Yo! Yay! Third year! POA has always been my favourite book and movie in the series, so I'm excited about this year. Now, I've gotten a few reviews (some of which have been rather rude and thus deleted as they were anonymous) that all seem to be telling me the same thing despite being phrased differently.

Stop telling me how to write this story and what I should and shouldn't do or make happen. If other versions of this are better, then go read those, otherwise go ahead and try to write one yourself. Anyway, thank you to all readers so far!

Violet Potter really didn't like summer vacation. During the long break, she was stuck at the orphanage and had nowhere else to go. She couldn't even leave and go out into town during the day because the Matron hated her and kept her busy with chores-especially during the break. She had to make up for getting away with not doing any chores at all for most of the year, she was told.

It was unfair, Violet knew, but she couldn't really complain about it. Doing that would just make things worse, and she really didn't want to be locked inside The Cupboard again. She shuddered at the very thought.

Violet was still small for her age, always would be, she knew, the malnutrition she'd been suffering through since she'd been left at the orphanage no doubt having affected her too much for a substantial change. Even if she was able to eat properly at Hogwarts, none of that really mattered when she was back to eating very little over the summer.

She would still grow a little more-puberty was a thing, after all, but she knew Rose, her twin sister, would be taller than her. Rose didn't have to worry about being starved and neglected. Violet wondered if there was a way she could buy food and hide it in her trunk without it going bad. Canned foods and things like crackers were one thing, but she would need more than that to ensure decent health.

She was going to have to look into that. Having already snuck out of the orphanage and into Diagon Alley so she could buy some books to learn more about the new world she was a part of once, Violet knew she couldn't risk doing it again-couldn't risk sneaking out again. The Matron was already suspicious of her and had been keeping a closer eye on her for the past couple of weeks.

No, Violet knew she was going to have to wait before she could figure that out...

Violet did her chores, cooking and cleaning during the day, and then did her summer homework at night, once she knew no one would come in her room. It was tiring-exhausting really, to have to stay up for so long, but Violet couldn't not do her homework, so she really didn't have any other choice.

But Violet was a quick worker and as time went by, she was getting more and more used to the wizarding world and everything about it, so her school work became quite easy. It only took her about a week to finish it all, and another couple of days to edit through everything. After that she did a lot of reading, learning what she could, memorizing what she read...

On the thirty first of July, Violet was kept very busy all day and by the time she was allowed to return to her room, it was already dark and she was completely tuckered out. Feeling, and certainly looking rather dirty, she showered quickly and wasted no time going back to her room before she was yelled at again.

Unable to sleep with wet hair, but also unable to perform a drying charm, Violet settled down to read again and just a few moments later, heard a tap on her window. She'd completely forgotten the date until she saw the cards and gifts a small group of owls brought her-Theodore, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and the Weasley twins all wishing her a happy birthday.

All three Weasleys thanked her again too, for what happened last school term, while also informing her that they were in Egypt visiting their older brother Bill, who was working there. Hermione had been out of the country too, in France, and Theodore was in Italy! Violet found herself to be quite jealous. She'd always wanted to travel. The final gift however, was the odd one out.

It was from Hagrid, which was certainly puzzling enough on its own. It was a book, which was even weirder. And this book was breathing, and had eyes and a mouth with fangs and a tongue, and all of that was just plain bizarre.

"The Monster Book of Monsters?" Violet read, green eyes on the title. She scanned the short note Hagrid had sent her, but all he said was that it was something she'd find useful for next year. Weird. Violet shrugged it off and put everything away in her trunk, hoping that creepy book wasn't going to come out somehow and chew off her toes while she slept.

But the very next day, Violet found out what the book was for. Another owl arrived, this one with the new booklist, and the book Hagrid had sent her was on it. How did he know that? Either way, she was just pleased to see Lockhart's name was nowhere on the list. Good. Now she could get rid of all those idiotic books of his.

Along with the list however, were two more notes. One was a form informing her that third years were allowed to visit a small village near Hogwarts called Hogsmeade, which Violet had already heard plenty about from the older Slytherins. Of course, to be able to go to said village, they had to get a permission slip signed.

Violet was immediately disappointed. She didn't have parents who could sign it for her, and while the Matron was, technically speaking, her guardian, the woman didn't know about any of this-magic and the wizarding world, and was the type of person who would never sign something without reading it first. She heaved a long sigh. Well, it looked like she wasn't going to be going to Hogsmeade any time soon.

