I want to start this chapter with a disclaimer. I have been using some passages from Joanne's Harry Potter books, when they are accurate to what actually happened. I'm not claiming her work as my own though. Now that I've said that, let's continue.

I bent down and started slapping Harry's face to try and get him to wake up.

'Harry! Harry! Are you all right?' I said

Harry opened his eyes and Ron and Hermione heaved him back up on to his seat.

'Are you OK?' Ron asked nervously.

'Yeah,' said Harry, looking quickly towards the door.

'What happened? Where's that – that thing? Who screamed?'

'No one screamed, 'said Ron, more nervously still. Harry looked around the bright compartment.

Neville and I looked back at him, both of us very pale.

'But I heard screaming –'

A loud snap made us all jump. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces.

'Here,' he said to Harry, handing him a particularly large piece.

'Eat it. It'll help.'

Harry took the chocolate but didn't eat it.

'What was that thing?' he asked Lupin.

'A Dementor,' said Lupin, who was now giving chocolate to everyone else.

'One of the Dementors of Azkaban.'

"No" said Luna suddenly

"That was a Shakewraith. They're messengers from hell itself. They come to warn of dark times ahead. Daddy told me all about them"

Lupin gave her a very intense, analysing look, as if he was trying to dissect her brain.

"Are you a Lovegood by any chance?" he said.

"Yes, sir. Luna Lovegood"

"Ah, that makes sense. You must be Xenophelius's daughter"

"Yes" said Luna, nodding

"I'm very familiar with him, we went to Hogwarts together as students. He was a Ravenclaw, is that true for you too?"

Luna nodded again

"Old Xeno told me very similar tales back in the day and it looks like he's passed them on to you. Now, eat up, all of you, it'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me..."

Lupin crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket, then left the compartment.

Luna made sure that Lupin was well out of earshot, then said "How rude, they weren't tales, they're the truth, you've all just seen it for yourselves"

Ron made to contradict, but Demelza interrupted

"Not now mate, it can wait"

'Are you sure you're OK, Harry?' said Hermione, watching Harry anxiously.

'I don't get it … what happened?' said Harry, wiping more sweat off his face.

'Well – that thing – the Dementor – stood there and looked around (I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face) – and you – you –'

'I thought you were having a fit or something,' said Ron, who still looked scared.

'You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching –'

'And Professor Lupin stepped over you, and walked towards the Dementor, and pulled out his wand,' said Hermione. 'And he said, 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' But the Dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned round and sort of glided away …'

'It was horrible,' said Neville, in a higher voice than usual. 'Did you feel how cold it went when it came in?'

'I felt weird,' said Ron, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. 'Like I'd never be cheerful again"

"I saw flashes of all my worst memories before my eyes" I added, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well that is another side effect of Shakewraith encounters" said Luna

'But didn't any of you – fall off your seats?' said Harry awkwardly.

'No,' said Ron, looking anxiously at Harry again.

Professor Lupin had come back. He paused as he entered, looked around and said, with a small smile, 'I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know …'

I had already eaten mine so I was feeling normal again now, as I knew I would, seeing the effects the hot chocolate had on me after the Chamber.

'We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes,' said Professor Lupin. 'Are you all right, Harry?'

Harry didn't ask how Professor Lupin knew his name. 'Fine,' he muttered, embarrassed.

They didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey. At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get out; owls hooted, cats miaowed, and Neville's pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets.

'Firs' years this way!' called a familiar voice.

We turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake.

'All righ', you guys?' Hagrid yelled over the heads of the crowd. We waved at him, but had no chance to speak to him because the mass of people around us were shunting us away along the platform. We followed the rest of the school out onto a rough mud track, where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the remaining students.

"What are those things?" Harry asked

"What things?" asked Ron

"Those things pulling the coaches"

"I can't see anything"

"Thestrals!" I said impatiently, seeking to prevent another argument. "The only people that can see them are those that have witnessed death. Harry, you can see them because you saw Daniela die".

"I've been able to see them since first year because I saw my mum die" added Luna

"Sorry to hear that" said Harry

We all climbed into a coach and they set off towards the school straight away. As it trundled towards a pair of magnificent wrought-iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, we saw two more towering, hooded Dementors, standing guard on either side. A wave of cold sickness threatened to engulf us again.

The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive up to the castle; Hermione was leaning out of the tiny window, watching the many turrets and towers draw nearer. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt, and Hermione and Ron got out. As Harry stepped down, a drawling, delighted voice sounded.

'You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?' Malfoy elbowed past Hermione to block Harry's way up the stone steps to the castle, his face gleeful and his pale eyes glinting maliciously.

'Shove off, Malfoy' said Ron, whose jaw was clenched.

'Did you faint as well, Weasley?' said Malfoy loudly. 'Did the scary old Dementor frighten you, too, Weasley?'

'Is there a problem?' said a mild voice. Professor Lupin had just got out of the next carriage. Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, which took in the patches on his robes and the dilapidated suitcase.

With a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, 'Oh, no – er – Professor,' then he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle, and led them up the steps into the castle.

Hermione prodded Ron in the back to make him hurry, and the three of them joined the crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors, and into the cavernous Entrance Hall, which was lit with flaming torches and housed a magnificent marble staircase which led to the upper floors. The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right; we followed the crowd towards it, but we had barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling, which was black and cloudy tonight, when a voice called, 'Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!"

It was Professor McGonagall.

'There's no need to look so worried – I just want a word in my office,' she told them. "Move along there, the rest of you"

We stared after them as they were lead away. I had no idea what this was about but we'd have to save them seats at the table.

After the Sorting Hat had sung it's annual song, which contained foreboding words about the upcoming year, as well as the danger regarding Sirius Black, the sorting began. Ron had saved seats on either side of him, for Harry and Hermione and Amy saved one for Sarah, with the full expectation that she'd be joining us in Gryffindor. She, being a Bagman, was obviously one of the first to be called up, by Professor Flitwick, as McGonagall was still away with Harry and Hermione. Amy waved and nodded to Sarah as she walked up, indicating the seat next to her, and Sarah smiled and nodded.

What happened when she tried on the hat though, shook us all to the core.

It had only been there for a few seconds when it yelled "SLYTHERIN!"