Opov

Talking to Reagan was much easier than I thought would be. While I thought things might have been extremely awkward and she would ask me to leave her alone after a while, she was extremely nice. Like Harry, she didn't particularly enjoy being famous, to her she felt as if it just sort of happened and she wasn't exactly sure how or why. For someone so extraordinary, I couldn't believe how extremely average she presented her self.

She laughed easily, and was extremely talkative the more you got to know her, and while you expected most celebrities to be stuck up, she was incredibly down to earth.

"You know you're different than I expected." I admitted as she snacked on her fifth cauldron cake. We were two hours into the journey to Hogwarts and it seemed she'd already eaten more snacks then I'd seen Alicia eat in a year. Then again, she was probably always hungry. Her training regiment must be incredibly intense.

"What?" she asked with a slight grin. "You expected me to be like some stuck up movie star or pop star who feels like they're too good to talk to people."

"No." I said honestly. "It's just, usually in interviews your just so… cool"

"Cool?" she asked with a grin. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you're totally aloof. Nothing seems to bother you. I could never imagine you doing anything playing quidditch. You just didn't seem real. But you're actually kind of…" but I stopped myself, not sure if I really wanted to say what I was going to say.

"What?" she asked her grin starting to grow.

"You're kind of a dork."

I wasn't sure how she would take this but to my surprise she burst out laughing.

"Oh Oliver you've no idea." She said amused. "But enough about me." She said looking at me with as much interest as I felt about her. "What about you? Do you like Hogwarts?"

"It's amazing." I said grinning though feeling slightly disappointed. I enjoyed talking about Reagan's life. I finally someone who was just as obsessed with quidditch as I was. Maybe even more so. "You're going to have a lot of fun there."

"I doubt it." She said blandly and I frowned.

"Why not?"

"School's not really my thing." She admitted her cheeks suddenly going red. "I'm so bad at it everyone at my school was convinced I was a no-maj."

"A what?"

"A no-maj," she said giving me funny look. "You have them here, I know you do. You know, people without magic."

"Oh." I said. "You mean a muggle."

"A what?" she asked curiously.

"Never mind." I said shaking my head. "But I'm sure you'll be fine." I said and when she looked uncertain I continued. "The professors are really good, even if you're a bit behind, they'll get you caught up in no time."

"Well no time is exactly what I have." She said with a bitter laugh but then realize how she must have sounded because she quickly added. "Sorry. I don't mean to complain to you."

"No it's fine." I said quickly. "I don't mind."

It was kind of nice knowing she was human.

"So do you play and quidditch at Hogwarts?" she asked curiously. "My school didn't have a team."

"We do." I said. "I'm captain of my house team."

"House?" she asked.

"It's where you're sorted when you first get to Hogwarts." I explained and she looked interested. "There's four houses, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. You all work together to win points and take classes together. Each house has a team."

"What house are you in?" she asked curiously.

"Gryffindor."

"Hope I'm in Gryffindor." She said wistfully.

I grinned.

"Well I'm sure whatever house you end up will be extremely excited to have you."

"Yeah." She said but I was surprised when she didn't look excited about this. In fact, she stared out at the rain flecked window and looked rather depressed.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" she asked looking distracted as she turned back to me. "Nothing it's just, most people aren't like you."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"Well," she said awkwardly. "People when they see me, they tend to kind of freak out. They can't talk normally like you and while I'm at games or signings, or even on the street it's ok because there I'm Reagan the quidditch player. But at school..."

"Yeah I get it." I said cutting in as her sentence faded. "You just want to be normal."

"Exactly." She said.

"Yeah I've got a team member who's pretty famous and that's the attitude he seems to have about it."

"Who?" she asked curiously.

"His name is Harry Potter." I said. "You probably don't know who he is-"

"Oh I know who that is," she said brightly. "That kid who beat your Voldemort guy, right?"

I winced and she looked alarmed.

"Are you ok?"

"We don't say his name here."

"Why not?" she asked looking perplexed.

"I-" I started but I found I really didn't have an answer. "I don't really know why. He just did a lot of horrible things."

"Well so did Morgana." She pointed out. "We learned about her to but you guys aren't afraid to say her name."

"Just don't say it." I said shaking my head and she shrugged.

"Whatever. But so he's on your team?" she asked with interest.

"Yeah." I said then scowled. "When he isn't almost killing himself."

"I feel like there's a story there." She said grinning.