Luckily, the second note was much better news. It was from Professor Snape and it told her that she now had permission from the Headmaster to get a pet snake, if she so desired. Better than that, it didn't specify any details about which type of snake she could get.

Violet had absolutely no idea how much arguing and convincing her Head of House needed to do to get her this permission, or even that this permission was actually a compromise. She had to stay in the orphanage, but she was now allowed a pet. It wasn't the best, but it was better than nothing, so Snape had settled for it for the time being. Not that Violet knew any of that.

Violet was thrilled, at least until she realized that permission from Dumbledore or not, pets still weren't allowed here at Starlight. How could she possibly get around this? She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the note with her potion professor's spiky but neat handwriting, thinking hard, and eventually came to a conclusion.

She would try to find out if there was a way she could keep the snake and its belongings invisible to Muggles, or at least everyone in the orphanage, or just some way they wouldn't notice it. If that wasn't possible, she would just ask a friend to take care of it over summer breaks.

Violet knew there was no point in asking the Matron for permission. Even if she agreed, magically coerced or not, the other children in the building were a problem too, and Violet knew there were at least two of them who wouldn't hesitate to attack or kill the animal, whether they would be punished for it or not. She couldn't use spells on every person in the orphanage!

Violet waited three days before she approached the Matron and asked for permission to leave so she could get her new school things. It was best to ask when the woman wasn't having a bad day, she knew. When she received a positive answer, Violet wasted no time in getting dressed and heading out, prepared to spend the entire day away from Starlight.

She made her way to the Leaky Cauldron, entered the Alley, and headed over to Gringotts where she was able to refill her coin pouch. Once that was done, she began her shopping, getting her new books, and more potion ingredients as well. Since she appeared to have grown a good three inches, though she was still the smallest girl in her year, she got new robes as well, hoping she would keep growing, because she didn't want to stay this short forever...

After getting everything she needed for school, Violet began making her way over to where she was sure she recalled seeing a pet store of sorts called the Magical Menagerie, and it was just outside there that she ended up running into one of her friends.

"Hermione?"

Hermione (Is she even taller than before!? That's not fair!) turned and her eyes brightened. "Violet!" she exclaimed, hugging her. "How are you?"

"Alright, better now that I'm finally outside."

Hermione blinked. "Finally?" she repeated in confusion.

Violet nodded. "This is the first time I've been allowed outside since I got back."

"What? But that's-"

Violet shrugged somewhat awkwardly. "The Matron has never been a kind woman. Although, I did sneak out once nearly three weeks ago."

Normally, Hermione would have been upset to hear that her friend had broken a rule like this, but honestly, that didn't matter when it came to the orphanage. "Why? And why haven't you done it again since?"

So Violet explained what she'd done, and about the books she'd gotten. "-but I was seen by one of the older kids. He'd snuck out himself for a smoke, and he spotted me and told the Matron. She doesn't like either of us really, but she hates me even more than him, so she did seem to believe what he said, to an extent. She didn't punish me, but she's been watching me closer ever since."

Hermione nodded slowly, fighting not to scowl. "Have you managed to finish your homework?" she asked instead, choosing to change the topic.

"I have, yeah." Violet smiled now. "So, how was France?"

"Oh, it was amazing!" And Hermione went off, talking eagerly about what she had seen and learned and done.

Violet sighed rather mournfully. "Everyone seems to be travelling this summer!"

"Really?"

"Hmm. The Weasleys have gone to Egypt, according to Fred, George, and Ginny."

"Oh! I saw that in the paper! Their father works at the Ministry, and I think he won some money in a draw of some sort?"

Violet nodded. "Yeah, and one of their brothers works over there, so the entire family went there to visit him."

"Who else went away?"

"Theo," said Violet, but her eyes darkened as she said it. "His father has some...business in Italy, and you know how he is, so he dragged Theo along with him."

Hermione's own smile faded, and she sighed softly. "Poor guy. His father is a cruel man. I can't believe he isn't in prison for what he did!"

Violet didn't have to ask for an elaboration. She knew Hermione was talking about how Theodore's father had killed his own wife. Theodore had been very young at the time, and didn't really like going into details, but he despised his father because of that event.

"There was no proof he did it," she said instead. "None at all. And either way, I've heard the...'justice system' was very corrupt back then, so even if there had been proof, there's really no telling what might have happened."

Hermione nodded, sighed again, then shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Have you finished your shopping?"

