duties and dementors
Euphemia's POV - 1 september 1995
"Ugh, I have to get changed and go to the prefect meeting," I groan, leaning my head on Fred's shoulder. I had been secretly hoping the duty would pass me by and be handed to someone else, but of course Dumbledore had other plans. As if I don't have my hands full with school work and Quidditch; not to mention trying to keep my brother from getting himself killed, again. Last year, he nearly died because he decided taking on a basilisk by himself was a smart idea.
Being The Girl and Boy Who Lived is not all it’s cracked up to be. Trouble seems to follow us wherever we go. This summer, Harry accidentally blew up our Aunt Marge (she deserved it) and, anticipating the beating of a lifetime, I decided it was time to leave once and for all. We spent the last of the summer living off the inheritance left to us by our late parents and staying at the Leaky Cauldron, this run down pub and inn outside Diagon Alley.
"Poor, Mia. She's all the teachers' favorites," Lee says leaning forward to sarcastically pat my knee in fake sympathy.
"Shut up, I am not," I scoff, pushing his hand away and standing to pull my robes out of my trunk.
"Don't lie to yourself , Mia!" Angelina laughs. "What's so bad about being a prefect anyway?"
"It's just more work that I didn't ask for and everyone is going to assume I got it just because Dumbledore plays favorites. And Kenneth Trowler is the other for our year," I state turning around.
"Ooh! Awkward!" Fred whoops. I swat down at his face, which he ducks easily, pushing himself into his twin, George.
"Oh, is he still hung up on you?" Alicia asks, looking up at me. Kenneth and I dated for 4 months last year. It didn't end badly but he definitely didn't want it to end at all and had sulked for the last month of the term.
"Let's hope not," I say, rolling my eyes. "I just hope I don't get paired with him for rounds. I've gotta change, I'll see you guys after the meeting," I call over my shoulder as I exit our compartment, robes in hand. After I change, I head to the front of the train but as I near the front, my path is interrupted as someone steps in front of me, causing us to slam into each other.
"Uh! Sorry, I-" I start with my hands out in front of me, moving away from the body in my way, as I look up into the eyes of none other than Mattheo Riddle, the son and heir of the most evil dark wizard of all time, Voldemort. Even though he died 14 years ago, most of the wizarding world still calls him “You Know Who” terrified even to this day. I refuse to be afraid of a dead man, even if he is the reason behind the lighting scars on mine and my brother’s skin, and I refuse to be afraid of his son. Mattheo Riddle always has such a knot in his wand and makes it everyone else's problem; always getting into fights, intimidating others and using his name to get his way.
"Watch where you're going, Potter," he spits, glaring down at me. I scoff, irritated by his tone.
"I was, Riddle. You stepped out in front of me. Maybe it's you that needs to watch where you're going," His jaw clenches, as I notice a shiny green prefect badge on his chest. How the hell does he qualify to be a prefect? I think to myself, wondering how many Galleons Mrs. Riddle gave Dumbledore to get her son that badge. Riddle has had it out for me for years and makes his distaste well known. When you each blame the other’s family for the death of your own, civility isn’t something that comes easy.
"Hi Mia," a soft voice says to my left. I turn and see Astoria Greengrass, standing in the door of the compartment Mattheo came out of. She is wearing a green prefect badge as well.
"Hi Astoria, how was your holiday?" I say, stepping back so she could exit the compartment. Astoria is one Slytherin I actually tolerate-- even like. While most Slytherins' attitude towards me ranges from cool distaste to outright hatred, Astoria has always been kind. We were potions partners last year so I actually know her fairly well. She steps between Riddle and I and pushes him forward by the shoulders.
"It was lovely! How was yours?" She asks over her shoulder, throwing back an apologetic smile over her shoulder.
"Yeah, it was alright," I respond simply, not wanting to get into all the details. I hear Riddle scoff ahead of me and I roll my eyes. Astoria and I chat while we walk through the train; Riddle continues to sulk ahead of us. We arrived at the first car to most of the other prefects already there. Percy Weasley is chatting with Penelope Clearwater who's wearing the Head Girl badge. According to the Twins, Percy had been insufferable since he got his Head Boy badge in the mail, wearing it at all times and constantly polishing it. The twins told me they had changed the wording and hid it a few times this summer, earning Percy's wrath and quite a few scoldings from their mother.
