Chapter 4: The Dementor

I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter.

It was the morning that the Hogwarts Express would be departing King's Cross Station on its journey to Hogwarts. Veemon opened his eyes to the sound of Daisuke shuffling in her bed. "Hm, getting up already, Dai?" he asked, looking at his partner only to see her tossing and turning in her bed. "Dai?" he asked, moving over in worry as Salem woke up and frowned.

"She must be having another vision," he purred before noticing the girl's bracelet on the nightstand. "Quick, the bracelet!"

Veemon nodded, grabbed the family heirloom and placed it around Daisuke's wrist. Once it locked into place, his partner sat up, her eyes faintly glowing gold before they turned back to their usual colour.

"Huh…wh…Veemon, Salem?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"Are you all right?" Veemon asked her. "Another vision, right?"

"Hm…yeah. I think so." She replied, glancing down at the bracelet on her wrist and running her hand over it.

"What was it about?" Salem asked.

"I…I can't say for certain… First, I just saw a black dog and the train. Then, I felt cold running through me like I had plunged into an icy bath. Then, there was a ghostly figure…it felt so empty…but there was light, and the figure was knocked away…." Daisuke said, trying to make sense of her vision. "Ugh…I should have taken Divination this year…." She groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"Maybe you could speak to the Professor and ask for private lessons?" Veemon suggested.

"Perhaps…" Daisuke muttered. She climbed out of bed and quickly got dressed before she began to pack her things, making sure that she had everything. "Come on, in you get," Salem sighed and climbed into his carrier. "I'll give you some tuna later."

"You'd better," Salem replied before falling asleep quickly. Daisuke and Veemon shared a small smile, and minutes later, the two were whisked into the chaos of everyone trying to drag their trunks down the same set of stairs at the same time down to the cars waiting outside.

"Why the heck are there cars waiting for us?" Jun asked, carrying the cage that held Percy's owl while dragging her trunk with the other hand.

"Maybe they're for you and Percy. Head Boy and Head Girl, all sorts of protection." Fred said.

"Yeah, we don't want either of you getting hexed before we get to Hogwarts." George joined in on the taunting, only to yelp as Jun managed to kick him in the butt. "Oi!"

"That's enough you lot! We can't waste any time today," Arthur Weasley spoke up as he held the door open for Harry and Herissmon as they carried Harry's trunk outside. Herissmon and Veemon had donned some of their partner's baggier clothes to avoid standing out to the Muggles.

Three fancy-looking cars and several witches and wizards from the Ministry of Magic were waiting for them on the street. They immediately began helping load everyone's trunks into the vehicles.

Harry was pushed into the backseat of the middle car, followed by Daisuke, Hermione, and Ron, the two girls holding their pet's carriers in their arms while Veemon and Herissmon were squished together on Ron's lap while Scabbers hid in Ron's pocket.

A wizard climbed into the driver's seat, and soon the three cars were off. "Well, we won't be late this time," Daisuke muttered.

"Yeah," Ron said as the three Ministry cars seemed able to weave through the traffic, fitting through the tight spaces that regular ones could not.

They made it to the train station with twenty minutes to spare. They found some trolleys and hurried off to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. "That's the fastest we've ever made it here," Harry muttered.

"And this time, the barrier should remain open," Ron said, remembering what happened last year when the barrier shut just as he and Harry tried to pass through it.

"Right, Harry, you and I will go first. Herissmon, stick close to us," Arthur instructed them as he helped Harry push his trolley towards the wall between the two platforms. Once there, he started leaning against the wall, and Harry did the same, Herissmon holding his partner's hand, and suddenly, the three slid through the barrier safely.

"Whoa…" Herissmon gasped. "You said the train was awesome, but ya never said it was this awesome." He stared at the scarlet red steam engine as the train whistled a few times.

"Yeah, now come on, make way for the others," Harry said, pulling him away from the wall as Percy and Ginny came through, soon followed by the rest of the group.

"Quickly now, everyone to the train," Arthur shouted over the hustle and bustle of the platform.

They loaded their trunks into the luggage compartment before everyone climbed onto the train. A few minutes later, the train's whistle sounded again, and it slowly started pulling away from the station.

"Ron! Ron!" Mrs Weasley shouted, running to the train with something in her hands. Ron stuck his head out of a window and saw she was holding Scabbers, and he quickly reached out to grab his rat. "For goodness sake, don't lose him!" she shouted as the train began picking up speed.