"Yes. I was about to head into the pet store."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Have you gotten permission to get a pet?"

"From Dumbledore, yes, but not from the Matron." And Violet explained what she was planning, before both girls entered the store, Hermione claiming she'd come here to get an owl of her own, saying it would make things easier for her.

The store was small and every wall was lined with stacks of cages, the sounds of the many different animals almost deafening. The two looked around curiously, never having been in here before. Violet turned around to see more, and then-

"Crookshanks, no!"

-was tackled in the face by a fluff of orange. Startled, she reached up, but the fluff moved and landed neatly on the clean counter nearby, where the shop owner sighed.

"I'm so sorry!" the woman exclaimed. "He's prone to acting up like that."

Seeing as she didn't appear to be injured, Violet waved it off, brushing stray ginger hairs off her face. "That's alright. It's fine." Eyes narrowed, she took a closer look at what she now realized was a cat. A large cat with ginger coloured fur that was quite thick, and an oddly squashed, grumpy looking face. But even as she peered at it, Hermione reached out to pet it, and it purred contentedly.

Leaving them be and having a feeling her friend wasn't going to be getting herself an owl after all, Violet wandered to the back of the small store where she could hear all sorts of hissing. Here were all the snakes, just as she'd been looking for.

There weren't many of them, she noted in disappointment. She'd done a lot of reading on plenty of different kinds of snakes, and had been hoping she would be able to pick one out of a larger variety. Oh well, better than none at all.

She leaned in closer, recognizing all their kinds, and listened with interest as they began speaking of her, some kindly, others with disinterest, and one annoying one who could only be classified as a major prick, because jeez, she hadn't even realized it was possible for snakes to insult people like that. She dismissed that one immediately. Their personalities would clash way too much.

"Oh, be quiet! You're making my head hurt!" one snake, who'd been silent until now, hissed suddenly.

"That's not even possible!" another retorted heatedly.

"And? You're making it happen anyway!"

An amused giggle left Violet and she saw the snakes all refocus on her, releasing hisses of surprise.

"Does she understand us?"

"No way!"

"But she laughed!"

"Who cares!?"

"I do! Shut it!"

"Well I don't, so you shut it!"

The snakes all argued with one another until finally, the snake who claimed to have a headache, spoke again.

"Oh, for Basilisk's sake. You, human, are you a Speaker or not?" When Violet nodded, still smiling, he seemed pleased. "There. You idiots have your answer. Satisfied?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Maybe."

"Get me out of here, Two Legs, before I go mad and eat them all."

Unable to help herself, Violet laughed and then nodded, already having made her decision. She opened the cage and the large snake slithered out of it and up her arm, coiling around her neck and shoulders, having to wrap itself around her oddly because it was actually bigger than her.

"Farewell forever, ignorant fools."

Oh yeah, she already loved her new companion. Violet returned to the counter, only to find the fluffy ginger cat-Crookshanks, nestled in Hermione's arms. "You got the cat?"

Hermione grinned as she looked over. "Yep! Isn't he gorgeous? What about yo-that's a big snake!"

Now Violet was the one grinning. "Yep, isn't he gorgeous?" she echoed. Then she sobered slightly. "Actually, he's quite average for his kind. They usually grow to be between four eleven and six seven. I'd say he's nearly six feet long."

Hermione peered at the serpent closely, noting its glossy black top and brilliant red underside. "What kind of snake is he?" she asked curiously. She hadn't read very much about snakes.

"A Red Bellied Black Snake," said Violet, stroking its head. "Very on the nose, I know. They're mainly found in Australia, around some kind of body of water."

"What do they eat?"

"Small reptiles and mammals. I've read they do pretty well in captivity as well, and are happy to live off of rats and mice."

"Is he poisonous?"

"No, but he is venomous," said Violet. "I read his kind isn't all that aggressive though. He won't attack unless provoked and even then, his kind prefers to flee instead of attack if given the chance. And since no one ever specified what KIND of snake I could and couldn't get..." she trailed off with a smirk.

Hermione just nodded, soaking the information in. "I'd say he might show slightly different characteristics, being somewhat magical and all. He could be more intelligent, and his behaviour might not be the same as it should be. Have you named him yet? Crookshanks here has already got a name, so I won't change it."

Violet hadn't thought of that, and looked at the serpent around her. "Do you have a name?" she asked him curiously.

"Ah, you are a Speaker. No, I do not. Give me one," he demanded.

