Harry's eyes rolled up into his head. He couldn't see. He was drowning in cold. There was a rushing in his ears as though of water. He was being dragged downward, the roaring growing louder…
And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading screams. He wanted to help whoever it was, he tried to move his arms, but couldn't…a thick white fog was swirling around him, inside him — then suddenly he heard someone laugh and the spell was broken.
It was a high-pitched, crazed, desperate sort of laugh that went through the eardrums like a sharpened spike. Harry managed to open his eyes and saw that it came from the mouth of Kodachi, the new girl; the one who Hermione said was descended from a really powerful witch of old. She held a strange ribbon in her hand and was flailing at the monster in the doorway with it. Her eyes were wide and unfocussed, as if they were seeing a different time and place. Between laughs she was screaming something in a foreign language (Hermione later said it was Japanese), which he couldn't understand. The word "Onii-sama" kept repeating in it.
The large monster seemed unimpressed by the onslaught, although the slashing ribbon tore big rents into its hooded cloak. The grey, cadaverous flesh that was revealed made Harry wish it hadn't been. The monster took one step forwards and reached for Kodachi, but suddenly Professor Lupin stood before her, his wand raised and shining silver, as if something potent was just contained within it and straining to be released.
"Back, Dementor! Do not touch her! She is not Sirius Black, and if you dare to harm a single student, you will be permanently dispersed. Back!"
The monster- the Dementor seemed to heed the warning and glided backwards out of the compartment. Professor Lupin shut the doorway roughly and turned around, starting to rummage through his luggage.
Harry turned to Kodachi and saw that she had curled up into a sobbing ball of misery on her seat. Hermione had sat down beside her and gently hugged the crying girl. Harry knelt down in the aisle and gently took Kodachi's hand. Even Ron awkwardly patted her shoulder, although his face showed that he was distinctly uncomfortable with all that "touchy-feely" stuff.
Then Professor Lupin was suddenly back again. He handed something to Hermione. "Here. Get her to swallow this; it'll help. All of you have some," he added, giving each of them what turned out to be a large block of chocolate. "I need to speak to the driver, excuse me..."
Harry eyed the chocolate sceptically, but Kodachi really did seem to relax after having eaten it, so the all followed her example. Harry was amazed at the warmth that spread through his body, dispelling the chill that he hadn't realized he felt, in all the excitement and worry.
"Hmmm, better living through theobromine," Hermione sighed.
Ten minutes later they arrived at Hogsmeade station.
(Posted Wed, 09 Oct 2002 17:35)
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