Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling, not me
Chapter Twenty-Six
The Azkaban Guards
The next morning, Diana woke up at the crack of dawn. Harry was still sound asleep, so she got ready quietly and went downstairs.
Diana found Ginny waiting in the pub.
"What woke you up this early?" Diana asked.
Ginny giggled. "Fred and George. They sleep in the room next to me, mum and dad, and they accidentally let a Filibuster Firework off. I'm surprised you slept through the noise."
"So, we're going back to Hogwarts," Diana said, sitting down. "I hope you don't find more diaries."
"Watch it," warned Ginny. "I still have nightmares about the bloody diary."
"You know Ginny, maybe you should get a diary," Diana suggested. "And I mean a muggle one, not one full of horrifying unknown Dark Magic that possesses you."
"No. I'm done with diaries. The reason I stole back the diary from Harry was because I was worried he would see my deepest secrets," Ginny admitted.
"Fair point. But I think Harry already knows your deepest secrets," said Diana.
Ginny's ears turned a brilliant shade of scarlet.
At ten o'clock, two cars from the Minister of Magic arrived. Diana and Ginny were the first people in the cars, and spent almost ten minutes waiting for the others.
The journey to King's Cross was rather uneventful. The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary, though Diana noticed they could slide through gaps Vernon's company car certainly couldn't have managed. They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks; touched their hats to Mr Weasley and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving queue for traffic lights.
Diana and Ginny walked through the station with their trolleys together, and Diana was so taken aback by something that she nearly crashed her trolley into the barrier for platforms seven and eight. Mike Florence was walking with a girl who looked about eleven, and he stopped in front of the barriers for platforms nine and ten.
"Mike?" Diana said. "Mike Florence?"
Mike turned his head towards Diana and his eyes widened in shock.
"You're a... a witch?" he whispered.
"What are you doing here?" demanded Diana.
The little girl looked at Diana and said, "My name is Arden, Arden Florence. Weren't you in Mike's class? Are you a witch too?"
"Yes, I'm a witch," Diana answered, looking at Arden Florence. "You know what, I know a pair of twins who are starting First Year. Maybe you could talk to them."
Diana grabbed Arden's hand, nodded to Mike, and ran through the barrier. Ginny ran through a second later.
"So, who are the twins who are starting First Year?" asked Arden, looking around eagerly.
"I'm just look for them." Diana scanned Platform 9 3/4 for Maisie, and eventually found her in a compartment.
"Hi Maisie. Would you happen to know where Alfred and Ellie are?" Diana said.
Maisie left the compartment and came back with Ellie, eager as ever, and Alfred, looking very peaky.
Diana, Ginny and Arden entered the Hogwarts and Express and found Maisie's compartment.
"Hi, I'm Arden," Arden told Ellie and Alfred. "I'm in First Year too!"
Ellie beamed and shook hands with Arden. "I'm Ellie Cattermole."
Alfred looked very reluctant, but muttered, "Alfred Cattermole."
Arden and Ellie skipped off, Alfred trudging behind them.
"Alfred doesn't seem very happy about going to Hogwarts," Ginny noticed.
Maisie suddenly became very busy searching her trunk.
Fifteen minutes later and Jamie, Colin, Luna and Rolf had joined the compartment.
"Hello Diana, Ginny, Maisie," Luna said.
Colin took something out of his trunk. "Guess what? I got a new camera!"
He pulled the camera out of its wrap and took three photos of the compartment, and of the platform.
"Good, good," Maisie muttered, still distracted.
Luna said, "Did you know that cameras also tend to prevent nargle infestations?"
"Luna, can you please explain to us what a nargle is?" Jamie asked as the train started moving.
Thankfully, Diana didn't have to listen to a lecture about nargles, as someone pulled her out of the compartment.
"Diana, guess what," Harry said, grinning.
"What?"
"Do you remember that man who stalked us six years ago? Well, apparently he's going to be teaching here."
Diana laughed and went back into the compartment, where Luna was still lecturing them about nargles.
Diana let Cindy out after a little while, and Cindy leapt into Jamie's lap.
"She likes me," noted Jamie.