Violet blinked. Well, someone was bossy. And sarcastic. And-oh, she had the perfect name for him. When she told it to him, he seemed to ponder over it for a moment before agreeing and once he did, Violet turned her attention back to Hermione, who was muttering under her breath.

"It's just a language, don't be scared. It's just a language, don't be scared."

"It is just a language, Hermione. I'm not going to hurt you, you know."

Hermione jumped, then flushed at being caught and flashed her a guilty smile. "I'm sorry. I know it's alright. It's just going to take some getting used to. Anyway, did you get a name?"

"I did," said Violet with a nod. "I asked him if he already had one, but he said no, and ordered me to give him one."

"...Ordered?"

"Yes, ordered. And that's why I've decided to name him Sauron."

"..."

"..."

Hermione couldn't stop herself. She burst out laughing. Sauron grew quite offended.

When Violet returned to Starlight, it was with her belongings shrunken and hidden in her equally shrunken and hidden trunk, along with her new pet snake. The store owner had directed her to a place that sold habitats and such for animals, and when she'd gone there, she'd been instructed on what exactly she had to buy for her type of snake.

She'd also asked the owner of that store if there was a way to somehow conceal the habitat from Muggles, and he'd placed a few handy spells on it, charging her extra, naturally, not that Violet minded, since this would ensure no one killed her pet. Everything had been charmed directly on the objects, so like with her trunk, she couldn't get in trouble for using magic.

If Sauron wasn't comfortable this summer, she would ask someone she trusted to watch over him during future summer holidays for as long as she had to stay in the orphanage. That really was the best she could do, she supposed.

Yawning as she walked, Violet approached the living area to inform the Matron she'd returned, and found the woman watching the evening news, the caster right in the middle of a rather vague sounding report.

"-lic has now been warned that Sirius Black should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. If sighted, the public is advised to not approach him, and instead give a call to a special hotline that has been set up-" and he went on, giving the number.

Violet blinked, eyes on the tv, taking in the sight of the man on the screen. His face was gaunt and sunken in, his dark hair long and matted, and he didn't look healthy at all. But there was an odd gleam in his grey eyes that Violet found to be a little strange.

Her frown only deepened. Black? Wasn't Black the name of an old Pureblood family? Hadn't she heard of the Blacks before? Strange. But how could this man be a part of that family if he was on the Muggle news? No, he probably just happened to have the same name. No doubt there were plenty of Muggle people with the surname of Black. But still...Sirius sounded like such a Pureblood name.

Figuring it was just a coincidence, Violet shook her head and spoke up so the Matron knew she was there, then returned to her room to set up Sauron's new home, hoping the spells on it would remain in place. She knew she would be able to talk herself out of trouble if she was caught, but only the first time it happened. It wouldn't work again after that, so the longer Sauron went unnoticed, the better.

...That sounded really weird.

"Your home is terrible and this room is even worse. What is this place?"

Violet smiled wryly. "It's an orphanage. It's where children who have no family often end up."

Sauron looked at her closely. "You have no family?"

"No. My mother and father were killed when I was a baby, and I was left here."

"Who left you here?"

"The Headmaster of Hogwarts-do you know it? His name is Albus Dumbledore."

"...I hate him."

"You and me both. Why do you hate him?"

"Reasons. Can I kill him?"

"Unfortunately, no." Violet decided not to ask him to elaborate just yet, and so the two continued to talk, Sauron wanting to know everything about Violet, and Violet explaining away, answering the many bluntly asked questions...

When the morning of September first arrived, Violet was all but ecstatic to leave, and was pleased Sauron hadn't been caught. She put all of her snake's belongings into her trunk, the snake included, promising him that she could let him out once she got to Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

"You better."

Yes, she'd certainly named him well...

It was nearly eleven when Violet finally left Starlight. She was running late thanks to some annoying interference from one of the other children at the orphanage who, irritatingly, decided to blame her for stealing something she had misplaced. Violet thought she'd managed to get away, only to find herself accosted just outside of the doors.

The Matron stopped her and began to question her, clearly unconcerned with the thought that Violet could end up missing her train. Violet argued back of course, saying she had no idea what Ruby lost, and couldn't care less about it. All she wanted to do was leave this bloody place and go back to her true home. But the Matron refused to let her leave until she returned what she'd stolen. How could she return something she didn't even have!?

Violet turned and began to walk away, but a long, thin hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back before curling around her wrist, gripping so tight Violet had to fight not to wince. She wasn't released until a dog suddenly appeared.

