AN: I am so sorry that it's taken this long! Please forgive me! I have been so busy, and had badbadbad writers block. So yes, my apologies, and thankyou so much to all my faithful reviewers, favourite story-ers and favourite authour-ers as well.

Icecream and cookies and anything you want for everyone who so much as READS this, as my humble apology ...

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Harry Potter series ... Caliga, Amy, Spark, and the twists on the plot are all I have.

Chapter Three

I spent the rest of the trip in the Slytherin compartment with Draco and Blaise, staring out the window at the wet and slowly darkening scenery. The rest of the trip passed that way; Draco and Blaise joking to each other, and me staring silently out the window. Well, most of the trip. When we must've been nearly there, the train started slowing. Blaise looked at his watch, then looked around at us.

"We can't be there yet." He said, just as the train came to a jolting stop. A few thuds indicated that luggage had not taken it well. Draco looked around at us, before standing to look out the door to see what was happening. Before he was even out of hus seat, all the lamps went out, and we were dropped into darkness. I heard him drop back into his seat, no longer being able to see anything. We had a moment of conversation, speculating what was happening. Broken down? Something on the tracks? Missing tracks?

Before we could come to a conclusion, the door slid open, and we all turned our heads to look at the thing in the doorway. All we could see was a deeper blackness, as if whatever it was drew in what light we had left. Then it drew in a rattling breath, and then the warmth disappeared too. Cold stole over us, settling like a blanket. The cold went further than skin deep, right into our bones, right into my heart. Memories of living cold and hungry on the streets of Little Hangleton rose, followed by the painful memories of being tortured by the Dark Lord, and Mr. Malfoy. Of having to watch as Professor Quirrel taunted my brother, leaving him to the faint grasp of the same Dark Lord. And then memories of a flash of green light, and Mr. Bryce dropping to the floor, eyes wide and staring, dropping to the floor dead. And then an image I had only seen in dreams, always forgotten the next morning, of the same green light, and voices, a woman screaming ...

I sat in a half stupor, cold, cold images flickering through my brain for so long, how long I never knew. I never fainted, I never moved. Apparently, I looked as if I was asleep, but for the fact that my eyes were open, staring unblinkingly at whatever had stood in the doorway. Whatever had brought the cold. Whatever had bought those memories.

Draco was kneeling infront of me, watching me with concern, hands held behind his back. I wondered for a moment, before I saw Spark on my lap, hissing furiously at him, daring him to touch me. I grinned shakily, picking up the errant dragon-lizard and putting him on the seat next to me, though a moment later he was back on my shoulder.

Looking around, I noticed that we were moving again, the lights back on, swaying gently in the movement.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked worriedly, still keeping his distance. I grinned shakily again.

"Perfectly fine." I lied. "What was that?"

He shrugged. "Blaise has gone to find out ... but, it was it was horrible." He shivered, and I almost reached out for him, until I remembered Spark.

'You okay too?' I asked him silently.

'Perfectly fine, you know. Thanks for remembering me.' He hissed sarcastically. I winced, and shook my shoulder reproachfully.

'I didn't forget you, I was preoccupied. And do you know what that thing was?'

"It was a dementor." Blaise answered my unheard question. I started, and saw him sliding down into his seat. I relaxed ... he hadn't read my mind!

'Ooh, ooh! I know,' Spark said, still sarcastically. 'It was a dementor!'

I turned and stuck my tongue out at him, which he tried to bite, only just missing. Note to self: don't do that again.

"What's a dementor?" I asked the boys in the compartment. Draco looked somber, sitting back on his seat next to Blaise.

"Dementors are the guards of the wizard prison, Azkaban." Draco informed us.

"There's a wizard prison?" I asked blankly. I knew there would've been-you can't expect to keep a wizard in a human prison-but it surprised me, finding out like this.

"Yep. And those dementor things are the guards for it."

"Why are they here then? Not at the prison?" I asked.

"They're looking for Sirius Black."

We reached the Hogsmeade station without any other mishaps, hurrying up to the carriages, out of the soaking rain. I managed to slip away from the Slytherins, back to my friends, steppping into their carriage dripping wet. It was a quiet ride up to the castle.

Harry and Hermione were called away by Professor McGonagall as we walked through the Entrance Hall, leaving Ron and I to save them seats at the Gryffindor table. They missed the Sorting, and came in during the feast. We waved them over.

"What'd she want with you two?" I asked them, heading off Ron who was frowning at my empty plate.

"Oh, nothing much!" Hermione replied, grabbing potatoes. "Madam Pomfrey was there, to see if Harry was okay."

Harry muttered to himself, obviously annoyed. I noticed Hermione hadn't said what she was there for, but I let it slip.

"What?" I asked, turning to face Harry. "What happened?"

"He passed out." Ron said, grabbing more food. Harry shot him a filthy look.

"When!" I had obviously missed quite a bit while I was in the Slytherin compartment.

"When the dementor came." Hermione answered, opening her mouth to continue. She shut it quickly, though, with the look on Harry's face. That was all the information I got from them.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully: everyone eating their full, and stumbling up to their common rooms. I went straight to the dorm, collapsing into bed, asleep almost instantly.

I was back at Hogwarts.