Year Three: The Prisoner of Azkaban

Werewolves teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Prisoners escaping Azkaban. Dementors patrolling the grounds at Hogwarts. This is the year of heartache and having to answer iron-clad questions. The year when everything must come clean. When Marie Rogue must own up to her true House...

Chapter Four-Dementors, All Aboard!

"For a Seeker, you aren't terribly fast on your feet, Draco," teased Marie as they dashed through King's Cross Station, the dark haired girl in the clear lead. They were currently pushing their trolleys as fast as they could to get to Platform 9 and 3/4 as the clock ticked ever closer to eleven. Draco huffed at her mockery and sped up so that he could push her out of the lead for the moment, his parents following behind them. Grey eyes stole another glance and he smirked in victory, not just from winning their little race, but from her overall attitude.

Marie had spent the last month of the summer holiday with the Malfoys at their Wiltshire estate. After the funeral and the other formalities that came with the death of a loved one and important figure, Marie was very quiet for the first week of her stay. She stayed in her room with her only consistent source of company being the Captain's owl Sebastian, who now rightfully belonged to Marie. In fact, everything belonged to Marie.

I, Teresa Catherine Andrews, leave everything in my worldly possession, power, and influence to my beloved girl, Marie Juniper Rogue.

She didn't join them for dinner, or any meal, that first week and Draco's mother wouldn't let him go investigate and bring her down himself. She insisted that he leave her be for the time being, to not interfere with her mourning process. That it was a very delicate time for the wild haired girl. The blonde heir did not approve of the method, but he simply folded his arms and did as his mother told him. He found it especially difficult to listen to his mother's words especially when he would walk past her room and press his ear to the door and hear her crying. He should have had more faith in his mother's advice because at the end of the week there was a soft knock on his own bedroom door. Marie stood before him, soft spoken and green eyes free of tears, asking sheepishly about how she might get a bite to eat.

The brick wall dividing Platforms 9 and 10 was drawing closer as they raced. Draco took the lead, vanishing through the brick rather than the Muggle concept of crashing. Taking a breath and closing her eyes out of habit, Marie dashed through the barrier as well. Noise overtook her senses as she opened her eyes, smiling at the vision of the Hogwarts Express with its scarlet smoke pluming from the engine. The excitement of returning to Hogwarts filled her entirely, a genuine smile pulling at her lips as she hurried to follow Draco with her trolley. There would be the colossal magic that is the Hogwarts castle, moving portraits, classes, and Quidditch again and Marie was so thrilled with the opportunities to immerse herself in her work again. To better her own skills and it would provide a temporary release from thinking about Tess. About her laugh. Her attitude. The nonchalance. How nothing could ever seem to hold her down-

"Marie!" Startled out of her daze, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and focused again on Draco, who had just finished dropping off his trolley. She moved quickly so to get her belongings loaded onto the train, saying goodbye to Sebastian for the time being, and dashing after Draco, her grey unzipped jacket flapping about her as she hurried.

The Hogwarts Express gave a shrill whistle and another puff of colored smoke as the clock chimed eleven o'clock. The train gave a lurch forward and Marie hurried to the window out of habit, lifting her hand to start waving and the words "I love you!" died on her lips, wave freezing in mid-motion. Green eyes scanned the crowd of parents fruitlessly, grin faltering. Right, there wasn't a Tess or Remus to see her off to school. She spotted the Malfoys and gave a polite wave to them instead, not at all the same. Not at all, she thought as her spirit fell. The ache in her heart pounded.

As the train began to pick up speed, Marie followed Draco as they began to look for a free compartment or their classmates, whichever one they found first. The hall was crowded with people as friends became reunited, first years met new people and Prefects patrolling, trying to maintain an order of sorts. Percy Weasley was trying to discipline one of the Weasley twins, shouting something similar to, "I'm Head Boy!". Marie found it odd that they had yet to run into one of their classmates, especially Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, Draco's friends that never seemed to leave his side. Not to mention that she hadn't seen Millicent Bulstrode or Pansy Parkinson either, her own friends she was typically with at most times.

"Where is everyone?" she asked, raising her voice so to be heard over the pleasant commotion of classmates being reunited. The hall was crowded with people moving about, trying to find a free compartment or simply their friends, like the Slytherins.

"Must be at the back," answered Draco with a shrug. She rolled her eyes at his very helpful answer. She could have figured as much.

"Oy! Watch it!" called someone from the front to the back. Concerned, Marie turned to look over her shoulder only to gasp and bring her hands up as a practice-Quaffle cut through the air toward her face, flying past the few people around her. She screwed her eyes and prepared for impact, unable to dive out of the way in time and too startled to prepare a proper Chaser catch. There was the sound of the ball hitting something hard and she flinched out of habit, despite not being hit. She peeked through one eye daring to open. She wasn't hit?

