“I said something wrong, didn’t I?” James asked, noticing Lily’s expression. “I said the word, didn’t I?”
“What word? Everything you said was clean… for once.” Lily rolled her eyes. James picked up the sarcasm in her voice.
“The word… the word that every time I mention it, you roll your eyes. There! You did it again!”
“What word?” James knew she was just acting as if she had no idea what he was talking about. He decided to play along.
James pretended to look around to make sure no one was listening. He leaned over so his face was barely an inch from hers.
“The EVIL word,” he murmured slowly, as if to create suspense.
“What ‘evil’ word, Potter?” Lily answered back. “You know, you’re beginning to annoy me.”
“Quidditch!” he quickly whispered into Lily’s ear. She laughed.
The Marauders and Lily’s friends turned their heads and all were in small disbelief that Lily Evans was laughing with James Potter. It was unbelievable.
~
Lily shut up automatically.
What broke the silence was an army of owls swooping into the Great Hall. A large, reddish-gold owl landed on James’s shoulder and Lily watched at James patted his owl on the head and removed a bundle of letters and packages from its legs. Then, the owl hopped off his shoulder and began pecking at Lily’s pancakes.
“Um… James?” she said. “You’re owl is eating my breakfast.”
“Oh sorry…” James reached over and tugged slightly on his owl’s tail. “No, Godric! Don’t eat Lily’s pancakes! Eat Sirius’ food instead.”
The owl, Godric, obediently abandoned Lily’s food and started nibbling Sirius’s corn flakes.
“What the…? James! How could you?” Sirius was desperately swapping the bird away. It only responded by sitting on the bowl and falling asleep.
Lily brushed her ruined pancake over to the edge of her plate and served herself more food.
Lily looked up and observed Julianne opening a small package and pulling out a pouch full of Galleons. A label was attached to it that said: “For Hogsmeade Visits.”
Next to her, Remus opened his little package and pulled out a glass bottle the size of a water bottle. A small trail of smoke was coming through the cork.
“What’s that for?” Lily asked Remus.
“Uh… nothing, just some medication.” Remus hurriedly pocketed it and resumed eating.
James had set down a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table and began reading his letters from home.
“Can I read this?” she asked James.
“Sure. You can have it if you like.”
“You sure?”
“Of course.” Lily caught Julianne’s eye and she shrugged. She unfolded the newspaper. The front page shocked her beyond belief and she instinctively let it go and shuddered.
“What’s wrong, Lily?” Amy asked. She then peered down on the cover of the newspaper and nearly spilled her pumpkin juice. Julianne dropped her fork with a loud clatter. Maya clutched her heart in shock.
“What’s going on over there?” Peter wondered. Amy picked up the newspaper by the top corners and showed to Peter. He squeaked and fell off his chair.
“Get a grip, Wormtail,” Sirius said. “The picture can’t be THAT terrifying-HOLY DUNG BOMBS!”
Sirius had seen the picture too, and he dropped his goblet onto Godric’s head and it landed with a loud “clunk.”
The owl screeched and flew up and circled over the Marauders and the girls as Lily spread the newspaper on the table.
On the front cover, there was a large picture of a dementor’s hood. It was so close-up that Lily could almost see it’s ghastly mouth. She buried her head in her hands and breathed slowly.
“That’s what a dementor looks like?” Maya asked. She shuddered. “That’s what was on the train?”
“I guess so…” Remus said slowly.
“What does the article say?” Julianne asked, “I can’t read upside down.”
“I don’t care what the article says. It might be worse than the picture.” Maya looked away.
Lily felt something brush against her shoulder. She put her hands down and saw Sirius sticking his head between James and her.
Sirius read out loud because James was gaping at the picture and Lily couldn’t bring herself to look at the newspaper again.
Horrors at the Hogwarts Express
As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of platform 9 3/4 at 11:00, no one expected any unfortunate events as it made its way to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, when it arrived at the famous school, a student was almost dead.
Lily bit her lip.
The Ministry of Magic kept this mystery a tight secret, but during a press conference, Minister John Sumpter and Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, released astonishing news.
“Before the start of Hogwarts first school term, the train was intercepted by a stray dementor,” Minister Sumpter announced. “Many departments are working day and night on this case. Nothing like this has ever happened before and we intend it never to happen again.”
After the minister had stepped off from the platform, Professor Dumbledore took the stand and took questions. He was extremely careful and strict with his answers, but what can be determined was that during the middle of the train’s journey, a dementor (similar to the one in the picture above) had boarded the train. Fortunately, no one was kissed, but one student went through critical treatment in the school’s hospital wing.
“The student has now returned to Hogwarts’ normal schedule and is feeling well.”
Continued on page 3.
“Don’t go to page three, Sirius,” James and Lily ordered at the same time.
“I agree with them,” Julianne shivered. “That portion was bad enough. We don’t need another page chock full of misery.”
“And I did NOT go through critical treatment!” Lily shot at the newspaper.
“There is no, I repeat, NO possible way that a dementor could have gotten on the train!” Maya exclaimed. “I just can’t believe it!”
“Well, believe it, cause its true.”
No one spoke for a while, but then Maya stood up and said she was going to the common room.
“Yeah, I’ll come,” Julianne agreed. She got up from the table as well.
“Me too,” Remus put in. He abandoned his bacon and eggs and followed Maya and Julainne out of the door.
“Hey! Your not leaving me behind, are you?” Peter peeped.
“I think he is, Peter,” Sirius commented, still staring at the dementor.
Peter scrambled from his seat and ran after Remus.
Now only Sirius, James, and Lily were left.
Lily couldn’t help think that if she didn’t help James on the platform, he couldn’t have saved her from the dementor because… because he would have been dead... There would have been two deaths instead of none, both Head Boy and Head Girl.
Lily felt tears filling up in her eyes and she didn’t want the two Marauders to see, so she grabbed her schoolbag and ran out of the Great Hall.
~
Sirius looked at Lily and turned back to the newspaper. “Hey James.”
“Yeah?”
“Here’s a riddle-”
“I don’t feel like answering riddle right now, Padfoot.”
“You have to. What’s worse than a dementor attack?”
“Nothing.”
Sirius made a noise like a buzzer. “Wrong. The answer is a Diggory Attack. See for yourself.” James, alarmed, twisted in his seat and saw Diggory following Lily out of the Hall.
Nothing would stop James now. He had his badge and his wand now, so nothing could get in his way. Not even Amos Diggory.