Chapter Four- Cloud Nine
Grace, Fred and George made their way down the Hogwarts Express, looking through the glass windows on the doors to compartments until they heard Lee's loud voice echoing down the corridor, followed by the laughs of the girls who were no doubt clinging on to every word. They walked towards the source of his voice, ending up at the door of a compartment where the rest of the Gryffindor fifth years sat.
In the middle of one side of the seats sat Lee; his dreadlocks even longer than Grace remembered, with Ciara lounging on his lap while he animatedly told of Quidditch adventures that summer. Around him, sprawled out as leisurely as possible, were Miranda, Trina, Hannah and Lara. Jesse looked on from a window seat in the corner, casually watching over the entertainment with an air of amusement.
"Hey now Lee, are you stealing our thunder?" Fred questioned from the door.
"Someone's got to make people laugh when you're not around," Lee admitted, raising his arms.
"Fred! George!" Trina squealed. She leapt up from her seat, crushing the twins' in a gripping bear-hug.
"Lee, you shouldn't tell them they're funny," Grace said, hauling her trunk onto the racks above their heads and taking the space beside Jesse who acknowledged her with a smile and nod. "It only feeds their ego."
"Oh, of course, I forgot," Lee said, smacking his forehead and grinning at Grace. "Nice to see you, Grace."
"As hilarious as you all are, I have to go to the Prefects' meeting," Lara said. She struggled to disentangle herself from knot of limbs and clothes that she, Hannah and Trina had created and duck under the trunks Fred and George were putting away.
"Hang on, if the rest of the Gryffindors are right here, who's the boy prefect?" Hannah asked.
"Kenneth Towler," Lara stated, scowling deeply. "Sorry but the sooner I get there the sooner I can leave."
She turned and left the compartment, her long brown hair flipping over her shoulder, as Fred and George flopped down on either side of Ciara and Lee.
"Poor Lara," Miranda said. "I'd hate to spend too much time with that snobby prat. He just gets on my nerves."
"You're saying that to the people who share a room with him," George pointed out. "I have no idea why he wasn't put in Ravenclaw."
"Probably coz he isn't as smart as he thinks he is," Fred guessed. "I'd love to put some Bulbadox powder in his clothes personally."
"For once, I think I might help," Jesse said. Although Jesse was great friends with Lee, Fred and George he rarely got involved in troublemaking; preferring to watch on from the sidelines and only get involved if it meant pranking Slytherins. "Do you know how many times he's yelled at me for leaving a sock in the bathroom?"
"I think he lost his voice shouting at Fred and George once," Lee reminisced. "I think I died from trying not to laugh."
"Not our fault his Charms homework was nearby when we were experimenting," George shrugged.
"He was a bit scary though," Fred added. "He may have foamed at the mouth a bit."
"Lara's kind of lucky though. The prefects' bathrooms are like some sort of palace," Trina sighed wistfully.
"How exactly would you know?" Grace questioned.
"Oliver can go in there. He showed me once," Trina replied matter-of-factly.
"Oliver took you to the bathroom for a date?" Miranda confirmed. Everyone was staring at Trina now, who thought she had said the most normal thing in the world.
"Yeah, the bath there is like a swimming pool. We stayed there for ages," Trina explained. It didn't make anyone look away. "What? Did you expect us to swim with the giant squid in the black lake?"
Grace grinned, letting chuckles fall from her mouth at the image of Trina, dressed in a spotted red and white bikini, swimming in circles around the squid. Miranda and Ciara took one look at Trina's appalled face before they too started laughing. She was still trying to protest how great the prefects' bathroom was. It wasn't too long until the whole compartment, bar Trina, was in hysterics.
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At one 'o' clock, when the Hogwarts Express had travelled much further north, the food trolley came rattling down the corridor, pushed by the familiar jolly witch as always. It wasn't long until she arrived at the door of their compartment with a huge smile.
"Anything from the trolley dears?"
"Three chocolate frogs and some pumpkin pasties please," Grace requested. She looked around the room, wondering if she should do anything. "Would Lara want something to eat?"
"Just get her some pasties," Trina shrugged.
Grace collected her food, and Lara's, taking a bite out of her pumpkin pasties on her way back to her seat. Everyone else either produced their own home-packed lunches or bought sweets from the trolley. The lady was just beginning to push the trolley away when Oliver Wood appeared behind her.
"Can I sit down?"
"Ollie!" Trina squealed, forgetting the conversation she was previously having with Hannah. She ran to her feet, stopped right in front of Oliver and placed her hands around his neck. "I've missed you so much! Summer wasn't as good without you."
