AUTHORS NOTE!

Here's the third chapter! Hope it's good, and please review!

Enjoy!

-Rach ;)

Max's POV

I was woken early the next morning by Ginny jumping up and down on my bed, yelling "Wake up! Wake up!" What a considerate alarm clock I have. "Merlin, Ginny! I'm awake, I'm awake!" I shouted. I opened my eyes and saw that Ginny was already dressed, and her red hair was wet from a shower. "How long have you been up?" I grumbled, sitting up and checking the time. It was eight o'clock!

"Since six!" she said happily. "But Nudge has been awake since half four." I rolled my eyes, nodding. That was something Nudge would do, especially today, with her starting Hogwarts. "Mum told me to wake you up now so you could have a hot shower. Not much hot water left."

I grumpily made my way to the bathroom, and started my shower. Unless you haven't noticed, I'm not a morning person. My shower lasted about fifteen minutes, and I quickly dressed in a black top with the Bon Jovi logo on it, and denim jeans. I pulled on my new converse (purple with black streaks) and dried my hair.

When I went back into my room, it was empty. I walked to the bed, going to put my clothes in my trunk, when I noticed something on my bed. A long, sleek, shiny broomstick. My jaw dropped. It was a Nimbus Two Thousand! Mrs Weasley actually got me a Nimbus Two Thousand! I set on the bed, holding it in my hands. It was beautiful, and I fell in love with it instantly.

Next to the broom was a piece of parchment, and I recognized it as the Hogsmeade permission form. It was sighed at the bottom, and I put it away in case I lost it.

I couldn't stop smiling as I walked down the stairs, my mind wandering back to the broom upstairs. I sat at the table with the others, and heard Ron saying, "Sooner we leave the better. Percy's blaming me of spilling tea on the picture of his girlfriend..."

When they saw me, Harry indicated to pull in closer. So, he was going to tell them what we heard last night...Brilliant.

This is serious, Maximum. Not something to make a joke out of. You could miss all the important details. The Voice is my head said. Yeah, I have wings, and a voice in my head. I'm perfectly normal, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go back into your hole, I thought. As always, there was no reply. "I have something to tell you," Harry said in a serious voice. His eyes flickered to me as he spoke. "Go on," Fang urged. Harry was going to go on, but we were interrupted by Fred and George, who wanted to talk to Ron about making Percy mad.

After they finally left, Iggy asked, "What were you saying?" Harry looked around, seemed to know that it was a bit crowded to tell them that there was a murder on the loose, and he said, "I'll tell you later. On the train."

With everyone busy getting trunks, and owl cages, down the narrow stairs, we had no time to talk to each other. Hermione was holding a wicker basket that was hissing. "Its alright Crookshanks," she cooed, like it was a baby, "You can get out on the train."

"No he can't!" snapped Ron, pointing to his breast pocket, that was quivering slightly. Before Hermione could comment, Mr Weasley opened the door, and said, "The cars are here. Come on, Harry. You come first." Harry shared a look with me, clearly saying, Wonder why I'm going first?

He grabbed Hedwig's cage, and his trunk, and heaved them out of the door. I followed him, and saw three old-fashioned cars, one in front of the other. Harry was standing behind one, putting his trunk into the boot. I put mine in, then went into the back of the first car beside Harry. Like Mr Weasley's car last year, it was magically bigger on the inside, then it looked like on the outside.

We were joined by Ron, Gazzy, and, to mine and Ron's disgust, Percy.

The trip to King's Cross was really boring. We didn't talk much, and even when we did, Percy would say some stupid remark that would just irritate me and Ron. Sometimes, I wished I could just punch him, but Mrs Weasley would probably kill me.

We finally reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare, and we all got out of the car as fast as we could. Nudge came out of the first car, babbling like always, and asking anyone who would listen what House would she be in. I could tell she was itching to get her uniform on, but she couldn't do that now. She'd have to wait until we were on the train.

The drivers of the cars helped us with all our trunks, and even wheeled trolleys over for us. They shook hands with Mr Weasley, and got back into the cars and drove away.