It was a rather large dog, quite unhealthy looking and thin, with black fur that was very matted and dirty. In its mouth it was carrying some sort of stuffed doll. Oh, was that what this fuss was about? The dog approached them and dropped the doll down onto the ground.

Ruby screeched, grabbed the doll, then ran back inside, crying about how it was dirty now. The Matron, beady eyes locked on the dog, finally released her death grip on Violet's wrist and with a glare, marched back inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Tch." Violet rubbed her wrist, a little pissed off that it was going to bruise, then focused her attention on the shaggy black dog who'd sat back and was looking up at her through squinted eyes. "Er, good dog?"

He barked at her once, sounding pleased, his tail wagging cheerily. And then Violet heard a hiss-a loud, familiar hiss.

"Are we not there yet!? Walk faster!"

Violet rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes, yes, my Lord," she said, not bothering to conceal her slip into Parseltongue since the dog was the only one nearby to hear it. She turned and began walking quickly, half jogging, since she really was running late now.

Because she'd turned away, Violet didn't notice the dog recoil…

Finally on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, Violet was approaching the train when someone stepped into her path, causing her to stop short.

"Miss...Potter. Er, Violet," said the person haltingly. "I'd like a word with you, if possible. Please."

What in the world Arthur Weasley wanted with her, Violet didn't know. But she hid her suspicion and nodded politely. "Yes?"

Mr Weasley inclined his head. "While I may not...approve of you entirely," he ignored the girl's raised brow, "you did play a part in saving my daughter's life so I can't, in good conscience, let you leave without this warning."

"Warning?"

"Do you know who Sirius Black is?"

Sirius Black? The name sounded familiar to her. Where did she-ah. "I've only seen him on the Muggle news," said Violet, wondering what this was about. "They claimed he was armed and dangerous."

"Yes, that's him. That man is a wizard, and just as dangerous to Muggles as he is wizards and witches," Mr Weasley explained seriously. "He recently broke out of Azkaban, and it's most likely that he's done this to get to either your sister or you, if not both of you."

Violet blinked, and then her eyes narrowed as she frowned. "Get to us?"

"Kill. He could have broken out to kill either of you-both of you."

Violet was shocked, to say the least. So many questions were whirling through her mind, so many she wanted to ask, but there was no time. The train was about to leave. Deciding to remain polite, she simply thanked the man for the warning and then headed off, boarding the train just seconds before the doors began to close.

She walked through the narrow train corridor as they set off, glancing through the windows of each compartment door, searching for Theodore and Hermione. Many stared at her, but she chose to ignore them. Some of the Slytherins inclined their heads in her direction, and she returned the gesture. Rose and Ron glared at her, which only had her smirking. At least they weren't going to fly a car into a murder tree again.

Finally, Violet reached a compartment near the very end of the train and it was here that she found Theodore, sitting with Hermione. When she slid the door open and stepped in, she realized there was someone else in here too.

It was a man, sitting in one corner, his head against the window. He was covered with a shabby looking blanket, was wearing equally shabby robes, and despite appearing to be fast asleep, looked rather ill and utterly exhausted. But though he didn't seem all that old, his light brown hair was, confusingly, flecked with grey.

Violet paused, then continued in, shutting the door behind her and greeting her friends as she took a seat across the man. "Who's he?" she asked curiously.

"Professor Lupin," Hermione replied promptly. "According to his trunk, at least."

Violet glanced up at the trunk herself, spotting the name across it in peeling letters. "Huh. New Defence professor?"

"Probably."

"Get me out of here! Are you ignoring me!?"

Violet blinked, and then giggled softly and quickly brought Sauron out in the open, returning him to his original length. "Sorry about that."

"You'd best be." Sauron slithered over her legs, hissing softly, taking in the new scents around him.

Theodore stared in surprise from his spot next to the odd man, eyes wide. "You got a snake, Violet?" He smirked. "That's going to surprise the other Slytherins."

Violet nodded in agreement with a smirk of her own, and then told them why she'd been late, telling them what the Weasley patriarch had told her back on the Platform. Hermione was rather alarmed, but Violet turned her attention to her fellow Slytherin. "Do you know anything about Black?" she asked him.

Theodore frowned and ran his fingers through his hair. "Not much. He was a part of the Black family-one of the oldest Pureblood families. They're generally known to be Dark, and followers of the Dark Lord too. I think he was Heir Black, because he was the oldest son, but I'm pretty sure my father told me he'd been disowned. He didn't say why, at least I don't think he did."