Percy gives me a small nod as I move toward the table with the other Gryffindor Prefects. Kenneth is already here as well and lifts his hand to wave eagerly to me. “Hey Mia!”
"Hi, Kenneth. How are you?" I ask, sitting down across from him along with Harper Crane and Jaden Filly, the sixth year prefects for Gryffindor.
"I'm good, Mia. Excited to be a prefect?" Kenneth asks eagerly.
"Uh yeah I guess," I shrug, looking around the car.
"Don't worry. It's not really as much work as it seems," Jaden says, leaning his head towards me, oddly conspiratorially, his eyes trailing over me.
"I hope not," I say politely.
"Alright, everyone!" Percy calls, getting the meeting started. Percy and Penelope talk about duties and such and go around handing out the common room passwords and the round schedule for the year. I scan the schedule looking for my name. "Oh, bloody hell," I whisper, wanting to bang my head against the table. My name is written under Tuesdays and Thursdays with my partner being Mattheo fucking Riddle.
"I can't believe they'd pair you up together, I mean c'mon. He's dangerous." Kenneth shakes his head, disbelieving.
"It's fine," I say curtly, pushing the paper away from me. Looking around the compartment, my eyes meet Mattheo's who glare at me. I narrow my eyes back and he turns his head, eyes leaving mine. The meeting drags on for an hour; Percy is very... thorough. Finally, it's called to an end and everyone gets up to leave. Grabbing my papers, I say goodbye to Kenneth and the others. Before I can move through the door, Riddle moves into my path blocking my way yet again. "Excuse me," I say looking up.
"Meet me outside the Slytherin Common Room tomorrow at 8:45," Mattheo says before going to turn. I scoff, and head out the door behind him. He thinks I don't know where it is, probably hoping I will be late so he can rub it in my face. I head back to the compartment my friends occupy and groan, sitting down heavily and laying my head on Fred's shoulder.
"What's wrong, Mia?" Alicia says as Fred moves to rub my shoulder.
"I've been assigned perfect rounds twice a week with none other than Mattheo Riddle." I sit up in the seat, pushing my hair out of my face and wave the schedule. "I'd rather have Kenneth." Everyone's head whipped around to me, their eyes wide.
"What?!" the twins said in unison.
"You're joking!" Lee says, as Angelina takes the paper with the schedule on it out of my hands.
"Why would they pair you two together, of all people?" she questions, looking over the paper.
"Ask if you can get it changed! I'm sure McGonagall would understand you not feeling comfortable around him." Alicia suggests, looking over Angie's shoulder to look at the paper.
"No, I'm not going to fuss about it. If I do that then, Riddle will just think I'm afraid of him like everyone else in this school. Fuck that, I won't give him the satisfaction" I shake my head and pull the paper back, standing to put it in my
bag.
"No, Mia, it's not safe. He isn't safe, especially not for you!" Fred says, pulling me back down to sit so he can look at me.
"Please, Riddle is just a spoiled brat who's never been told no in his life. He doesn't scare me any more than Malfoy does." I say, looking at Fred while I try to convince my friends I can take care of myself. Fred and George have always
been protective of me. When I started at Hogwarts I was a shy, nervous kid: all I'd ever known was protecting myself and Harry, from our aunt and uncle, our cousin, the kids at school. Fred and George found me on that first train to Hogwarts and never let me go. They were my first friends and the first people, besides my brother, who were willing to stand up for me.
"Phe, you can't be serious! I mean now that Black escaped, do-"
"Freddie, Riddle is not going to kill me in the middle of the bloody school!" I cut Fred off, not currently of the mind to be lectured by one of the most reckless people I've ever met. I can't deny how his mention of Sirius Black sends a chill down my spine, though I'll never admit that to Fred. This summer, a Death Eater known as Sirius Black escaped the most secure prison in the world and just this morning, Mr. Weasley had pulled me aside to tell me the Ministry believes Black has escaped to come after Harry and I, something I now regret telling Fred and George.
