Chapter 75: Dementors, Patronus, and Chocolate West (1/2)
If you want to read ahead, you can check out my Patreón @
[ ]
The link is also in the synopsis...
.
[The chapter is edited by my Editor: Alan_Loo/AlanL]
.
-*-*-*-*-*-
.
The black-haired, round-faced with baby fat mini-version of Daphne Greengrass stepped forward and introduced herself.
”My name is Astoria Greengrass. Nice to meet you.”
The little Greengrass raised her hand, presenting it to Quinn.
Quinn took it because of his etiquette education, kissed her knuckles, and introduced himself.
”Quinn West. Pleased to meet you, too.”
Tracy, who was on the side, chimed in with a bright tone,
”My name is Tracy Davis.”
Luna thought that everyone was introducing themselves and took part in joining the foray.
”I'm Luna Lovegood.”
Tracy giggled and looked at Daphne. The blonde Greengrass looked back at her best friend and looked in confusion.
”You are the only one who hasn't said your name,” explained Tracy with a beaming grin on her face.
Daphne rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to participate in the childishness. But then she noted that everyone in the compartment was staring at her.
”Fine,” she sighed exasperatedly and returned, ”My name is Daphne Greengrass. Happy?”
Everybody repeatedly nodded in unison.
After everyone was introduced to each other and their luggage was in place, they took a seat. Quinn sat near the window, Luna sat beside him. On the other side, Astoria sat across Quinn, Daphne sat beside her sister, and Tracy sat next to Daphne.
”So you are that Quinn West. I've heard about you,” said Astoria as soon as everyone got settled. ”I have heard a lot about you.”
”You have?” Quinn inquired. ”From whom?” He gave a quick glance to the side.
”From my sister, of course. And some from Tracy. But mostly from Daphne,” disclosed Astoria.
”Tori!” Daphne hissed at her sister.
Quinn moved his eyes on Astoria while moving his head towards Tracy before looking at her. He commented: ”This one, this one talks.”
”She does. It can get quite fun,” admitted Tracy. ”Yeah~, really fun.”
Quinn gave an excited grin as he turned back to Astoria and met Daphne's as he did.
”So, Astoria, tell me, which house do you want to join? Are you going to follow in your sister's footsteps? And what does Daphne say about me?”
Astoria hummed in thought and responded, ”Well, I want to be in Slytherin, but not because Daphne is in there. I want to join Slytherin because daddy was in Slytherin. And Daphne told me that you are smart, intelligent, and funny, but she says that you joke a little too much. She also said that she felt hurt- oomph!”
Daphne clamped her sister's mouth with her hand to stop her from talking. Astoria was starting to talk about things she didn't want anyone to know, especially not Quinn.
”- mah! So, I was saying- ouch!” Astoria freed herself from Daphne's grasp and tried to continue, but she was again interrupted when Daphne pinched and twisted her waist.
”Not a single word,” Daphne Greengrass glared at her sister.
Quinn pulled out an A.I.D card from his robes and presented it to Astoria. ”Please, visit me when you have free time. I believe we'll get along splendidly.”
Daphne tried to take the card, but Astoria got to it first and examined it with interest, ”I've heard of this, too. Mum really liked the idea when Daphne told us about it.”
Quinn shifted in his seat and asked, ”Really, Mrs. Greengrass said that? Tell me more.” He earned a glare from Daphne and a giggle from Tracy.
The Hogwarts Express moved steadily to the North, and the scenery outside the window became wilder and darker while the clouds overhead thickened. People were running backward and forward past the door of their compartment.
Time passed as the group continued to talk. Quinn was having a lot of fun talking to the younger Greengrass and her stories about the usually unflappable Daphne.
The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north; the windows were now a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. The train rattled, the rain hammered, and the wind roared.
”We must be nearly there,” said Tracy, leaning forward to look past
Daphne and Astoria at the now completely black window.
”We can't be there yet,” said Daphne, checking her watch.
The words had hardly left her when the train started to slow down.
”Why are we stopping?”
The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons died away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows.
