"Rachel!"
Rachel turned and waved at Millie. Rachel and Severus had just apparated onto Platform 9 and ¾ at Kings Cross Station. It was already crowded with students and parents.
"Rachel, this is my mom, Amanda Bulstrode. Mom this is Rachel Snow, and our Potions professor and Head of House, Professor Snape," Millie said after they made their way over to where Rachel and Severus were standing.
"It's nice to meet you," Mrs. Bulstrode said, her gaze lingering on Rachel briefly before she turned her attention to Severus. "I trust Millicent is behaving herself at Hogwarts."
"I have no complaints about Millicent's behavior or academic achievements. She's one of the more studious students that I have and she is a credit to her House," Severus said.
"I'm glad to hear that," Mrs. Bulstrode said.
"There you are," Hermione said as she came up to them. "Neville and I got a compartment on the train, I've just been looking for everyone."
"I best let you go then. Have a good time and I'll see you at Christmas. Be responsible," Mrs. Bulstrode told Millie as she handed her Midnight's wicker carrier. "Remember to send letters home."
"I will, mom," Millicent said.
"I will see you at Hogwarts for the feast," Severus told Rachel.
"Okay," Rachel said. She was glad that he was letting her take the train trip at all - she knew he was still worried about Sirius Black.
"Do you want me to take your trunk or Midnight?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, please," Millie said, handing her Midnight's carrier.
"I see the Weasleys," Rachel said, watching as they appeared in groups of two through the barrier that led into the muggle world.
It didn't take long for Ginny to join them and they boarded the Hogwarts Express. Hermione led them to near the end of the train and they found Luna and Neville already in the compartment.
"Where's Theo?" Rachel asked, peering back out into the aisle of the train while they managed to get their trunks and animal carriers situated.
"He'll probably be here soon. He knows to come find us near the back," Hermione said.
Rachel knew that was probably true, and she also knew none of them should go looking for him either in case his father was still on the platform.
"I can't believe it's already September," Millie said.
"Me neither, this summer just flew by," Ginny said.
It had seemed to go rather quickly, but then they only had just over two months off during the summer. That wasn't much time at all.
"I see Theo, he's with a man," Luna said from where she was sitting by the window.
"Probably his father," Neville said, leaning over to take a look.
Rachel got up and carefully moved between everyone's feet to look out the window. She recognized the man from Draco's birthday parties. It looked like Theo was getting lectured about something. Finally Theo picked up his trunk and walked away, his expression grim.
"I'll go get Theo once he's inside the train car," Rachel said. She stepped back out into the aisle and made her way past several students who were popping in and out of compartments.
"Rachel," Theo said as he stepped into the aisle, his face relaxing into a smile.
"I just came to find you. We have a compartment near the end," Rachel said. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I'm just glad the summer is over," Theo said.
Rachel couldn't help but worry as she led Theo back to their compartment. She needed to talk to him, in private, and then she could tell Severus if something bad was happening with Theo's father so he could do something about it.
"Let me help you get your trunk up into the rack," Neville said as Rachel and Theo entered the compartment.
"Sure, thanks," Theo said. They finished just as the train gave a lurch as it pulled away from the station. The compartment was a little bit of a tight squeeze with seven of them in there, but they managed to arrange the carriers for the animals on the floor.
"As long as nobody gets up, we'll be fine," Millie joked.
"Then we should decide what we want from the trolley and pool our money. Severus sent me with sandwiches so we wouldn't just eat sweets," Rachel said.
"Good idea," Hermione said. "Let's make a list."
Rachel pulled a piece of parchment and a quill out of her bag. "Just write down what you want and whoever is close enough to the door can tell her what we want. Make a tally mark next to something if it's already on the list." She wrote down a cauldron cake and an iced pumpkin juice before passing the list to Neville.
"What did you all think of our Arithmancy book?" Hermione asked.
"I think it's going to be a lot of work," Theo said. "But it looks useful at least. I'm less sure about Care of Magical Creatures. I had to tie up that awful book."
