22 Chapter 4 - The Dementor (1/2)
”Wait, Arnya you're coming to Hogwarts?” Harry asked surprise as they sat in the compartment.
”I'm an observer,” Arnya said.
Vincent and Arnya had made it onto the train at the last second. Because Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting for them, they had to share a compartment with a man sitting fast asleep. His luggage had the initials, Professor R. J. Lupin.
”Will you be allowed to enter Hogwarts?” Hermione asked curiously. They had heard from Harry on Arnya's background, they were shocked to say the least. Even now they still couldn't look at her the same.
Vincent glanced at Arnya who had a thoughtful expression. He was curious as well.
”I will when I give this to Dumbledore.” Arnya said holding a letter addressed To Dumbledore.
”That's all?” Vincent asked sceptically.
”That's all.”
The train whistled, signalling its departure. A rumble of thunder filled the grey skies with warnings of a storm coming.
”I have to tell you guys something,” Harry said catching their attention, ”Sirius Black is out to kill me.”
Vincent frowned while both Ron and Hermione looked horror struck, ”And you know that because—?”
”I overheard Mr and Mrs Weasley,” Harry muttered, ”they also warned me that there's a possibility that he would force his way through Hogwarts.”
”Harry, you have to be careful,” Hermione said fearfully, ”don't go looking for trouble.”
”Trouble usually comes looking for me,” Harry said.
”Harry would have to be pretty thick to go looking for someone that wants to kill him,” Ron said shakily.
”I do that all the time,” Vincent thought, ”probably best not to mention that.”
Harry looked at Hermione and Ron before looking at Vincent who had the calmest look out of them all. Well, apart from Arnya who didn't really have much interest in the subject in the first place.
”The fact that he broke out of a prison known to be inescapable means that he's smart, very smart,” Vincent voiced his thoughts, ”but something doesn't add up, if he wanted to escape, why now? He's had twelve whole years in prison, it's unlikely that he came up with a plan to escape Azkaban recently, so there's a likely chance that there could be another motive than just to kill Harry, otherwise he would have done it on Harry's first year or before he knew about magic.”
”Or maybe you're thinking too much into it,” Ron muttered, ”maybe he was just waiting for the right moment.”
Hermione was about to speak before a strange sound came from Harry's trunk. Harry pulled out a strange device that had a ball of sorts in inside that spun around centre, glowing brilliantly.
”A sneakoscope!” Hermione explained, ”Don't these show whether there's anyone untrustworthy around?”
”It's a very cheap one mind you,” Ron muttered embarrassed, ”it kept going off when I was tying it to Erol's leg.”
”Were you doing anything untrustworthy?” Hermione asked shrewdly.
”I...might have used Erol without permission,” Ron muttered with a bit of embarrassment.
”Are these things even reliable?” Vincent asked curiously, ”Telling people when someone untrustworthy is around is rather vague. It could be a person on the street, someone next door or—”
He was cut off by the compartment door opening, revealing a smirking blond teen with two goon like boys behind him.
”You know what, maybe those things are useful,” Vincent noted.
”Hello Potter,” The blond boy greeted. He then looked to Ron with briefly, then to Hermione with disgust and then Vincent with an ugly look on his face.
”Have my galleons Malfoy?” Vincent said making the other three chuckle.
”I never specified when I'd give it to you, Wong,” Malfoy said, gritting his teeth when he remembered the bet he lost with Vincent last year, ”I didn't think you'd even come this year, I'll give it to you on you're deathbed if you so please.”
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked like they were going to retort angrily at Malfoy not keeping his end of the bet when Vincent chuckled.
”You know what, I don't need it,” Vincent said with a wry smile, ”I'd rather not dirty my money by mixing it up with yours, who knows where you got it from.”
”Y-you!” Malfoy looked like he was going to snap when he noticed Arnya sitting in her wheelchair reading a book and froze.
”I never seen you before, the names Draco Malfoy, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?” Malfoy swept back his hair for effect. Everyone just looked dumbfounded at the scene.
Arnya looked up before turning back to her book. An awkward silence hung around the compartment with Malfoy's face twitching from embarrassment. After a few minutes, Arnya looked up again with confusion at the silence.
”I'm sorry, were you talking to me?” She asked, setting off a cough from Vincent which broke the tension in the compartment.
Ron started laughing loudly while Harry covered his face in his hands, he never thought that the day would come when he'd feel embarrassed for Malfoy. Hermione tried to stifle her giggles as her face turned red from trying.
”Did I miss a joke?” Arnya asked Vincent who was scratching his head.
”The joke is standing right in front of you,” Vincent replied pointing at Malfoy, who's face had gone as red as Ron's hair.
