September 1st dawned blue and bright, matching the atmosphere of The Grotta. Maribella and Harry were happy to be going back to school, but no one was giddier than Giovanna Piccinni.
"How big is the castle?" Anna asked as they both brushed their teeth in their shared bathroom.
"Big," Maribella replied simply, as she tried putting on a sock and spitting a mouthful of toothpaste in the sink simultaneously to save time.
"What House do you think I'll be sorted into?" Anna asked as they went down to eat breakfast. Maribella ignored her sister, jumping down two steps of the staircase at a time.
"Do you think they'll like me?" Anna inquired, in between bites of mistletoe-berries pancakes at the breakfast table.
"I don't see why they wouldn't," Harry answered warmly.
"Not if you keep asking so many pesky questions," Maribella grumbled.
Anna scoffed and rolled her eyes as Mr. Piccinni reprimanded Maribella from the kitchen, where he was packing their snacks for the train.
"Are we all ready to go?" Mrs. Piccinni asked. "The car just got here."
"Car?"
"Yes, the Ministry has provided us with a car to take us to King's Cross."
"But why?" Asked Anna curiously.
"It's because of you, Anna," Maribella said, pointing at her with a fork. "Most important first-year to ever attend school."
"Stop it, Maribella," Mr. Piccinni said seriously. "You'll do well to remember how nervous you were when it was your turn to go to Hogwarts." Then, with a humorous glimmer in his eyes, he said to Harry: "This one was up at dawn, this one, four hours before the train was set to—"
"Why is the Ministry providing us with a car, Mama?" Maribella interrupted before her father could finish the story, a rouge tinge on her cheeks. Anna giggled into her juice.
"They want to escort us to King's Cross, to make sure we get there with no incidents," Mrs. Piccinni replied, and her eyes flickered towards Harry.
"Can't we take our own car?" The Piccinni family had owned a Muggle car ever since Maribella's first year at Hogwarts.
"The Ministry is doing me a favor since I work there." Mrs. Piccinni said with a certain finality. "Now, if you're all ready, please..."
And so, the children, along with Mr. and Mrs. Piccinni, Tesoro, Marco's unofficial caretaker, and Rubeus, boarded the old-fashioned dark green car, driven by a furtive wizard in a tux. The Piccinnis reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare. Anna was swaying on her heels nervously, and Maribella took pity on her, as did Tesoro. She linked her arms with Anna as the Kneazle rubbed against her legs, almost making her trip.
"You'll love Hogwarts, Anna," Maribella said. "And if you don't, you'll have me right there to help. And Harry too."
The sisters looked back to where Harry was walking with Marco, who seemed thrilled to have such important company. The two were immersed in a conversation about Chocolate Frog cards. Anna stared a little too long at Maribella's green-eyed friend.
"Oh, no!" Maribella said, in mock anger. "Not you too! Ginny already has a crush on him, and—"
"Oh, Mari," Anna teased, with a roll of her eyes and a grin. "We both know he's all yours."
Maribella sputtered, at a loss of words, and Anna laughed. They crossed the 9 ¾ barrier and joined the crowd of crying parents and joyful children. Harry spotted the Weasleys and Hermione and thanked the Piccinnis profusely, before joining their friends, giving the family some time to themselves.
"I can't believe you're already going to Hogwarts," Mr. Piccinni said to Anna, teary-eyed. "My little girl is so grown up!"
"Now you'll be all alone, Marco," Maribella said, petting her brother's head affectionately.
"I won't be alone," the little boy said, looking surprised at the thought, like it hadn't even occurred to him. "I'll have Tesoro!"
Maribella smiled at him fondly. "Yes, you will," she said, and pulled him into a tight hug.
When the whistle on the train blew overhead, Maribella felt her heart tighten, but for the first time, she knew she wouldn't miss home so much. After all, she thought, looking at her sister, she'd be bringing a small part of The Grotta to school with her. And so, Maribella and Anna waved goodbye to their parents, their brother, Tesoro, and Rubeus, and boarded the train together. They walked along the compartments until finally finding where Maribella's friends were seated.
"Hi," Maribella said, sticking her head into their compartment. "Can we sit with you?"
"If there's enough space in the compartment with Hermione's monstrosity running free in here," Ron answered, glaring at Crookshanks, who was mindlessly licking his paw on Hermione's lap.
"Oh, honestly, Ron," Hermione said. "Do come in, Mari. And this must be—"
"Anna," Maribella said. "She's my sister!" She pushed Anna forward towards the compartment, and the girl walked in hesitantly, raising her hand in a shy wave.
"Yes, Harry's told us all about you," Hermione said, with a smile on her face. She scooted towards the window, where another figure was seated, to make space for Maribella and Anna.