"Oh, I can ask Professor Snape to dispel the Alivening charm on it next time I see him," Rachel offered.
"Is that what it is? I had to have my father use the Mending charm on my Defense book because the Monster book tried to eat it," Theo said, shaking his head.
"I have to admit, the book had less on care taking than I would have liked. It was a lot more about creatures you wouldn't want to keep," Millie said.
"At least you could read yours without getting your hands bitten," Theo said.
Rachel saw Ginny pass the list to Luna without writing anything down. "You don't want anything?"
Ginny's face flushed. "I don't have any money."
"Don't worry about it," Hermione said. "Just write down what you want and we can cover it when we're pooling our money."
"It's not a problem," Rachel added.
"We'll order something for you anyway if you don't write something down. At least this way you get what you want," Millie said.
Luna handed the list back to Ginny.
"Thanks," Ginny said, still blushing as she wrote.
"We're friends, it's what we're supposed to do," Neville said with a nod. "And it's what we want to do."
"Agreed," Hermione said. "At least our Defense book was better this year. Hopefully that will speak for the professor as well."
Rachel abruptly remembered Severus advising her to use caution around the new Defense professor. "Well. You can't tell anyone I told you this, but Professor Snape said I should use caution around our new professor."
"Did he say why?" Theo asked.
Rachel shook her head. "He said he's not a Death Eater, but to be cautious. He also said he's not supposed to bias students against him."
"What does that mean?" Millie asked. "I mean, I know what it means, but what is he trying to say?"
"That people aren't supposed to know he's dangerous," Luna said.
"If he's dangerous, then why did Professor Dumbledore hire him?" Neville asked.
"I asked that too. Severus - I mean, Professor Snape said that Professor Dumbledore doesn't believe he's dangerous," Rachel said. It was going to be weird to go back to calling Severus 'Professor Snape' all the time.
"Well, I guess it doesn't hurt us to be cautious," Hermione said. "I'm inclined to believe Professor Dumbledore wouldn't hire someone he knew was dangerous to us, but at the same time, I don't think he realized that Lockhart was a fraud either."
Rachel nodded. "I think being aware of the possibility of danger should be enough, at least until we can see for ourselves."
"We should know soon enough," Ginny agreed.
A knock on the door startled Rachel and she leaned over to open it. "Hello?"
It was Daphne standing with what looked like a new first year student. "Hi Rachel. Did you have a good summer?"
"Yes, did you?" Rachel asked.
"Yes, it was fine. This is my sister Astoria, she's starting at Hogwarts this year and I'm just bringing her around to introduce her to everyone. Astoria, this is Rachel Snow, there's Millie Bulstrode, and Theo Nott. They're all in our House and they're good people to ask if you need help," Daphne said.
"Hi," Astoria said, waving.
"You're welcome to ask any of our study group for help if you need something," Hermione said to Astoria
"Thanks, Hermione," Daphne said. "We'll see you all later."
"Bye," Rachel called, pulling the compartment door shut again as they left.
"She seemed pretty certain her sister would be Sorted into Slytherin," Hermione said.
"Siblings are often in the same House," Ginny said with a shrug.
"The Patil twins aren't," Luna said.
"And the Carrow twins are, and all the Weasleys," Theo pointed out. "I don't think you can tell just from family, but it's a pretty good indicator. And Daphne would know if she thought her sister was likely to be Sorted into another House."
"I suppose," Hermione said. "Anyway, I think Arithmancy and Ancient Runes stand to be some of our most interesting classes. I got a few extra books and I think they'll be very helpful. Any of you are welcome to borrow them too."
They spent a while talking about their new classes and Rachel watched as a storm slowly gathered outside. The trolley witch came by and they got quite a number of sweets to go with the turkey sandwiches that the House Elves had sent up that morning and the corned beef sandwiches that Ginny's mother had packed.
By the time it was pouring rain and nearly black outside they took turns heading down to the bathroom to change into their uniforms and robes.
"We must be just about there," Millie said as the train started to slow down.