Quinn looked at the dark outside, and his pupils shrunk and his eyes narrowed. He remembered what was about to happen and knew the reason behind the train's unusual stop.
The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that some other people's luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out, which plunged the train into total darkness.
”What's going on?” asked Luna's from beside Quinn. She tugged on his clothes to ascertain his position in the dark.
Quinn turned his face towards Luna's position and assured her, ”Don't worry. It'll be fine.”
”Do you think we've broken down?” said Astoria as she tried to peer out what was going on from the compartment door, but there was barely any light for anything to be visible.
”I don't know,” whispered Tracy, pulling her cat into her lap.
There was a squeaking sound, and Quinn saw the dim black outline of Astoria, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out.
There's something moving out there,” Astoria said. ”I think people are coming aboard... does this happen every year?”
”No, it doesn't. The train doesn't stop at all during the journey,” answered Daphne's voice.
Quinn knew who was coming aboard and silently pulled out his fake wand. There was a soft hum before three orbs manifested on the compartment's ceiling, lighting the room in soft yet illuminating light.
All four girls looked up at the three orbs of light at the ceiling before looking at each other.
”Stay where you are,” instructed Quinn as he sat in attention. He slightly cracked the window so his hand could go outside. He got up and moved towards the door.
And just as he was expecting, the door to the compartment opened up.
Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the light orbs on the ceiling, was a cloaked figure that reached up to the roof. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Quinn's eyes darted downward, and what he saw made his stomach contract slightly. There was a hand protruding from the cloak, and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water.
But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed Quinn's gaze, it suddenly withdrew the hand into the folds of its black shroud. And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.
An intense cold swept over them all, causing all to shiver. Quinn also felt the cold. He found it as equally bone-chilling as in the Icy vault. The current cold had a soul-numbing chill.
Quinn opened his mouth and spoke up in a clear voice, ”Back off at once. Leave, or you will regret it.”
The hooded figure looked down at the room's occupants and sensed deep fear and the promise of positive feelings that it could feed off of. The hooded figure gave into temptation and moved forward.
”Bad move,” whispered Quinn in the cold.
A blinding silver light blasted the hooded figure at a point-blank range.
There was no noise, no shrieking from the hooded figure of darkness. The figure just suddenly retreated from the light and crashed into the opposing compartment's door, before flying away in what seemed fear and loathing.
The blinding silver light didn't stop and immediately darted across the train.
Quinn, too, didn't stop and immediately turned back and cracked the window of his compartment open, letting in a chilly breeze. He looked around the train's roof and saw more of those hooded figures floating above the train. Quinn pointed out his fake wand holding hand and shot out another burst of silver light that had the shape of an avian animal.
The silvery avian zoomed forward, letting out waves of silver energy. The swarm of hooded figures felt the silver energy hit them and immediately scattered away from the train as the silvery guardian cruised around the train, dutifully providing protection against the creatures of darkness.
An avian guardian stood above the train, emitting massive waves of positive silver energy, and repelling every foul creature in the vicinity.
And as the hooded figures escaped and moved away from the train, a spot opened up between the clouds in the dark sky, allowing light to fall over the silver guardian.
It was as if the vast sky itself was supporting the spirit guardian.
The caster of the silver entity ducked his head back inside the train. From his robes, he took out chocolate spheres, magically unwrapping the silver wrapping, and made them hover in front of his companions, who were all shivering and shaking.
”Eat the chocolates,” he spoke in a calming voice, smiling as they looked at him. ”It will help.”
The girls grabbed the floating chocolates that were in front of them and popped them into their mouths, and actually felt the shivering decrease as the chocolate's taste covered their palates.
”Good. Do you guys feel better?” asked Quinn, shooting diagnostic looks at each of the four girls and getting affirmative nods in return.
”Excellent, sit tight. I'll be back,” answered Quinn and, as he was turning back, he felt a tug on his clothes. When he looked back, Tracy was holding his robe.
”Where are you going?” questioned Tracy, her voice filled with worry.
Quinn grinned in reply.
”I've always wondered, what is the reason for my birth? And today, after this happened, I finally know it.”