Chapter Five

Dementors

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"Willa!" Ivy called from the back of the kitchen. "I'm taking out the garbage. There's a Yorkshire pudding in the oven and-"

"Willa will see to it," the house elf said, emerging from her place in the root cellar. She took a potholder that seemed ridiculously large in her tiny, fragile-looking hands, and peered into the oven.

"Willa still remembers how to cook," she muttered, as Ivy turned back to the task at hand.

She'd gathered the day's worth of rubbish, nearly three cans full, and by the look of it, she'd be making at least two trips. Once again she wished for the power to whip up a nice levitation spell.

Picking up the container nearest the door, Ivy pushed it into the back alley. It was nearing dusk, and a thick mist hovered over Hogsmeade. The streets were empty, and Ivy knew the pub would soon be, too. Business was off in the evenings of late. Nobody wanted to run the risk of encountering a dementor, especially after dark.

Ivy dumped the first container's contents into the rubbish bin, then dusted off her hands. A noise to her right startled her and she backed toward the door, the golden slice of light that splashed across the stairs beckoning her to safety.

The sound came again. A low whine, so sad that Ivy peered into the darkness to determine where it came from.

An enormous and shaggy black dog padded out of the shadows then, wagging its tail and looking incredibly thin. It sniffed the rubbish bin, then turned its black eyes on Ivy.

"Oh poor thing!" Ivy said, forgetting the safety of the back step and approaching carefully. The dog seemed friendly enough, and its tail wagged even harder as she came near. She reached out to pat its massive head.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Ivy asked as she scratched the bear-sized creature behind his ear. She crouched beside it, running gentle hands along its back. The dog sighed at her touch and leaned heavily against her knees, and Ivy got the distinct impression that it had been far too long since he'd been petted.

"You're only skin and bones," Ivy whispered sorrowfully. "Stay right here and I'll find something that'll interest you."

She rose and went back inside, emerging momentarily with another can of garbage. Without so much as a wrinkle of her nose, Ivy began picking through the trash, the dog's hopeful whine urging her on.

"Oh look.... a juicy hambone. You'll like that, won't you? If I would have known you were coming, I could've left you a little more ham. I promise I will next time, though."

She presented the bone to the dog, who took it from her most respectfully. Ivy even imagined that he looked a little embarrassed for having to beg in the first place.

"Come back tomorrow and I'll have more," she promised as the dog retreated into the shadows. She watched the place where he disappeared for a moment, but when it became apparent that he had gone, she turned back to her original purpose.

"Poor doggy," she whispered into the darkness. Sadness engulfed her as she wondered where it had been and how long it had gone hungry. Doubts began to fill her head. Perhaps her offering wasn't enough. Maybe the dog was too far gone and even a hefty dinner of steak-and-kidney pie would have come too late.

The more she pondered, the worse the situation looked. Suddenly she knew that ham would be too hard on its stomach, and the poor dog would be dead by morning.

Ivy raised an arm to wipe her forehead. A cold breeze whipped down the alley as she dumped the last of the trash, rescuing a pheasant carcass as it slid by, and placing it on the ground.

"Breakfast," she said, hunching over the carcass. She headed toward the steps, stopping in her tracks as she noticed the form of a man emerging from the misty shadows. He was coming straight for her, and dread filled Ivy's heart as she watched him draw close.

"Father..?" she mumbled, envisioning a portly man with cold gray eyes. He'd come for her. Come to take her home, then ship her far away again. This time he'd forbid her return.

This time he'd tell her the suspicion he'd been hiding in his heart for all those years. He'd sent her off with a vengeance the second time, to a place on the other side of the world. All because of the hatred he harbored in his heart. Because he believed that she'd been responsible for her mother's death. Elana. The only one who'd ever truly loved her, even if she was... if she was only...

"Ivy!"

Ivy gasped as the man she'd seen in the alley transformed from her father into someone else. Remus Lupin hovered over her, pressing something into her hand that looked a lot like chocolate. There was a flash of bright white light and Lupin embraced her, pulling her back into the kitchen.

Once in the light, Ivy turned a tear-stained face on her rescuer. She didn't understand what he'd rescued her from, but now that the foul presence was gone, she knew she'd been rescued.

"Professor Lupin," she whispered, wiping her eyes.

"Ivy, are you alright?" he asked, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her cheek. He held her gaze firmly until she answered.

A plaintive 'No!' welled up inside her, but she clamped her mouth shut before it could escape. She hadn't felt so hopeless or alone since her father had shipped her off to Australia. Despair lingered like a black wreath around her head and tears filled her eyes once more as she turned a frightened glance toward the door.

"Here, sit down," Professor Lupin instructed. "And eat that chocolate. I'll go find Rose."

But Rose was already on her way into the kitchen.

"Ivy!" she sputtered, rushing to her friend's side. "Remus, what on earth?"

"Dementors," Lupin said. His eyes darted toward the back door. "I was walking to the pub when I saw Ivy dumping the rubbish. Then this big black dementor was... was feeding on her, Rosie. I chased it off. And I'm trying to get her to eat some chocolate, but she's..."

Ivy was slumped over the table, covering her head with her hands as if still warding off some evil foe.

"How did it know?" she whispered over and over again. "I didn't mean to... I would have never..."

"Ivy!" Rose took Ivy by the shoulders and gave her a shake. "Eat the chocolate Remus gave you, love. Come one now. Take a bite. Just a little."

Ivy obediently complied, taking a bite of the candy the wizard had shoved into her hand. A calm, soothing feeling enveloped her, along with the faintest glimmer of hope.

