Chapter 2
Umbra nods and fidgets with their hands, again a human-like gesture. Harry continues to notice and it’s gnawing at him to ask, so he does.
“Why..do you act like that?”
Umbra freezes and breaths out slowly,
“Most people think that all Dementors eat souls, however, that’s the misconception, Dementors actually feed on memories and feelings, the only way we’ve known how to get those was from eating the soul.”
“So what’s changed?”
“A few of my clan have learned to feed on the memories and feelings from those in Azkaban after...one of them tried to take your soul last year…” Umbra rubs their hand on their neck in embarrassment as Harry’s jaw drops.
“Wait...this all started with me!?”
“I didn’t mean to! It was--”
“You were that Dementor in 3rd year?”
Umbra pauses, he notices Harry doesn’t seem upset and hesitantly replies,
“Yes…”
“And you fed on what exactly?” Harry asks with a tilt of his head. He’s trying to wrap his mind around how this memory eating works, but it’s still confusing the hell out of him.
“Mostly your negative emotions, and only a few memories, I wasn’t able to get more because of the Patronus”
Harry frowns, “Which memori--wait do the Patroni hurt you guys?”
“They-”
Brisk muffled footsteps sound out from behind Harry and he jerks. Quickly standing he turns to the door of the astronomy tower and he sees a light quickly approaching.
“Shit!” He curses and stands quickly.
“I have to go, but do you think we could talk again?” Harry asks as he dusts off his uniform.
Turning back to where Umbra “sat” he finds a dark-colored snake with black and gray scales, and those plum-colored eyes.
“Umbra?”
“Hello, Just Harry,” Umbra hisses and slinks over to where Harry stands.
“You can turn into a snake?” He breathes as he lowers his arm for Umbra.
“I can use the form of any animal I’ve sucked the soul from.”
“When did you--”
The footsteps grow closer and Harry quickly stops his line of questioning. Grabbing his invisibility cloak, he covers his body and creeps towards the door.
Hurrying over to the door corner, he waits as the footsteps come to a stall and the door opens.
Snape enters the room and sweeps his cloak around, taking in the room’s wide berth, looking for any hidden students.
As Snape moves away from the the door, Harry squeezes through the ajar opening and briskly runs through the halls, remembering to keep his footfalls silent; practice from when he must hide at Privet #4.
Making his way to the Gryffindor Dorms, he steps beside Ron’s bed, cruelly grinning down at his face.
Mental Reminder! You wanted to strangle Ron!
Laughing a bit at his earlier thoughts Harry turns away from Ron’s admittedly disgusting sleeping face and towards the edge of his bed, where his trunk would be.
Fingering the latch and realizing Ron has little to no protection on his trunk, Harry rustles through it and finds his wand, grabbing it quickly and walking back to his bed, making sure to close the trunk and set it in its previous placement beforehand.
Harry silently flops down onto his bed and closes the curtains.
“Jussst Harry!”
Harry twitches as he rolls over and Umbra escapes his silky confines from underneath his robes.
“I’m sssorry Umbra! I didn’t mean to sssquisssh you!”
“It is fine Jussst Harry. Pleassse be more gentle in moving around however, it’sss easssier for me to ssslink around under your robesss.”
Harry nods and Umbra slithers over to where his arm is sprawled out on his bed.
“Go to bed Jussst Harry, ssso you are well resssted and able to think properly in the morning.”
“Alright, good night Umbra!”
Umbra pauses, “...Goodnight Jussst Harry.”
The next morning Harry wakes up early and walks off to the Great Hall to shake Ron and Hermione from his tail. Approaching the Great Doors, a 3rd year Ravenclaw walks up to him.
“Hello Harry Potter,” A dreamy voice greets.
Harry turns to see Luna Lovegood standing with the Quibbler in her hands.
“Hello…?”
Umbra shifts under his robes at the unexpected stop. Harry raises his hand to comfort him but stops in an aborted motion. Luna glances down at his hand and smiles quickly, before her face shifts back to it’s dazed and dreamy expression.
“It’s nice to see you’re not as covered in Wrackspurts as before,” Luna says and grabs Harry’s hand so they walk into the Great Hall together.
The dining hall isn’t so full this early in the morning so there isn’t an explosion of whispers with their dual entrance into the hall, however, for those who are inside, they stare for a few seconds before turning back to their food.
“Wrackspurts?” Harry asks and the corner of his mouth twitches.
“Yes, nasty little buggers they are, they float into your ears and make you confused.”
The two of them stop at the end of the Ravenclaw table, Harry realizing she’s herded them to her House.
“Can I even sit here?” He asks, amused with this turn of events.
“There aren’t any rules against it, and if there were you’d probably break them.”
Luna sits down as gracefully as a feather and Harry cackles, feeling a little unhinged from the night before.
Sitting down flush next to Luna and grabbing a goblet he asks, “Are Wrackspurts creatures of whispers? They sound awfully similar.”
Luna’s eyes light up, “Well--”
“HARRY!”
The two of them turn to see Hermione marching over to where they’re sitting. The slowly filling hall quiets to watch the show. Harry lets out a soft groan of annoyance and Luna pats his shoulder in mirth.
Harry glares at her for a moment before turning back to where Hermione has finally stopped,
“Yes Hermione?” He drawls, feeling his heart rate finally slowing and Umbra tightening from where he’s settled around his waist.
“Why aren’t you sitting at Gryffindor table? Isn’t this against the rules?! And why are you sitting with Loony Lovegood!?” She huffs, tapping her foot in annoyance as she stares down at him.
Luna stiffens from beside him and he turns to glance at her slowly dimming face.
“Loony Lovegood?” He asks,
She looks up and grins unhappily, “My name is Luna Lovegood but everyone calls me Loony because they think I’m nuts.”
He frowns and looks back to Hermione’s slowly reddening face, “I’d never thought you of all people would call someone names Hermione.”
She flinches minutely but visibly steels her resolve, “Nevermind that! Why are you sitting here?”
He tilts his head in mock confusion, “Didn’t you hear? The Gryffs think I’m a dirty cheater and last night the atmosphere in the tower was stifling. Why would I want to sit there when they make me uncomfortable?”
Hermione rolls her eyes, “Boys! Really you two need to stop this silly disagreement.”
Harry bristles and he feels Umbra shifting up his shirt.
“I don’t appreciate being talked down to Hermione,” He bites out.
He turns back to the food on Ravenclaw table and ignores Hermione huffing behind him.
“Harry--” She snaps and grabs his shoulder.
She jumps back with a shriek as Umbra slinks from where he was under his shirt to out of his collar, hissing aggressively at Hermione.
The Hall springs into action as Hermione falls back and Umbra slinks up and around his neck, flaring out to be level with his ear.
“MR.POTTER!”