"Why was he in prison?"

"Apparently he killed a dozen Muggles and a wizard named Peter Pettigrew one day in...I think it was early November in eighty one? The whole street exploded and only one of Pettigrew's fingers was found, or something like that. Turned out Black was a Death Eater-that's what the Dark Lord's followers are called," he added, noting Hermione's confusion (Violet already knew that, being in Slytherin and all). "He was captured immediately, didn't resist, and was sent to Azkaban, and was there for twelve years until he broke out a few weeks back."

"I heard he's the first to do so?" said Hermione.

Theodore nodded. "Yeah." His gaze returned to Violet. "You said Weasley warned you Black's probably after you or your sister?"

"That's what he said. He sounded like it was more likely that he'd go after her than me, but I suppose it's still possible. Why?"

Theodore seemed to hesitate. "Violet, Black is your sister's godfather."

Hermione gasped, and Violet blinked. "Huh. Well, crap. So he isn't my godfather as well?"

"No idea. My father's told me most of this, but I doubt he's learned any of this on his own-he's not nearly smart or valued enough. At a guess, I'd say Mr Malfoy's the one with the information-he mostly always is. Draco might know the basics, but I doubt even he knows everything. It would depend on how much his father decided to tell him."

Violet nodded in understanding and wondered if it was worth getting in contact with Mr Malfoy to ask for some more information on all of this. It was worth further thinking, she told herself, absently petting Sauron, whose head was resting in her lap.

The three friends were quiet for some time, and with all of them so absorbed in their thoughts, none of them noticed that Professor Lupin wasn't as asleep as he appeared to be...

Remus deliberately chose a compartment at the very end of the train, assuming he would be left alone. Exhausted, the full moon only having been last night, he was attempting to sleep, desperate for some rest. And he nearly managed it too when he heard the door slide open.

"I don't think there's anywhere else to sit," he heard a girl say.

"This is fine," a boy replied.

He heard them enter, heard them stash their trunks, then heard them sit, the boy in the seat beside him and the girl across the boy. They talked quietly for a few minutes, not saying much that would tell him who they were or what Houses they'd been Sorted in. All he got was that their names were Hermione and Theodore.

"Hmm, Violet's running late," he heard Hermione say. She sounded concerned.

Violet? Remus thought, a little surprised. Of course while Violet may not have been the most common name, it certainly wasn't the most uncommon either. But still, it had been a long time now since he'd last heard it. And even though it was unlikely they were speaking of the Violet he was thinking of, he still felt saddened.

"She is," Theodore agreed. "She's generally early. You know she hates staying at that orphanage longer than she has to."

...Orphanage? Then-no.

"Oh, I hope nothing happened to her."

The train soon began to move and a moment later, Remus heard the door open again. He heard someone step in, heard them stop, heard them continue in and sit down in the seat across him after having shut the door. Then this person spoke.

"Who's he?" Her voice was light, but curious.

It was Hermione who answered, having gotten his name off his trunk, which he had placed in the rack up over his head. A moment later, Remus heard something hiss. It wasn't very loud, but with his better hearing, he still heard it clearly. He didn't think much of it until he heard someone hissing in return. It was hard to tell for sure, but he was positive it was this other girl who had just come in.

But if she was hissing like this, didn't that mean she was... Was this Rose? Albus had told him that Rose was a Parselmouth. So was this her? But Theodore and Hermione hadn't even mentioned Rose.

Theodore unknowingly answered his question for him. "You got a snake, Violet? That's going to surprise the other Slytherins."

Remus stiffened slightly. Violet... Violet... Violet was in Slytherin. Violet was a Parselmouth too, and Albus hadn't told him. But even without that, Violet was here. His sweet, little goddaughter. He hadn't seen her in years. Not since she'd been a tiny little thing, left in a decrepit, Muggle orphanage where he'd been unable to get to her. And now she was here, sitting right across him.

That was bad enough on its own. Unfortunately for him, matters were made so much worse when the children began discussing Black, and Remus had to force himself not to react. He tried not to listen anymore, tried to tell himself that it would be best if he just fell asleep now. But he couldn't help it...

The new third years, of course, had absolutely no idea what was going through the man's mind right now, and began talking about Hogsmeade, now that they'd finally reached the year where they were allowed to go. It was a rather casual discussion, until Violet revealed her permission slip hadn't been signed.