It was only then that Maribella noticed that the other occupant wasn't part of her immediate friend group. He was an adult, which in itself was already very strange, as the train was usually reserved for students. In addition, he looked very worn out. His robes were stained and looked like they had been mended multiple times. He was in deep slumber, which permitted Maribella to analyze his features thoroughly. He looked quite young, but tarnished by the claws of time. His face was deeply scarred (which Maribella avoided looking at, out of respect), and his hair was peppered with hues of gray.
"This is Professor Remus J. Lupin," Hermione said, before the question could come out of Maribella's lips.
"And before you ask her how she knows, it's written on his briefcase," Ron said in a been-there-done-that tone. And sure enough, a case, which was held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string, lay on the luggage rack, squashed between Hermione's shiny trunk and Ron's tattered one. The name Professor Remus J. Lupin was stamped across one corner in peeling letters.
"We reckon he's here to teach us Defense Against the Dark Arts," Harry said.
"You see, Anna, our last teacher is at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries because he suffers from memory loss. Which was, of course, his own doing, but-" Maribella explained, turning to her sister.
"You've said before, Mari," Anna said, baffled by the DADA teacher.
"Heh, have I? What were you lot talking about, then?"
"Harry was filling us in on Sirius Bla—" Ron started but was interrupted by an indiscreet kick on the shin from Hermione. "I mean, er—"
"Hogsmeade," Hermione interjected, sending Maribella an apologetic look, which the girl appreciated.
She didn't want her sister's first day at Hogwarts to be spoiled by such a horrible topic, and was glad when Hermione brought up the wizarding village. Starting from their third year, students were allowed to spend a few weekends per year in Hogsmeade, something they had been looking forward to.
"I can't wait to go," Maribella said, dreamily.
"Why?" Anna asked in a timid voice. "We've been loads of times, Mari."
"Oh, stop it, Anna," she said, but was glad to see Anna come out of her shell and mingle with her friends. Ron chuckled. "It'll be different this time, I'll be visiting during school."
"You should know a lot about it, then, if you've visited," Hermione leaned forward toward the two sisters. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in all of Britain—"
"Yeah, I think it is," Ron said in an offhand sort of way. "But that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes—"
"It's this huge sweetshop!" Maribella explained to the others. "They have everything! Think chocolate frogs, lemon sherbets, acid pops, chocolate cauldrons, cauldron cakes, liquorice wands, peppermint toads—" she listed.
"But there's so much more in Hogsmeade than Honeydukes," Anna offered. "There's the Three Broomsticks, and this bookshop, Tomes and Scrolls, I think..."
"How wonderful!" Said Hermione, happily. "I can't even begin to think what wondrous acquisitions I might—"
"We won't have time for books if we stop at Zonko's Joke Shop!" Ron interjected.
Maribella whooped, and she and Ron fist-bumped. Hermione and Anna shared a tired look.
"I won't have any time at all," Harry spoke up suddenly. "You'll have to tell me all about it when you get back."
They all stopped. Maribella noticed Harry did look quite sullen. "What do you mean?"
"I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form."
"You're not allowed to come?" Ron asked, looking horrified.
Maribella was disappointed. Of course she'd have fun with Ron and Hermione, they were best friends, after all. But for some reason, Hogsmeade lost a bit of its shimmer now that she knew Harry wouldn't be present.
"McGonagall or someone will give you permission. Or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage in the castle—" Ron rambled.
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, looking appalled. "I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of school with Black on the loose."
But her words were cut short when the train lurched. The Scottish scenery outside was drastically different from the British one they had left. The further into the country they went, the thicker the rain got. The windows were now a solid, shimmering dark silver, and the combination of clouds and fog made it impossible to see anything outside. Their only source of light was the compartment's electrical lanterns above, but as the train halted to a stop, they flickered and went out, submerging the entire student population in total darkness. Maribella immediately grabbed her sister's hand.
"Does this always happen, Mari?" Anna whispered to her from her right.
"No," Maribella replied. "I wonder what happened…"
"We can't possibly be there yet," she heard Hermione say, further to the right.
Somebody moved on the other side of the compartment, either Harry or Ron, and made their way to the door, almost tripping over Maribella's legs as they did so.
"Sorry," she apologized. "Harry?"
"It's alright," the voice replied. Then the door slid open.
"What's happening? Can you see anything?" Ron asked.
"Not really. See if you have any luck with the windows."
There was a squeaking sound, and Maribella was just able to make out Ron's silhouette wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out.
"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming onboard…"
A thud echoed through the compartment.
"Ouch!" An unknown voice moaned from the door.
"Neville?" Harry asked. Two new outlines joined Harry. "And who's that?"
"Who's that?" a girl's voice countered.
"Ginny?" Hermione called from the side. "Is that you and Neville?"
"Hermione! Yes, yes, it's me," Ginny answered. "Neville and I, we were just looking for Ron—"
"I'm here," Ron said from his spot at the window.