"Knock it off!" ordered the person, his voice solid and loud, making sure that everyone heard. "Stop screwing around and find a bloody compartment already." A grin split across her face once more as she recognized the person who had stopped the Quaffle with a single hand, the ball resting at his hip now, an irritated look on his face.

"Marcus!" she cheered. Marcus Flint, the Quidditch Captain for Slytherin, a seventh year. He was a very tall classmate and muscular in build, not to mention very intimidating if the person didn't know him. Well, then again, he could still be scary when he wanted to be, especially when Quidditch was involved. She gave a laugh, happy to see someone she knew. He looked over his shoulder and gave a sort of half smile, glancing back to toss the Quaffle back to the student.

"Hey Marie," he greeted. He folded his arms as he leaned against the frame of his own compartment where she could already hear the other boys talking, Graham Montague's voice registering to her, a fellow Chaser.

"How've you been?" To others, he may have been asking a very cut-and-dry question, but Marie knew he was referring to Captain Tess. He had been at the funeral with his family, his father the current Head of Defense. Though Marie hadn't the chance to go talk to him that day, as the protocols for the funeral of such a public figure were more demanding, taxing, and emotionally draining. He was asking how she was coping.

She gave a nod, long hair waving. "Better, thanks. How was your summer?" He gave a shrug and a sigh.

"Boring. Had Vivienne following me everywhere," he groaned. Marie gave a small laugh. So that's what his sister's name was, Vivienne. He didn't talk too much about his family all that often, and Marie privately enjoyed hearing stories between him and his little sister. It must be wonderful to be with a sibling.

"How old is she now?" she asked. He paused, trying to remember himself.

"Seven, I think?" he replied, brow heavy with doubt. He did a quick count with one hand's fingers. "Yeah, seven. Turned seven in May."

"So of course she wanted to follow you around, big brother Marcus," she teased. He gave a half smirk at her humor, amused by the third year girl. Dark eyes focused on her, noticing the subtle changes summer had brought her. She was taller for certain, and her hair was just a lively as before, still long past her shoulders and down her back. It was reassuring to see her smile, since he last saw her at the funeral where she had been crying, so clearly broken by the death of the Captain. If Professor Snape hadn't been standing beside her, he figured she would have surely dropped to the ground in tears. His father had told him not to approach her, not wanting to overwhelm her with too many people. He had to agree and stay behind with his sister and mother, who's expression she kept calm, cool, and collected. Never one to be shaken, his mother.

"You're taller," he stated. Green eyes seemed to brighten and she stood up completely straight, lifting her chin and her hands clapped together.

"I thought so too! Tess thinks I gained at least three or four inches!" she chirped, excited with her development. He raised his hand to the top of her head, giving a sort of pat. She was still beneath his shoulder in height.

"I'm afraid you're still short, Rogue," he mocked. She laughed and fixed her hair from his mussing, and pretended to glare.

"Well, I'm never going to be nearly as tall as you Mr. Flint!" she responded. She studied him for a minute. "Actually...have you gotten taller since last year? I don't feel really any taller next to you." If anything, the Quidditch Captain seemed bigger than before in height and muscle mass. Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her, due to summer holiday passing without her really seeing him. That had to be it. Though he looked mildly alarmed that she had noticed, and pointed out, his increasing size. Fortunately, he didn't have to respond due to Millie and Pansy sneaking up from behind and tackling her in a hug.

"About time-"

"-Where have you been?-"

"-Crabbe and Goyle have already eaten all of the food!-" They ambushed her with conversation, making her laugh and cover her ears to block them out. She was as tall as Parkinson now, both girls vaguely shorter than Bulstrode. Marcus smirked at their reunion.

"One at a time!" she laughed. There was the sound of his own compartment door opening and Montague poked his head out to see what was going on. The fellow Chaser saw Rogue with her friends and gave the Captain a joking shove, telling him to hurry up and get inside. Green eyes caught his and he gave a short nod as he turned to return to his compartment with his friends, the door shutting behind him.

"-Anyway, come on, we've been waiting! Thought Draco might've lost you," teased Pansy, taking her hand and leading her down the hall. Marie continued to giggle with her friends, happiness filling her insides. This was exactly what she needed, to be surrounded by friends. The chatter, the contact and the laughter made her feel ten times lighter and the ache had been subdued to a minor throb for the moment.

The compartment door slid open and Pansy came to a halt with a huff, and her free hand on her hip. Marie and Millie both bumped into her when she wouldn't move.

"And just where has Draco run off to?" she huffed. "We just found Marie!" Blaise Zabini was lounging on a seat, legs stretched out on the rest of his side. He lazily opened one eye then closed it again.