Ron put Scabbers back in his pocket and sighed. "Honestly, it's like you're trying to run away from something," he muttered, ignoring his rat's soft squeaking as he walked down the train.

Harry, Daisuke, Hermione, and the two Digimon searched for a compartment when they bumped into a familiar face. "All right there, Harry?" the person asked with a charming smile.

"Cedric." The younger boy greeted the Hufflepuff student. "I'm great. How was your summer?"

"Eh, was decent. I spent some time flying on my broom, practising for this year's Quidditch Cup." The brunette shrugged.

"Well, you'll need all the practice you can get," Harry replied smugly. "Because had our match not been cancelled last year, I know I would have beaten you."

"We'll have to see about that. See you on the pitch," Cedric replied, winking before he moved past them as Ron caught up to them.

"Boys and their sports," Hermione sighed before she saw a compartment. "Come on, everywhere else is full." She told her friends, sliding open the door, and they all entered before noticing an older man sitting there, slumped against the window, wrapped in a tattered cloak and fast asleep.

"Who do you think he is?" Ron muttered.

"Professor R.J Lupin," Hermione answered instantly.

"How do you know that?" Ron asked before turning to Harry. "How is it she knows everything?"

"It's on his suitcase Ronald," Hermione told him, pointing up at the man's trunk where his name was carved into the corner. "He must be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"It's the only position open. But he looks like one hex will finish him off," Ron muttered.

"Do you think he's asleep?" Harry asked.

"Seems to be. Why?" Hermione asked as she sat down. Harry and Daisuke shared a look before Daisuke closed the door.

"We need to tell you something." She answered, sitting down with Veemon jumping into her lap as Salem climbed out of his carrier and purred.

As the train sped through the countryside, they told Ron and Hermione everything Alexander and Natsumi had told them about Natsumi becoming the new History of Magic teacher and Alexander, along with his Dragon Cloaks being at Hogwarts to help protect the school from Sirius Black.

And Harry also added what Mr Weasley had told him about Sirius Black wanting to hunt him down in revenge for him stopping Voldemort.

"Wait a minute." Ron piped up. "You're saying Sirius Black escaped Azkaban to come after you?"

"Well, they'll catch Black, won't they?" Hermione asked. "I mean, everyone's looking for him."

"Well yeah," Ron answered before frowning. "But nobody's ever escaped Azkaban before, and…well, Black's a murderous raving lunatic."

"Thanks, Ron…" Harry deadpanned. "Really inspiring words there,"

"Sorry, mate," Ron muttered. "Do you think you'll be allowed to come to Hogsmeade this year?" he asked.

"Dunno, I don't even know where I put my permission slip," Harry shrugged. Daisuke sighed and handed him a slip of paper with a small grin.

"You dropped it in my bedroom before we left Japan. You forgot to come back for it, so I held onto it for you." She told him. He sheepishly smiled, grabbed the permission slip, and tucked it into his pocket just as the compartment door slid open. All four let out a groan when they saw it was Draco Malfoy flanked by his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle.

The blonde opened his mouth only for Daisuke to hold up her hand. "You had better not be here to try and taunt and goad us into a fight, Draco. Remember our talk in Diagon Alley." She said, and Malfoy glared at her. "Besides, do you wanna get off on the wrong foot with the new DADA teacher before the term officially begins?" she gestured to the sleeping Professor Lupin, and Malfoy's face paled slightly.

After a few moments, he huffed and stormed off, his two goons following him quickly.

Daisuke sighed in relief and closed the door again. "That was bloody brilliant," Ron praised her, and she grinned.

"Yeah, well. I hope this year doesn't involve him trying to start fights with us. I'm not in the mood for it this time."

The others nodded in agreement as the train continued its journey. Soon the sky above the train turned dark and cloudy, rain hammered against the windows, and the wind howled alongside, yet despite all the noise, Professor Lupin remained asleep.

"Sleeps like the dead, that one," Ron muttered.

"Is he dead?" Harry asked, tilting his head as he leaned closer to the sleeping man, who shuffled slightly. "That answers that then…."

Suddenly, the lanterns in the compartment flickered, and they heard and felt the train gradually slowing down. "Something's not right…." Veemon muttered, looking around.

