The Outcasts Of Hogwarts

Chapter 2 The Cold Encounter

It was hours later when she was abruptly awoken by a sudden jerk. The first thing she noticed was that it felt much colder than it had been when she fell asleep. But when she breathed out into the now darkened train compartment, her breath didn't turn to mist like it did on a winters day. It felt like the cold was inside her, as though there was an ice cube in her heart, freezing her soul.

The next thing she noticed was that the rhythmic movement was gone, meaning the train had stopped. They weren't at Hogsmeade, though, one look out of the windows into the murky surroundings told her that. The sound of the fearful commotion that was now seeping down the train from the other carriages also let her know that this wasn't a normal occurrence.

Wearily, she uncurled her legs from the seat, got to her feet and edged her way towards the door to find out what was going on. The closer she got, the colder she felt like she was turning to ice from the inside out. With a shiver, she reached for the door handle and that was when she saw it.

A mass of black cloth that vaguely resembled the shape of a human hovered in front of the door for the next compartment from hers.
"Dementor" Her voice was quiet but it didn't tremble.

The sight of the figure made her feel colder still and the joy and excitement she had felt earlier dissipated. It was replaced by the dark shadow of fear and loneliness. It felt like all light and warmth had been sucked from the world. Then she was no longer on the train. Her nose was filled with the smell of brewing potions and she could feel tight bindings around her wrists and ankles. At the distant sound of footsteps, her heart rate quickened.

Suddenly, a flash of blinding silvery light filled her vision and she was snapped out of her trance to find herself still standing at the closed compartment door. The light was coming from the door where the Dementor was and it banished the cloaked creature down the corridor as if it was just another shadow.

The instant the figure was out of sight, warmth came rushing back and a moment later the train lights came flickering back to life. The only evidence that the Dementor had been there at all was the cold, gloomy imprint it had left on her heart.

Amaris collapsed back in her seat, heart still pounding, breathing deeply and slowly as she tried to process what had just happened. She knew a great deal about Dementors but with the effects of it still lingering in the air and inside her, it was difficult to focus on the information.

"Dementors, these creatures feed on the happy memories of those unfortunate enough to cross their path, forcing them to relive their worst memories and leaving the person feeling cold and downcast," Amaris said out loud as though she were reading from a book."Well, my experience definitely confirms that, though its a bit of an understatement."

In truth, she felt a great deal worse than "downcast". Her heart was still beating wildly and no matter how deeply she inhaled she never seemed to have enough air. On top of that, the thought of going to Hogwarts no longer seemed like a good idea at all. In fact, it was terrifying. All those new places and people who would instantly know she was different and didn't belong there. None of them would want anything to do with her and she would be all alone. What a foolish thought it had been that she could ever make friends. For the first time in her life, all she wanted to do was to go home.

Amaris shook her head and tried to focus, "What else, ah, the best defence against these creatures is a Patronus Charm, which I'm guessing is what that light was, it acts as a shield"She shivered again: the remaining effects of the Dementor weren't fading.

"There was something that was supposed to help you recover, what was it?" She asked in frustration as she rummaged through her trunk for her school robes. She knew adding layers wouldn't actually make her feel any better, as she wasn't really cold she just felt that way, but she did need to get into uniform anyway. She located it and pulled it out of her luggage with a flourish. Then she proceeded to put it on over the rest of the uniform that she had already been wearing.

She was still raking her memories for more knowledge on Dementors when the train gave an unexpected lurch and started moving down the tracks. Half in and half out of her robe, she barely managed to stop herself from falling over let alone stop the open trunk from toppling off the seat. It landed on the floor with an overly dramatic clatter, launching multiple possessions in multiple different directions.

With an exasperated sigh, Amaris disentangled herself from her robe and collapsed into her seat. She did not have the energy for this, not with the recent visit from the ghostly prison guard on top of last night. Glancing up at the freshly waning moon that was hanging smugly in the sky, she scratched the inside of her right elbow before she began inspected the bombsite at her feet.

Then her eyes fell on something and her mouth twitched into a small smile. She reached down and picked up a pentagonal purple box: a chocolate frog.

"Chocolate! I knew there was something" Amaris remarked while she struggled to open the packaging. " I just hadn't expected it to be something as commonplace as this. Why, out of all the things in this world would chocolate be the thing that helps against Dementors? It's not even magic, what does it do?"

She looked down at the treat with scepticism but the moment it touched her lips she understood. As it melted on her tongue, the ice in her soul melted too. The warmth of it filled her up, chasing the cold feelings and emotions away until she was once again bubbling with excitement and curiosity.

Her small smile now a giant grin, she bounced down onto the floor and started to put the rest of her things back in her trunk with enthusiasm. With her positive attitude restored, her opinion of the recent events shifted.

"I've not even reached the castle yet and I've already had a chance to study a rare magical creature that's hardly ever seen outside the walls of Azkaban. I wonder whether every day at school will be this eventful." She chuckled to herself, "I sure hope so."