"Dunno. Wander off with Crabbe and Goyle. Probably trying to go harass Potter," he shrugged, clearly not caring.

" 'Ello Blaise," she called from around Pansy.

" 'Lo, Marie."

"Good summer?"

"Boring."

"All right then."

The train ride carried on as it usually did in its previous years. Everyone chatted about their summer adventures, the people they've seen and places they've been. There was bantering when Draco returned to their compartment, and plenty of laughter to go around. Marie was aware how everyone seemed to avoid asking her how her summer went, tiptoeing around the subject in case she would break down. It was a little odd, but she appreciate the effort they took in avoiding such a tender subject nonetheless.

Evening darkened the sky and the lanterns aboard the train came to life. No one had changed into their robes yet, assuming they had just under an hour left before they reached the castle. The screeching of the train's brakes cut through the air, interrupting their previously well humored conversation. Blaise furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Are we already there?" he asked. Marie shook her head to disagree.

"We shouldn't be." She stood up from her seat and moved so to look out the window, cupping her hands around her eyes to block out the glare. "You can't even see the forest from here. No way we're there yet."

"Maybe we've broken down?" guessed Pansy.

"Well then, it should only take a moment for it to be taken care of then," reasoned Millie. Marie's lips pressed together to form a line in thought as she tried to figure out why she just couldn't believe it was a technical problem. There was something odd, out of place about the stopping. She cupped her eyes and looked again, nose to the glass.

There were figures coming aboard.

"Someone's coming aboard the train!" she reported. The feeling in her gut was spreading throughout her, a kind of slow dripping dread that numbed the senses. There was just something wrong and she just didn't understand why.

"Why am I good at my job?" She laughed. "Well, kid, I guess it's because I follow my instincts a lot. When in doubt, listen to everything your body tells you. Sometimes you know what's going on before, well, you do."

The Captain's words echoed in her head just as the lights flickered, threatening to leave the compartment in darkness. The Slytherins looked to each other, worried now by the train's oddities. Her heart was starting to pound within her chest and she couldn't seem to calm it down.

"What's going on?" asked Pansy.

"Haven't a clue." For whatever reason, their voices were hushed, as if something was going to get them if they spoke too loudly.

Then darkness consumed the train's interior and panic took over. People were moving about, unable to decide whether to sit or stand and there was a quick exchange of arguing, concern and bickering. Even in the darkness, Marie could make out the flash of Draco's very blonde hair and she heard the compartment door slam open, allowing him to escape.

"Draco!" she called after him, dashing out into the hall. "Draco, don't run off!" She didn't hear her friends call after her as she left them behind to pursue her friend.

Her eyes were wide, trying to adjust to the darkness as quickly as possible while hurried down the hall.

"Draco?" she called down the hall. She couldn't see his figure or even catch a glimpse of his hair as she moved. Slowing down, she tried to look about but she only found darkness and could hear the distressed murmuring of the other classmates and students.

"Draco, come back here. You shouldn't go running off!" she called out, lightly chiding. There was no answer and she couldn't help but worry. She stepped over to the hall's window, the moon's light enough to lighten the black within the train. Still, she couldn't see him. Did he find another compartment perhaps? She checked over her shoulder. Had she missed him?

An odd crackling sound caught her attention and she jumped, tearing her hand away from the window as if it was fire. Green eyes watched with fascination as a layer of frost dashed across the window pane, disappearing down to the end of the train. Her breath became visible as a puff of frozen air and she was suddenly chilled to her core.

"Wh-what...what is this...?" she muttered to herself, mentally searching frantically for an answer. She flinched when a figure within the darkness became noticeably. It towered over her in height and she thought it may be floating. It was stopping at each compartment door for some reason.

"You rotten brat," he spat as she gagged, clawing at his hand. "I gave you a gracious chance to leave unscathed and you refused."

Marie screamed again and again, unable to convey the pain she was undergoing. She thrashed from side to side on the floor, clutching her head. Her blood felt like fire in her veins burning up her every inch, charring her insides. Needles stabbed in every pore; pulse pounding, resounding in her skull and ears. It was as if all of the pain was crammed inside her body but her skin was three sizes too small, too small to handle it. She kicked, curled and arched but the pain wouldn't fade. Tears burned their way into her hairline, fingers twisting and pulling black locks. She was burning, freezing, cracking, breaking, exploding, imploding all at once while her mind was being held together by threads of sanity and positivity.

Marie staggered and fell against the wall, hand slamming onto the window's cold glass. Why was her mind pulling up that memory? Her body was becoming beyond cold and she couldn't understand her suddenly lack of strength.

"Shame it has to end this way, my Marie. I truly enjoyed your company." He lifted his hand and looked down the long hall, as if expecting something to summon. Marie's heart plummeted in fear as the thought struck her as to what he could be calling to his side.