"We shouldn't be there yet," Hermione said as she checked her watch.
"I wonder why we're stopping then," Neville said.
The train continued to slow until it stopped with a jolt. A moment later the lights went out.
"What's going on?" Ginny asked, sounding worried.
"Lumos," Theo said, his wand lighting.
"Good idea," Millie said. A moment later they all had their wands out and lit.
"Can magical trains break down?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know," Theo said.
"I suppose we should just stay here until a prefect comes by with instructions or until the train starts again," Rachel said.
"Probably for the best," Neville agreed.
They had only been sitting quietly for a minute or two when the door slowly slid open.
A towering cloaked figure filled the doorway. Rachel looked at where its hood hid its face for a moment and then glanced down. Immediately she'd wished she hadn't. There was a hand sticking out of the cloak, looking dead and decayed. This must be a Dementor.
The Dementor drew a long rattling breath and Rachel felt a deep chill fall over her. She pulled her arms up against her chest reflexively, her wand forgotten, and then felt a great pain stabbing into her body. All of her muscles went rigid and the world around her went dark. There was someone crying, but the sound didn't last long.
Then there was nothingness.
Severus sat in his office sorting class schedules into years and then alphabetically so that he could hand them out the next morning. He had already been over his class roster. As he'd predicted he had far fewer than usual sixth years in his Potions class - only six this year had received Outstandings on their OWLs. It was a little disappointing, but not surprising. He'd learned that some years were simply like that.
A translucent silver wolf bounded into his office. "You're needed in the hospital wing," it said with Lupin's voice.
Severus immediately got to his feet as his mind tried to prepare himself. It wasn't often he was called on to assist in the hospital wing and typically it was only in cases of accidental poisonings where an antidote needed to be brewed. There were very few possibilities of that happening when it was only the staff in the castle. "Hospital wing," he said, after throwing a handful of floo powder into the fireplace.
He stepped through into the hospital wing and drew his wand. Poppy and Lupin were both standing over one of the hospital beds. He hurried forward and his heart leapt into his throat as he saw Rachel lying in the bed, pale and still.
"How is she?" he asked, turning immediately to Poppy.
"Unconscious, but stable. I've given her a Reconstitution Draught and I'm going to liquify some chocolate and spell it into her stomach," Poppy said. "She'll be alright. I expect within the next few hours she'll move into a more natural sleep."
"What happened?" he asked, turning to Lupin. That Poppy was going to use chocolate suggested Dementors, but the train wasn't even scheduled to have arrived yet.
"Dementors boarded the train and started searching the compartments. I was near the compartment where Rachel was. The sounds of students screaming brought me there. I used the Patronus charm to send the Dementors away, and then I checked on Rachel. She was unconscious when I arrived," Lupin said, shaking his head. "I left her briefly with her friends and went to the front of the train to ensure the conductor was able to continue the trip to Hogsmeade, and then I came back to check on her again. I wasn't able to administer any remedies while she was unconscious, so I apparated her directly to the gates and brought her to the hospital wing."
Severus nodded his head jerkily. He couldn't fault Lupin for what he'd done. He'd needed to ensure the safety of all the students before he could focus on one.
"I've never seen someone have such a strong reaction to a Dementor," Lupin said. He looked worried and tired.
"Me neither," Poppy said as she arranged some chunks of chocolate into a cup. "Though it's not an entirely unexpected response in people who have experienced severe trauma. We'd do best to keep her as far away from the Dementors as possible."
"Agreed," Severus said. "How was it that the Dementors boarded the train?"
"That I cannot say," Lupin said.
That would have to be a question for Albus, Severus decided. "Thank you, for bringing her here," he said. Ideally he didn't want Lupin anywhere near Rachel, but their situation was far from ideal.
"Of course," Lupin said. "I'm going to go back down to the Hogsmeade station to see if any other students need assistance. The train should be here soon."
Severus nodded absently and watched as Poppy spelled the melted chocolate into Rachel's stomach. Rachel seemed a little less pale after a few moments.
