Chapter 2

"Bloody dementors…" Valerie cursed under her breath when the hooded figures left our compartment. Everyone was trembling and shivering with fear. All the happiness seemed to be sucked out of my body the moment the dementors came in. I groaned, and grabbed my hair. There was a throbbing pain in my head, and it felt like a thousand needles were poking it.

15 minutes ago…

"Hey did you hear? There are dementors being positioned at Hogwarts! It's Hogwarts, for goodness sake! They'll scare the hell outta the first years!" Valerie exclaimed emotionally. Valerie had a close encounter with a dementor when she was seven, thus resulting to the deep hatred for dementors.

I shuddered at the thought of having to meet a dementor. I wouldn't want that at all. I've always heard bad stuffs about dementors.

All of a sudden, the lights started flickering and everything blacked out. Valerie screamed, and grabbed my arm. I took deep breaths, and hoped that it was just a simple machinery malfunction.

"Everybody, stay calm." Oliver said. I tried to feel my way in the compartment , but instead oliver's waist.

I gulped, and hoped that it was just Valerie, when I smelt "oliverness" coming from the person I was hugging. I let go immediately, but tripped over someone's bag and fell.

"OOMMPPHH!" came the sound as I crashed to the ground.

"SHHH!" the others whispered at the same time. "Who's the klutz just now?" Fred - or maybe George asked.

"Oops… sorry, it's just me." I answered sheepishly.

For a minute everything was silent , and suddenly the temperature dropped to ground zero. A hooded figure drifted pass our compartment and it stopped abruptly outside the door. Valerie sniffed, and hugged me.

I snuggled into her shoulder and closed my eyes as tight as possible when everything went POP.

Wha- what happened! I forced open my eyes and realized that I was lying in the hospital wing. Oliver and Valerie were sitting by the bed and they had fallen asleep. Aw… they look so cute!

I tried to sit upright, but my head probably weighed a thousand pounds, so I gave up. But my actions probably created lots of noise, because the moment I moved oliver's head shot up and he stared at me.

"What! Is there a zit on my face!" I was uncomfortable with oliver staring at me, and I picked up the small mirror beside my table, trying to examine my face under the dim light. "Err no! there's nothing on your face!" Oliver's hands flying in the air. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but stopped. Huh?

Valerie snored, and her nose twitched every few seconds. Oliver turned, and whispered," Valerie sleeps like a pig, doesn't she!" I giggled and nodded my head. I tapped Valerie on her shoulder, when she suddenly jumped up onto the chair. "AHHH! DEMENTORS! "

"Valerie! We're in the hospital wing! Free of dementors!" I tried to whisper to Valerie, but at the same time "Shouting" so that she could hear me. The other students in the hospital wings came out of their beds to see what was happening. I even saw one third year's head pop out from the curtain beside the bed.

I didn't want to cause such a ruckus, but hey, I was "injured", and oliver had fallen onto the floor by valerie's sudden outbreak! Oliver managed to get up only to be swatted on the head by Valerie. Poor Valerie… always hallucinating as well…

Madam pomfrey shuffled towards my bed, and I sensed that something bad was going to happen. "Oliver, grab Valerie. " Madam pomfrey instructed. I gulped, and was afraid that madam pomfrey might go" stupefy" on Valerie. She wasn't that type of person! Oliver grasped valerie's arms as she tried to break free. Madam pomfrey revealed a small vial with some purple liquid, and poured it down valerie's mouth.

Valerie spluttered and coughed, before fainting into oliver's arms. Madam pomfrey sighed, and dragged valerie to a nearby bed. "Is she always like this?" I hesitated, and shook my head slowly.

"Once punched a dementor in the face!" Madam pomfrey joked, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. Wow. I never knew madam pomfrey was so brave.

"Tut.. tut… tut… but still, don't follow my example and punch a dementor. You'll only end up with bloody knuckles…" madam pomfrey' voice trailed off as she tended to Valerie.

Oliver had left the hospital wing for his transfiguration lessons, and now I was all alone. Valerie was still out cold, and I don't have a single idea to keep myself occupied. What was I going to do! Sleep like a pig?

I shook my head at that thought, and went to approach madam pomfrey. The "giddiness" was still there, but I was bored stiff in the hospital wing. That's why one of the downsides of having very little friends is that no one comes to visit you.

I smiled sweetly at her and said, "madam pomfrey, I'm feeling fine, can I leave now?" please, please, please, please, please!

"No, dear. You've not fully recovered! Why are you in such a hurry!" madam pomfrey raised her eyebrows.

I almost wanted to kneel down and plead her to let me go. But the thought of having to attend snape's potions lessons turned me off. Urggh. Puh-lease. Only slytherins look forward to having potions lessons with snape.

"Erm… never mind… I'll just go back to my bed and pretend that nothing just happened…" I shuffled back and forced myself to sleep.