"Come to me, your master. Kill this girl and feast upon her flesh and her magical blood. Come to me," he called. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she was shaking, a coiled bundle of electrified nerves. She could practically sense the giant monster slithering toward them, hear it's massive body making its way toward them. Toward her, the next victim. What happened next, she could not explain why the sensation fell over her or why it caused her to speak out.

"You will do no such thing." Her voice was a threatening hiss, commanding attention. The slithering stopped, the Basilisk hesitated. Tom looked back at her, angered and alarmed by her words. She scared herself, not knowing how she managed to speak like Tom and like Harry. She thought she was incapable of speaking Parseltongue, only understanding?

Tom was upon her in a flicker of movement and Marie threw the first spell that came to mind, but it only phased through the boy and crashed into the nearby stone wall. Yet, his hand felt solid as he wrapped it around her neck, forcing her to still.

"You wish to be a hero? Fine," he spat. "Then you may die with the girl. I'll take your life as well, Marie Rogue. A true shame, as you could have been great."

Her fingers dug to grip the window's ledge and remain upright. What was going on? The figures were closer now and emotional pressure was building within her. Fear, sorrow, moments of weakness. As if all of her happiness was being sucked out of her very being. She couldn't think of one happy thought. She fought to keep her mouth closed, a whimper building, wanting to transfigure itself into a scream.

The hooded figure was looming over her now and her strength left her entirely, allowing her to slump to the ground, vision blurred by tears as she gazed up into its darkness. What was it? A spell? Creature? Wizard?

Remus gave a howl that hurt Marie's ears. She tried to force the door open but it wouldn't budge, Tess' magic holding it secure. Her fist pounded as she tried to get out. Her cheeks were slick with tears and she was shaking terribly, but she needed to get out. She needed to help!

"No..." she muttered. The images were sharp in her mind, so vivid they blocked out the monster before her. She didn't want to see it again. She couldn't.

Tess was a blur of motion, magic swirling about her as she charged against the frightening figure of Remus in his werewolf form. Marie could hear the sound of blood splattering against the kitchen tile as they crashed together again and again. Teeth were snapping. Marie continued to scream. Tess was slowing down. Their total images were hidden behind the counter from Marie and blurred by the pantry door slates which her fingers were gripping tightly, knees theatening to give up.

"Stop it!" she begged. "Just stop it!" The creature only approached her, as if drawn by her distress.

Marie didn't know how long she was trapped in the small pantry. Jars had shattered inside due to uncontrollable bursts of magic that were expelled from her body due to the incredible high levels of stress. Her throat was raw from her screaming as loud as she could, fists were most likely bruised from her relentless beating. She couldn't seem to quite breathe, and she couldn't get out to help Tess. She was trapped and safe. For the moment.

"STOP!" she screamed, hands covering her ears to block out the sound of her own memory shrieking at her.

Her long wavy brown hair was free from its usual tie and fell down her back, matting to the blood on her person. Dozens of claw marks were visible as they ripped her clothes, the leg of her pinstriped pants, her matching vest and white blouse. She was doused in red and dripping onto the floor as she moved. Her arm was wrapped around her middle but she couldn't hide the ragged bite marks her side bore. Marie shook the door, trying to jimmy it open. It refused to budge.

"Tess...let me-let me out...I can go get help!" she suggested. The Captain had made it to the pantry door and she waited a moment, contemplating and studying the white door that was sprinkled red from the fight. Her face had several scratches as well, her lip was split and blood dripped from her mouth, crawling down her chin.

"STOP IT!"

"Expecto Patronum!" A fog of silver light stormed the hallway and the monster was sent flying back away from her. The burst had pushed through her as well, dispersing the onslaught of memories, giving her startling clarity. There was a swirl of black robes, a shine of a Prefect badge, a splash of yellow before Marie was lifted to her feet, her weight nothing to the boy. He was breathing uneasily, the event having unnerved him as well. Her eyes were threatening to roll up into darkness and it took all of her strength to remain partially conscious, body and mind drained and fading fast.

"Well, that was the first time I've tried out that spell," he admitted, out of breath. "Not too bad, I think."

"B-brilliant," Marie confirmed, having to rely on him to hold most of her weight, legs like water. "Thank you..."

REVIEW! Oh my goodness, this chapter gave me a hard time. Had one version half-typed, hated it, deleted it, and started over. Very glad I went this route instead! A question for you readers, as this is a topic I'm constantly conflicted about, do you readers have any preferences or ideas as to who you think Marie should be paired with? She's a third year and hormones will be rising soon, and then there's the Yule Ball next year and, well, I'm getting ahead of myself again. Your thoughts on her love life would be lovely as always!

Enjoy!