Chapter 3: Storm Brewing
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." - Albus Dumbledore
A few hours later, Madeline was loading her trunk and Augustus' cage on the Hogwarts Express. She never failed to be amazed by the scarlet steam engine; it was though it had come straight from a child's picture book. She found Claire and Richard and stowed her belongings in their compartment before returning to the platform. Hugging her parents, Madeline told them that she loved them and would see them for Christmas.
Halfway back to the train, she saw Hermione Granger and the Weasleys milling about with Harry Potter, who was being hugged tightly by Mrs. Weasley. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, took notice of her and waved merrily, but Madeline saw that Percy Weasley was missing. Had he already run off to find the Prefects' compartment, perhaps to show Penelope his shiny new badge? Madeline shook her head. Of course he had.
As Madeline boarded the train and made her way to the compartment for the Head Boy, Head Girl, and all the Prefects, a few older students congratulated her on being made Head Girl. She smiled with embarrassment but thanked them. Madeline had initially been against wearing the badge before getting to school, but her parents had talked her into it, saying that it was quite normal to do so. She knew that Percy would be showing off his badge, and she didn't want to come across as pompous as him.
Before she could reach the correct compartment, Madeline heard someone familiar call her name. She turned, searching for the person, and saw Nicolas striding towards and beaming at her.
Nicolas Tennant was a popular, handsome, and audacious seventh-year Gryffindor who had neither been named Prefect nor played Quidditch. He was a great student with few responsibilities, and Madeline liked this about him. His favourite subject was Charms, and he vaguely hoped to be an Unspeakable, despite having no idea how to do so.
Madeline grinned and took a few steps in his direction; seconds later, she was wrapped in his arms. Everything that had been worrying her, every fear and nuisance—Sirius Black, N.E.W.T.s, Percy—all melted away instantly. A brief reunion kiss was followed by a longer, deeper, more passionate one, and Madeline only pulled away when she remembered that she was standing in the middle of the Hogwarts Express. A few younger girls giggled and whispered as they quickly passed them. His hands found her waist and squeezed her gently.
"Well," Madeline said, her face flushed and her smile large. "Well."
"'Lo," he said, placing another kiss on her lips. "Missed you."
"Really? I hadn't noticed," she said. She brushed her hand through his black hair and laughed at his amused expression.
"I don't believe you one bit," he said, his voice nearing a growl. They kissed again until they heard Richard's voice.
"Oi, Head Girl!" shouted Richard from further down the train. "You going to snog that git all day?"
"I'm coming," said Madeline before Nicolas could reply. He made a rude gesture to Richard, who laughed and disappeared back into the Prefects' compartment. "I have to go babysit for about an hour, but then I'll be back."
This was not news to Nicolas; since she and Richard had been made Prefects in their fifth year, they'd always been absent for the first stretch of the train ride back to Hogwarts.
"I know. I'll be with Claire and Oliver," he said, pressing another kiss to her lips.
As he pulled her closer, Madeline restrained a moan, but it rumbled in her throat, causing Nicolas to groan longingly. Madeline broke the kiss and sighed.
"You look amazing," he said, his voice low. "I mean, bloody hell, Maddie."
His words caused a warm flush to creep up her neck and into her face.
"Oh, stop. We'll have more time later," she whispered, grinning. "Go on. I'll find you."
They exchanged another brief kiss and then Madeline made her way into the correct compartment.
After standing idly by while Percy lectured the new and old Prefects about their responsibilities for nearly an hour, Madeline found Richard and sneaked out of the compartment as quickly as possible. She desperately wanted to be sitting next to Nicolas, hugging him, kissing him...
"How was your summer?" Richard asked.
"Fine. Oliver and I trained, mostly. Missed Nick a lot. You two, too, though, of course," she said with a wry grin.
"It's alright," he said, laughing in response. "It's cute, the two of you."
"Oh, shut it. You and Claire'd be at it like rabbits if you hadn't spent all summer together."
"I won't deny it," he said, still grinning. "She makes me mad, that woman."
Once they found Oliver, Claire, and Nicolas, they dropped into their seats with relief.
"Finally escaped Percy," said Richard tiredly, as though he'd been fighting a dragon.
"Was it as bad as I imagine?" asked Nicolas, smiling at Madeline.
Madeline moved closer to Nicolas, shook her head, and kissed him briefly.
"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled.
"That bad, eh?" asked Claire, laughing.
