They stood at the edge of the wood watching the stars' reflections in the lake wink and blink with the movement of the water. There was a splash and a dark form began rising out of and then dipping joyfully back into the water. It was the Kelpie. The students had taken to calling him "Nestor" once Hagrid had told them "Nessie" was actually a male.
"You know," Hagrid said, his eyes on the creature, "I don' think Nestor was after publicity like the ministry thought. I think he jus' likes to surface and dive."
Isabel smiled, "I think you've got something there. He certainly does seem to be enjoying himself here. Will he get to stay?"
"Probably, if things continue to go well."
"Well, then I hope they do." Isabel said smiling. To her very great surprise, she was beginning to realize just how much she liked this giant of a man. His combination of gruffness and gentleness, his enthusiasm, even his alarming attraction to large and dangerous beasts had charmed her in an unexpected, even unfathomable way. One thing was certain, she liked the way he jumped into life with both feet.
Hagrid had colored and was shifting from foot to foot.
"Isabel, there's somethin' I'd like to tell ye." he said, blushing even more furiously, "I, er, I enjoy spending time with yuh, you know. And well- well- I know I'm ..." Hagrid stammered a bit and trailed off.
Isabel wasn't sure what Hagrid was trying to say... but she had some idea. She liked him. She so enjoyed spending time with him that she found herself wandering down the hillside more and more often. But did he want more than friendship? Was that even a good idea? After all, he was a part of this magical world... a world she would have to leave sooner or later. Then there was the age thing... It was probably best to just stay friends. Yes, it was probably best...
Isabel took a deep breath. "I like spending time with you, as well," she began, "In fact, well, the fact is that I like you very much, Rubeus but-"
This was the point at which she was going to say something about friendship. The words, however, stuck in her throat. She couldn't do it. She couldn't bear the possibility that she would hurt him with the standard "just friends" speech. At a loss, she said nothing.
The silence sat between them for a few moments. Finally, Hagrid broke it,
"Good, then," he said a bit awkwardly, "So, er- lets see where Nestor has got to, eh?"
Isabel nodded and walked along beside Hagrid as they circled the lake. Although they seemed an unlikely pair, that was probably why she liked him. She knew she tended to over-think things, whereas Hagrid - well he did not. It was hard to imagine that a relatively short time ago she was in an ordinary train station preparing to take an ordinary train to an ordinary place where she hoped to begin sorting out her ordinary life. Now she was walking along the shore of a lake containing the Loch Ness Monster and a giant squid with a very large gruff man who was half-giant, half-wizard. Whoever coined the phrase "God's mysterious ways" didn't know just how right they were!
Although the hour was late and very few lights were now shining from the distant castle, Isabel felt very awake as she and Hagrid walked companionably together. As she watched Hagrid's bouncing step she suspected he did, too. We could probably walk contentedly around the grounds all night, she thought when she suddenly felt her stomach contract as a sensation of clinging cold washed over her. Hagrid had stopped dead and was looking, horror struck, across the surface of the lake.
Isabel followed Hagrid's gaze and noticed that Nestor was gone and that a fog was obscuring the lake as it rolled across the surface toward them. But Hagrid wasn't watching the fog. Isabel could see he was looking at the far surface of the lake and, for the first time since they had met, she could see fear in his eyes.
"Rubeus, what is it? What's wrong? Is it Nestor?"
"Dementors." he said without turning or moving his eyes from the opposite shore.
"What?" Isabel said completely confused. Hagrid did not respond. He stood as if turned to stone his eyes locked on the lake. Isabel could feel a fearful cold gripping her as the fog rolled closer. But it was not this that truly frightened her... Hagrid's motionless, frightened form was what caused a feeling of panic to creep into her veins.
She hadn't thought anything could scare Hagrid... No! she didn't want to contemplate the nature of whatever it was... she wanted to run or fight or do something...!
"What do we need to do? Rubeus! What do we need to do?" Isabel asked urgently, scanning the opposite shore trying to see what was coming.
"Tell Dumbledore. We've got ...to tell ....Dumbledore ... quickly." Hagrid said almost mechanically, but by now he was shaking - although his legs were still rooted to the ground. Isabel pulled on his arm to no effect, looking around desperately searching for some help, some answer. She was too frightened of what was coming to leave him, but she knew they needed help. As the sensation of coldness grew and the fog curled around their feet, Isabel felt herself torn between the two options, unable to make a decision.
