Chapter 4
Hermione and I woke up about thirty minutes ago, got ready and went downstairs with our luggages for breakfast.
We are now sitting across Mrs Weasley and her daughter while the former is telling us about a love position she's made as a teenager. Hermione and Ginny look amused and somewhat exited. I am a bit bored. Firstly, I don't think I would ever want to use a love potion on anyone for any reason, so this aspect of the story isn't appealing to me. Secondly, this specific potion is very easy to make and I already know everything there is to know about it, at list that Mrs Weasley has to tell.
You see, I tend to research stuff when I get bored, especially in the potions area, my favorite subject. Although I would much rather it be thought by a different professor. Professor Snape is a hard pill to swallow, he is very cruel to the ones he doesn't like and the man doesn't like anyone.
I think Snape hates my brother the most, although Neville Longbottom might give him a run for his money. But with me it's deferent, he doesn't hate me. I think I remind him of my mother. I know for a fact that he doesn't like Harry because he hated our father, but I'm not sure about our mother. Harry looks a lot like our father and I look almost exactly like our mother, except where she had red hair I have brown.
Snape sees our parents when he looks at us and it shows. Sometimes I find him staring and pretend I didn't see. I suspect he used to fancy my mum or something of the sort back when they were students. It might seem ridiculous because she was a Muggleborn and he's a Slytherin but you never really know.
Just as I'm about to excuse myself to look for someone who'll put me out of my misery, Ron, Harry and the twins all come down and we start getting ready to leave.
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"Right then," says Mr Weasley, glancing around us. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. Harry you and i will go through first."
Mr Weasley strolls towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. With a meaningful look at Harry, he leans casually against the barrier, Harry imitats him. I go after them with Hermione.
The next moment, I see we have fallen sideways through the solid metal onto platform nine and three-quarters. I look up to see the Hogwarts Express puffing smoke over the platform. Percy and Ginny suddenly appear behind me. "Ah, there's Penelope!" Says Percy, smoothing his hair and going pink. Ginny caches Harry's eye and they both turn away to hide their laughter as Percy stride over to his girlfriend.
Once the remaining Weasleys had joined us, Harry and Mr Weasley lead the way to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looks quite empty. We load the trunks onto it, then go back outside to say goodbye to Mr and Mrs Weasley.
"Do take care, won't you, Harry?" Mrs Weasley says as she straightens up, her eyes bright. Then she opens her enormous handbag and says, "I've made you all sandwiches. Here you are, Ron... no, they're not corned beef... Fred? Where's Fred? Here you are, dear..."
"Harry," I hear Mr Weasley say quietly, "come over here a moment."
He jerks his head towards a pillar, and Harry follows him behind it, leaving me and the others crowded around Mrs Weasley.
"Charlotte, dear, here is yours." Mrs Weasley says and I turn my head back to the group. She hands me a sandwich.
"Thank you." I say, accepting the nicely rapped sandwich. It means a lot to me, every small gesture, every nice word, I didn't have that growing up. I didn't have someone taking care of me, an adult at my corner. I didn't have anyone showing me parental affection. I didn't have a mother, and I am grateful to have someone like Molly Weasley in my life.
"Go on now," says Mrs Weasley, ushering us on the train, "you need to get on the train before it leaves."
Percy goes first, then Hermione and I get on the train as well, "what about Harry?" I hear Ron ask his mother.
"ARTHUR." The woman practically screams, shepherding Ron, Ginny and the twins inside. "Arthur, what are you doing? It's about to go."
"He's coming Molly." I hear Mr Weasley's voice.
We wait for him to come and a few moments later the train starts moving, I look out the window and see Harry running towards us. Ron opens the door and makes room for him to get in. "I need to talk to you in private." Harry whisper to us.
"Go away, Ginny." Says Ron.
"Oh, that's nice." she says as she stocks off.
We set off down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment, but all of them are full except for the one at the very end of the train.