I noticed that Mr Weasley stayed extra close to Harry going through the station. We finally stopped by platform nine and ten. Nudge was bouncing with excitment. "Right, we'll go in pairs. I'll go first with Harry." He gripped Harry's shoulder, and together they went straight through the wall, disappearing. Nudge's eyes went wide, and she looked like she was about to go to the best place in the world. Well, she was.

I went next with Fred. He gave me a cheeky grin, grabbed my shoulder, and dragged me forward. I went so fast, that Freedom screeched in his cage. I felt bad about keeping him in a cage, and this was the only time when I really did- when we were going to and back from Hogwarts.

Me and Fred appeared at the other side, on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. There were hundreds of people here, either students or parents, or grandparents. Mr Weasley and Harry was over by the train, looking for compartments. After, Ginny and Percy appeared behind us. After another five minutes, everyone was on the platform, looking for compartments. Nudge was looking around everywhere, taking everything in. So were Gazzy and Angel, and Gazzy said, "Now, I really want to go to school."

Iggy walked over to Gazzy and whispered something in his ear. Gazzy started grinning, then he was laughing. He hugged Iggy around the middle, and said, "You promise?" Iggy nodded, and hugged him back. "Of course I promise, Gaz." I was a little worried about what he promised Gazzy, but it was probably that he would make some part of the castle blow up.

One by one, we exchanged hugs, and when Angel started crying a bit, that was when Mr Weasley said, "Harry, a quick word?" Harry followed Mr Weasley over to the other side of the station, and I bent down next to Angel. "Listen, Ange. I want you to stop crying, okay? Were all going to be alright, and I want you to be strong. We'll see you soon, alright? I love you, Ange." I hugged her again, and she hugged me back.

"Max, you know that Harry thinks about you a lot? And you think about him as well. Do you love him?" Angel asked. This caught me off guard, and I said, "Love him? I love him as a friend, Angel. Nothing more. Were friends. Now, go back to Mrs Weasley, and if Gazzy blows anything up, I want you to write me a letter." She nodded, and ran over to Mrs Weasley and took her hand. Gazzy took her other hand, and I turned around and pulled my things onto the train.

Angel really needed to stop reading everyone's minds...

Mr Weasley was still talking to Harry, and when I looked at the clock, there was only two minutes to spare. Mrs Weasley was shouting at them to hurry up, and knowing that they wouldn't, I went back to the platform and got Hedwig's cage and Harry's trunk and put them next to mine.

When the bell sounded, and the train actually started moving, Harry ran over to me, and jumped onto the train. We waved and waved to Mr and Mrs Weasley as the train moved away and away, and when we couldn't see them anymore, we picked up our trunks and whatever else we had, and went to find a compartment.

Me, Hermione, Fang, Harry, Ron and Iggy walked down the corridors of the train for a long time, trying to find an empty one. All of them were packed. The twins were sitting with they're friend, Lee Jordon, Ginny was with her friends and Nudge was already with other first-years, and there was no where for us to go.

Finally, we found an empty one at the very end of the train. There was only one person there, but he seemed to be asleep, and whoever he was, he wasn't a student, but a grown man. Hermione eased the door open slowly, and put her trunk onto the luggage rack without making much noise. I did the same, then sat beside her by the window, across from the man who was asleep.

The stranger was wearing extremely shabby looking robes, and he looked very ill. Maybe the sleep would be good for him. "Who do you think he is?" Iggy asked. "Professor R.J Lupin," Hermione said smartly. We all stared at her.

"I know your good Hermione," I said, "But no one is that good." There were snickers around the compartment, and Hermione rolled her eyes, something she probably learned from me. "It says it on his case!" she said, pointing at the luggage rack over his head. And, there it was, written on the trunk that looked like it was only just hanging on.

"Wonder what he's going to teach," Ron wondered. "Kinda obvious," Fang said. "Defense Against the Dark Arts. Only post open." That was Fang. A man of many words.