"Mia, c'mon. He's the last person you should be around," George adds.
"It'll be fi-" Before I can finish my sentence, the train grinds to a halt.
"Oh thank god, we're here. I hate how long this bloody train takes," says Lee jumping up.
"We can't be there yet," I shake my head and look at my wrist watch, "It's only 5:15, we should have almost another hour." George and Alicia, who are sitting in the window seats, peer out the windows trying to see through the gloom and rain surrounding the train. The train jerks again and the lights flicker until they leave us fully in darkness.
"We must have broken down," Angelina says, pulling out her wand to provide light to the compartment.
"I think someone is coming aboard!"
"What, Ali, who would be coming aboard? We're in the middle of nowhere," Fred shakes his head.
"Guys, look," I whisper, pointing to water laying on the bench between Angelina and Lee. It’s frozen solid when it had just been liquid minutes ago. We all look around, noticing an icy film on the window and our breath clouding out in front of us. "I gotta find Harry."
I bolt up from my seat and move out of the compartment as quickly as I can, moving quickly towards the back of the train. I vaguely hear one of the twins following me but I'm more focused on finding Harry, peering into windows of each compartment as I pass until finally I reach the last compartment and burst through the door. "Harry!" My brother stands, confusion written on his and his friends faces.
"Mia, what's wrong? What's going on?"
"I don't know, but I-"
"Mia, seriously, how are you so fast?" Fred says, panting slightly as he steps into the now cramped train car. I look around the car at the other. Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom are inside as well as a man sleeping in the corner. Besides the mystery man, I know all the others well. I eye the man in the cloak. I've never seen an adult taking the train that didn't work on it. "Who is that?"
"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione says, pointing up at a case with the name embossed on. The train jerks again causing Fred and I to lurch forward. I turn back around to look out the compartment door. Suddenly, a dark figure emerges in the hall outside our compartment, its long bony hand reaching for the door pulling it open. Its face is completely hidden by the dark cloak it wears and it makes my stomach twist in knots. Fred reaches his arm towards me protectively as an intense cold sweeps over the already frigid room. A raspy breath comes from the creature as it floats closer into the compartment turning towards us. I feel my breath quickening and my eyesight disappearing; feeling as if I'm being dragged downward as a rushing in my ears takes over all my other senses, growing louder and louder. Then I heard a voice, a voice I only hear in my nightmares, a voice long lost to this world.
"No! Please! Take me, leave them be! Please!" The voice pleads as a bright green light erupts and a baby's crying takes the place of the screams.
"Mia! Mia, wake up!" A different voice breaks through the cries and I realize I'm being shaken. I open my eyes to see Fred's face hovering over me, shaking me. The lights were back on and the train seemed to be moving again.
"Freddie?" I move to sit up but a wave of nausea overcomes me and I lean forward. Fred catches my shoulders as I dry heave slightly. "Harry?" I look up, fighting the nausea as I look for my brother. I turn, seeing him sitting up between Hermione and Ron. "Are you okay?" I ask, pushing myself up and hovering over my brother. He nods, looking behind me. I turn to see the man, R. J. Lupin, sitting across from him, a distant but caring look in his eyes.
"Was that a-"
"Dementor. One of the guards of Azkaban, looking for Sirius Black." Lupin says, scanning my face.
"What happened? I-" I ask, still confused as to what had happened after the cloaked figure, the dementor, appeared.
"You and Harry passed out," Ron says, holding tightly to his rat, Scabbers, who is squirming wildly in his hands.
"Here, eat this, it helps," the man says, handing me a small piece of chocolate and splitting the rest of the bar between everyone else. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a little word with the driver." Lupin stands and moves to the door, pausing only to look back for a moment, "Eat, you'll feel better," before turning back and disappearing from view. I sigh, taking a bite of chocolate and turning back to Harry. "You okay?" he nods.