The general chatter of reuniting after a long summer (re)commenced. Madeline and Richard wasn't sure what they'd already talked about, so they covered some topics twice. They talked about their classmates, told stories of their misadventures from the holiday (apparently Richard had been hit on by a hag while on holiday in Ireland), and reminisced about the previous stressful year at Hogwarts. It was all rather amusing now, in retrospect, the idea of the Heir of Slytherin.
The chatter and laughter coming from their compartment couldn't mask the unmistakable sound of the compartment door opening, and everyone was surprised to see Cedric Diggory, a good-looking fifth-year Hufflepuff, walking in. He smiled as soon as his eyes landed on Madeline.
"Madeline! Congratulations on Head Girl," he said, smiling at everyone.
"Hey Cedric!" said Madeline. "Er, thanks!"
"I also wanted to tell you—" before he could finish, he turned to look at someone who had just spoken outside of the compartment. Cedric responded politely, though he looked rather taken aback. "Yeah, alright, sure."
It was Temperance Beauregard who stepped up to the door, and she looked as beautiful and haughty as ever. She had fine sheets of midnight black hair, as dark as Nicolas', and dark grey eyes.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked, looking politely around.
"Sure," said Claire quickly as they made room for her.
Madeline felt a jolt in her stomach—she'd seen Temperance at the Prefects' meeting and hadn't thought to invite her to sit with them. She needed to be more considerate next time.
"Going to join us, Diggory?" asked Oliver of Cedric, which reminded everyone of Cedric's presence.
"Oh, no, I was only going to share a bit of news with Madeline and, er, you too, Wood. I'm glad you're both here. I was... well, I was named Captain of Hufflepuff's Quidditch team this year," he said, grinning sheepishly.
Madeline smiled and pretended to be surprised, as did Oliver. She stood to hug Cedric, who blushed a bit. He said thanks for the congratulations given by everyone in the compartment. No one seemed to be genuinely shocked at this news.
"Well, I'll see you, then. Oh, and Madeline?" said Cedric, beaming at her. "I'll be seeing you for tryouts?"
"Definitely," she said, nodding at him.
Cedric then turned and left, waving goodbye to everyone and shutting the compartment door.
"Thanks," said Temperance, her tone soft. "Don't quite fancy being with my housemates right now."
"No worries," said Madeline happily. "How'd you like Percy's speech?"
Temperance rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"He's an embarrassment. To all of us," she said sharply. "I don't see what Penny sees in him."
"You mean he's a pompous, arrogant, annoying little—erg! I don't know how I'm going to deal with him this year," she said, slumping in her seat.
"At least you don't live with him," said Nicolas in an attempt to cheer her up. "He's in our common room every night."
"I'm in your common room almost every night," Madeline shot back.
"Well, that settles it, Madeline," said Richard. "You'll just have to hide out with us in the Ravenclaw Tower where you belong."
Both Nicolas and Oliver began protesting at these words, and Madeline just laughed and smiled thankfully at Richard; he and Claire had always been under the impression that Madeline was a Ravenclaw at heart, while Nicolas and Oliver tended to think of her as a Gryffindor. Madeline didn't mind this dispute and felt it was one of the most genuine compliments she could be given. Claire placed an appreciative kiss on Richard's cheek, and he smiled at her with such a gooey, loving look that Madeline rolled her eyes.
"The sad bit is that because Percy's now openly dating Penelope, they'll probably be in our common room more often," said Claire.
"We should banish them to the Astronomy Tower, the gits," said Nicolas.
"No, too many people sneak up there," said Oliver in all seriousness. "I think the North Tower would be more appropriate."
And with that, the six friends dissolved in fits of laughter at the prospect of banishing Percy and Penelope to the North Tower with Professor Trelawney.
In the afternoon, after they had finished their lunches, it began to rain and they all felt rather drowsy. Madeline and Oliver, who hadn't slept the night before, both fell asleep to the sound of the battering rain. Madeline made herself comfortable by curling up with her legs over Nicolas' lap and placing her head on his shoulder. He held her with one arm while reading from their N.E.W.T. Charms book, occasionally pressing kisses to the side of her head. Oliver fell asleep in the corner by the door while Claire, Temperance, and Richard talked quietly.
The next thing Madeline knew, Nicolas said her name. Not stirring immediately, though she vaguely heard him, Madeline moved closer to Nicolas. When he gently shook her, her eyes fluttered open and she groaned. She rubbed her bleary eyes and looked around to find her surroundings much darker than she remembered; the lamps were lit, and they couldn't see anything outside the windows save for the pouring rain. The train was slowing down and confusion blossomed. How long had she slept?