”Y-you dare make a fool out of me?!” Malfoy asked in a fit of rage, ”I dare you to tell me you're name! My father will hear about this!”
”My names Arnya Tepes,” Arnya gave a nod to Malfoy, ”I don't care about your father either.”
”You should, my father is a powerful man in the Ministry,” Malfoy said smugly.
”So?” Malfoy's smirk faded as he looked irritated at Arnya's tone.
”I've never heard of the last name Tepes before, a nameless family like yours is far beneath my fathers notice—” Malfoy paused, ”Wait, d-did you say Tepes?”
”My father's Dracula,” Arnya said before going back to her book, as if the their previous conversation didn't matter.
Malfoy's already pale face turned pure white. He looked at Arnya with horror before backing out of the compartment, ”E-excuse us.”
At the shut of the door, Ron couldn't help laughing like crazy with the rest of them having amused looks.
”That's a face I'll never forget,” Harry chuckled before they heard a snort from the sleeping man.
”Nearly forgot about him,” Hermione muttered, ”how did he sleep through all of that?”
”Heavy sleeper I suppose,” Ron said shrugging.
Time went by as the train continued on its journey. The once cloudy sky turned incredibly dark and rain started coming down, pelting the windows heavily.
”—You're not allowed to come? But — no way — McGonagall or someone will give you permission —” Ron said horrified at Harry as he revealed that his aunt and uncle didn't sign his permission slip to go to Hogsmeade, the neighboring village to Hogwarts.
Students Year 3 and above are able to visit there on their weekend breaks and holidays for fun. It held a vast variety shops such as the infamous Zonkos joke shop and the Three Broomsticks.
Harry gave a hollow laugh. Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, was very strict.
”– or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle —”
”Ron!” said Hermione sharply, ”I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of the school with Black on the loose —”
”Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask of permission,” said Harry bitterly.
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”But if we're with him,” said Ron spiritedly to Hermione, ”Black wouldn't dare —”
”Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish,” snapped 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 was fumbling with the straps of Crookshanks's basket as she spoke.
”Don't let that thing out!” Ron said, but too late; Crookshanks leapt lightly from the basket, stretched, yawned, and sprang onto Ron's knees; the lump in Ron's pocket trembled and he shoved Crookshanks angrily away.
”Get out of it!”
”Ron, don't!” said Hermione angrily.
Harry and Vincent merely exchanged glances as they watched the bickering duo.
Suddenly, Nyx poked her head out of Vincent's pocket and flew to the window. Vincent watched as it took on a serious expression.
”Nyx, something wrong?”
Everyone turned to see Nyx chittering at them, as if afraid of something. They soon felt the train slow down to a halt.
”That's weird, we shouldn't be there yet?” Hermione said frowning, looking at his watch.
Vincent had an incredibly bad feeling as he got up from his seat to look outside with Nim. Arnya put down her book with a frown as she also looked outside.
Suddenly, the lights cut out, turning the inside of the train pitch black except for the dim window light.
”What's going on?” said Ron's voice.
”Ouch!” gasped Hermione. ”Ron, that was my foot!”
”D'you think we've broken down?”
”Dunno...”
There was a squeaking sound, and Vincent saw the dim black outline of Ron, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out next to him.
”There's something moving out there,” Ron said. ”I think people are coming aboard...”
”What?” Vincent frowned as he looked out, ”Really? I can't see a thing.”
”Are you blind?” Ron said in exasperation, ”sorry, maybe the darkness is messing with your sight.”
Vincent continued to look outside for anything that looked like it was boarding the train only to see absolutely nothing.
”I'm going to ask the driver what's going on,” Hermione voice sounded as Vincent heard her shuffle to the door which suddenly opened and a thump followed by a groan of pain told Vincent that someone had just entered.
”Sorry! D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry —”
”Hullo, Neville,” Harry's voice sounded.
”Harry? Is that you? What's happening?”
”No idea! Sit down—”
There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain; Neville had tried to sit on Crookshanks.
The door slid open again, and then two loud squeals of pain resounded as someone once again entered, falling onto Hermione.
”Who's that?”
”Who's that?”
”Ginny?”
”Hermione?”
”What are you doing?”
”I was looking for Ron—”
”Come in and sit down—”
”Not here!” Harry said, ”I'm here!”
”Ouch!” Neville groaned in pain once again.
”Quiet!” said a hoarse voice suddenly.
It seems like Lupin had woken up. Vincent heard him shuffle about near him.
Everything quieted. A crackling noise sounded as a small ball of flame illuminated the compartment from Lupins hand, showing his wary face.