"Did you really think I could even ask the Matron?"

"She doesn't even know about this world, does she?"

"No, and it's not like there's anyone else I can ask. I guess Professor Snape is an option, but..."

Theodore understood. "If it's at all possible that Black is after you too, they likely won't bother until the situation's been resolved."

Violet nodded and shrugged vaguely. "It's fine. It isn't as if this is the only year it's possible to go to Hogsmeade. They'll have to catch Black eventually too..."

The skies darkened with thick, grey clouds as time passed, and the three teens bought some snacks off the trolley, chatting quietly while making sure they didn't wake the sleeping man, curious though they were by his presence on the train.

Just as it began to rain, the three were joined by Luna, who claimed she was trying to escape from the Wilfzers. Violet took that to mean the Ravenclaws from her year were bothering her again. Theodore and Hermione quickly figured it out too, and Luna settled down between the two girls, cooing at Sauron who was preening at the attention he was receiving.

The drizzle turned to a pouring rain and lightning flashed in the dark as a chill settled in the air. Violet wasn't afraid of storms, and she wasn't afraid of the dark either (unless she was locked in a small, enclosed space), but for some reason that she didn't understand, she really didn't like the way she was feeling right now.

The small group continued chatting and snacking for a while, but despite the hours that had gone by, it came as a surprise to them all when the train suddenly came to a stop. Well, that was odd. They were sure they weren't there yet, shouldn't be for another hour or so. So why were they stopping? They couldn't possibly have broken down-they were on a magical train!

Before they could voice their thoughts, every single lamp on the train went out, the flames snuffing out, leaving them in darkness.

Violet was the first to react, and lit her wand immediately. Theodore and Hermione followed suit, and then Luna did the same, but she shifted closer to Hermione as well, all four of them looking around.

They questioned one another quietly, all of them confused, and that confusion only grew as it began getting colder, enough so that they were soon able to see their breath misting in front of them as they spoke. No, no something was wrong. Violet felt it now more than ever, and she wasn't the only one. But none of them had the answer. Well, none of the humans, that is.

Sauron raised his long body until he was level with Violet's face. "There is a dementor nearby," he said. "They are creatures that can suck out your soul. They are the ones who cause this cold. Tell the other humans. The boy will know more."

Violet had never heard of a dementor before, so she simply obeyed the snake and did as he said. "Sauron just said a dementor is nearby," she told her friends.

She'd barely finished speaking when there was movement in the corner. The man, Professor Lupin, was finally awake, and swiftly lit his own wand, his eyes-a light brown, almost amber, locked on Violet.

"Are you sure?" he said, his voice a low, tired gravel.

Surprised, Violet nodded. "Yes, that's what Sauron-er, my snake said."

Lupin's lips twitched just slightly, as if he were amused by the snake's name, but he refocused quickly enough and turned to look at the compartment door. He stood and just as he took a step forward, the door slid open.

There was a figure, tall-so tall it nearly touched the ceiling. It was cloaked and hooded in black, its face completely hidden. Its hand, grey, scabbed, slimy, like it had been decaying in water, was quickly pulled away, hidden from sight. It was taking slow, rattling breaths that sounded ragged and wheezy all at once. Violet felt herself freeze, breath catching in her chest.

She was cold, freezing cold, but more than that, she was terrified, more scared than she'd ever been before in her entire life. And then she heard the screaming, high, frightened pleading, though she couldn't make out any actual words, just the sound. She saw a light, a bright, bright light coming from Professor Lupin's wand...

Violet didn't realize she'd fainted until she woke suddenly. She was on the compartment floor, Sauron half on her chest, his tongue flicking across her cheek, and Lupin was hovering over her, concerned, and-why did those eyes look so familiar to her?

No one said a word. Theodore helped Violet up and back into her seat, and she noticed that Hermione was holding Luna close to her, both girls pale and shivering. It was only after that that she realized the lights were back on and the train was moving again.

Wanting answers, Violet looked to the professor who, no doubt aware of their confusion, explained.

"That was a dementor," he said calmly. "They guard Azkaban-a prison. It was here looking for Sirius Black." And for Violet's sake, added, "Don't worry, it's gone now." He pulled a large bar of chocolate out of his pocket as he spoke, breaking it into pieces and handing them all one-Violet given a larger one than the rest. Lupin waited until they all bit into the chocolate, then excused himself.

