Chapter 32 - The Dementor Attack
We were awoken by Tom the barman quite early in the morning from the orders of Molly. We'd barely got dressed before Ron barged in, Harry had said two words to him before the Twin's entered to congratulate Ron on pissing Percy off. And before long Molly was in to rush us all, I don't know what it was but I'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed and I wasn't in the mood for all the havoc that came with the Weasley Clan. I don't think I'll ever have seven kids. Before long the Ministry Car's had arrived. I don't know why but Harry has been trying to tell Ron and probably Hermione about the fact someone else wants to murder us. I suppose if he wants to tell them then fine. In our car was the four of us and, much to Ron's chargrin, Percy. The ride was uneventful and we were there quite quickly. I don't think I was the only one out of Harry, Ron and I about going through to Platform 9 and 3/4 after last year but we managed to get through this time and Percy ran off to find Penelope Clearwater, his girlfriend who got petrified at the same time as Hermione last year. He had his shiny head boy badge on that he had unfortunately manage to fix. I went to find our compartment which it turned out Uncle Moony was asleep in, bless him, after I said my good-bye's to Molly and Arthur.
"Who do you reckon, he is?" Ron asked as soon as he saw my slumbering uncle.
"The new Professor Lupin." I replied.
"How do you know that?" Ron asked shocked which made me chuckle.
"It's on his suitcase, Ronald." Hermione replied for me quite snidely. I shrugged and accepted that as my answer.
"Do you reckon he's fully asleep?" Harry asked looking at Moony carefully.
"I think he's out like a light. He looks like he's been awake all night." I smiled at my own little joke.
"Alrighty then, well I've got something to tell you." Harry said while closing the door. "You know that mass murderer who escaped from Azkaban?"
"Yeah..." Hermione said slowly.
"Well, he's out to kill me apparently. He's crazy and thinks that killing me might bring back Voldemort because he was a death eater." Harry explained quite quickly. I coughed. "And Ash because she's his god daughter."
"Your godfather wants to kill you?" Hermione asked at the same time as Ron asked;
"Your godfather is Sirius Black?" He, well, squeaked really.
"Yes and Sirius Black tricked everyone including my parent's to believing he was on the good side. He was a spy." I replied, they nodded at my explanation. "I'm going for a walk." I smiled before standing and leaving. I strolled up the corridor of the train listening to the sound of the excited first years, they sounded so sweet, and imagining that I used to be like that, that my future siblings will be like that in eleven years. I spotted Dean and Seamus in a compartment and slipped in. "Alright boys." I grinned at them and sat in the seat opposite.
"Alright Ash." Seamus grinned at me in his Irish accent.
"Hey, Ash." Dean's greeting followed. "How was your summer?"
"It was okay. I fell out with my parents and went to live my uncle." I replied airily. I wasn't really bothered about it now.
"What happened?" Dean asked concerned.
"My dad wanted me to stop being friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione." I stated.
"No! That wouldn't happen. Ever." Seamus guffawed.
"I know right. It's like they don't even know me. Anyway, I got a job at Ollivanders for the summer which is fun." I added.
"That was you. My ma' said there was a new girl at Ollivanders when she went with my little sister Samantha. She's starting this year." Seamus explained
"She has a crush on me." Dean grinned at me. I 'aww'ed and Seamus just shook his head. Bless.
"What did you do over the summer?" I asked them.
"I spent most of my time at Dean's, Sam was too hyper for her start this year so I didn't do much. Muggle stuff." Seamus shrugged.
"We went to the cinemas and the water park on the really hot day. And Alton Tower's. Muggle stuff can be fun too." Dean said defensively while I looked confused at them.
"What on earth were the things you just said?" I asked scowling a little.
"That's what I said." Seamus peeped in.
"The cinema show's movie's on a really big screen. You pay to watch and there's loads of seats so a lot of people can go together. The water park is a bunch of huge slides and pool's full of water which is really fun and Alton Tower's is a theme park." Dean tried to explain. I was still a little confused.
"I know what movies are, I stayed at Harry's on his birthday and he was telling me about all this muggle stuff, I'm glad I took muggle studies. The water park sounds nice but what the fuck is a theme park?" I asked grinning.