"You?" Harry asks me and I nod. "Did you... hear anything?" He asks, looking down at his feet. I look up at our friends surrounding us, and pull Harry to standing, nodding for us to talk in the hall.
"Did you hear something?" I ask, afraid he will hear the same things I did and hoping desperately I was wrong. Harry was only one when our parents were killed, not old enough to suffer the same blurry, disjointed memories I have. He nods, looking at me through his eyelashes. I pull him back into a hug. "I did too, it's okay. It's just the dementors, horrible creatures."
"I heard screaming. Was it-" his voice breaks slightly, "Mum?" I take a deep breath and nod.
"Dementors, they feed on horrid memories. I heard her too,” Harry nods looking down at his shoes. "It'll be okay, Haz," I say, putting on my best brave face. My eyes find the lighting scar on his forehead peeking out from underneath his hair; the one that matches the one on my left wrist. No one really knows why Harry and I both have curse scars from that night when Voldemort came after us. Best guess I have is that Harry was sitting in front of me when it happened, and my arm had been wrapped around him, covering his eyes. Although his pains him occasionally, whereas mine never has.
I say goodbye and leave Harry and his friends to go back to my own compartment, ready to get off the train, Freddie following in my wake. For the rest of the ride, Fred lets me lay on his shoulder and I try not to think about my mother's last moments.
As soon as we step off the train, McGonagall pulls Harry, Hermione and I into her office. Madam Pompfery checks to make sure Harry and I are okay while McGonagall speaks to Hermione about her schedule before the three of us head to the Great Hall. Hermione is upset we missed the sorting but I’m secretly glad. I never liked the Sorting Hat's song and the ceremony drags on for what seems like hours. I take a seat amongst the other fifth years, sitting between Fred and Alicia, as Harry and Hermione move down to the third year table in the Gryffindor row. I whisper to my friends that they were just checking to make sure Harry and I were okay as Dumbledore stands up for his welcome speech.
"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast...." Dumbledore clears his throat and continues, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises -- or even Invisibility Cloaks," he comments blatantly. I look ahead at Harry who is staring at Ron wide eyed. Harry and I inherited an Invisibility Cloak from our father which Harry and his friends have taken to using whenever they are meddling.
"It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors." The twins scoff as Percy, who is sitting down with the seventh years, puffs out his chest very importantly. I can't help the anxiety settle in my stomach as Dumbledore speaks.
"On a happier note," Dumbledore continues, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There is mostly scattered applause for the man who gave me the chocolate. I watch him, only now getting a good look at him, as he stands and bows slightly in greeting. He looks weary and tired and ill, scars marring his face and peeking out from his shabby clothes. He looks very different from the other polished teachers but judging from our short run in on the train, he seems to know what he is doing which is a massive improvement over the professor from last year. "As to our second appointment, well, 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." At this a few laughs ripple through the student body. "However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."
"That explains the biting book Ron and Harry had to get," I whisper to Fred and George, laughing.
"Well, I think that's everything of importance," finishes Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!" At this, the goblets and plates in front of us are suddenly full of food and drinks. It is a delicious feast as always. Fred and George started brainstorming pranks ideas with Lee while Angelina, Alicia and I started talking about Quidditch. It's Oliver's last year at Hogwarts and we are certain he will be vying for the Cup this year; probably pushing us harder than ever before. As the feast continues, the anxiety in my stomach slowly unravels in the warmth of my friends. After dessert, Dumbledore excuses everyone and students start scrambling to leave the hall.
"I have to escort the first years. Password is Fortuna Major," I say to my friends, standing up from my place. I wave goodbye and find Kenneth to walk the first years to the common room.
"Hey Potter!" I hear a familiar voice call from my left. I turn and see Elladora Lestrange leaning over the Slytherin table looking at me. Next to her standing Theodore Nott and Lorenzo Berkshire; the rest of Riddle's posse.
"What do you want, Lestrange? I'm busy."
"Is it true you fainted on the train? Were the big scary dementors too much for you?" She mocks and the boys laugh. I turn and throw her the middle finger over my shoulder, not bothering to come up with an insult. Their laughter follows me as I walk away.