We've already had two teachers for that subject, one of them was the person who killed Jeb. "Hope he's good," Iggy muttered. "Looks like one curse will finish him."

"What did you want to tell us, Harry?" Ron asked.

Slowly, with the odd comment from me, he explained about everything that happened last night. Then, he told us what Mr Weasley had just told him. He told Harry about Black being after him, and that Harry shouldn't go after Black, no matter what he heard. When he was finished, Fang was looking pale, Iggy looekd scared, Ron looked green, and Hermione was covering her mouth with her hands, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry. You need to be careful! Don't go looking for trouble!" Hermione cried.

"I don't look for trouble. Trouble usually finds me," Harry said, smiling darkly. "They'll catch Black though," I said, confidence in my voice even if I didn't feel any. "Even Muggle's are looking for him."

"What's that noise?" Fang suddenly said, looking around. There was a small, whistling sound coming from somewhere in the compartment. "It's coming from your trunk, Harry," I said, looking at the trunk over his head. He stood up, and pulled down his trunk and opened it. He looked around in it, before pulling out some horrible socks. "Nice socks," I smiled. He ignored me, and dug his hand into the socks, and pulled out the Sneakoscope Ron gave him for his birthday.

Hermione pulled the Sneakoscope from Harry's hands, and said, "Does this really work?"

"Doubt it," Ron said. "It was a cheap one, and started going haywire when I was tying it to Errol's leg." Hermione frowned, turning it around in her fingers. "Were you doing anything wrong at the time?" Ron looked at her, then said, "Well, I wasn't meant to be using Errol. Not meant to use him for really long journeys."

"But it back in the trunk, or it will wake him up," Harry said. Hermione threw it in, and then Harry put it back.

"Looking forward to going to Hogsmeade?" Iggy asked. We all nodded, except Harry. "What's wrong Harry? You don't want to go?" Harry shook his head. "Oh, no, I do. But I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"My uncle didn't sign the form. And neither did Fudge," he said, sounding deeply depressed. "Couldn't McGonagall sign it?" Fang asked, looking sad for his friend. "How could she? She's not my parent, or guardian," Harry said.

"That would be awkward..." Iggy said, a faraway look on his face. Hermione started undoing the straps on the basket Crookshanks was in, and Ron yelled, "No! Don't let it out!" It was too late, though. Crookshanks went from the basket, and straight onto Ron's lap.

He shoved Crookshanks away, and I saw the lump in Ron's pocket tremble. "Ron, don't!" Hermione squealed angrily. Ron's retort came short when Professor Lupin stirred slightly. We watched him, but he went back to sleep.

The train went on, and the sky outside slowly started turning dark as the rain started battering against the windows. There were students running up and down the corridor, and around one o'clock, the dumpy old witch with the food cart wheeled past, and asked, "Anything from the trolleys?"

While Iggy and Ron ran up to buy food, I asked, "Should we wake him up?" nodded towards Professor Lupin. Hermione nodded, and pushed me closer to him.

"Er, sir? Professor? Lupin!" I said, trying to wake him up. But he wouldn't move. "That's alright, dear. If he's hungry when he wakes up, I'll be up the front." She handed the sweets to Ron and Iggy, and when we said we didn't want anything, she moved on.

Having a new teacher in our compartment did have an advantage. Around three o'clock the door opened and in came three people. Three, very annoying people that I wanted to throw out the window.

It was Draco Malfoy and his two troll-like bodyguards, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Even they're names were stupid (not offending Jk saying that, its just Max saying that they're so stupid, they even have stupid names.)

Malfoy was as pale and as blond as he was last time I had the horrible luck of seeing him. And Crabbe and Goyle were as big and as stupid looking as ever. "Is there a reason your here?" I said coolly, standing up and glaring at Malfoy.

"Calm down, Ride. Only came to ask Weasel if his mother died of shock when his father actually came back with some money," he said, an evil twink in his grey eyes.