"It looks like summer was good to you," Oliver replied, his hands gently pulling Trina closer to him by her waist. "I can't believe I went that long without seeing your beautiful face." His head ducked down to brush her lips with his own softly. "I love you, Trina."
"None of that stuff in here!" Fred objected when Trina's murmured reply slipped from her mouth.
"Yeah, we're all heartless wretches," George nodded.
"Speak for yourself," Grace protested.
Trina rolled her eyes at the lot of them, her arms still hanging around Oliver's neck loosely. Together they somehow moved back to Trina's seat, stumbling over each other's limbs, until Oliver collapsed down with Trina sprawled on top of him.
"Were we that bad this morning?" Ciara wondered aloud, swivelling in Lee's lap to look him in the face. "I kinda of hope we weren't."
"Nah," Lee denied. "Both of your mums would have had a fit if I kissed you like I wanted to."
The rest of the Gryffindor's were saved from anymore cheesy romantic talk, making them feel either disgusted or lonely; when Lara slid open the door. She didn't even spare Oliver a glance before finding her seat and letting her head rest back, her eyes closed tight.
"That bad, huh?" Hannah asked.
"You have no idea," Lara groaned, banging her head. "The meeting was relatively short, even with Percy running things. I don't even get how he's related to you." Lara looked pointedly at Fred and George, who grinned in agreement. "Apart from the hair, you guys are nothing alike! Then once he'd finished being a pompous prat, I had to do patrols along the train with Kenneth. One more minute of that guy talking about his OWL studying routine and I could've slapped him!"
"Just have a pumpkin pasty," Grace laughed, shoving one into Lara's hands.
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It was early evening when the lanterns outside their compartment flickered on, illuminating the rain pouring heavily outside; each water droplet dripping its way down the glass of the windows. The wind roared outside, like there was an animal ready to pounce. Grace was glad she could be sheltered inside the train. The moment the rain had increased in volume, it wasn't just the couples who were cuddling. Even Fred and George had slowed the jokes down.
"I reckon we've only got about another hour to go," Hannah guessed, looking at her delicate wrist watch.
Only a second later, the train rattled to a slow, slow stop. Hannah frowned down at her watch, tapping the front a few times.
"We can't be there yet," she muttered, standing up and opening the door next to her. She wasn't the only one sticking their head out of their compartment to see what was going on.
The train came to a sudden stop, lurching Hannah back into her seat. The lamps lining the corridor and compartment went out as if the wind had been let in. They were in total darkness.
"What the hell is going on?" Ciara said, getting to her feet and joined by Grace.
"I think I can hear something out there," Grace said. "Why would somebody be coming aboard?"
Load, running footsteps sounded in the corridor. There was a squeak and then the door flew open.
"Lumos!" Ciara and Grace said together.
The light of their wands revealed Draco Malfoy who had tripped over his robes in his terrified haste to get away from whatever was out there. His usual cocky demeanour was gone, replaced by unadulterated fear. A whimper escaped his throat at an odd, whispering sound coming from outside.
Grace moved closer to the open door. A cloaked figure moved into the illumination of their wandlight. Nothing could be seen of the face under its hood.
A hand reached out from beneath the cloak, a slimy, scaly, scabbed hand; its long fingers stretching out, only inches from in front of Grace. She could barely move, frozen in fear, watching as the hand withdrew back inside the cloak. Grace took a deep breath of relief but she was wrong in thinking it was over.
The thing in front of her took a deep, rattling breath.
An instant cold washed over the compartment. It was more than just a cold though; it was deep, reaching inside Grace's lungs and chilling her insides. Her wand hand shook in front of her.
Grace wasn't sure when her wand went out. She wasn't aware of it slipping from her hand. All she could feel was an overpowering cold. It took over her senses. Her breath caught in her throat.
I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Then once you're dead and Ginny's gone, I'm going to kill your sister.
Tom Riddle's voice was the last thing Grace was aware of before sinking, falling into a fogging mist.
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"Grace, Grace, Grace!"
Grace squeezed her eyes shut tight, ignoring the voices around her until it was too much. The first thing she saw was Miranda's face in front of her own. On a second glance she found that she was surrounded by most of the compartment and every one of them was scrutinizing her face. George's arms were draped over her shoulders, pulling her close. Trina and Oliver sat in the corner, away from the crowd while Oliver comforted a crying Trina. Malfoy was gone.
"What happened?"
"That thing came in and well-" Miranda explained, clearing her throat. Her rosy cheeks had lost their colour. "You kind of . . . fainted. George caught you before you hit the ground. Then it just . . . left. You were only out for a few minutes."
"Whatever it was, I didn't like it," Jesse said, shaking his head. "Made you feel like you'd never be happy again. It was the worst feeling."
