Chapter Text
It was cold in the Court Room. The Witches and Wizards who lined the walls turned up their collars and tucked their hands into the sleeves of their robes. With emotionless eyes, they looked down at the large marble chair in the centre of the room below them. In the chair was a girl who was trying her hardest to vanish into it. She had glossy hair that was just short of the waist, it was black apart from a streak on the right that was the colour of pure silver. From beneath the hair, glimmering grey eyes darted around the room, taking in all the unfamiliar people that filled it.
The Head Minister cleared his throat, "This Court is now in session" he said in a business tone."We are here today because Mister Lovec was recently accused and found guilty of having willingly supported He Who Must Not Be Named during the First Wizarding War. During the investigation into these claims, evidence of other illegal activities has come to light. Here we have a witness who will either confirm or deny said crimes"
He cleared his throat again and turned his attention to the girl in the chair who arched her shoulders like a cornered animal. "Do you, Amaris Lovec, daughter of the accused, swear to answer all questions truthfully?"
She gave a small nod, keeping her eyes fixed on him.
Then the Minister began his questions."Did your father keep magical beings on his property against their will?"
There was a moment's pause while the girl gathered the courage to speak, but when she did her voice was clear and loud enough for all to hear. "Yes, " came her answer.
"Did he also keep magical beasts that had been illegally imported?"
"Yes," she answered again.
"Did he carry out experiments on the creatures he kept?"
"Yes"
"Was his wife, your mother, also subjected to similar experiments?"
"Yes"
"Was it one of these experiments that resulted in her death?"
"Yes"
"Did he perform experiments on you?"
An unbearable silence crept into the room while the question hung in the air. The girl dropped her head and her hair swept forward, covering her face. Her answer was barely loud enough to be heard.
"Yes"
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1st September 1993
Platform 9 3/4 was very busy, as it always was this day every year. The station was swarming with students eager to leave, parents struggling to get in a goodbye kiss, and luggage that was trying its hardest to get lost. Amaris Lovec had never seen so many humans in her life. Her senses were bombarded by the confusing mixture of unknown stimulants. It was both terrifying and exhilarating to be in a situation so out of her comfort zone.
The sound alone was overwhelming and it was impossible to make a straight path towards the train that sat patiently on the tracks amid the chaos that surrounded it. After several tiring minutes of working her way through the crowd, she stepped onto the back of the train and dragged her trunk into the very last compartment.
Closing the door behind her, Amaris took in the room, smaller than the other compartments with a window that looked along the track behind the train. Breathing in deeply, taking in the familiar smell of dusty furniture and polished wood mixed with the new smells of coal and oil. She'd never been on a train before, her expectations had been closer to a fire breathing dragon than the real thing, it might have been more comforting if it had. Dragons she knew how to deal with.
After putting her trunk on one of the seats, she sat heavily into the seat opposite as she waited for the other student to finish boarding. She ignored the annoyed glares as she was taking up a whole compartment to herself, as she watched the throng of people with fascination. Other humans were far more daunting than any other creature she could think of, though her intrigue won over her fear now that she was safely on the train. She was on the train! "The Hogwarts Express, finally." She whispered excitedly over her left shoulder. "Two years late but I'm actually going to Hogwarts, at last, I'll get to learn proper magic and meet others my age and hopefully make friends."
The train whistle blew at exactly eleven o'clock and the train jolted into action. The station grew smaller through the window and the train travelled through London as the long journey to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry began.
Amaris' eyes darted about the surroundings, taking in everything new and strange, kneeling on the seat with her nose pressed against the glass. But as the city gave way to the countryside and the view became a blur of green, her complete lack of rest from the night before caught up with her and the steady motion of the train lulled her to sleep.
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 winter's 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 it's 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 inspecting 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."
It wasn't long before the train arrived at Hogsmeade station. Amaris had finished putting all her belongings back into her trunk and had once again taken to looking eagerly out of the carriage window. To her disappointment, she couldn't see anything. For one, it was night time and with the lights on inside, only her reflection stared back at her. It also began to hammer it down, which turned the silhouetted shapes she had just been able to make out into distorted blobs as the raindrops streaked across the glass.
