Using our mirrors, it wasn't hard to establish a day for most of the Corps to get together to gather our school supplies. It was impossible to get everyone—Ron would be coming back to England just a few days before the start of term and Blaise was still locked down with his new step-father, who seemed intent on getting to know his new son—but everyone else managed to show. With so many of us, it was a little complicated to get all of our things—though the clerk at Flourish and Blotts had breathed a sigh of relief when only Neville wanted a copy of the Monster Book of Monsters. At the same time, despite all of the chaos, it was nice to be able to be with everyone without having any active schemes going on. For once, we were just a bunch of friends spending time together—no enemy to fight and no house politics to navigate.
It would have been perfect if not for a rather unwelcome visit.
"Ah, Harry, my boy!" I looked up from where several of us had been staring at the new Firebolt racing broom. Hermione, Luna, and Daphne were still in Flourish and Blotts looking at different books, so Harry, Neville, Steph, and I had gone out into the Alley to wait for them. Waiting outside apparently had some risk to it, I observed as the Minister of Magic slipped through the crowd to approach us. He shook Harry's hand quite firmly, casting appraising eyes to his companions. His bowler hat tipped forward and Fudge quickly corrected the slip, adjusting the hat so it stayed straight over his ears. "Fancy meeting you here! And these must be your friends, correct?"
"Yes, sir. Minister, this is Neville Longbottom, Stephanie Leighan, and Corrine Wyncrest," Harry introduced, sending Neville an uncertain gaze. "The rest of our group is still inside Flourish and Blotts."
"Yes, of course. I must admit, Harry, that I'm very surprised at you. I'm sure you're aware of… well, recent events. I'm sure you can understand why I'm curious that you don't seem to have an adult present," Fudge said as delicately as possible, finishing with a smile.
"Lady Longbottom has been keeping me informed," Harry assured him slowly. "Given Black's last known location and the size of our group, we decided that it was worth the risk. I'm not going to hide from anyone. Besides, I doubt I'll be attacked in the middle of the Alley, surrounded by people."
"Quite right, quite right… Well, this was a pleasant surprise, but I'm afraid I must return to work." Fudge winked as if he and Harry had a great joke going about the Ministry and, with a tip of his hat, strode back the way he had come.
"That was…" Harry started.
"Weird," Steph finished.
"He seemed a bit… flustered, didn't he?" Neville asked with a frown. I nodded.
"I bet he's facing all sorts of political pressure after the breakout. After all, if one prisoner got out, what's stopping all of the other lunatics locked away in Azkaban?" There was a brief moment of tense silence before the rest of our group joined us and we were all dragged off to the magical menagerie by Hermione, who insisting on at least looking for a familiar.
With Neville's toad, my snake, Harry's owl, and Hermione's new beast of a cat, the Corps was growing a menagerie of its own.
September 1st rolled around quickly. I wasted no time standing in awe of the Hogwarts Express this year, instead preferring to quickly board the train after a quick goodbye and promise to write to my parents. The Corps could dilly-dally but I needed to ensure we could get a private compartment. Because of the earliness of my arrival, I was free to pick any one that I liked and I picked one at the back of the train. As everyone else said their goodbyes, I was reorganizing the folders of files we had of the Corps-iculum. The Corps needed to be able to be in gear by the time we got to Hogwarts, but that would only take a few minutes. This train ride was for us.
The Corps was joined by two pseudo-outsiders on this ride. Daphne's sister—a tiny girl named Astoria—was starting Hogwarts this year. She sat next to her sister, her eyes keen as she surveyed us all. Like her sister, this girl was destined for Slytherin as she picked her way into conversations that she was able to dominate. Ron's sister was with us as well, seated between Blaise and Harry and laughing about Quidditch.
A steady stream of conversation kept us from getting bored and we talked about everything from Hermione's and Ron's travels abroad to Steph's work with her father's business. I outlined our immediate needs and Ron got everyone excited for Honeydukes. The younger girls were disappointed that they couldn't go but we all promised to bring sweets back for them after the first sanctioned trip out. Even Vittat spent his time hissing at Crookshanks, Hermione's new cat, through the bars of the cat's cage. The only creature less than happy with his surroundings with Ron's rat, who had been attacked by Crookshanks as soon as the cat had laid eyes on the rat. Vittat had been oddly silent about the rat, leering at it until Ron had stuff it into his pocket.