"I will watch her until the feast. I should be present for the Sorting," Severus told Poppy.
"I'll be in my office then," Poppy said, patting him on the arm and then walking away.
Severus conjured himself a chair and then sat down next to Rachel's bedside. He cast a diagnostic charm and was slightly relieved that everything seemed to be in order.
This did not bode well for the year. School hadn't even started and Rachel was already in the hospital wing. There was a werewolf running free in the castle - teaching even. There was a mass murderer on the loose with a grudge against both Rachel and Severus. He would consider it a success if they made it through the school year without Rachel enduring any more traumas.
"Severus, how is she?" Albus asked as he entered the hospital wing.
"Unconscious, but stable," Severus repeated. "Why did Dementors board the Hogwarts Express?"
"Apparently their handlers got it in their minds that the train should be searched before the students arrived, as they had searched Hogsmeade earlier today. I made it clear to them that they should never direct the Dementors towards students," Albus said, his expression grim.
"What is your level of confidence that this will not happen again?" Severus asked.
"I am confident that the handlers understood as I made it clear that if they were to direct the Dementors towards students I would have them removed from their posts by the Ministry," Albus said. He leaned down to look at Rachel. "I presume Poppy has treated her and she will recover?"
"Yes," Severus said, though he hardly felt that was the point.
"This is an unusually severe response to exposure to Dementors. I wish it weren't so," Albus said.
Severus felt this wasn't the time to point out that Albus was the one who had sent Rachel to live with Petunia against Lily's wishes.
"Will you be able to join us in the Great Hall for the Sorting?" Albus asked. "I will understand if you would prefer to stay at her bedside."
"I will be there, it's important that the students see me," Severus said. "I will leave her in Poppy's care once the time has come."
"I appreciate that," Albus said. "Is there anything you or Rachel need?"
Safety, Severus thought, though he kept his gaze averted. "No. I will give her your assurances that there will not be a repeat of the Dementor situation once she wakes."
"Very well," Albus said, turning and leaving the hospital wing.
Severus settled into wait, keeping an eye on the time so that he'd know when he was needed in the Great Hall.
"Our House stands together. Support each other. If you need anything you can ask a prefect or come to me directly. I'll be here in the common room for the next hour if you have questions or concerns for me," Severus said, finishing his start of term announcements for his Slytherins.
The students broke into chatter and started wandering around, though he saw two students making their way toward him.
"Sir, is Rachel alright?" Millie asked.
"Yes, she's recovering in the hospital wing," Severus said. He'd been expecting this.
"She'll be okay?" Theo asked, his forehead creased with worry.
"Yes, I expect she'll be up and about tomorrow," Severus said.
"We don't understand what happened to her," Millie said, still obviously upset.
"Apparently Rachel has an unusually strong reaction to being exposed to Dementors. I imagine you felt some of the effects yourself," Severus explained.
Theo nodded. "It was awful."
"I felt cold and terribly sad. I was just starting to shake when the new professor drove them away," Millie said.
"Speaking of which, sir. We didn't know what to do," Theo said.
"I imagine not, as neither of you are trained mediwizards," Severus said.
"No, I don't mean that. I mean the new professor came back and wanted to take Rachel away," Theo paused and looked around them. No one was paying close attention. "We didn't know what to do. We didn't even know if he was actually a professor, though he told us he was when we tried to stop him. We knew Rachel needed help, but we didn't know how to tell if we could trust him to actually take Rachel to Hogwarts, or if he had a different plan."
Severus nodded, immediately seeing the problem.
"For all we knew, he could have been the one who let the Dementors on board, and then made them go away to make us trust him," Millie said.
"But then, we thought he would have just taken Rachel if he'd meant to, instead of leaving to get the rest of the train sorted out, and then coming back," Theo continued.
"I understand, and I appreciate you looking out for Rachel. In most situations, I'd say that you should stop an unknown person from trying to take either Rachel or yourselves, or any of your classmates. However, in this case you did the right thing by letting Professor Lupin take Rachel to see Madam Pomfrey," Severus said.