"It's like a park full of rides. They go really fast around a track like a train and they go up high and whoosh down. And there's a ghost train with loads of supposedly scary stuff. And there are some ride's that are like huge swing sets that go round and round. Its loads of fun too, weren't it Seamus." Dean nudged Seamus for an answer.
"Yeah it was. This ride called Nemesis just opened up this summer, it's terrifying and brilliant!" Seamus gushed.
"That sounds awesome." I replied with wide eyes.
"I was planning on going again at Christmas, Seamus's sister wants to come, you could come too if you want. You'd have to share the spare room with Samantha while Seamus bunks with me." Dean offered. My eyes widened even more, I was ecstatic.
"Yeah! Hell yeah! I'd love that, oh my God. I can't wait." I grinned at them both. "I'm gonna find the others, I'll see you later."
"Bye Ash." They chorused. Dean has always been such a cool guy, he's never treated me like one of the lads just me. And I'd always found him interesting, he's the only muggle born I knew besides Hermione. But he didn't lead such a sheltered life, he knew so much stuff, it was unreal. I was daydreaming when I ran in to someone. I jumped and almost stopped until I noticed who it was, Malfoy, I kept walking ignoring them, I was in too good a mood. I walked into my compartment to Ron cracking his knuckles looking like someone had kicked his Hippogriff.
"What's up with him?" I asked them.
"Malfoy." Harry replied. I nodded my understanding and sat next to Moony. The rain seemed to get harder, the closer we got to Hogwarts. We talked quietly during the ride so not to wake our new Professor, I had to shush the trolley lady when she came in before buying loads of stuff for the four of us. We had a little picnic in our compartment, it was fun, and we might have to do this every year.
"We must be nearly there," said Ron, leaning forward to look past Moony at the now completely black window. The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down. "Great," Ron continued, getting up and walking carefully past Professor Lupin to try and see outside. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast..."
"We can't be there yet." Hermione said looking at her watch. I leaned over Moony and wiped the window to look out of it. It didn't look like we were at Hogsmede.
"We're not." I echoed my thoughts as I sat back down.
"So why're we stopping?" Ron asked as the train slowed more and more.
"Maybe we've broken down." Harry said logically as we came to a standstill. I stood and looked out of the door to see if anything was happening, there was a lot of other people doing the same as I. I went to sit down before the train jerked to a stop and I fell as the door slammed shut. "You alright, Ash?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied as the lights flashed off, my hands gripped at the chair. Ron slammed down on my foot by accident. "Ron. That's my foot." I hissed.
"Sorry." Ron muttered.
"Do you think we should wake Professor Lupin?" Hermione asked.
"No. He looked tired." I replied to the darkness.
"What's going on?" Ron asked.
"I don't know." Hermone whispered. "But I think something's moving out there." I stood and squished my face against the window and there was something moving.
"I think someone is coming on board. Sirius Black couldn't stop the express, could he?" I asked.
"I don't think so." Hermione replied immediately.
"Is anyone else cold?" Harry whispered cold breath coming out of his mouth. I sat back down and pulled my wand out, trained towards the door. I stood and slid open the door and none other than Neville Longbottom fell on me. He sat in the corner just before Ginny appeared and sat with Ron. I closed the door again as I heard something in the hallway.
"Someone's out there." I squeaked, slowly becoming terrified. I turned to my Uncle and shook. "Wake up." I hissed as someone slowly opened the door I had just closed. A hooded floating figure with pointy fingers appeared and the room went cold. I felt sad. I thought of my family and how they had abandoned me practically. Forced me to leave my home for my pathetic father's peace of mind. I felt tears slowly fall down my face as I noticed the thing going towards Harry who has squished between Ron, Ginny and Hermione, the all had sad, clouded looks on their faces. Harry made a choking sound. "Harry." I whispered and stood between him and the thing and pointed my wand at it. I heard a whooshing noise as the creature's hand curled around my neck and lifted me into the air. And then I felt empty, it was like every happy feeling I had ever had was gone. I began to experience a memory that I couldn't really remember. I remember hearing a bang and bright lights littered the dark sky outside the window. I hear my mum scream for my dad who in turn shout for my twins to come from their room, the first thing I saw was my mum's tear stained face, she was closely followed by dad who had my twin brothers in his arms. I could hear my sleeping twin who was laid next to me start wailing as she was picked up by mum before she picked me up onto her other hip. I heard her ask my dad something about 'the order' as what I assume was the front door smash open and someone start running up the stairs. My parents looked at eachother in panic before they grabbed the porcelain rabbit off the side that Uncle Jay and Aunt Lee gave to us. I hadn't seen them around recently and I was missing them. Uncle Jay made pretty things come out of his stick. I looked at the door and saw a very pale young man with straw-like mop of light brown hair and a few freckles on each cheek. His dark brown, almost black, eyes connected with my bright blue eyes as he raised his stick at me. His eye twitched suddenly as I felt a strange tugging in my tummy and the strange man disappeared.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" I heard suddenly and I fell backwards, my head hitting hard against the floor and everything went black.