The moment the door slid shut behind him, Violet's gaze moved to Theodore. She wanted to know more, and she had no doubt he would have more answers for her.

And so, Theodore explained. Like Lupin said, dementors guarded Azkaban. They essentially ate away at happiness, which was why so much dread was felt when they were around. And like Sauron said, they could indeed suck out a person's very soul, which would leave them an empty shell.

Just as Theodore finished explaining, the door opened again and Lupin returned, returning to his seat. Once he was settled, his eyes moved to Violet.

"How do you feel, Violet?" he asked her gently.

"Er, I'm fine, sir," she said rather awkwardly. It was a bit odd to have an adult feel any sort of concern over her, and she didn't really know how to react to something as strange as that...

They remained silent until they reached the station, and were just as quiet in the carriage ride to the castle. In the Entrance Hall, Professors Flitwick and Snape were waiting. Flitwick called Hermione, claiming he needed to speak to her, and led her away.

Snape meanwhile, took Violet aside as he told Theodore to go on ahead. He and Violet stepped into the dungeons, just in the entrance where it was quiet, and Snape looked down at Violet with narrowed eyes.

"Have you had any chocolate yet?"

Surprised, Violet nodded. "Yes, sir, Professor Lupin gave some to all of us after I-I woke up."

Snape's lips started to curl, as if he was about to sneer, but he masked the expression quickly and inclined his head instead. "There will be more chocolate on your plate in the Hall. You are to eat half of it before you do anything else. If you still feel weakened after you have finished dinner, eat the rest of it. If I see you have not eaten it, I will drag you to the hospital wing myself."

Violet blinked. "Yes, sir." She told herself she needed to make sure to eat that chocolate, because she had absolutely no desire to end up in the hospital wing.

Snape then led her into the Great Hall where she made her way over to Slytherin Table, slipping into a seat beside Theodore and watching a bar of chocolate appear on her golden plate immediately. Already feeling Snape's dark eyes on her, Violet opened it and broke off a piece.

The Sorting finished moments later, and then Dumbledore got to his feet, telling them all that dementors were going to be stationed at every single doorway outside of the castle. He advised them that they shouldn't even try to sneak past them, because no matter what they did, they were going to fail, and it was going to be smarter not to even try.

Violet wasn't very pleased to hear that. With everything she'd learned about dementors so far, she couldn't help but feel that creatures like this were not the best things to have around so many children. They guarded criminals in a prison, didn't they? All she could think was that so long as these dementors were around, Hogwarts was just going to end up feeling like Azkaban, and that wasn't a comforting thought at all...

As Violet prepared for bed some time later, she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and was surprised by how pale she appeared. She certainly felt much better than before, the chocolate clearly having helped, warding away the chill somehow. But even though she did feel stronger now, her colour hadn't properly returned. Hopefully some sleep was all she needed.

She settled in bed, but she couldn't help but think back to what happened on the train-the dementor, the screaming, the bright spell, Lupin. She closed her eyes and saw the dark creature, causing her to open her eyes again as a shiver ran through her.

Violet bit her lip. She'd never been so scared before, and had no idea what to do about it. As if noticing her discomfort, Sauron, having escaped from his habitat which had been set up at the far wall, slithered up onto her bed and along her body, resting his head on her chest.

He was comforting her. Or at least attempting to, in his own way. It was kind of cute.

Still, it was only then that Violet realized that Sauron had also been very quiet since the incident on the train. It seemed she wasn't the only one who'd been greatly disturbed by it.

Dementors. At Hogwarts. Truly, Albus had lost his mind now. Black or not, Severus thought allowing this was a terrible idea.

The Weasley twins were going to have a hard time sneaking around this year, and he knew they would be the first to try. He was going to have to keep an eye out. None of the students knew the patronus charm-not even the seventh years. They would be able to do nothing if they were attacked.

It was already bad enough that a dementor had been on the train. They were fortunate only one student had been attacked. Unfortunately, that student just so happened to be Violet Potter. Honestly though, of course it was going to be one of the Potter brats. It always was.

Still, this was probably the first time Severus had been grateful for Lupin's presence. At least they finally had a Defence professor who actually seemed to know what he was doing. Frankly, it was about time.

Severus sighed deeply. He could already tell that this year was going to be an utter disaster.

And that's it for now. This chapter actually ended up much longer than originally planned. Anyone else here interested in astronomy who's pissed they can't see today's solar eclipse because the world hates them? Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!