At four o'clock, the trolley lady came to their compartment.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?"
Diana took several chocolate frogs and a cauldron cake.
"I wish we were there," Colin said, pressing his face against the window, staring at the thick rain pouring outside.
The words had barely left him when the train started to slow down.
"Finally," moaned Rolf. "I'm absolutely starving."
"We can't be there yet," Maisie said.
Suddenly, they plunged into total darkness, and Ginny screamed.
"I'm going to look for Ron," Ginny breathed.
Ginny left the compartment, and suddenly the air turned cold.
A cloaked figure suddenly entered the compartment. Its face was completely hidden by its hood, and it raised a greyish, slimy looking hand.
Diana suddenly heard Dudley's taunts, and could almost see his sneering face.
"Freak! You're a little freak, Diana!"
Suddenly she felt as though she was drowning, and then felt as though she was gazing at the Basilisk through the mirror again.
Suddenly, the cold left the air, and the thing departed.
"Wh-what was that?" asked Colin, staring at the compartment door.
"A dementor," Maisie answered. "Dad told me about them. They guard Azkaban - the wizarding prisoner. They're horrible creatures, and suck out all the happiness in you, and leave you with only your worst memories."
Ginny returned to the compartment, shaking.
"That was dementor," said Ginny, "They guard-"
"Azkaban, we know," Jamie finished.
Luna shivered slightly. She didn't look like her usual self. Diana knew Luna's mum had died two years before, but never knew how it happened.
"They must've been looking for Sirius Black," said Rolf, wiping sweat off his forehead.
"If they're looking for Black, we'll seeing them a lot," said Maisie.
Diana remembered how the dementor had covered its face with a hood. Maybe it didn't have a face. Whatever the case, she didn't want to see one again.
Second Years didn't take the boats to Hogwarts, but instead took carriages pulled by invisible horses.
Luna started patting thin air. "Beautiful, aren't they?"
Everyone stared at her blankly.
"Oh, you wouldn't be able to see them!" Luna informed them.
"See what?" Maisie asked.
Luna smiled and climbed into the carriage, while everyone else stood there, mystified.
"Come on," Luna said, stretching her hand out to help them climb on.
"Cattermole, Alfred."
Alfred sat on the wooden stool for almost five minutes, five minutes that felt way too long for Diana, before the hat screamed, "RAVENCLAW!"
Alfred walked down the Ravenclaw table and sat down next to Rolf.
"Cattermole, Ellie."
Ellie was much quicker to be sorted. Ten seconds and the hat screamed, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Ellie smiled and ran down to the Hufflepuff table, and sat down next to Maisie.
"I don't think Alfred wanted to come," Ellie said. "He said he'd be a-"
She stopped mid-sentence, looking at Diana with an awkward expression on her face.
"Florence, Arden."
Arden Florence walked up to the storing hat and sat down.
A moments pause...
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Arden ran down to the Gryffindor table and sat down.
Diana and Maisie watched as the long line of First Years thinned, and finally, after Vane, Romilda (GRYFFINDOR!) was sorted, Dumbledore clapped his hands for silence.
"Welcome," said Dumbledore. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I gave 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 become 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 in Ministry of Magic business.
"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 school without permission. Dementors aren't fooled by tricks or disguises - not 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 Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs foul of the dementors.
"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.
"Firstly, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers."
Lupin stood up to some unenthusiastic applause. Diana couldn't help but noticed that he looked as peaky as Alfred, and immediately noticed something was up.
"As to our second new appointment, 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 that Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game keeping duties."
Hagrid stood up, wiping his eyes on the table cloth, and Diana clapped so hard her hands hurt. Hagrid had been expelled in his Third Year, for a crime he hadn't committed, so it must've meant a lot to him.
"Well, I think that's everything of importance," Dumbledore finished. "Let the feast begin."
Immediately, the plates started filling themselves with food and water, and the Great Hall filled with chatter and laughter. At last, when everyone was full and sleepy, the food went away and Dumbledore gave them the word that it was time for bed.
Diana and Maisie made their way to the Hufflepuff table along with Ellie, and when Diana reached her old bed, she felt more at home than ever.