"Are we there already?" she asked.
Richard looked at his watch and shook his head, saying, "No, we shouldn't be."
"So why're we slowing down?" asked Claire. "Oliver? Oliver!"
Oliver didn't wake up until Claire shook him hard, and upon waking, he began asking the same question Madeline had asked. Before anyone could reply to him, Madeline shushed them all—she heard the pistons of the train die away. The rain sounded louder as the train itself grew quieter.
"We're about to stop. I'm going to go check with the driver, maybe something's gone wrong," said Madeline, standing.
As soon as she stood, though, the compartment door slid open and the curly-haired Penelope Clearwater appeared, her curls bouncing frantically. Madeline stood and walked over to the door.
"Percy, she's here—"
Penelope took the empty seat next to Nicolas as Percy Weasley, who was already dressed in his Hogwarts robes, appeared a moment later looking flushed. He quickly addressed Madeline.
"Madeline, I think we ought to—OOF!"
The train jerked to a halt and many things happened at once—Percy fell back out of the compartment door, Nicolas and Penelope were lurched towards Claire, Temperance, and Richard, and Madeline was tossed into Oliver.
Then, without warning, all of the lights went out.
She heard many people's voices crying out at once—everyone on the train was panicking. Percy found his feet and turned, looking down the hallway. Then compartment was suddenly much colder—Madeline could see her breath in the air. She immediately hoped there wasn't something wrong with the railroad and that they weren't stopped on a bridge. Though she made to move, Oliver's arms locked her in and pulled her closer.
A moment later, as Richard lit his wand, Percy backed into the compartment looking terrified, and for a very good reason—a dementor, a hooded figure with no knowable features, stood at the threshold of the compartment. It regarded Madeline and Oliver with interest, as they were nearest the door, and Madeline felt as though she had been plunged into an icy lake, fear striking her stomach like a dagger. And then, she could hear a voice…
"Maddie, you're wrong! You're usually right, but you're wrong about this! How can you defend him?!"
It was an angry voice that she couldn't place, and it was growing louder…
"I can't—we can't be friends anymore, not if you're choosing him!"
Richard stood, pointed his wand at the dementor, and produced a flash of bright light, which seemed to drive it back. The dementor swept away, and Claire lit her wand as well. Madeline eventually regained her senses and understood Richard's use of the Patronus Charm; though it hadn't been fully-formed, it had certainly done the trick. Percy slumped down and sat against the back of the compartment, looking shell-shocked and pale. It was then that Madeline felt Oliver's hands holding her so tightly that she might snap in half—and it was then that Madeline recognised the voice in her head as Oliver's. She had heard part of their fight in fourth year, the row that had caused Oliver to stop calling her "Maddie." She felt burning tears spring into her eyes at the memory.
In their fourth year, Madeline had been spending a lot of time with (sort-of dating, or so she'd thought) Alex Mulroney, the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain. One afternoon, Mulroney had been teasing Madeline about her flying ability, and Oliver, overhearing part of the conversation, had stopped to listen. Out of nervousness, Madeline had bitingly parried Mulroney's tease, and he had slapped Madeline for the insult. Oliver, finding such action to be completely unacceptable, punched the older student so hard that his nose broke. Though she'd been offended by Mulroney's hit, Madeline was furious that Oliver would do such a thing and yelled at him as Mulroney ran to the Hospital Wing. Oliver had defended his actions and threatened to stop talking to Madeline, and Oliver had received his first and only detention that day. McGonagall hadn't been amused, but she hadn't been very angry, either. Mulroney continued manipulating Madeline for some time, creating quite a large rift between them. It had taken Mulroney leaving Hogwarts at the end of their fifth year for Oliver and Madeline to become close friends again.
Madeline felt Oliver shift under her and bring her closer to him; her breathing became short and uneven, hot tears leaking onto his shoulder, but she couldn't calm down. Her mind was swirling again—all the serious fears she'd had about Black and her future seemed to swell in the forefront of her mind like a balloon of negativity and worse-case scenarios. Suddenly she was crying so hard that she was nearly choking on her own tears and she couldn't breathe.
Oliver was still holding her tightly, and she thought she heard his voice again. "It's gone. We're alright. You're alright."
But this had little affect, and her mind continued to swirl. Why were dementors on the Hogwarts Express, of all bloody places? Why did she let Mulroney manipulate her for so long? Had he really been abusive? How could she forgive herself for being such an absolute idiot? Why did Oliver and Nick and Claire (or anyone, for that matter) care about her at all? How could they? How could she have missed all that time being Oliver's friend?
