Blood Ties
Part 3
Rating, summary and such are same as before.
Note 1: Thanks Joahn for beta reading and everyone who had reviewed the story. :)
Note 2: (Mar 8) Thanks IsiwaruOfCkaloatia. I must have miss it when my change my beta-readed one to html version. You're the best. :)
"Harry?" "Harry? Wake up..." "C'mon Harry..." "Harry? Are you alright?"
Harry blinked, and found several figures hanging over him. He blinked again, clearing his sight, when he found himself looking at his friends. "Thanks." He whispered as Hermione handed him his glasses, and slowly sat up.
"Here. Eat this." Harry looked up, and found the no-longer-sleeping professor handing him a piece of chocolate. "It's alright. It's chocolate."
Harry blinked, before accepting the chocolate and looked around at his friends who were looking back at him, concerned. His eyes moved towards the door of the car, and the memory of the dark figure opening the very same door flashed through his mind. "What... what was that thing?"
"A Dementor." Professor Lupin said. "One of the Dementors from Azkaban. They were searching the train for Sirius Black. Now, if you would excuse me," He handed the rest of the chocolate to Xander. "I need to have a word with the driver." He moved towards the door and opened it, stepping out. "Eat." He turned around and smiled at Harry. "You'll feel better."
Harry took a bite at the chocolate after the professor left, before turning towards his friends. "What happened?"
"That thing... the Dementor... just stood there and looked around," Buffy said. "I couldn't see its face but... then you fell."
"I thought you were having a fit or something." Ron continued. "You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching..."
"But then Professor Lupin stepped over you and pulled out his wand." Buffy said, and Ron couldn't help but raised an eyebrow at her friend's dreamy face. "And then there's this light, and that 'demon-tall'-"
"Dementor." Hermione couldn't help but corrected Buffy again.
"- Dementor..."Buffy rolled her eyes and continued. "...just turned and floated away."
"It was horrible." Xander plugged in, looking around. "Did you guys feel how cold it got when it came in?" Buffy nodded immediately.
"I felt weird." Ron frowned, shifting in his seat nervously. "Like I'd never be cheerful again..."
"I heard someone screaming." Harry swallowed. "A woman."
"No one was screaming Harry." Hermione frowned.
Harry blinked worriedly, before turning towards the window, watching as the rain smashing against the glass.
"Willow!"
Willow looked up from the table and found Dawn stepping into the Great Hall. "Dawn!" The two friends immediately threw themselves into each others' arms. "I missed you so much!"
"Me too." Dawn grinned, pulling Willow to the table. "Owling is not as good as talking to you face to face."
"Tell me about it." Willow smiled. "So, how was your summer? It's so exciting visiting Las Vegas! I mean, I lived in the state next to it for all my life and I haven't even been to LA, and it's just three hours drive." She paused. "Okay. It sounds more pathetic than I had intended."
Dawn laughed. "It's okay. Kinda boring, actually. My parents spent days in the casino and left me in the hotel room. Said something about easy muggle money." She pouted. "But gotta say, that muggle thing? Um... what is it called... 'tea-we'?"
"Tea-we?" Willow thought for a second. "You mean TV? Television?"
"Right. TV. Watching that TV thing was kinda fun, actually. Especially 'The Simpsons'."
"Of course! It's like the best cartoon in history!" Willow smiled. "I used to hide in the basement just to watch it. Nana always said it's not suitable for young child."
"Cartoon." Dawn cocked her head. "Is that what they're called?"
"Oh boy. I really have to teach you the fine art of television."
Harry was following his friends and other students towards the Great Hall when he heard an annoying yet familiar voice from behind. "Potter." He turned and rolled his eyes when he saw Draco Malfoy and his friends walking towards him. "So you're still here. I bet Dumbledore covered it up again, didn't he? Using magic in front of those muggles, thinking how good you are." Draco snorted and gave Harry a dirty look.
"You used magic outside of school?" Hermione frowned.
"I'll tell you later." Harry whispered to Hermione.
"Not so brave coming back here, Potter?" Vincent Crabbe, one of Draco's friends, smirked. "I heard he fainted on the train."
"Is that true?" Draco's eyes widened with amusement. "That you fainted? That you actually fainted?"
"Shut up, Malfoy." Ron hissed, pulling Harry into the Great Hall with him, ignoring the laugher from the Slytherin students.
"I wonder if I can get mum to buy me a TV this Christmas."
"I doubt it." Willow said to Dawn. "I mean, you'll have to have electricity to watch TV. Even if she did buy you one-"
"Willow." Dawn couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard Draco's voice from behind. She turned, and found the Slytherin prince had already positioned himself next to Willow.