Then she caught sight of a crowd of indistinct shadowy figures gliding ever closer to them on the surface of the lake. She could tell they were close, but had a great deal of trouble making them out, it was as if they were almost invisible to her. It was more movement than solid matter that she saw. As she stared, transfixed, she heard a dull thud beside her and turned to see Hagrid had collapsed, unconscious.
"Rubeus!" She cried in alarm as the miserable cold grew all around her. Unbidden memories, dark difficult memories came to mind. For a moment Isabel felt herself balanced on a thin edge. She could feel herself falling toward despair but, as she did, something in her sparked. As the memories surrounded her, Isabel suddenly felt anger, a cold sharp anger rapidly building to rage. All of the anger and fear she had ever felt in her life seemed to coalesce as pure rage sang through her veins. She would not stand helpless in the face of this... whatever it was.
The indistinct figures were upon them now, spreading as if to circle her and the unconscious Hagrid. Dementeds, Demons, whatever they were she was not going to cower by Hagrid's side and let them harm them. She stood up with an inarticulate cry of rage and began to charge toward the figures, to try and drive them away from Hagrid.
She still could not make them out clearly but she knew where they were and she knew they meant them harm. That was all she needed to see, to know. She was not thinking. She was fury, she was vengeance, she was rage. As she ran forward the wavering line of figures stopped moving. There seemed to be some confused movement and then they were circling her. Isabel noted, with an odd detachment, that she didn't feel fear, or even anger anymore, she felt power. She knew she had carried with her from her own world what she needed to fight these phantoms of the magical one. Again she shouted at them and moved toward the nearest one. The indistinct figures began to move about in a confused fashion and then to back away.
She heard several sets of footsteps pounding toward her from behind but dared not take her eyes off what she could make out of the creatures. As she watched them moving in confustion there was a sudden sound of moving air and several beams of silvery light shot around her at the line of Dementors who began to move very quickly away, pulling the mysterious fog up behind them. Isabel stood, frozen, fists clenched, and watched their retreat until she could no longer make out the movement of the figures. She could only see the receding fog dissolving into the night.
Only then did she whirl to see who had come up behind her. Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall were moving toward her and Hagrid. Isabel moved quickly back to the figure on the ground calling out, "It's Hagrid, he needs help!" All at once the feelings of anger and courage and confidence seemed to pour away from her and she felt her knees grow weak and buckle.
She felt a set of hands catch her from behind and ease her to the ground as she watched Dumbledore and McGonagall bending to examine Hagrid who, to Isabel's great relief, began to stir a bit. Snape, with a look of pure bafflement at Isabel, moved from behind her to join them. As she watched the three helped a very dazed-looking Hagrid to sit up and Isabel let out the breath she hadn't known she had been holding.
With some help from their wands, the three helped Hagrid to his feet and McGonagall came to Isabel. "Can you walk, dear?" she asked, concerned.
"Um, yes, I'm just a little shaky is all." Isabel stammered out.
She felt McGonagall taking her arm and helping her up as she murmured "No wonder, too. Foul creatures!"
Snape and Dumbledore were walking on either side of Hagrid with their wands pointed at him as McGonagall kept a firm hold on Isabel and turned to follow them toward the castle.
"Did you see them?" Isabel asked, "What were they?"
"They were Dementors," McGonagall said grimly, "And they should never have been here. But hush, Isabel, lets just get to the castle." Isabel did as she was told walking with leaden steps up the hill. She knew that she was alright physically. Those "Dementor" things hadn't touched her, but she felt a bit numb and weak with shock and confusion. Since that day at King's Cross, Isabel had not encountered anything malevolent in the magical world. She realized that she'd begun to think of the magical world as some sort of "happily-ever-after" land. But one look at the grim faces of the three Professors told her she had been very, very much mistaken.
(Author's Note: Hagrid/Maxime fans: remember this is fanfiction. Rowling can stick with Maxime if she wants to but, personally, I think the big guy deserves better! Besides, they aren't exactly getting together, now, are they?)
"Now review me, please!" said the story, "My author has a dreadful addiction to reviews."