There is a man sitting fast asleep next to the window. We check on the threshold. The Hogwarts Express is usually reserved for students and I've never seen an adult here before, except for the witch who pushes the food trolley.
The man looks kind of ill, with shabby clothes and a bit of gray hair but he doesn't look old, maybe thirty something. If I'm being honest he looks quite handsome and he has delicate features, if you look past the scars across his face. He looks tired, well I know he is asleep, but still...
"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hisses, as we sit down, he slides the door shut and then takes the seat furthest away from the window.
"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione and I whisper together.
"How d'you know that?" Ron asks, looking between us.
I point at the luggage rack over the man's head "It's on his case," The name 'Professor R. J. Lupin' is stamped across one corner of an old looking case in peeling letters.
"Wonder what he teaches?" says Ron, frowning at Professor Lupin's pallid profile.
"That's obvious," whispers Hermione. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"Well, I hope he's up to it," says Ron doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway..." he turns to Harry, "what were you going to tell us?"
Harry explains to Ron and Hermione about what we heard last night and then he tells us about the warning Mr Weasley had just given him, he wants Harry to stay in the castle and absolutely not go and look for Black. When he's finished, Ron looks thunderstruck, and Hermione has her hands over her mouth. She finally lowers them to say, "Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry... you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble, Harry..."
"I don't go looking for trouble," says Harry, defensively. "Trouble usually finds me."
"Well, you kind of tend to put yourself in harm's way, Harry." I say. I don't think he actually likes getting himself in those situations, but I do think it makes him feel... important? Like he has a purpose... and I don't blame him.
Harry looks at me, he is about to say something but Ron bits him to it. "How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" says Ron shakily.
"Last year you went after a beast who kept petrifying students," I say flatly. "You flew your fathers car to school and crashed into the Whomping Willow. The year before that? You fought a Troll, not to mention Quirrell, And besides, I don't think Black is even that dangerous, something about him tells me we don't know the whole story."
"No one knows how he got out of Azkaban," Ron says uncomfortably. "No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner, too. He wouldn't be top-security if he wasn't dangerous."
"But they'll catch him, won't they?" Says Hermione earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him, too..."
"What's that noise?" Says Ron suddenly. I hear a faint, tinny sort of whistle coming from somewhere. We look around the compartment. "It's coming from your trunk, Harry" standing up, Ron reaches into the luggage rack. A moment later he pulls the Pocket Sneakoscope, the one he sent us from Egypt, out from between Harry's robes. It's spinning and glowing like crazy in his palm.
"Is that a Sneakoscope?" Says Hermione interestedly, standing up for a better look.
"Yeah... mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron says. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."
"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" Asks Hermione shrewdly.
"No! Well... I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys... but how else was I supposed to get their present to them?"
"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry says, as the Sneakoscope whistles piercingly, "or it'll wake him up." He nods towards Professor Lupin. Ron stuffs the thing back into trunk, then closed the lid on it.
"We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," says Ron, sitting back down. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff, Fred and George told me."
I look at Harry and he looks at me. We can't go to Hogsmeade.
"Won't it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?" Hermione asks looking at me.
"Probably," I say with a sigh. "You'll have to tell us when you've found out."
"What d'you mean?" says Ron.
"We can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign our permission forms, and Fudge wouldn't, either." Harry explains.
Ron looks horrified. "You're not allowed to come? But– no way– McGonagall or someone will give you permission –"
Yeah right, like McGonagall is ever going to sign the permission for us.
"– or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle–"
"Ron!" Says Hermione sharply. "I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of school with Black on the loose –"
"Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when l ask for permission," says Harry bitterly.
"But if we're with him," says Ron spiritedly to Hermione, "Black wouldn't dare-"
"Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," snaps Hermione. "Black's already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street, do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because we're there?" She's fumbling with the straps of Crookshanks' basket as she spikes.
"Don't let that thing out!" Ron says, but it's too late, Crookshanks leaps from the basket and springs onto Ron's knees, the lump in Ron's pocket trembles and he shoves Crookshanks angrily away.