"We're not there yet. So why are we stopping?" Hermione asked, checking her watch for the time and seeing it was far too early for the train to have made it to Hogwarts.

Harry and Daisuke, who were closest to the door, slid it open, poked their heads out, and saw other students doing the same thing along the train. "Maybe we've broken down?" Daisuke muttered before the lanterns went out, and the entire train shuddered.

"Bloody hell, what's happening?" Ron shouted as his friends sat back down and shut the door.

"I don't know," Harry answered before seeing Daisuke tense and begin to panic. "Daisuke, are you ok?" he asked worriedly as Veemon and Salem looked at her.

"My vision…" she said.

"You had another vision?" Hermione asked her friend in worry before the compartment door slid open, and someone fell through, landing across Harry's legs.

"Sorry!"

"Neville?" Harry asked, trying to see his fellow Gryffindor through the darkness. "What're you doing here?"

"The lights went out. I couldn't find my way back to my compartment," the boy answered, apologising again when he stepped on Daisuke's toes as he stood up and tried to find a spot to sit.

"Ouch, watch it!" Hermione hissed, pushing the boy off her lap as Crookshanks hissed from inside his carrier. "You'll sit on Crookshanks!"

"Quiet!" everyone in the compartment fell silent and slowly turned to see Professor Lupin had finally woken up. He withdrew his wand and muttered something before a small ball of flickering flames appeared in the palm of his hand. "Stay here," he said in a hoarse voice.

Slowly, he stood up and began making his way to the door when it opened suddenly. The flickering flames in Lupin's hand illuminated a cloaked figure as tall as the ceiling. Daisuke looked down at the long, greyish, slimy-looking, and scabbed hands it had used to open the door.

Everyone in the compartment tensed in fright, all of them beginning to feel an incredible chill wash over them as the figure floated there.

There was no face under the hood, and the figure looked around the room before its head snapped to Harry; it drew a long rattling breath, and Harry felt his breath catch in his chest. He began feeling incredibly cold, and his eyes rolled back; darkness surrounded him.

"Lightning Quills!" he faintly heard Herissmon shout before everything went dark.

"Harry, Harry!" he heard someone calling out to him. "Harry, wake up!" they shouted again before he felt them slap his cheek hard.

"Ow!" he yelped, sitting up and holding his sore cheek. "Why did you do that?" he asked, glaring at Daisuke, who was looking at him concerned. Then, he paused and looked around. The lights in the compartment were back on, and the train was moving again. "Wh…what happened? Why am I on the floor?" he asked.

"You fainted," Daisuke told him gently before she and Ron heaved him back onto the seat.

"I…what?" He asked, rubbing his forehead and feeling cold sweat dripping down. "Who…who screamed?"

Daisuke frowned and looked at Hermione and Ron, who shrugged. "No one screamed." She said softly, and Harry frowned.

"What? Bu…but I heard it…" he replied. He looked over Ron's shoulder and saw Professor Lupin and Neville near the door looking at him. "Wh…what was that thing?"

"It was a Dementor of Azkaban," Professor Lupin answered, walking over to him. "It was searching the train for Sirius Black. Don't worry. It's gone now. Your little friend helped drive it away," he said, looking down at Herissmon, who blushed at the praise.

"Aw shucks. I didn't do all the work," he said.

"You were really brave, Herissmon, and that was a cool spell you used, Professor," Veemon chirped.

Professor Lupin nodded before he pulled something out of his robes and handed it to Harry, who looked at it quizzically. "It's chocolate. Eat it. It'll help you." He explained.

Harry ate the piece of chocolate slowly, feeling a bit better with each bite. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll have a word with the driver," With that, Professor Lupin left the compartment and walked off.

"Are you sure you're all right, Harry?" Hermione asked him.

"I guess so. Are you sure none of you heard a scream or fainted?" he asked his friends, who all shook their heads, and he frowned.

"You're not going crazy, Harry," Daisuke said, pulling him into a comforting hug.

"Attention, attention, we shall be arriving at Hogwarts in ten minutes," the driver's voice echoed down the corridor via magic. "Please ensure all your luggage is secure and your compartments are tidied."

"You heard him, let's get changed into our robes," Hermione told her friends.

Harry finished the piece of chocolate and nodded. "Sounds good,"

The end of the chapter

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