Ron burst out of his seat, and went to tackle Malfoy, but Fang and Harry grabbed his arms. Before Malfoy could say anything else, Lupin gave a snort from his seat, and moved his head slightly. "Who's he?" Malfoy asked, his voice higher then usually. "New teacher," Iggy said, venom in his voice. "You don't want to wake him up."

"So, what were you saying about our family?" I asked, indicating to me, Fang, Iggy and Ron. The words sounded right in my mouth, and Ron gave me a weird look- not bad weird, but good weird. Malfoy's cold eyes narrowed, and he looked once again at Lupin, then he turned around and grabbed Crabbe and Goyle's elbows and shoved them into the corridor, and closed the door behind them again.

"Malfoy would never do anything under a teacher's nose. He's stupid, but not that stupid," Fang said. I was staring at Lupin, then I voiced what I was thinking. "Reckon he's actually asleep? I mean, he was completely quiet, then Malfoy came in and he made a noise, and he scampers!"

"He is asleep, Max. Non one could sit that still for that long unless they were asleep," Hermione said in a matter-of-fact voice. I rolled my eyes.

Ron was sitting by the door, massaging his knuckles and he growled, "I'm not going to take any of Malfoy's crap this year." I've never heard him sound so dangerous. "I mean it. If he insults my family one more time, I'm going to hit him. Max did twice, why can't I?"

That was true. I have had the pleasure of punching him twice, and both were great times. Ron continued making violent gestures in the air, and only stopped when Hermione said, "Ron! Stop!" she gestured to Lupin, but there was nothing to worry about. Lupin was fast asleep.

The rain only got worse as the train moved on and on. It was pitch dark outside now, looking the same color as Fang's eyes.

"We have to be nearly there at this stage!" Iggy whined after his stomach grumbled for the fifth time in the space of ten minutes. Only after the words left his mouth did the train start slowing down. "Ah brilliant! I seeing the future! Good thing I'm doing Divination!" Iggy said, going to stand up, but suddenly, all the lights went out in the compartment.

"You see that happening, Ig?" I said. "Er, no," he replied. "Whats going on?" Ron asked, sounding a bit afraid.

"Dunno...Maybe we've broken down?" I mused. Ron started rubbing on the window, trying to look out of it, then said, "I think I can see something...There are people coming aboard."

With our enhanced senses, me, Fang and Iggy were able to see better then the others, but not that well. My mind wandered to Nudge and the other first-years, and I wondered what they were feeling about all this happening on they're first time to Hogwarts.

The door opened, and someone fell onto the ground. "Oh, sorry! Do you guys know what's going on?" It was Neville Longbottom, our fellow Gryffindor third-year. "No idea. Come on, sit here," I said, reaching down and grabbing Neville's hand. He sat on the space beside me, and we heard the door opening again.

"Max? Fang? Ig? Are you here?" It was Nudge. I stood up, and went over to her. I took her hand, and said, "Its alright. We probably just broke down." Nudge sat in my vacant seat, and I stayed standing. "I'll go ask the driver what's happening," came Hermione's voice, and I moved out of her way. She slide the door open, then she squealed in pain, and there was another squeal too.

"Who's that?"

"Who's that?"

"Hermione?"

"Ginny?"

"Oh my Merlin, come in and sit down!" I snapped.

"Not there! I'm sitting here!" Fang snapped.

"And I'm here!"

"Here, there's some space here."

"Ouch!"

"Oh, sorry, Iggy. I guess there wasn't space there."

"Shut it!" came a hoarse voice from the corner. Professor Lupin had finally woken up, and he sounded annoyed. None of us said anything, and finally Lupin and a light filled the small compartment filled with people. His tired eyes wavered over us all, and I noticed that his eyes widened when he saw me, and they stayed on me longer then anyone else.

"All of you, stay here," he said in a tired voice, and started making his way towards the door, eyes flashing in my direction every once in a while. But before he could reach the door, the door opened. I was expecting it to be another one of our friends, and I was getting ready to tell them to leave, but what was at the door made my blood go cold.