"Get out of it!"
"Ron, don't!" Says Hermione angrily.
Ron is about to answer back when Professor Lupin stirs. We watch him apprehensively, but he simply turns his head the other way, mouth slightly open, and sleep on. After Crookshanks is settled on Hermione's lap we start talking again, minding our volume.
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At one o'clock the witch with the food trolley arrives at our compartment door. "D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asks awkwardly, nodding towards Professor Lupin. "He looks like he could do with some food."
I tap Professor Lupin lightly on the shoulder. "Er – Professor? Excuse me – Professor" He doesn't move.
"Don't worry, dear," says the witch, as she hands Harry a large stack of cauldron cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."
"I suppose he is asleep?" Says Ron quietly, as the witch slides the compartment door closed. "I mean – he hasn't died, has he?"
"No, no, he's breathing," I whisper, taking a cauldron cake from Harry.
About an hour later we hear the voice of non other then Draco Malfoy, "Well, look who it is," says Malfoy in his usual lazy drawl, pulling open our compartment door. "Potty and the Weasel." He isn't even acknowledging me or Hermione. "I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," he says. "Did your mother die of shock?"
Ron stand up so quickly he knocks Crookshanks to the floor. Professor Lupin gives a snort.
"Who's that?" Says Malfoy, taking an automatic step backwards as he spots Lupin.
"New teacher," I say, getting on my feet, too. Harry is up as well, but I suppose he got up in case he needed to hold Ron back. I, on the other hand, am ready to throw hands, or hexes if needed. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"
Malfoy's pale eyes narrows at me, he isn't stupid enough to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose. "C'mon," he mutters to Crabbe and Goyle, and they disappear.
"Arse." I say, mostly to myself. I hate the boy, he is always picking on Harry and Ron, even Hermione, when he bothers to acknowledge her existence.
"I'm not going to take any rubbish from Malfoy this year," Ron says angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and-" he makes a violent gesture in mid-air.
"Ron," hisses Hermione, pointing at Professor Lupin, "be careful..." But Lupin is still asleep.
"I'm going for a walk... I need some air..." I say, not bothering to hide my frustration. "I'll be back in a bit." I open the compartment door and slide outside.
I start walking towards the direction of the Slytherin side of the train, I know it's not smart but I really want to yell at Malfoy, he's got to stop hurting my friends.
As I make my way I hear someone calling for me. "Charlie? Charlotte!" I turn my head to find the source of the sound and see George Weasley waving at me from his open compartment door.
I make my may to him, deciding I can deal with Malfoy later. "Hey, George." I stop in front of the door where he leans against it, smiling at me. I look inside and see Lee Jordan grinning at Fred Weasley's irritated face. I wonder if it has something to do with the reason they called me over.
"Did you get sick of Ron already?" George asks, looking serious.
"No." I answer flatly, "I was just on my way to the bathroom."
"On the Slytherin side of the train?" Lee asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No!" I say "I was just-"
"What were you doing, going to the Slytherins?" Fred asks, looking at me.
"I just... Malfoy-" I don't want to tell the twins what Malfoy said. I know it wasn't his worst insult, but it was rude nonetheless and I know Fred and George would take it even worse then me or Ron. For some reason, of all the Weasleys, the twins are the most insecure about their family's lack of money, at least from what I've gathered. "—Malfoy said some stuff to... Harry. And I wanted to have a word with him."
"What'd he say to him?" George asks, frowning.
"Oh," shit, I didn't think this through. "Just the usual taunting. But I can't let him get away with it, he always does that. He always- argh!" Frustration creeps up my body again.
"He's an idiot, Char, don't even mind him."
"No, he's not an idiot, he's mean and cruel and- it's just so frustrating, he always comes at you and Harry and Hermione and... And the coward doesn't bother facing me. Never me. " I say, now realizing it.
"He's probably still scared of you." Says Fred, "Remember in first year you punched him for something he said to Harry."