"Oh there are several." I said and I started explaining all of Harry's mad adventures that he'd had from the start of school.

"So you've never won the quidditch cup?" she asked waving aside the fact that another celebrity lived at the school and also that a mad dangerous dark half dead wizard had almost managed to kill him twice.

"No." I said fretfully. "I was so sure after Harry had joined the team that we'd have it, but he keeps accidentally almost getting himself killed."

"Well that's rude." She said irritated. "You'd think he'd learn by now just to keep his nose out of trouble."

"Exactly!" I said. "Finally someone understands!"

"Yeah, if I'd missed games for outside injuries, I'd be fined." She said frowning.

"Fined?" I said. I'd momentarily forgetting she was a professional.

"Yeah. We get fined for all sorts of stuff, it's annoying, but it's what they've got to do. Keeps the players honest."

"Have you ever been fined?" I asked curiously.

"Oh yeah." She said grinning.

"Really?" I asked interestedly. "For what?"

"Dangerous plays, too many minutes on the field, too many games played under my contract, you name it." She said. "I've probably done it."

"That sounds like a lot of rules."

"You've no idea." She said and she went on an impassioned rant about the international circuit and how they were ruining the fun of the game by all of the rules and regulations they were imposing on her, but she had to put up with them if she wanted to play.

"It's maddening." She said eventually.

Just then the train started to slow.

"Are we there?" she asked curiously looking outside at the stormy sky.

"We shouldn't be." I said frowning as she stood and looked out the window.

The train suddenly jolted to a stop and she was thrown off her feet and into my lap.

"Sorry." She said her face burning bright red as she clambered to her feet.

"Don't worry about it." I said and she looked back out the window.

"Do people usually board the train after we leave London?" she asked curiously.

"No." I said standing up and looking out the window as well, but suddenly the lights flickered off and the compartment was plunged into darkness.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"No idea." I said shrugging. "Maybe the engine's having trouble."

But then suddenly, the compartment grew very cold and I felt a sense of in coming dread.

"Oliv-v-ver." Reagan said her voice shivering as she wrapped her arms around herself. "What's g-going on?"

"I don't know." I said but I thought I knew. I'd learned about these creatures in defense against the dark arts last year. But what on earth would dementors be doing here? "Stay here."

I started to feel my way towards the compartment door when it slowly creaked open, and suddenly, Reagan started to shiver harder.

The compartment became colder and dark as something tall and hooded entered the compartment and I saw my breath clouding in front of me. The feeling of dread in creased and in the distance I heard Gryffindors groaning two years ago after our humiliating defeat for the house cup, and McGonagall canceling the quidditch matches last year after the chamber of secrets had been open.

Next to me I heard Reagan hit the floor.

"Reagan!" I shouted in horror as she started twitching, tears streaming from her closed eyes looking terrified.

The hooded figured paused for a second, then looked down at her.

"Get away from her!" I shouted pulling out my wand and pointed it at it, and fully aware of how pathetic my patronus was, I shouted. "I know how to beat you!"

It hesitated for a second but then backed out of the compartment obviously deciding it didn't want to risk a fight.

I kneeled next to Reagan, unsure what to do, but after a deep shuddering breath, her eyes flew open and she sat up looking wildly around.

"Are you alright?" I asked her as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"I think so." She said quietly, but she was still shaking.

"Here." I said shrugging off my jacket and placing it on her shoulder.

"Thanks." She said hugging it closer to herself. "What was that thing?"

It was still dark in the compartment, and still very cold, but when her eyes met mind, I didn't really seem to mind. I couldn't help but think she looked rather pretty even with tears still clinging to her lashes.

"It was a dementor." I said quietly, helping her to the seat.

"What did it do to me?" she asked. "I thought I was, I mean I saw…"

"It drains the happiness out of people." I explained. "And makes them live their worst memories over again."

Even as I said this, part of me was wondering what she saw, but I didn't dare ask. She was still shaking a tears continued to slide down her cheeks every few seconds.

"I'm sorry." She muttered eventually. "You must think I'm totally lame."

"No." I said taking the seat next to her and putting my arm around her. To my surprise she leaned her head against my shoulder and closed her eyes. "It's fine."

"You know you're really nice Oliver." She said quietly.

"Thanks." I said awkwardly, not really sure how I was supposed to react now that one of the most famous people in the wizarding world was sitting here with her head on my shoulder and wearing my jacket.

"You're a good friend." She said quietly. "I think you're the first real friend I've made in a long time."