Illuminated by the light from Lupin's wand was a cloaked figure, floating slightly off the ground, it's face covered completely by it's hood. My eye's went downward, and I barely held in a gasp when I was it's scabbed, dead looking hands coming out of the end of the sleeve. That was when the thing under the cloak took a deep, shuddering breath that sent shivers down my spine. I got the feeling it was trying to get more then air from the surroundings.

An intense cold swept over me, and I felt like I had been dumped into an ice bucket, and I was finding it difficult to breath. It felt like the cold was in my body, in my chest, in my very heart...

I felt my eyes drifting closed, and a weightlessness coming over my body. I was drowning in this cold, and I didn't know what to do. I heard air rushing past my ears, and then a scream of a little girl, a terrible scream of agony...I needed to get up, and help that little girl...she sounded like she was in a lot of pain...if only the cold would go away...

"Max! Max! Open your bloody eyes, Max!" someone was shouting, slapping my face. I blinked a few times before my eyes would open properly, and saw Iggy bent over me, hand ready to slap me again. "Don't even think about it," I growled dangerously, and Iggy's hand dropped.

The lights were back on, and the floor was vibrating under me. The Hogwarts Express was moving again. I sat up, and looked around. Iggy was kneeling beside me, Fang was sitting behind me, Professor Lupin was standing by the door, and Ron, Hermione, Nudge, Neville and Ginny were sitting in the seats, looking pale and scared. And Harry was still lying on the floor beside me, unconscious, looking pale.

Iggy moved from me to Harry, and started slapping his face, saying, "Harry! Mate, wake up!"

"Max, are you okay?" Ginny asked. I nodded, and that was when Harry decided to rejoin the land of the living. "You alright, mate?" Iggy asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Who was screaming?" I stared at him. "You heard it too?" I asked. Harry nodded, "Yeah, I heard a woman screaming." he said, "You heard it as well?"

"I heard screaming, but it was a little girl, not a woman," I said, ignoring the looks we were getting. "No one was screaming guys," Fang said. "But I heard-" me and Harry said, and stopped when there was a loud crack from the door. I turned my head. Lupin was breaking up pieces of chocolate from a huge chocolate bar. When he handed me my piece, I raised my eyebrows, and said, "Always carry this much chocolate with you?"

He laughed, and he looked at my face for a long time, before he handed out chocolate to everyone else. "Eat it," he said, "It will help."

"What was that thing?" I asked. "That was a Dementor," he said darkly. "One of the guards of Azkaban."

We all stared at him, and he stuffed the empty chocolate wrapper into his pocket. "Eat," he said. "I haven't poisoned it. Trust me, it will help. Now, if you excuse me, I have to have a word with the driver." He went passed us and out the door.

"Are you sure you guys are alright?" Nudge asked. Bless her heart, she kept it short. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "Same," Harry said. "I don't get it though," he continued. "What happened?"

"Um, well, the Dementor, just stood there and looked...well, you know what I mean..at you and Max and...and..." Hermione didn't seem able to finish. "I thought you were having a fit or something. It was kinda scary..." Iggy finished for her. "So- so no one else...passed out?" I asked. They all shook they're heads, but Fang said, "Me, Iggy and Nudge nearly did, but it was you and Harry."

"Where did it go?" I asked, looking around the compartment, as if expecting the Dementor to be hiding in the luggage rack. "Professor Lupin stepped over you both, and raised his wand, and told the Dementor that we didn't have Sirius Black under our clocks, but it didn't move, and you two were still twitching, then Lupin muttered something, and a bright light came from his wand and the Dementor left," Nudge explained, loving an excuse for talking.

"It was terrible," Neville whimpered, sounding close to tears. "Felt like I'd never be happy again."

I was shaking a bit, and felt weak. Fang gave me his robes, and I took it gratefully. I knew one thing.

I never wanted to be close to a Dementor ever again.

Hey, I know the ending was bad and rushed, but it's really late here in Ireland, and this chapter has more then 4399 words, so I thought that was a bit too much. New chapter should be up within the week, but if its not, it won't be that long until it is.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

-Rach ;)