"And then last year, when he called Hermione a slur, you hexed him after Ron tried and it backfired on him." George adds.
"I guess, but still... I can't let him keep this up." I start stocking off but George catches my arm.
"Char, stop. He's not worth the trouble this early on in the year."
He's probably right but I find it a bit hypocritical of him to say that when they're more likely than not planing there next prank before we've even gotten to Hogwarts.
"Anyway, what'd you want?" I ask, changing the subject.
"Oh, Just to see how you were doing." Says George. "We didn't talk much yesterday."
I really do love them. The twins were always the most understanding towards me, I guess they know what it's like to be the "less significant" siblings. They, along with Ron, grew up in the shadows of their older brothers. Ron is Harry's best friend so he doesn't really see him the way I do. The twins, though, they always saw my struggle and they try to make me feel important in any way they can.
"I'm alright, my summer was shit, though." I shrug.
"You missed us too much, ha?" Fred says. He moves a bit towards the window, making room for me to sit.
Just as George closes the door we feel the train slowing down. "We can't be there already." He says.
Then, without warning, all the lamps go out and we're plunged into total darkness.
"What's going on?"
"Ouch, George get off me"
"Sorry, lad."
I lean over Fred's body and wipe the fog off the window. "There is something outside. Something's moving, look."
"What is that?" I hear Fred's voice closer to me than I've expected.
"Something is wrong," I feel it in my gut, the cold reaching to my bones. I need to go find Harry. "I'm going to look for my brother."
"You can't go out there now, there's no way you'll find him in this darkness."
Before I can do or say anything I hear the door sliding open. I try to focus my eyes to see who it is but all I see is the outline of a tall figure. The cold hits me again, even worse than before.
"Who is there?" Lee asks. No answer. A few moments pass and the door slides shut again. "What was that?"
"You're definitely not going out there now." I hear Fred's voice and feel his hand clasp around my arm.
We wait until the lights come back, the second they do I pull my arm from Fred's hold and run back to my compartment, not bothering saying goodbye.
When I get there, I open the door and see a lot more people than I'd left here.
"Harry! Harry! Are you all right?" Hermione asks, slapping my brother awake.
"W-what?" Harry opens his eyes. Ron and Hermione are kneeling next to him, and above them Neville and Professor Lupin are watching him. Ron and Hermione help him back onto his seat. I feel The train starts moving again.
"Are you OK?" Ron asks nervously.
"Yeah," says Harry, looking quickly towards the door, spotting me.
"What happened?" I ask.
"Where's that – that thing? Who screamed?" Harry asks at the same time as me.
"No one screamed," says Ron.
"But I heard screaming –"
A loud snap makes us all jump. Professor Lupin is breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces.
"Here," he says to Harry, handing him a large piece. "Eat it. It'll help."
"What was that thing?" Harry asks Lupin.
"What thing? What happened to you Harry?" I ask, frustrated from being ignored.
"A Dementor, one of the Dementors of Azkaban." says Lupin, handing me a chocolate, too. "Eat, it'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me..." He strolls past me and disappears into the corridor.
"Are you OK, Harry?" I ask, going to kneel in front of him.
"I don't get it... what happened?" says Harry, wiping sweat off his face.
"Well – that thing – the Dementor – stood there and looked around– and you – you –" Hermione says.
"I thought you were having a fit or something," says Ron, "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," says 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..."
I can't hear the rest of the conversation, too preoccupied looking at Harry's piled face. Something happened to him and he doesn't want to tell me.
Lupin comes back after a few minutes, he looks at the uneaten chocolate in our hands, "I haven't poisoned it, you know."
Harry takes a bite. I don't bother.
"Are you ok, Harry?" Lupin asks.
"Fine" my brother answers.
Lupin looks at us for a moment, I swear he looks so familiar. He seems to know us, or Harry at least.
We don't talk much during the remainder of the journey. At long last, the train stops at Hogsmeade station. I hear the familiar voice of Hagrid at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake.
We find an empty carriage and step on, starting our way towards the castle.