"How bad is it, sir?" Theo asked quietly.
"Rachel will recover," Severus answered, hoping that Theo would understand the question he wasn't answering.
Theo nodded.
"Do either of you need anything else this evening?" Severus asked.
"No sir," Millie said.
"No sir," Theo echoed. "Thank you."
They backed away and Sadie Baldock approached him.
"How may I help you, Miss Baldock?" Severus asked.
"I wanted to talk to you about my schedule for this year," she said.
Severus nodded, settling in for handling scheduling issues and questions for the next hour.
Rachel was in a mostly dark room. She could see curtains rustling - they were covering a window that was cracked open. She felt paralyzed. She was in her body but she couldn't move it. Someone else was there. It was going to hurt and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Rachel woke with a gasp, her heart racing in her chest and her stomach feeling sick.
She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. She saw her glasses on the bedside table and put them on. The hospital wing became clear around her and she focused on calming her breathing. She was safe. She was at Hogwarts.
She felt like she'd been having nightmares for hours - the same ones, over and over.
She didn't like that she was in a hospital gown. That meant that someone had changed her clothes. She wondered where her clothes had gone. She wanted to get dressed. There was no way she was sneaking back to her dorm room in just a hospital gown - someone would definitely see her.
"Miss Snow, I'm glad you're awake," Madam Pomfrey said as she came out of a doorway.
"Me too," Rachel said. "Can I have my clothes back?"
"Let me take a look at you first," Madam Pomfrey said, pulling out her wand.
Rachel sat still while Madam Pomfrey silently cast spells.
"Your blood pressure and blood sugar are both still low. Let's have you eat breakfast and we'll see how you're doing after that," Madam Pomfrey said. "I'll be back in a few minutes with a tray."
Rachel sighed after Madam Pomfrey had left. She felt fine, she just wanted to be out of bed.
There was sunlight pouring in the windows and Rachel wondered how long she'd been asleep. The last thing she remembered was being on the train and then there had been a Dementor. Severus had been absolutely right about those things. She was staying far away from them from now on.
Rachel looked around and realized that all the other hospital beds were empty. All of her friends had been in the same compartment and had experienced the Dementor. Why weren't they here too?
"Here you go dear, eat up," Madam Pomfrey said, setting a tray of food on Rachel's lap.
"Thank you," Rachel said. She had porridge, scrambled eggs, toast, and a glass of pumpkin juice. She didn't think she could eat that much, but she could at least eat some of it. She'd just taken a bite of her toast when Severus entered the hospital wing.
"You're awake, good," Severus said as he came over to her. He conjured a chair and sat down. "How do you feel?"
"Fine," Rachel said. "Why aren't my friends here? Did they wake up already?"
Severus looked confused. "Your friends are fine, they didn't need to be taken to the hospital wing."
Rachel put her toast down. "Then why did I get sick?"
"You fell unconscious. The Dementors have an unusually strong effect on you," Severus explained.
"Why?" Rachel asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know.
"Dementors draw on a person's worst memories. Naturally, for someone who has experienced severe trauma, their response to the Dementors is proportionally stronger," Severus said, his gaze focused on her.
Rachel looked away. "It's not that bad."
"I think your response to the Dementors speaks for itself in that regard," he said.
"When can I leave the hospital wing?" Rachel asked.
"When Poppy clears you to leave. I expect you to listen to her," Severus said, he pulled out his wand and moved it in the familiar strokes of a diagnostic charm. "Your blood pressure and blood sugar are still low. You should eat your breakfast. I have brought you your time table. If you don't feel well enough to go to class after Poppy releases you, you're welcome to spend the day resting in your dorm."
"I think I got enough rest," Rachel said, accepting her time table and looking over it.