Everything was great until the train slowed and came to a jolting stop. Just as we were collecting our composure, the lights went out and I scowled. This wasn't planned.
"Lumos maxima," I murmured, holding my wand aloft. The tip of my wand lit up and illuminated the faces of my friends. Hermione was frowning.
"We can't be there yet. It's too soon." Harry, who was sitting near the door, looked into the corridor before reporting that no one seemed to have a clue. He hadn't been the only one looking for answers. I rubbed my sleeve against the foggy window and looked out, holding my wand away so as to reduce the glare.
"That's weird... I think someone's getting on board," I muttered. A few short minutes passed before something changed. The air grew cold and oppressive and I straightened, alert and defensive. Vittat started hissing violently and I translated. "Something is here. A... darkness is on board. Darkness?"
"Darkness, Colestah. It takes and it devours, but does not give. It is a darkness, the darkest and foulest of things," he insisted, writhing in discomfort. "It is searching, searching. It is hunting."
The door, which Harry had closed before taking his seat, clicked open and slowly opened. Vittat's hissing grew fearful and I knew exactly why. A dark cloaked figure towered in the doorway, with one dead hand extended to the door latch. The creature drew its hand back and I assumed it peered over us all. I couldn't see anything but black under its hood.
A terrible shudder filled me and my vision swam.
Waking up in the hospital after that Yule... Damien telling me I wasn't his sister... thinking I'd killed my father... visiting Alice Longbottom with Mama, watching her sob over her friend...
I was breathing heavily and shaking even more violently but Harry, who was closest to the darkness, collapse to the floor.
"Sirius Black is not on this train. Expecto patronum!" an unfamiliar voice in the corridor shouted. A silvery light appeared at the creature's left and it fled. As it left, it took some of its cold and dark with it but some of the darkness was already in me, swirling and rushing against the confines of my mind, trying to break free and consume me too. I closed my eyes and remembered what Daddy had taught me about occlumency. Focus. Breathe. In and out.
I was recovered from the spell faster than my companions and I knelt on the floor, trying to check on Harry. I was distantly aware of Astoria crying in Daphne's arms and both Ginny and Neville were so very pale. If they had remembered things like I did, it wasn't surprising in the least.
"Harry," I murmured, placing a hand on his forehead. He was sweating but he felt freezing to my hand. Just as Harry started to shift in my arms, a shadow fell over me and I froze, glancing up. A man had appeared in the doorway—a normal, human man—and I sighed in relief.
"Did it attempt to kiss him?" the man asked quickly, kneeling next to Harry as well. I was a little slow on the uptake but the pieces snapped together after another moment. Kissed. Darkness. Cold. It was a dementor!
"I don't think so. He... He was the closest one to it, but I think he's just fainted," I said as steadily as I could. Harry finally opened his eyes and I forced myself to relax.
"Cor?" he asked vaguely, trying to recognize me with the light behind me. I nodded, smiling wryly.
"Yeah, it's me. Quit scaring me like that."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, looking very sick.
The man broke something in his hands and, when I looked up, he was holding a piece of chocolate out to me.
"Eat. It'll help," he advised. I took the piece and he broke off a much larger chunk, handing it to Harry. He glanced back at me, as if he was feeling my eyes on him. "I'm Professor Lupin. I'm to be your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year."
"Cor Wyncrest," I introduced as he passed out chocolate to the rest of the group. "You told the dementor that Black wasn't on the train. Is that what it was here for? To look for him?"
"Yes. I imagine Dumbledore will be furious..." Finished dividing up the chocolate, Lupin placed the empty wrapper in his pocket and dusted off his shabby robes. "You all eat. It helps. I'm going to talk to the driver."
"What happened?" Harry asked, wiping his forehead off with his sleeve. I frowned.
"Dementors are the guards of the wizarding prison Azkaban," I started. "Vittat was right to call them a darkness. They feed off of happy emotions and memories, leaving a person with nothing but bad. The worse the memories you have left, the worse the reaction."
"Who screamed?" Harry asked, glancing towards where Astoria was still crying. I frowned but, after a while, my frown dissipated as I repeated what I had said in my head. The worse the memories you have left...
"No one screamed," Ron said a little nervously. I put my hand in Harry's and pulled him back to his seat.
"It was horrible," Neville murmured, his voice higher than usual. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"
"I felt like I'd never be cheerful again... Ginny was shaking like mad."