But she knew that they were getting close when the train began to slow and she pressed her face against the cold glass with new determination. A faint yellowy glow in the distance was all she could make out but as it grew closer her excitement intensified.
With a final lurch, the steam engine heaved to a halt, thoroughly relieved to have completed its gruelling expedition. Amaris instantly scrambled to her feet, hauled her luggage off the seat and dragged it towards the compartment door. The corridor was bustling with student chatter and grunts of annoyance as they barged past each other to get off the train. Amaris was dragging her belongings out into the corridor when a rather condescending voice caused her to look up.
"You're supposed to leave your trunks on the train, you know. They're taken to our rooms for us," the voice belonged to a girl who matched it perfectly. She had buck teeth and an explosive mane of brown hair, along with an expression that told you that she thought the majority of the people around her were idiots, including the girl she was correcting.
The frizzy-haired girl waited for a few seconds, looking at the silky haired one expectantly. Then she sighed, as though realising it was a lost cause and stepping off the train onto the doused platform. It was only then did Amaris realise that she had been expected to respond.
"Oh, t-thank- " she stammered but it was too late. The other girl was gone.
Leaving her case behind, she too joined the river of students exiting the train, while she lectured herself on the fact that she would never make friends if she acted so rude.
The platform was pure chaos. Due to the downpour, everyone had the hoods of their robes tugged low over their faces. This made everyone look a lot like a Despair of Dementors (the rather fitting term for a group of the creatures). All of them looked the same but each seemed to have a different destination. Amaris stood in the middle of the throng, being knocked this way and that, as she tried to figure out where she was supposed to go. Once again she cursed herself for how she interacted with the girl on the train. If she had thanked the bucked teeth student instantly, she could have then asked for directions.
A sudden gust of rain-filled wind blew her hood off her head and her hair was soaked in seconds. Amaris spun in confused circles, looking desperately around her for what she was supposed to do.
Without warning, a powerful force collided with her shoulder, nearly causing her knees to give out beneath her. She turned to see that an enormous hand was resting there and she jerked away from it instinctively. The enormous hand belonged to an equally enormous man, half-giant half-human she suspected. He had a large mane of hair that, despite being drenched by the rain, remained as frizzy and out of control as the girl's from the train had been. He also had a matching beard so the only part of his face that could clearly be seen were his eyes. Kind eyes, Amaris noted, rather surprised.
"I'm guessing you'll be Amaris Lovec?"
She nodded.
"I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Groundskeeper here at Hogwarts but you can call me Hagrid. I know you're ain't technically a fir'-year, but as it is your fir' year at the school, I've been told to take you with 'em"
He gestured to a huddling group sodden robes at the end of the platform which she assumed were the other new arrivals to the school.
Once Hagrid was sure he had all of the first years, he called for them to follow him down a narrow path. Amaris walked close behind him. Feeling so drastically small compared to him helped her forget how drastically taller she was compared to the other students who scurried after them.
Before long they reached the shore of an ink-black lake that stretched out into the darkness. Due to the rain that hit it, the surface was covered in tiny ripples that were constantly gliding across the water and overlapping each other.
Lined up along the shore was a fleet of small rowing boats each with a yellow glowing lantern attached to the bow. At Hagrid's instruction, Amaris and the first years boarded them, four to a boat and waited. Suddenly, the boats began to move across the water by themselves to the sounds of amazement from the children. They travelled across: a huddle of pinpricks of light amidst the darkness that surrounded them.
Then the Castle came into view. It was the most magnificent thing she had ever seen. It towered into the sky and spilt gleaming light from its large windows into the night like a lighthouse. Raindrops danced and swirled in the rays looking like droplets of liquid gold. Amaris stared, hypnotized. If she'd been able to tear her eyes away, she would have noticed that all the other students shared the identical mystified and disbelieving expression that matched her own. They were going to live and be schooled here? How could that possibly be true? It was like something out of a Faerie Tale.