Madeline was still shaking and crying when the lamps flickered back on and the train began moving again. Meanwhile, Claire pulled a Chocolate Frog out of her purse, sliced it into pieces with her wand, and passed a piece to each of them. She saved the largest piece for Madeline, who was still visibly and audibly upset. The rain began pouring down in torrential gusts. She vaguely heard the others talking, saying things, but she couldn't quite focus enough to make out their words. Were they talking about her? Or the dementor?
"Maddie," whispered Oliver. "Maddie, I promise you're alright."
This shook her, rattled her mind into some sort of perspective. Oliver had called her 'Maddie', which he hadn't done in years. She felt her own surprise at his words, recognized it, and then realised what was going on.
I'm alright, she thought, her chest filling with the sensation of surprise and relief. Oliver says I'm alright. I'm being stupid. I'm falling to pieces for no bloody reason.
Madeline found it easier to breathe and sat up to look at Oliver, his honeyed-whisky eyes bright with worry. Then the compartment door suddenly opened again, and everyone's head turned sharply to see who it was, wands raised, hoping it wasn't another dementor. To their surprise, it was a man dressed in shabby robes and calm, perceptive eyes. He reminded Madeline of her father, though he looked to be much younger.
"I'm looking for the Head Boy and Girl. Are you alright?" he asked, looking pointedly at Madeline.
"She will be. Maddie, dear, you need to eat this," said Claire.
Madeline looked at her and nodded, wiping the tears from her face as she hiccuped. Claire helped her stand away from Oliver, who still looked rather concerned. She was being stupid, she knew. That fight had been years ago, and Oliver still clearly cared about her.
Stop being silly, she told herself, nodding again.
Madeline took the chocolate, bit off a piece, and felt warmth spread through her body. Percy stood, introduced himself, and checked on Penelope while Madeline finished off the piece of chocolate.
"This is Madeline Palmer," said Percy, indicating her.
"I'm the Head Girl," Madeline said with confidence. "Are they gone? Is everyone alright?"
"Yes, they're gone; no one's been seriously hurt, but everyone I've seen is disturbed or scared," said the man. "Would you mind distributing this to any particularly shaken students?"
He turned, bent over, and pulled a bag of chocolate bars into view.
Who carries that much chocolate with them? Madeline wondered.
"Who are you?" asked Percy as Madeline took the bag.
"The new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," he said, his voice calm and even. Madeline instantly felt comfortable with this man.
"Thank you, Professor," said Madeline. "I'm sure the Prefects will be able to help us."
"I'll take some," said Richard, standing.
"As will I," said Penelope and Temperance.
"Excellent. I'm going to go have a word with the driver. We should reach Hogsmeade soon," said the man, who turned and left.
Madeline passed Penelope, Percy, Temperance, and Richard a few bars of chocolate, and they each took off in different directions. When they came across other Prefects, they asked for their assistance in checking on everyone. Percy and Madeline spent the remainder of the journey checking on students, many of whom had been quite as shaken as Madeline. The new professor met up with the Head Boy and Girl right as the train was pulling into the station, and Madeline greeted him warmly.
"Professor! Thanks again for the chocolate; it helped a great deal. There were a lot of first and second years frightened out of their wits," she said. "Well, everyone was, but the younger ones especially seemed quite shaken."
"I thought as much," he said, nodding. "I also thought they might be searching the train for Sirius Black; I hadn't expected it to have been scheduled."
"What?" asked Percy. "Why would the Hogwarts Express be concealing Sirius Black?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," he replied as the train came to a slow but complete stop. "I know it's a lot to ask, but would you mind helping me make sure all of students make it safely off the train?"
"Of course," said Percy in a dignified manner, replying quickly as though to beat Madeline to the punch. Madeline resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"We'll go to the end of the train and work our way up," said Madeline. "Meet you halfway?"
The new professor nodded and made his way towards the front of the train once more, while Percy followed Madeline to the back. The students began exiting as quickly as possible, as though afraid another dementor would appear if they remained on board. The Head Boy and Girl were quiet while they checked every compartment for students, occasionally greeting friends. Many minutes later, they were meeting up with the professor once more. After he declared himself satisfied, the three of them exited the train and ran through the rain to one of the few remaining carriages.
The rain pouring from the sky was icy and sharp, and it felt as though the raindrops were stinging every inch of Madeline's body. Once in the carriage, they began trundling away towards the castle, which could hardly be seen through the storm. The professor then performed a simple drying spell, followed by a warming spell.
