Chapter six: Dementor's attack
Renee literally ran herself out of professor Trelawney's office after long hours of lecture in defining dreams. The daft divination professor was very enthusiastic about the talk about her area of expertise that the poor student's butt was already aching from sitting up. If I didn't told her that I need to go to professor's Snape's office for the detention, we would probably end up until the next morning.
She stopped running when she reached the potion's lab's door, took a deep breath and knocked at the door.
"Enter" The usual quiet voice said. Renee entered the room and became aware that he wasn't alone.
"Headmaster" She recognized the silver robe he was wearing, he looked at her in his half moon glasses and smiled.
"Miss Matte, ah there you are" he nodded at Renee in acknowledgement.
"Is there something wrong?" She looked back and forth to the two professors in the room; Professor Snape looking grumpy (as usual), leaning his back on the table, and the headmaster smiling back at her.
"No, no, nothing's wrong" he denied. Renee looked at professor Snape, with his usual expressionless face. Headmaster gazed at the dirty cauldrons on the sink, looked at the only student on the room and smiled.
"I remember I used to clean those cauldrons when I got a detention in putting fire on those curtains on our dorm" he recalled, feeling the cauldrons on his hand.
"But well of course they don't have the evidence that I'm the one who put fire on it." He chuckled and looked at her. Renee smiled at his revelation, those curtains in the Gryffindor dorm wasn't looked nice to her eyes also. She gazed at the potion's master and saw a hint of softness in his eyes.
"It's nice to see you Miss Matte" Snape and Renee both eyed their headmaster as he reached for the door.
"It's nice to see you too headmaster" Renee smiled at him and he nodded before closing the door behind him.
Silence filled the room again. She shifted her weight one foot on the other and eyed the potion's master getting ingredients on the potions cupboard.
"Err…sir…I'm I going to clean the cauldrons?" Snape looked back at her with an eyebrow raised. He took some ingredients out of the cupboard and placed it on the lab table.
"You're going to help me brew skelo-grow potions for the infirmary" he finally replied after long silence.
"Eh?"
"Do I need to repeat myself? I said you're going to help me brew skelo-grow for the infirmary or your pea size brain can't process it?" he sneered at the student, irritated.
"No sir…I mean..."
"Do you want to go back in cleaning the cauldrons again?"
"I'll help you with that sir!" Renee sounded like a kindergarten that just gave a candy as a reward.
It's like I've given a reward instead of having punishment in detention, she happily thought as she dragged her bag in the lab table excitedly that the contents dropped on the table. Groaning, Renee gathered her things and shoved it in the bag.
"I see that you already saw professor Trelawney" Snape picked a book from her things, raising one eyebrow.
"Yes I've seen that old ha… I mean professor Trelawney before I went here. She explained about the dreams and promised me that she will tell me more about it" It's more like she was dragging about I should go to her office again for more information, she gritted her teeth on irritation.
"I see" I swear I saw a small smirk on his face!
Snape dropped the book and continued his work.
He did that on purpose! He knows how Trelawney so enthusiastic when it comes to that, ugh.
Renee helped him slicing, grinding and even stirring. She couldn't help but noticed how he really changed when it comes to potions. She could come up to a few questions about the subject and answer her back properly (if you ignore the insults). Even the silence between them was comfortable for her. Renee concentrated on assisting him.
It makes me not think about my worries about the school, the dream and my mum.
They finished brewing like eating a piece of cake and Renee didn't even notice that two hours had passed, unlike when she was cleaning the cauldrons. She finally realized that she was herself while brewing.
It's like home.
Renee stretched her arms tiredly on the sofa after long hours in detention. She gazed warily at the untouched books and parchments around her and signed. She hasn't done her essays for the DADA and transfiguration class.
It's been a long day for me today.
Renee picked one parchment and a quill and write for her Mother. It's been a month since she was been here that she still hasn't written a single letter at her.
She will surely kill me, Renee thought as she began to write her letter.
Mum,
How are you and Toby doing there? Sorry if I haven't get touch with you, though you already told me to write often. I've been sorted in Gryffindor you know. They said that the ancestry's house affects the sorting hat's decision, what's your house when you are still here?
Hope you take care of yourself. I'm fine here really, though it could be better if I've stayed there
.
Write soon, I miss you.
Yours,
Renee.
Renee rolled the parchment and headed to the Owlery. She attached her letter to one owl and gave her address and watched the owl as he flied away. Renee signed happily to think her mother will be delighted to read her letter,
Or even furious because of not writing sooner, she snorted to herself as skipped all the way to the corridors.
Renee started her way to the great hall when a soft sound caught her attention. It was like a cloth passing on the floor. She looked around to see if someone was here with her. She saw no one, and then she heard the soft sound again. Renee picked her wand and pointed it in the air and she walked consciously.
I hope that it was just peeves fooling around, she thought loudly as she could hear her fast beating heart. Something was odd on the corridors, she was sure of it.
Renee looked around and decided that she was just hallucinating again. Maybe it's the effect of dreamless potion?, she finally concluded.
