A few steps away, set into a small hill, there was a small cave. Seeping into the cave was a small body of water filled with lilypads, that looked like a marsh, if it wasn't for the fact that it was frozen over. Inside the cave, beating in sequence like the innards of the cave itself, was the disgusting site: thousands and thousands of Dementors growing from the walls. Their hooded heads grew disturbingly out from the cavern walls, until one cloaked shape detached itself from the embedded rock, and with a sickening pop, it floated into the air. Sensing the six people there almost immediately, it came for them, as more Dementors dropped out of the sky to join in on the prey that had wondered into its nest.
"Go, get out of here, run!" Scott shouted to everybody as he stood up and stepped past everyone, faced the Dementors.
Natz screamed. Jemma was the first to run. James grabbed the girl and pulled her up underneath her arms, then Natz helped him by lifting her legs. Leahna helped by lifting her middle when she noticed Scott lift his wand towards the Dementors.
"Scott, what are you doing?!" she yelled at him.
"Expecto, PATRONUM!" Scott answered her with his Patronus charm. Scott hoped with all the positive emotion he could gather in his heart that this time he could cast a fully formed Patronus.
But what formed out of his wand was anything but a fully formed Patronus. There was a large silvery light, and the movement of a four-legged creature, but it shrunk back into his wand as the Dementors closed in.
Scott ran quickly backwards, then together with his friends as they fled through the trees, carrying the girl together. Scott saw Natz use her necklace again, holding it and squinting her eyes as she projected thoughts to someone.
The newborn Dementor caught up with them and flew over them, and immediately Scott could feel the happiness drain out of his body. Everyone's pace slowed, and the girl's body felt heavier. They would never make it out alive at this rate… Scott ran through the arsenal of spells in his mind, trying to think of one that could help…
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Leahna said first, pointing her wand at the girl they were carrying. Instantly the girl was lifted up on a cushion of air, directed by Leahna's wand as they ran.
"Confringo!" James yelled and shot his spell at an oncoming Dementor. The spell exploded into the Dementor, sending it flying back, only to be replaced by two more. They sped up and came for the group as they neared the tree line.
"Mobiliarbus!"Scott cried as he finally thought of a successful spell, and pointed his wand at a tree, which was ripped out of the ground by the roots with Scott's wand movement, and with a flick of his wand, sent the tree soaring upwards in front of the Dementors as they flew into it.Suddenly a silvery Patronus appeared from the horizon of the tree line, a giant gorilla that radiated light outwards towards the Dementors, driving them back effectively as they shrieked in pain. As the flock of Dementors retreated, the Patronus faded, and the group saw as they reached the treeline that the Auror who had cast it called Axley had arrived, followed by Headmaster McGonagall and Professor Rosewater.
"Weren't you kids even listening to McGonagall when she said 'not to give the Dementors any reason to attack you'?" Axley questioned curiously. Axley Higgins was a big, tall man, who had short black hair and brown eyes, and wore purple and blue Auror robes. His face looked hard and stern, like his gorilla Patronus, and because of his muscle gave the impression he was not a man to mess with.
"It's not our fault." Scott started. "We heard a scream for help, and we found this girl. She's hurt."
"Good heavens." McGonagall said the moment she saw blood, and pointed her wand at the girl's clothes. "Terego." Her blood was siphoned off. "Now dear, can you tell me what is your name?"
"Shay." The blond girl coughed.
"Alright Shay, save your strength. Axley, I must ask if I can use your assistance to help me transport this girl up to Madame Pomfrey's wing. Eda, I trust you will escort these children up to my office so I can get a full account of what transpired this evening. I'm sure that cutting their trip short of what little time they have left in Hogsmede will be of little consequence, considering the circumstances."
Half an hour later, they were all gathered in McGonagall's office. "And that's what happened." Scott explained.
"Have another biscuit." She said to everyone, pointing to the tartan tin she kept on her desk, and it was picked up and passed around as everyone helped themselves to a Ginger Newt. "Alright everyone, thank you for your time. You may leave now."
Everyone got up to leave, and as they did the door opened, and in stepped some very important-looking wizards. Scott looked in surprise as the Minister of Magic he had seen in the Prophet, Kingsley Shacklebolt, stepped into the office past them.
"Minister, I was not expecting you so early. Please do come in. These students are on their way out." McGonagall invited.