Third Year Slytherin Time Table - Rachel Snow
1st period: 8:45 - 10:15
2nd period: 10:30 - 12:00
Lunch
3rd period: 1:00 - 2:30
4th period: 2:45 - 4:15
Herbology: Monday and Wednesday 1st period (with Hufflepuffs) - Greenhouse
Charms: Monday and Wednesday, 2nd period (with Ravenclaws) - 2nd floor, classroom 2B
Potions: Monday and Wednesday, 3rd and 4th period (with Gryffindors) - 1st level dungeons classroom
Arithmancy: Tuesday and Thursday, 1st period - 7th floor, classroom 7A
History of Magic: Tuesday and Thursday, 2nd period (with Hufflepuffs) 4th floor, classroom 4F
Study of Ancient Runes: Tuesday, 3rd and 4th period - 6th floor, classroom 6A
Astronomy: Tuesday at Midnight - Astronomy Tower
Care of Magical Creatures: Thursday, 3rd and 4th period - Grounds, Care-Takers House
Defense: Friday, 1st and 2nd period (with Gryffindors) - 3rd floor, classroom 3C
Transfiguration: Friday, 3rd and 4th period (with Ravenclaws) - 1st floor, classroom 1B
"Thanks for getting me in all my classes," she said.
"Of course. If you want to drop one of your electives as the year passes, just let me know. You are taking a more than full course load. You can tell the same to your friends," Severus said as he stood up. "I must go teach, I have my fourth years. Eat your breakfast and stay here until Poppy releases you."
Rachel nodded reluctantly. "I will."
"If I don't see you in the Great Hall for lunch I will come down to your dorm to check on you," Severus said.
"Alright," Rachel said, though she definitely planned to be in the Great Hall for lunch.
"The common room password is Vincit qui se vincit," Severus said.
"Vincit qui se vincit," Rachel repeated, hoping that she would remember that. If not, she'd just ask Curbin to let her in. "Thanks."
She dug into her porridge as Severus left. If eating would get her out of here faster then she'd eat.
Rachel hurried up another staircase, clutching the stitch in her side. Madam Pomfrey had finally let her out of the hospital wing after making her promise to come back if she felt sick or dizzy. Rachel had no intention of going back to the hospital wing, but had agreed just so that Madam Pomfrey would let her out.
She'd rushed down to her dorm and found that Millie had placed her bag on her bed. Rachel had repacked it with the books that she needed for Arithmancy, History of Magic, and Care of Magical Creatures. Then, after looking at her schedule again, she realized that Arithmancy was all the way on the seventh floor. She'd taken the first two flights of stairs at run, well aware that she was late, and then simply hurried up the rest as best she could while trying to catch her breath.
Finally she reached the seventh floor and found the door to the classroom closed. She exhaled, reminding herself that she had an excuse, and then opened the door and stepped inside. It was a small class, there were only thirteen students who had decided to take Arithmancy in their year.
Professor Vector turned from where she was writing on the chalkboard, her long black hair fanning out around her.
"I'm sorry, Professor Vector. I got here as soon as I could. I was just released from the hospital wing," Rachel said, hoping that she wasn't about to be in trouble.
"I am aware you were in the hospital wing. Professor Snape indicated you might need the day to recover. Are you well enough to be in class, Miss Snow?" Professor Vector asked.
"Yes, Ma'am," Rachel said.
"Then take a seat and we'll continue with the lesson," Professor Vector said, turning back to the chalkboard.
Rachel hurried to where her friends were sitting and took the empty seat next to Millie. She took her book out of her bag along with parchment and a quill.
"As I was saying, one use of Arithmancy - the use we will be covering this year - is a very precise way of measuring the future. It is exacting and there is no room for errors. In this class you will likely find yourself doing an equation multiple times to ensure you have it correct. Expect to redo your work," Professor Vector continued.
'Are you alright?' Millie wrote on a piece of parchment and pushed it toward Rachel.
'I'm fine, I just had to wait until Madam Pomfrey let me out of the hospital wing or I would have been here sooner,' Rachel wrote back.
"The first task we will be doing is equations on the cardinal numbers for your characters and the characters of the people around you, including your family members and friends," Professor Vector said, tapping the chalkboard with her piece of chalk. "The ancient Greeks first did this to foretell the outcomes of battles. We will be calculating first your character number, then your heart number, and then your social number. You will find the instructions in the first chapter of your text, Numerology and Grammatica."