She almost reached the great hall when the trio ran to her
"Were have you been? We've been looking for you!" Hermione looked worried about Renee.
"I just went to the Owlery. Why?"
"One Dementor just almost attacks one student! We were sent back to the common room, professor Dumbledore is really furious!" Renee could hear her heart pounding as they started to run to the common room.
The four Gryffindors reached the common room soon enough panting. They scrambled to the sofa, exhausted. Renee looked at harry, deep in thought again.
A student was attack by a Dementor? How could this be?
"Why would a Dementor attack a student? And why is that creature inside the castle anyway?" Hermione muttered under her breath.
"I saw one on the Owlery" Renee confessed, everyone looked at her in shocked.
"Did it…"
"No, but I thought I was just hallucinating"
"I never had seen Dumbledore so furious in my life here. He was so furious to the ministry" Ron shook his head, as if shoving the memory out of his head.
Professor McGonagall entered the common room that made the room quiet. She looked so pale and worried. She was holding a parchment on one hand and read it to them.
"Announcement: no students allowed going out of the common rooms tonight. This order will be up until all dementors are chase out of the castle"
"How's Cho, professor?" Harry suddenly asked and Renee can't help but saw a flicker of worry in his eyes.
"She is fine, Mr. Potter. She is resting on the infirmary at the moment. Now please don't wander on the corridors tonight, especially you Weasley twins. Or you will be losing all your house points you gained in Quidditch game" she warned before exited the room.
Renee watched Harry pacing back and forth. They had already finished eating dinner, which were delivered by house elves (in Hermione's dismay). The three sat on near the fireplace, Hermione teaching Ron on charms and Renee was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees.
"I'm really getting dizzy to you now Harry. Could you settle on one place only? Cho will be fine." Hermione looked up on the book.
But Harry doesn't even hear her. He still paced back and forth; he would stop for a while, and then start pacing again. He would look at the fireplace, as if waiting for something to come out from it.
"Renee, I would like you to meet someone. But please promise me you wont tell a soul about it" he whispered when all of the students were already on bed; She looked at the trio and could feel the seriousness of the atmosphere.
"Okay" Renee nodded in agreement.
"Promise me"
"I promise. Do you want me to do the unbreakable vow?" said Renee sarcastically.
I wonder who I will be meeting with.
Renee could sense even Hermione become tense, she stop tutoring Ron; while Ron chew the end of his quill nervously.
"Harry" a distant voice made Renee jumped and looked around to see. Everyone stooped and looked at the fireplace.
She looked at the direction they were looking at. A face of a man appeared on the fire! He has long curly locks of hair, a worried face looking at the place. He looked at her and surprised as much as she do.
"She's Renee Ann Matte I was talking about. She just transferred here." the man on the fire looked at harry warily and then looked at her and made a smile.
"I didn't know that transferring is allowed at Hogwarts" he said quietly, still looking at Renee.
"I'm home schooled" She explained at the man they called Sirius. He looked more surprised, like he knew something the four don't know. He looked at Harry again, worried.
"I see. Harry you owled me with Hedwig again last time. I've told you…"
"There are Dementors on the school ground again Sirius. And I think they were looking for something… or someone and I think that is also connected to the dream" He explained the attack of the Dementor and his dream.
"The best you could do is staying safe all the times, stick together. Never go alone, go with pairs all the time. Dumbledore will be chasing out those dementors on the castle, have faith with him"
"How about you Sirius? You need to be careful also. They said Dementors were running on the streets since those two prisoners escaped…"
"Don't worry about me; I've already got a safer place than the cave. Now don't go wandering on the corridors while they didn't tell that it's already safe, did you hear me?" he looked at him and Harry nodded, like a father scolding his son.
"Owl me again if something happened again, but please don't used Hedwig again. Now please be careful, and be watchful at all times"
"When I could see you again?" Harry looked hopeful; he's like a lost child.
"We will see Harry, many things are happening these days. I can't promise anything. But I will do my best to meet you again." he said before he disappeared in the fire, leaving crumbs of fire and ashes.
No one speak for a long time. Renee looked at Harry, he seemed to be worried more than he is worried about Cho earlier; or this meeting that making him worried all along? Renee really can't tell.
"I will never be customized to the way wizards communicate" She broke the silence, looked at harry and gave him a small smile.
"You'll get used to it"
It took Renee a while before she realized that the person they had talked to is Sirius Black, the prisoner who escaped four years ago. Hermione explained about his innocence and being his godfather to Harry, which she accepted her explanation and promised to tell no one about it.
Morning classes were suspended because of the clearing of the castle (in Hermione's disappointment). The four stayed at the common room, read books; played chess with Ron whom she had lost for five times straight and even fooled around with Fred and George. House elves delivered our meals and a note from professor McGonagall that students can now precede to their afternoon classes.
Lunch at the great hall was really quite; even the professors were looking grumpy (the usual face for professor Snape) that even Dumbledore's signature eye twinkling was gone today. Renee thought the professors didn't sleep a wink because of the clearing.
After that incident, they didn't saw a single Dementor again.