"Harry..." I started gently. "No one here screamed. You were closest to it, so it had the greatest effect on you. It took the worst memory you have and brought it back."
Harry's brow was furrowed for a moment before he gasped, looking repulsed.
"I- I..." His voice drifted off and I nodded slowly.
The train was mostly silent until we pulled into Hogsmeade station and, even though I'd eaten the chocolate, I didn't feel a lot better. Knowing Harry, he was going to take this worse even if it was already over. He'd think he was weak for being so vulnerable. For Merlin's sake, he'd already been forced to listen to his mother dying! Why was this so unfair to him?
The trip to the castle in the thestral-drawn carriages was long and painful. There were too many of us to take one so we had split up into three: Daphne, Blaise, and I went first, followed by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville in the next with Steph, Luna, and Ginny following in a third after.
Getting out first, I immediately noticed Malfoy prowling around. Knowing he couldn't be there for any good reason, I stalked over to him.
"What are you looking for, Draco?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. Draco smirked at me but his eyes were telling a slightly different story.
"I believe I'm looking for your betrothed. Father did tell me the news after all. Quite a pitiful excuse for a contract if you ask me. I doubt Potter can even provide any connections of value. He certainly isn't one himself; fainting after so much as looking at a dementor," he scoffed. I crossed my arms.
"I'm pretty sure I didn't ask you, funnily enough. And I believe Harry to have been a better option than anyone else in this school," I said indelicately. "He's far better than anyone in my house, at least."
Draco reddened angrily but, before he could order Crabbe and Goyle to do anything, Blaise and Daphne had appeared. The Gryffindors wouldn't be too far behind either. Draco scowled and turned on his heel.
"Let's go," he commanded, and the three of them vanished into the castle. Daphne tutted as he left.
"And to think I would have recommended a betrothal contract to that git a year ago," she said without a flinch. "What a sheltered brat. I'm sure I could find out what his reaction had been when the dementor passed by his carriage if you like."
"It's not worth it. We already know he's spineless when it comes to an actual confrontation," I reminded her. When the rest of the Corps had joined us, we stepped into the entrance hall. We had started to move forward when a familiar voice called out.
"Miss Wyncrest!" I was surprised to see Professor Snape peering over the crowd of students for me. I met his eyes and nodded.
"I'll meet you guys in there."
"Granger!" Professor McGonagall called for Hermione and, though she seemed surprised, she followed behind me as I started moving away from the Great Hall. We weren't to stay together long, though, as Professor McGonagall led Hermione up the stairs and Professor Snape led me into the dungeons towards his office. He was silent until we were in the privacy of his office, at which point he turned to me, grabbing a sheet of paper from his desk.
"The schedules for the students have already been established based on our previous system. If you would like to continue with the current first and second years, you would be required to make use of a time turner in order to keep up with the course load you have selected for yourself." He passed me a schedule and I glanced at it. On top of the core curriculum courses, I had chosen to take Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes. With two first year classes and two second year classes, my schedule was impossible to juggle. I could give up working with a younger grade to free up my time but, to be honest, those periods didn't really take up any time outside of the potions classroom. My schedule would have thirteen classes listed but, in actuality, I would only feel the brunt of the seven core classes and my two electives. Even then, most of the theoretical work for this year had been done in advanced thanks to the efforts of the Corps-iculum.
"I'd prefer to keep everything on my schedule as it is. Do I have to petition the Ministry for a time turner?" I asked, dreading the upcoming yes. That was a process that could take a few weeks, even if my father streamlined the process from his position in the Department of Mysteries. Professor Snape quirked a small smile, however, and that gave me hope.
"I had a feeling that you would prefer to keep all. As a result..." The Potions Master reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out an envelope the side of my open hand, holding it out to me. I opened it at his nod and, pouring its contents into my hand, a golden necklace fell into my palm. The time turner was beautiful
"Thank you, professor," I said with an earnest smile.
"Thank me by not abusing it. There are limitations to even this. Do not attempt to exceed five hours of travel and do not allow anyone to see you in two places. Especially do not let you see yourself. Awful things have happened to wizards who meddle with time," the professor cautioned seriously and I nodded. Seemingly content that I wasn't going to get up to much mischief, I was dismissed to go to the welcoming feast.
I was smirking the whole way back. He hadn't said anything about not telling anyone and, while I wasn't planning on it, I wasn't foolish enough to think I'd be able to keep my schedule away from Daphne for long.