'I'm glad you're okay, we were all worried! You gave us a scare!' Millie wrote back.
'What happened after I passed out?' Rachel wrote.
"For demonstration, we will calculate my character number in class today. Open your books to page eighteen and begin. In five minutes I will do the equation on the board so you can check your work. Please check the chart on page twenty when you have your answer," Professor Vector said.
Rachel opened her book to page eighteen and looked at the directions.
"Professor Vector?" Hermione asked, holding her hand in the air.
"Yes, and please tell me your name," Professor Vector said.
"Hermione Granger, Ma'am. To calculate your character number we'll need to know your first name," Hermione said.
"That's correct. Two points to Gryffindor. The correct spelling of my name will now be on the board," Professor Vector said, tapping her wand against the chalkboard.
Rachel wrote down the professor's name 'Septima Vector' and then wrote down the numbers for each letter based on the chart. Then she started adding them together. It came to 58. She then added 5 and 8 together to get 13, and then 1 and 3 together to get 4. Then she flipped over to the chart on page twenty. According to this, Professor Vector was stable and firm and liked hard work, as well as being practical and down to earth. Rachel had only just met Professor Vector, but she thought it was fairly fitting.
Millie had finished her equation as well and was writing her answer to Rachel. Rachel peered over so she could read while Millie wrote.
'It was awful. Ginny was shaking and I thought she was going to be sick. I didn't feel so great myself, to be honest. This man appeared and drove the Dementor away with a bright light and then asked about you. Then he left and a few minutes later the lights on the train came back on. Then he came back and said he was going to apparate you to Hogwarts. Theo and Hermione were upset about that - we were worried that he was kidnapping you - and the man said he was Professor Lupin and that you needed to be seen by Madam Pomfrey as soon as possible. Since he said he was a professor and he knew Madam Pomfrey, we didn't know what else to do. You were unconscious and you had been convulsing while the Dementors were there. So we let him take you. I'm glad it was the right thing to do.'
Rachel considered all that. It did sound awful and she wasn't sure what she would have done in the same situation.
'Thanks for trying to protect me. I'm glad the professor was who he said he was,' Rachel wrote.
'Me too,' Millie wrote.
"Now that you're all finished, please compare your equation to mine," Professor Vector said, tapping the chalkboard again.
Rachel double checked her equation and found that it was correct.
"Did anyone not get the correct answer?" Professor Vector asked.
No one raised their hands.
"Very good. I can tell you that I am quite the embodiment of the number four, its features have defined my life. For homework, I want you to read chapter one, and I want you to calculate your character number, your heart number, and your social number, and then do the same for two friends or family members. Write a short assessment of how your and their number fits or doesn't fit. You're dismissed," Professor Vector said.
"Rachel, are you alright?" Neville asked as he stood up.
"I'm fine," Rachel said, writing down the assignment and then sorting everything into her bag.
"We were very worried. Do you know why the Dementors had such a bad effect on you?" Hermione asked.
"No," Rachel lied. "But I'm not worried about it. There's no way I'm going anywhere near a Dementor again."
"I hope you are able to stay away from them. They're surrounding the school," Theo said.
"Professor Snape said they're not allowed on the grounds. As long as we don't wander too far away I should be fine," Rachel said.
"Alright, we've got History of Magic," Millie said, checking her schedule.
"We've got Charms," Neville said. "But we'll see you for Care of Magical Creatures after lunch."
"We can walk with you as far as the fourth floor staircase," Hermione said. "Are you sure you're alright, Rachel? You still look rather pale."
"I'm fine. It wasn't any different from sleeping for a long time," Rachel said.
"Well, you can't blame us for worrying, what would you do if it had been one of us?" Hermione asked.
"I would have worried," Rachel admitted. In that respect, she was glad she was the one who had fallen unconscious. She would have hated watching something like that happening to one of her friends.