"Come and sit down," said Hermione.
"Lucky I bumped into you, Harry," Neville's voice came.
"Quite literally," Harry said, and he moved back as the newcomers entered.
Maribella felt somebody pat a spot dangerously close to her.
"Not here," Maribella said quickly.
"Maribella? Sorry, I—"
"Not here either, Neville! Here, let me-"
"Ouch!" Ginny yelped, accidentally sitting on Crookshanks.
"Quiet!" Said a hoarse voice suddenly.
A soft crackling filled the train car and flames bloomed from the wand of Professor Remus J. Lupin. He had finally woken up. In the shivering light, his face looked tired and gray, but his eyes were alert. Wary. The students had no time to take any of this in, however, because the door opened again before anyone could reach it.
A shiver went up Maribella's spine. In the doorway stood a cloaked figure, its face completely hidden by its hood. It wasn't much bigger than a tall adult human, but its presence was distinctly oppressive.
Maribella was cold. More than that, she was engulfed by freezing air that pierced through all of her layers, both physical and emotional, so that she was stabbed and consumed by that horrible sensation. She could feel the cold spreading through her body, going up, up, up, until it reached the scars on her neck, the ones she had gotten years back from the werewolf. They burned within her skin. Maribella panted, gasping for a breath that wouldn't come, and suddenly she was suffocating from inside. She heard a growl from beside her, and it grew into a deafening roar.
Somebody squeezed her hand, and finally, she felt her lungs fill with air. She opened her eyes, even though she hadn't realized she had shut them, and Maribella was met by a blinding light. She blinked until her eyes refocused, to find that her sister was staring worriedly at her, holding her hand firmly. Everyone else, including the strange man, Professor Remus J. Lupin, was crowded around somebody on the floor. The hooded being was gone.
"How are you feeling, Mari?" Anna asked.
"W-what happened?" Maribella ignored the question, dropping Anna's hand. Her cheeks started to burn with shame.
"That was a dementor from Azkaban," Anna said seriously, and Maribella swallowed a gasp. Maribella knew a lot about various magical beasts and beings, as Mrs. Piccinni worked closely with them and always passed on her knowledge to her children. Still, dementors were something they had always avoided talking about.
"A-are you ok?" Maribella asked, feeling it was her duty as an older sister to check on her protegee.
"I'm okay," Anna nodded. She was pale, but otherwise seemed fine. "But you were whimpering and trembling like crazy." She looked down to the floor. "Worst of all was Harry, though," she paused, then whispered. "We think he fainted."
"Oh, Harry!"
But before Maribella could join in pampering Harry, a loud snap made them all jump. Professor Remus J. Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate and handing it out to everyone.
"Eat it," he said. "It'll help."
He was right. As soon as Maribella took a bite, she stopped trembling.
"I need to speak to the driver," the Professor continued. "Excuse me."
He strolled past them and disappeared into the corridor. Maribella kneeled down to where Harry was laying.
"Harry, how are you feeling?" She asked, mimicking her sister's question.
"I don't get it… What happened?" Harry asked, wiping some sweat off his face.
Hermione explained briefly. The dementors had come looking for Sirius Black, only to be shut down by Professor Remus J. Lupin, who had stepped over and said: 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' The dementor, however, only vanished after the Professor scared it away with a silvery spell of some kind.
Afterwards, no one felt like talking for the remainder of the trip. Harry, who had undoubtedly had the worst experience with the dementors, looked shaken, as did Ginny Weasley. Maribella didn't imagine she looked much better than them, because her sister kept shooting her worried glances. And then they arrived. Maribella wasn't sure how much time had passed; after the dementor left, it had all gone by in a blur. The platform was cold, but no one minded a bit. They were all relieved to be getting off the train.
"Firs' years this way!" Called Hagrid, beckoning the younger students to start their traditional journey across the lake.
"Good luck, Anna," Maribella said, hugging her sister hard before they parted ways.
Now, the only thing between her and the warmth of the castle was a short trip in one of the many horseless coaches waiting for the rest of the students. Maribella and her friends settled into a carriage. As they got further from the station, Maribella felt she'd finally be able to write off the incident on the Hogwarts Express as another anomaly in her school years, an unprecedented and isolated event. But as they trundled toward the pair of wrought iron gates, the first landmark that indicated Hogwarts was just ahead, Maribella's stomach dropped. Guarding the magnificent gates, were the horrifying dementors. A wave of cold overtook the carriage as they passed by, and the only thing Maribella could do was hope she and her friends weren't in for a year filled with the hooded creatures.
A.N.: Aaaand we've met Professor Lupin! I'm really excited to write about their relationship, there's a lot of room to explore. Thank you so much for reading. As always, thank you to my beta reader, without them this chapter would look a lot different.
Let me know what you think :)
~MJP