"Trina was probably the worst affected apart from you," Lara informed Grace in a low voice. "She was shaking so much and went really pale. When the thing left, she started crying. After what happened last year, I can only imagined what she was seeing."
"I think I was a dementor," Hannah said. "They guard Azkaban. They basically . . . feed on happiness. But I don't get why they were here."
"Sirius Black," Ciara stated. Her eyes went wide and she looked around the compartment wildly. "They must've been looking for him."
"Yeah, I was thinking Grace looked like a mass murderer today," George muttered. Grace chuckled softly.
"Maybe we should just get into our robes. It won't be long until we get there," Grace suggested. As soon as she stood up to reach her trunk, a wave of dizziness washed over her. Hands gripped her arms from behind, supporting her. "I'm fine," she insisted, pushing them away.
It was with great difficulty that Grace used her numb fingers to pull on her robes. Nobody spoke for the last fifteen minutes of the journey to Hogwarts. They all just sat there, ashen faced, waiting for the train to pull into Hogsmeade station. There was a great hurry to get off the train when it did finally stop. Their compartment was one of the first to get off, snatching the seats on a stagecoach pulled by invisible horses. George had his arm around Grace the entire time; almost mirroring the protective way Oliver held Trina.
It was with great relief that they walked into the Great Hall and found their seats at the Gryffindor table.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Ciara prodded for the umpteenth.
"Yes," Grace lied.
"Maybe you should just see Madam Pompfrey during the Sorting," Ciara continued.
"No," Grace declined.
"Or even just ask a teacher."
"No! I am fine and I don't really need to be babied. I feel better already."
It was true that Grace felt better since they had sat down again but there was no denying the nauseous feeling in her stomach. Although the rest of her body had started to warm up the ice cold had never disappeared from inside her heart. Still though, she wasn't going to tell Ciara that. It would just be overreacting. Besides, she'd already got enough special treatment when she fainted. She didn't want anymore.
So Grace turned to watch the sorting, ignoring the looks Ciara was giving her the entire time. It was only when Professor Dumbledore stepped up to speak that Ciara looked away.
If there was anyone who would make Grace feel better it was probably Albus Dumbledore. With his long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles and extremely crooked nose, you couldn't really help but trust him. Grace knew there was no one she'd rather have for a headmaster as she watched him beam at the students staring back at him.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you all get befuddled by our excellent feast . . . "
"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry business."
He paused, regarding the school with his deep, blue eyes.
"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises- or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the Prefects, and our new Heady Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors."
Lara, a few seats up from Grace, sat up straight in her seat and took a deep breath. She didn't look particularly happy that she might have to be near the Dementors but she was definitely serious about stopping other students going near them.
"On a happier note," Dumbledore continued; the beam back on his face. "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. Firstly, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill our post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Professor Lupin was a shabby looking wizard; his robes torn and his face scratched in numerous places. He had brown hair, falling into his face, matching brown eyes and a slim, fragile build. Grace felt her stomach lurch at the sight of him. She had no clue why. The new Professor looked so familiar to her. She had definitely seen him before; just where she had no idea of.
The applause for the new professor was generous at best. Nobody seemed particularly impressed by him except for a pale Harry and his friends who were clapping the hardest of anyone.
"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as Professor Lupin's lukewarm applause died quickly. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this job in addition to his game-keeping duties."
Grace cheered loudly, joining in on the roar the Gryffindor table was creating. Fred, George and Lee were all banging their golden goblets against the table with shouts of approval. Hagrid himself had gone beet red in the face; his smile hidden in his tangle of a beard. He deserved the position more than anyone, especially after all the work he had put in for the school.
"Well I think that's everything of importance," Dumbledore finished. "Let the feast begin!"
The golden plates before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Grace grabbed everything within reach, unaware of how hungry she was.
In the talk, laughter and clatter of cutlery against golden plates, Grace almost forgot about the Dementor attack. By the time they got to pudding she barely need to inhale the chocolate pudding to feel better.
Yet the whole time she was sitting there she couldn't shake the feeling that somebody was watching her. Every time she looked up at the staff table, Professor Lupin seemed only interested in the food before him. Grace was sure it was him though. There was something about him. Something she couldn't quite place her finger on.
When Dumbledore gave them the word to leave, the Gryffindors rushed up to their common room, said 'Fortuna Major' to the Fat Lady and fell asleep in their four-poster beds within minutes. Grace tossed and turned in her bed, not finding the same level of comfort as her roommates. It was hours later that she fell into a restless sleep, plagued by disturbing dreams of Dementors and happy chuckles echoing around in the darkness.
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