"What's your name, Professor? Were you a Hogwarts student?" asked Percy after a few moments of silence.
"Oh, yes, and my name is Professor Lupin. Remus Lupin," he said.
"What House were you in?" Percy continued. Madeline freely rolled her eyes this time.
"As a professor, I am supposed to be unbiased, so there would be no point in my divulging which House I was in," he said, his voice still calm. "I'll be happy to entertain a guess or two, however."
At this, Madeline laughed for the first time since lunch.
"If you can't trust us, who can you trust?" she asked, laughing. "And we won't be offended, or at least, I won't, as I'm a Hufflepuff."
"I'll not be offended by anything Professor Lupin has to say," said Percy, his voice rising defensively.
"In which case, we'd love to know which House you were in," said Madeline.
He graced them with a small smile and said, "I suppose it won't hurt... as long as you keep it to yourselves."
"Of course," they both said, almost in unison.
"I will be doing my best to remain completely impartial, as I remember having professors who favoured certain Houses, and I would like to spare students of such bigotry—"
Percy and Madeline looked at each other, thinking similar things about Professor Snape.
"Out with it!" said Madeline.
"Alright, alright. I was a Gryffindor," he said, that same small smile appearing.
"Brilliant," said Percy proudly.
Madeline rolled her eyes again.
"If you didn't notice, Percy's a Gryffindor."
"As I said, it should hardly matter. And please do keep it to yourselves," he said, his voice pleading.
"Of course," said Madeline.
Soon they had reached their destination. Madeline, who was seated closest to the great double doors of the castle, ran out first. Once in the Entrance Hall, which was notably empty (Has the Sorting ceremony already begun? she wondered), Professor Lupin showed Percy and Madeline how to perform the drying spell, which they executed without trouble.
"Excellent. Shall we?" he said, gesturing towards the open doors of the Great Hall.
The trio made their way into the hall, which was packed with students. The first years were up near the staff's table, being sorted one at a time. Instead of Professor McGonagall, however, Professor Flitwick was standing near the Sorting Hat, calling out the names of the students.
Without so much of a wave, Percy made his way to the Gryffindor table. Madeline watched as Professor Lupin walked along the edge of the room, hoping to reach the staff table without interrupting the Sorting. Her own table looked particularly full, but she took a seat right at the very end of the table next to Murray Clute, a stout seventh year boy to whom Madeline hadn't ever been particularly close. When she sat, however, he congratulated her on becoming Head Girl with a large, friendly smile.
As the Sorting Ceremony ended and as Professor Flitwick was leaving with the three-legged stool and Sorting Hat, Madeline saw Professor McGonagall enter the hall with a downtrodden-looking Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, two third-year Gryffindors. She wondered briefly if they were in trouble already, which would've explained why McGonagall hadn't been overseeing the Sorting as usual.
Dumbledore's speech came soon after, and Madeline listened from the opposite end of the Great Hall. He welcomed them, explained the presence of the dementors, and then, after making an offhand comment about Invisibility Cloaks, begged students not to give the dementors a reason to harm them. This came as a bit surprise, and Madeline felt it strike her stomach like a bolt of icy lightening. If there would be dementors around the castle until Black was caught... the events of the Hogwarts Express were a minor prelude, she guessed, of what may come.
"I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors," he was saying as his eyes searched for Madeline and Percy.
Though she supposed Percy felt a swell of pride, Madeline shook her head slightly. This was no easy task, and she'd have a whole year of it, with her luck. Dumbledore then introduced Professor Lupin, and Madeline joined in the light smatterings of applause. Then, to Madeline's further shock, Dumbledore announced that Hagrid would be the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Madeline applauded, but frowned—was Hagrid qualified to teach?
The feast continued without any trouble, but Madeline was so distraught with the surprising events of the last few days that she could hardly think. Madeline heard the Slytherins whispering excitedly about something, but she didn't catch what the fuss was about. While she ate, Madeline glanced over at the Gryffindor table, and saw Oliver looking rather upset about something—he was angrily stabbing the steak-and-kidney pie on his plate. Nicolas, however, had his back to Madeline, so she couldn't catch his eye. She turned around to search the Ravenclaw table for Claire or Richard, but neither were facing her. Murray and Peter Stott asked Madeline about her summer and she and Elaine Ellison chatted a little, but Madeline felt as though she couldn't engage. Madeline didn't eat much either, as she didn't have much of an appetite, and she was rather looking forward to getting into her four-poster bed and going to sleep.