"McGonagall, I will be brief with you. I'm afraid we have no choice, to protect the students we'll have to close down the school." Shacklebolt wasted no time getting straight to the subject.
"Close down the school? Don't be ridiculous." McGonagall said defensively. "You said yourself the school could stay open if we had extra Auror protection, and the student that has been attacked is well on her way to recovery." She looked at the Scott, Leahna and the others as they had paused to listen to the conversation. "You are excused, all of you. Eda, could you please show them out?"
"Certainly, and I need to speak with the students further, if I may." Eda said, leading the confused group into the moving stairwell.
"Have any of you seen anything unusual on the map?" Rosewater said as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Uh, no." Scott said awkwardly. "Professor, this is all authorized with McGonagall, isn't it?"
"Do you think I would allow you to access books from the Restricted Area if it wasn't?" Rosewater questioned him.
"No, it's just that we didn't mention a word about it to McGonagall." Scott answered.
"As you can see with the Minister of Magic in her office, she has more important things to worry about." Rosewater explained. "Now, I'll need to see you all in my office Monday after classes. I've got something important that I need to tell all of you. But now is not the time. I'll see you then." Then Professor Rosewater turned away, walking off down the corridor.
"What does she need to see us for?" Natz wondered.
"Who knows, but it has to be important." Leahna shrugged. She turned to Scott. "I guess we'll have to practice our Patronus Charms another time?"
"Well, I'd like to show you guys what Hebel taught me properly, but you saw me out there..." Scott sighed. "We were faced with Dementors, and I couldn't even get my Patronus to form properly. I'm not good enough to teach you guys."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, mate." James said.
"You're doing better than us." Natz encouraged.
"Speak for yourself." Jemma joked. "Nah, you were okay Scott."
"We've got the rest of the day we were going to do this. Yeah let's do it." Leahna nodded.
"Hmm… yeah, okay." Scott agreed, looking away from Leahna as they started moving again past a blonde-haired man that was standing in the corridor. "But the thing is, we need a place we can do it without anyone disturbing us..."
"Looking for a place to hide away?" the tall blonde man said suddenly, and Scott looked up at him. The white-blonde man had short sleek hair parted in the middle, grey eyes and a pale pointed face. He wore black and green ministry robes that looked smart and expensive. Before anyone could answer, he spoke again, after checking they were alone.
"You know the Room of Requirement?" he looked at Leahna.
"No..." Leahna replied, studying the man carefully.
"Figures Gryffindors wouldn't know where it is. And I expected better of Ravenclaws." The man said snidely, identifying their houses by their robes. "There's a room hidden on the opposite side of that huge tapestry, you know the one of Barnabas the Barmy?" the man asked, as he looked down at them.
There was an awkward silence, and then Scott said quickly, liking this man less and less by the minute, "Yeah, we know it, the one that has him training trolls for the ballet."
"Well looks like we have a genius here." The man said sarcastically. "Yes, that one. Just walk outside that wall thinking of what you need the room to be, and it will appear."
"How do you know about it? Where you a student here?" James asked curiously.
"Yeah I was. I was in Slytherin, the best house. I hope they beat you all in Quiddich this year, but even that's not saying much." He said as he turned, looking at Kingsley Shacklebolt exit McGonagall's office. "Well, looks like he's done with the old crone. See you around, Mudbloods."
Scott frowned and clenched his fists, as the man took Leahna's hand and kissed it on her palm. "And a pleasure to meet you, Mayo. Why, if only I was a couple of years younger…" he gave her a wink.
"Who are you?" Leahna questioned, a little breathtakingly.
"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." The man let go of her hand, and turned to join Kingsley and the Ministry officals as they left.
"He was a real prat, wasn't he?" Jemma crossed her arms.
"I dunno… he was hilarious…" Leahna smiled.
"Eww, don't tell me you like that guy. He's like, what, twenty-something?" Scott said, a little begrudgingly. "I mean, he can wait 'till you're an adult or something. I mean a teenager and an adult – what kind of a relationship is that?"
"Let's just go to this room of Requirement he told us about." Leahna said, watching Malfoy until he disappeared around the corner, then stepped past Scott with the others in the direction Malfoy had pointed.
"Stupid Malfoy…" Scott cursed under his breath, and followed after them.
