"If Snape teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts again, I'm calling in sick," Ron muttered as Anne and Fanny approached the classroom door.
Anne glanced at him and walked in without a word. Fanny, pausing beside the trio at the door, offered kindly, "Relax. Professor Lupin's back today."
Professor Lupin stood at the front of the room. He did look like he'd been ill, his worn robes hung even more loosely than usual, and there were shadows under his eyes. Still, he smiled at the class as they sat down. The Gryffindors immediately began complaining about what Snape had done while Lupin was out.
"It's not fair! He was only substituting, why'd he give us homework?"
"We didn't even know what a werewolf was…"
"Two rolls of parchment!"
"Didn't you tell Professor Snape we hadn't covered that yet?" Lupin asked, frowning slightly.
The Gryffindors all began talking at once.
"We did, but he said we were behind, "
"He wouldn't listen, "
"Two full rolls!"
The Gryffindors looked thoroughly indignant, while the Slytherins on the other side of the room were whispering among themselves, praising their Head of House for helping them prepare early. Lupin just gave the Gryffindors a faint smile.
"Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't need to write that essay."
The Slytherins exchanged disappointed glances, they'd already finished theirs. Only Hermione from Gryffindor looked let down, since she was the only one who had completed the assignment.
The lesson was an enjoyable one. Professor Lupin brought in a glass tank containing a hinkypunk, a wispy, smoky-looking creature with only one leg that looked too fragile to hurt anyone.
"They lure travelers into bogs," Lupin explained as students took notes. "Notice the lantern hanging from its hand? It hops ahead, and people follow the light until…"
The hinkypunk banged its head against the glass, producing a horrible screeching sound.
When the bell rang, everyone packed up. "Harry, stay back a moment," Lupin called.
Outside, Ron and Hermione caught up with Anne and Fanny.
"Anne, what do you think Lupin wants with Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Probably to ask him about what happened during Saturday's match," Anne said casually. "Professor Lupin really cares about Harry. Remember when we went to Hogsmeade for Halloween and Harry couldn't go? He spent the whole afternoon in Lupin's office."
"But I've always wondered," Ron said. "I mean, I know Dementors are scary. My dad wasn't the same for weeks after coming back from Azkaban. But why do they affect Harry so much? He passed out on the train, and again during the match. Hermione and I were near them too, it felt awful, sure, but not like that…"
Anne's pupils contracted slightly. The silver sickle she'd been tossing in one hand landed in her palm and stayed there. She came to a halt, causing the others to stop too, turning to look at her.
"Dementors are among the foulest creatures on earth," Anne began slowly. "They infest the darkest, filthiest places. They thrive on decay and despair, sucking every ounce of peace, hope, and happiness from the air. Even Muggles can feel them, though they can't see them. If you get too close, every good feeling, every happy memory you have will be drained away. And if they can, they'll feed on you long-term… until you're just like them, soulless, and full of evil. All that's left is your worst memories, the worst things that have ever happened to you."
She paused, then continued, "So they affect Harry more than you two because… well, you've never experienced anything truly horrifying. Or at least, nothing as deep or traumatic as Harry has."
The three fell silent for a few seconds. Then Ron spoke again, "But why did they come to the match in the first place?"
A strange expression crossed Anne's face. "I guess… maybe they were hungry. Dumbledore won't let them inside the school, so they probably ran out of their usual human 'supplies.' The crowd at the Quidditch match must've been incredibly tempting. All that excitement and adrenaline? To them, it must've been a feast."
A chill ran through them. Ron blurted, "Good thing you didn't go to the match, Anne, or else, "
Anne's face immediately went blank. Hermione and Fanny both shot Ron glares.
"I just meant… Anne's Boggart…" Ron started to explain that he thought Anne's Boggart was terrifying, and if she had run into a Dementor, she might've fainted like Harry. But seeing the fire in Hermione and Fanny's eyes, he wisely decided to shut up.
"You're right," Anne said flatly. "I should be grateful I stayed behind."
Ron sighed in relief.