"How did it know?" she murmured again.

"Know what, Ivy? What are you saying?" Remus asked, bending down on one knee before her.

"That Thing out there knew that my father thinks I killed my mother."

Rose let out a low growl of anger and disappeared out the back door.

Remus gave Ivy his most encouraging smile. "No, Ivy. That thing only knows how to stir up your worst nightmares. I doubt your father could ever think such a thing."

"But he thinks it. He told me so. He was... he was right outside... He..."

"Was me," Lupin assured her, taking both her hands in his. "That was me outside Ivy, not your father. And the dementor is gone. Here."

He handed her a second chunk of chocolate, this one as big as her fist.

"Now I want you to eat this, and eat it all. No more talking till you do."

"Rose was right then," Ivy muttered between bites. The chocolate made her feel as though someone had just covered her with a fire-warmed blanket on a cold, damp day. "I couldn't see-"

"Ivy is needing some of Willa's hot cocoa!" came a voice from Ivy's side. The house elf placed a huge mug in front of Ivy and gave the girl a meaningful look.

"You bees quiet and drink this up. No more talkin'."

"Where's Rose?" Ivy asked quietly so as not to incur Willa's wrath. She understood that Willa was trying her best to keep Ivy's lack of magical power a secret, but she also knew that she'd have no problem trusting Lupin with the knowledge. He'd just saved her life, and Ivy wasn't interested in keeping secrets anymore.

"She went out back to make sure that all the dementors are gone."

"Do they do that up at the school, Professor? Can they... I mean... they can't hurt the little kids, can they?"

"Not as long as Professor Dumbledore's around," he assured her gently. "He's been very vigilant about keeping them away from the students. He's not happy at all that they're anywhere near Hogwarts, and neither am I."

"It seems very drastic. I mean, I wouldn't want a child of mine to ever..." Tears welled up in her eyes again, and Remus tapped the chocolate with a raised eyebrow.

"We all want them gone," Rose's voice came from the doorway, where she was taking off her coat. "They 're killin' my business, I can tell ya that right off."

Ivy stared at her friend. She looked beautiful, standing in the doorway, her face flushed with indignation. Ivy looked at Lupin, just to see if he'd noticed, taking a bite of chocolate to cover a smile. Lupin was not blind; he'd noticed. And when he caught Ivy watching him his face turned red.

"What I don't understand is... why didn't you run?" he asked innocently enough, but Ivy knew that he was trying to get attention focused on her, and not on himself.

"I guess I just didn't notice it," Ivy said, with a tinge of sadness. How tired she was of having to lie.

"I took out the trash, and there was this really big black dog... It was hungry, and I was busy trying to find it some scraps, and then..." she shrugged, determined not to say another word. She refused to lie to Lupin, and the look in her eyes forbade the others from doing so as well.

"A black dog, you say?" Lupin asked, suddenly very interested. "Was he a shorthair, or shaggy?"

"Shaggy. And huge. But very friendly... And hungry. I felt sorry for it."

"A Grim, Remus?" Rose asked, anxious little wrinkles appearing across her forehead.

"A stray," Ivy stated, popping more chocolate into her mouth. "He was sad, and thin, not spectral. Or even remotely scary." Once again she saw the dog's dark eyes gazing up at her.

"Couldn't have been an omen of death. He was far too hungry."

"Even so, you've got to be careful," Remus said, a sudden strangled sound in his throat. "If you see this dog again, Ivy... You've got to promise me you'll leave it alone."

Ivy contemplated Lupin. "It was just a stray. I can't stand by and watch it starve to death in our back alley. I won't."

"Ivy!" Rose chided gently. "Remus knows more about these things than you do. If he's worried about the dog, then leave it alone. Please?"

Ivy looked from Rose to Remus, then back to Rose again. "Alright, I give up. You win. I'll stay away from the dog." A twinge of guilt stabbed her as the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Good girl," Remus smiled. His pale face lost a trace of its worry, and Ivy noticed for the first time that he had quite pleasant features. There was a weariness in his eyes that only made her wonder at the secrets he hid there. Her reverie was broken as he patted her hand and stood to his feet.

"I know it's late, but I was wondering if a fellow might still be able to get a bit of refreshment here tonight. I've been working hard of late. Thought I could use a bit of fresh air."

Ivy pushed her chair back and stood up, but Rose beat her to the bar.

"Name your poison, Professor," she winked.

"Just... a butterbeer," Lupin sighed, wiping a tired hand across his face. "And give me a few bottles of that to go would you? I'm doing a bit of extra curricular study with one of the students. It's not going as easily as I'd hoped."

He left an hour later, pleasantly warmed by butterbeer, but only after extracting one more promise from Ivy to leave the shaggy dog to its own devices. The two women watched him leave, and Rose locked the oaken door behind him.

"I feel kinda sorry for Professor Lupin," Ivy sighed as they started up to bed. "There's something about him..."

Rose smiled, and Ivy got the suspicion that there was a whole lot more behind her grin than she was letting on.

"You like him, don't you?" Ivy pushed, grabbing Rose's arm. "Come, on Rosie... tell me. Is he the one you've been running off to see at Hogwarts? The reason you stay gone all night?"

No matter how she pried, Rose would only smile and shake her head mysteriously. She seemed to enjoy keeping her secrets to herself. Nothing Ivy tried would convince her to tell the truth. Ivy went to sleep that night wondering again just what her lovely friend was hiding.