After the desserts disappeared and the golden plates were gleaming with cleanliness, Dumbledore sent them off to bed. As the Hufflepuff Common Room didn't require a password, Madeline made no effort to be the first to leave the Great Hall. Being Head Girl meant that she knew the passwords to the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms, but she hoped she never needed to use the latter. Madeline was beginning to rise out of her seat when Claire found her and stopped her.
"Don't go," Claire said without preamble. She took the vacated seat next to Madeline.
"Where's Richard?"
"Entrance Hall. I want to talk to you."
"About what?" Madeline asked as the last few dozen students filtered out of the Great Hall.
"About what happened on the train," Claire said.
"I don't know if I'm up to talking about all of that right now, Claire," she said, rubbing her eyes. "I didn't really sleep last night."
"It's not about the dementor; it's about what happened after you left."
Madeline, who had not been very alert to Claire's words before this, suddenly felt fully awake. She stared into Claire's entrancing greenish-grey eyes.
"What happened?"
"Miss Palmer, Miss Denson," came Dumbledore's voice. "Why haven't you made your way to your dormitories?"
"Sorry, Headmaster," said Claire, who stood and faced him quickly. Madeline followed suit. "I was worried about Madeline."
Madeline knew that this wasn't exactly what they had been talking about, but it was true nonetheless. Dumbledore seemed keenly aware of this fact, but his pale blue eyes were twinkling, so Madeline knew that they weren't in any serious trouble.
"That's quite alright, Miss Denson. If you wouldn't mind letting me speak to Miss Palmer, you'd be quite welcome to wait in the Entrance Hall with Mr. Callaghan."
With that, Claire walked through the double doors and left Madeline alone with the Headmaster. Madeline marveled at Dumbledore's ability to recall students' names, but she became nervous when she met his eyes. Dumbledore was quite talented at reading people, and Madeline always felt a touch of anxiety when his penetrating eyes met her hazel ones. Perhaps he was a skilled Legilmens, but she'd never had the courage to ask.
"Are you alright, Miss Palmer? Would you like to see Madam Pomfrey, or perhaps spend the evening in the Hospital Wing?"
"I'm alright, sir, thank you. Just tired."
"Very well. Professor Lupin has informed me that you and Mr. Weasley performed admirably during the kerfuffle on the Hogwarts Express," said Dumbledore, smiling.
"Oh," she said, embarrassed. "Well, I wouldn't say admirably. I—well, that is, I suppose, we—simply did as Professor Lupin asked. It wasn't much."
"I daresay it was," he contradicted. "No Head Boy and Girl have had so much to do on the Hogwarts Express in many years."
"I'm just glad no one was seriously affected," said Madeline.
Except maybe me, she thought, but she shuffled her thoughts quickly to the younger students who'd needed the chocolate Professor Lupin had brought. Their safety had given her relief—she didn't want students taken ill under her charge.
"We're going to have a difficult year ahead of us, I imagine, with these dementors lurking about," he said, his gaze turning darker. "I am telling you this because we all must be prepared for anything. The dementors are not to be trifled with, Miss Palmer."
"Yes, sir," said Madeline firmly. "I completely understand. Also, sir, I like Professor Lupin very much."
"That's excellent news, but I believe you've had a troubling evening. Let's join your friends in the Entrance Hall," he said, escorting her away from her table.
Once they were at the doors, Dumbledore spun around, swept his hand through the air, and extinguished all of the floating candles.
Yet Madeline stayed turned towards the Great Hall. Dumbledore did not call or pressure her to turn, and so she stared at the dark hall for a long moment, thinking that it was a fitting metaphor for her first night of her last year at Hogwarts. Dark, cold, and painfully nostalgic.
"Miss Palmer, please inform Mr. Weasley that I would like to meet with you both next Monday at 8 pm, in my office," Dumbledore said once the doors were closed. Claire and Richard were sitting on the grand staircase waiting for Madeline. "I also wanted to mention that I am quite relieved you accepted your appointment. Thank you," he said, smiling at her with his twinkling eyes. He made his way up the staircase, bid them a good evening, and left her standing there.
Claire stared after him, looking pensive.
"What did he want?" asked Richard. Madeline sighed and rubbed her tired eyes.
"I'll tell you both tomorrow. Right now, I need sleep."
Chapter 4: Nothing
"What d'you mean they had an argument?" Madeline sighed. This was definitely not how she wanted to start off her first day of classes.