. A sound erupted from the Dementor's throat that was filled with rage and sorrow. The sound was a hollow, sucking sound. All of James's thoughts drained away like his soul that was being devoured by the Dementor during the Dementor's Kiss. As the light faded from James's eyes, he saw eyes appear in the heart of the sea of endless black. They were female eyes and they pleaded to him to free her, to let her go... "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A familiar voice bellowed. A blast of light filled the air and James collapsed on the ground. But the Dementor only stayed there. The eyes were joined by a face and slowly a body, the blackness melting away until a woman stood in front of him, fully clothed in a white robe and glowing with happiness. She walked toward James and bowed to Albus who was brandishing his wand defensively. "Thank you for saving my life. I was possessed by a Dementor long ago when one performed the Kiss. I have been stuck inside of it for many millennia, so long that I let it overcome me and take over me. I should never have done that. I don't have much more time before the Dementor comes back to finish it's task. You are in danger. The Sorting Hat has been tampered with. It no longer functions properly. The houses that you are supposed to be sorted in are not going to be the houses that the Sorting Hat says. It will say that Slytherins belong in Gryffindor and Hufflepuffs belong in Ravenclaw. If someone does not do something soon, there will be a disaster. Nobody knows anything about this except you, James. You are the only one who can understand and speak to Dementors. If you ever need help, think of me. Think of Ashera..." With that, she faded away into a sea of black which then vanished. Albus dropped to James's side. "James! Are you all right? Why were you talking to that awful Dementor? Why didn't you run away from it?" James stared at Albus, puzzled. "But... didn't you see the girl? She was right there. She was possessed by a Dementor..." Albus laughed. "You're silly. No one can be possessed by a Dementor. Come on. Rose is worried sick about you, and you would have been dead meat had Dad not taught me that spell. You owe me." "Yeah..." James rode the rest of the way to Hogwarts in complete discomfort, knowing that something was dreadfully wrong.