"Hi Draco." Willow smiled.
"Do you have any manners?" Dawn snorted. "We are talking."
"Why Rosier?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "Not happy to see me? Or you're jealous that I talk to Willow but not you?"
"Pfft. Like I would. Why don't you go back to your girlfriend? I'm sure she would be more than happy to be annoyed by you."
"Parkinson is not my girlfriend."
"I never said Parkinson." Dawn smirked. Draco face immediately flashed with anger.
"Welcome!" The students turned towards the headmaster who was now standing in front of the teachers' table. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Now, I like to say a few words, before we are all befuddled by our excellent feast." He smiled. "First, I would like you all to welcome Professor R. J. Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck Professor." Professor Lupin stood, and nodded at the students. Every one in the Hall started clapping.
After the clapping died down, Professor Dumbledore continued. "Secondly, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid."
Everyone in the Great Hall started cheering and clapping. Professor McGonagall, who was sitting next to Hagrid at the teachers' table, sent an elbow towards the half giant and nodded at the students. Hagrid stood immediately, his big torso hit the table, causing it to jolt forward. Laugher filled the Great Hall, making the nervous giant's face flashed in embarrassment.
"And on one final note," Dumbledore said after Professor McGonagall hinted Hagrid to sit down. "Under the request of the Ministry of the Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban." Everyone in the Great Hall immediately started whispering to each other. "Until such a time as Sirius Black's captured, the Dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds. While their presence will not disturb our day to day activities, a word of caution: Dementors are suspicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their ways. Therefore I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be... forgiving."
The headmaster waited for a moment before continued. "But you know," He said. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of time..." Willow looked up, and couldn't help but feel that the headmaster was directing the comment at her. "If we only to remember... to turn on the light."
Harry and co moved towards the Gryffindor dormitory. Percy, who was standing at the front, called out towards Fat Lady. "Fortuna Major." He frowned when Fat Lady ignored him and continued singing, holding a wine glass in her hand. "She won't let me in." He told the gang.
Xander rolled his eyes and moved forward, standing in front of the portrait. "Fortuna Major!"
"Wait wait wait!" The Fat Lady frowned, before turning back towards the glass and started singing a high note. Combining with her lack of singing talent, the sound came out like a 'someone's-trying-to-kill-me-so-I'm-screaming-my-bloody-throat-out' scream than singing. Everyone immediately covered their ears.
The Fat Lady kept screaming, her eyes dragging between the wine glass and the students, before smashing the glass towards a pole nearby, breaking it. "Amazing!" She smiled brightly, showing off the broken glass to them as if her voice had broken it instead of her hand. "My voice-"
Buffy pushed forward. "You got to be pushy, Pushy Weasley." Percy frowned at the nick name Buffy gave him since they met. The blond witch turned towards Fat Lady and narrowed her eyes. "Fortuna Major!"
The Fat Lady pouted. "Alright. Come in." She opened the door, and let the students walked through.
"Man, we got to find some new hobbies for the Fat Lady." Xander said, and immediately received a nod from Ron.
"You should be glad that you weren't on the train." Dawn said, lying on Willow's bed in the dormitory they shared with other students. "I mean, those Dementors are horrible."
"I heard Harry Potter passed out after seeing a Dementor." Tracey Davis, their other roommate who was lying on the bed, said.
"I won't go that far but... I guess it's understandable." Dawn shrugged. "Did you suddenly feel cold when it came near you?" She asked.
Tracey nodded immediately. "Yeah. It felt like I was under water or something."
"Sounds bad." Willow commanded, picking up another book from her trunk and put it on her table nearby.
"It is!" Dawn whined.
Tracey smiled at her friend when something suddenly occurred to her. "Hey, weren't you staying here for the whole summer? Haven't you met one?"
"I met one earlier today but... I don't really feel any differences..." Willow thought for a moment. "Except the cold, I guess." She turned towards her friends. "Besides, I had spent most of my time in my room. We didn't really have many chances to meet.
"I still can't believe Dumbledore is your legal guardian. It's like... having school the whole year without holidays." Dawn said, making a face.
"It's not that bad." Willow laughed. "Dumbledore even got me a separate room in the castle, you know, like my own bedroom?"
"Really?" Dawn eyes brightened. "It's so cool to have your own room." She paused. "Not that I don't like you guys being my roommates but sharing a room with Parkinson..." Her eyes moved towards the bed that belonged to Pansy Parkinson. "It's a bit too much."
"Tell me about it." Tracey gambled.
"Wow! Don't know you have that in you!" Dawn mocked.
"What? She snores!"
Willow watched her friends laughing, before turning towards the window, watching as a Dementor flew pass it and disappeared into the night.