"Harry's out, let's go," Hermione said, seeing Harry emerging from the classroom, looking relaxed and giving them a wave.
As November settled in, Hogwarts began to grow colder. Every year around mid-November, Anne entered what she called her "can't-get-out-of-bed mode." This year, however, things were different. With four new electives, her workload was intense, and lazy mornings became a rare luxury. She could only afford to sleep in on weekends, and even then, only a little. Most of her free time was used to catch up on assignments.
"Anne, get up!" Fanny pulled open the bed curtains. "We need to hit the library and finish our Ancient Runes homework!"
Anne groaned and pulled the blanket over her head. Her muffled voice came from underneath, "What time is it?"
"Half past nine. You told me to wake you now." Fanny placed a parcel and some breakfast on the table beside Anne's bed. "Your Uncle Aaron's package arrived. I left it there."
Fanny returned to her desk to organize her Muggle Studies assignment and started packing her Ancient Runes notes and books.
Anne finally stirred, rustling beneath her blankets as she began sleepily pulling on clothes without opening her eyes.
"Was Hermione in the library when you went?" Anne asked.
Hermione, already at her desk reading, answered without looking up, "Of course. Half the table's buried in books, as usual."
"Oh. How's your Muggle Studies class going?"
"Great," Fanny replied. "We just had a chat about televisions. Honestly, Anne, I think Hermione is amazing. I heard she's taking every elective. She spends all her free time in the library, I'm sure of it."
"She is top student material," Anne agreed.
"Top what?"
"Top student, like a learning champion. Someone who's amazing at studying, always scores high, basically a boss in the academic world."
"Whoa, another new word? I love it! It's way better than what the Gryffindors call her, 'Know-It-All.'"
Anne laughed. "Want to hear more new terms? You just gave me an idea, I should tell Fred and George."
Fanny lit up with excitement. "Anne, tell me now! Any topic you can bring up with Fred and George has to be fun."
"Hehe, it's a trade secret now. But I'll let you listen in when I talk to them at lunch. It might just start a storm at Hogwarts…"
"Deal!" Fanny said happily.
"But first, let's survive Ancient Runes. Let's go. I really hope I can finish two rolls of parchment before lunch."
"Wait, Anne, you opened the package? Another one of those ugly backpacks like yours?"
"It's not ugly! It's just… plain. No patterns," Anne said as she slung the gray single-strap bag over her shoulder.
"Plain gray cloth and one strap, that is ugly. Look at mine!" Fanny said proudly, showing off her colorful two-strap backpack.
"Mine's practical."
"Oh! I get it. You're giving that one to Hermione, aren't you?" Fanny guessed. "She does need a bag with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Every time I see her stuff books into that old one, I swear it's going to burst."
In the library's first floor, only a few students were quietly reading. Anne and Fanny walked up to a table covered in books. Hermione was quickly flipping through one of them.
Noticing them, Hermione looked up, paused her reading, and began tidying her books.
Since the start of the term, Anne and Fanny had often seen Hermione studying here. Eventually, Fanny had dragged Anne to sit with her, and the trio had been sharing the space ever since.
Hermione, used to Anne arriving at this time, swiftly cleared a space. Anne sat across from her while Fanny took the seat beside Anne.
Anne removed the backpack from her shoulder and handed it over. "Here, Hermione. I got this for you. I think your old bag's ready to retire. If you shove one more book into it, it might explode."
Fanny giggled. Anne's serious tone made the gesture even funnier. Hermione blinked in surprise.
"Hermione, it may be a bit ugly," Fanny added, "but it's the same kind Anne uses, charmed with an Undetectable Extension Charm. You can probably fit over twenty books in it."
"It's not ugly!" Anne pouted.
Hermione grinned and took the bag excitedly. "The Undetectable Extension Charm? Thank you, Anne!" She looked around, slipped two books inside, then pulled them out again. "This is amazing." She smiled. "I don't think it's ugly at all, it's really useful."
"You two…" Fanny sighed, then teased, "You really do sound exactly alike." Hermione just laughed even more brightly.
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