-.-
I opened my eyes to a bright light above my head and groaned. The lights in the train had been put back on, I focused my eyes and saw Uncle Moony standing over me with Hermione while Ron and Ginny where hovering over an unconscious Harry, laid out on the chair.
"What the fuck was that thing Uncle Remus?" I asked him breathlessly.
"That was a Dementor, Ash. And it was a very bad idea for you to step in front of one." Uncle Moony replied.
"Aren't Dementor's the guards of Azkaban, Professor?" Hermione asked him.
"That's correct, Miss...?" Moony asked her.
"It's Hermione, Moony. Hermione Granger. My best friend. I told you about her." I grinned at them both.
"Ah yes. I've heard a lot about you, Hermione." Moony grinned at my blushing best friend.
"So is this your Uncle who you're staying with? And taught you to be a you-know-what?" Hermione questioned. I nodded to both. "You're so lucky your Uncle is a Professor, you'll know your classes before everyone so you can study before the lesson."
"That's slightly unlikely, 'Mione. Even if it was, you know I'd tell you everything before anyone else." I said sighting up as Harry groaned next to me.
"I'm going to find my friends." Ginny told us before standing and slipping out of the door.
"Here, have some chocolate, Nine Lives." He smiled fondly at me before dropping a kiss on my forehead and going to Harry. Hermione helped me onto the chair across from Harry and we watched Moony inspect him.
"Are you okay?" Ron asked him nervously.
"Yeah," said Harry, looking towards the door. "What happened? Where's that - that thing? Who screamed?"
"No one screamed, Harry." Hermione replied.
"But I heard screaming -" Harry said confused.
"It was a memory, Harry." I informed him. "Most likely won't you didn't really remember, like mine? The night your mum and dad died, I think."
"Oh." Harry muttered looking down at his shoes. "So I probably heard my mum scream my name."
"What was your memory, Ash?" Uncle Moony asked me.
"The night they came for us, when we went to America. I can remember it clearly now. And I think I saw a Death Eater, one that mum and dad didn't see. He looked right at me and pointed his wand right at me. I can remember his face and everything. I was only just two years old." I ended in a mutter.
"Have some chocolate, Harry, it'll help." Moony said, handing him half a bar. He accepted it gratefully and asked what the Dementor was. Hermione replied with what she had learned. Moony then left to speak with the driver.
"What happened?" Harry asked us.
"When the Dementor came in, everything went cold..." Hermione started.
"The Dementor went for you nearly as soon as it saw you." I told him. "I got in its way."
"You went rigid, Harry and the Dementor went for Ash. Ash's Uncle did a spell and it dropped her and you both got knocked out." Ron finished.
"Yes, the Professor is my Uncle, I think I'll do pretty well this year." I grinned at the three of them, they all smiled back.
"Why are the guards of the wizard prison at Hogwarts anyway?" Harry asked.
"Two words." Hermione said.
"Sirius Black." I sighed. Harry sighed too when he realised that the mad man was now effecting our lives even more.
"We'll be at Hogwarts soon, we'd better get changed." Hermione stated before standing and getting her robes out of her bag. I did the same and went to the bathroom while the boys used the compartment. I was worried about the dementors now and to the lengths the ministry were going to keep my Godfather away from Harry and I. Were we really in that much danger from Sirius Black?