Early next morning, all of us were assembled for breakfast, our trunks were packed and loaded in the cars that the Ministry had provided for us (wonder what made them so generous though) and we were about to head off to Kings Cross. 

A new term at Hogwarts, possibly the most difficult term there is (except NEWTs) and the fact that our school would be surrounded by those ghastly Dementors wasn't quite a pleasing way to start the session. 

Mom sent us off to the train with a lot of sermons such as stay away from the forest, follow the rules, do not even try to get near to the Dementors (I mean, come on, who wants to be near them anyway?) stay safe, no looking out for criminals on the loose etc etc etc. The list could go on forever. 

The train started to move and we waved at Mom and Dad until they vanished from sight. "Sweet from the trolley, dears?" the Trolley witch passed us and shooed us off into a compartment. 

Soon enough we were joined by Lee, Angelina and Katie. I must say that seeing our friends again after the holidays sure is refreshing. But the not so refreshing thing was that the topic of discussion was none other than Sirius Black and the Dementors at school.

However, I was saved the trouble because I hadn't got to have any chit chat with my friends at all. Soon after we had found a compartment and decided to dive into the chatter, my lovely brothers came to tell me that Prefects are supposed to sit in the Prefects cabin and also that I was ten minutes late.

Not a very good first impression for a Prefect, right? I was more angered on the smug looks the twins had while informing me that. Seriously couldn't anyone tell that to me before hand? Like here I live in a family which has had Prefects for generations and yet no one bothered to let slip such a crucial piece of information.

To top it off, the meeting in the Prefect's cabin had been utterly boring. The same old lectures of a mass murderer being on the loose and the whole new set of regulations for us to ensure that everyone was as safe as possible.

It was so boring that I didn't hesitate to slip out of there soon as I got the chance and went off to find the twins.

***

We were roaming through the corridors when suddenly the train started to slow down. 

"It's not Hogsmeade station yet. It can't be," Fred remarked. 

George shrugged, "something might be wrong or maybe we just reached earlier." 

However even I knew that wasn't the case. We were definitely somewhere in the middle of nowhere but there seemed no possible reason for the train to stop. 

"Let's look in some of the cabins," the twins suggested. 

Fine by me. And by the way, Lee Jordan's tarantula was on the loose and we were supposed to find it. Yeah, that is what we were doing in the corridors in the first place; finding the lost tarantula. 

We opened the door to the nearest cabin. Oh good, Ron, Harry and Hermione are here. 

"Ronald, have you by any chance seen Lee Jordan's tarantula?" I asked. 

"It's a lot like a spider. Eight legs. Hairy. And yes, it bites," George elaborated. 

"It's not here and be quiet," Ron drew instinctively back in his seat. 

"We thought it would be here since all the spidery things have such great fondness for our dear little Ronniekins," Fred added winking at him mischievously. 

"Hush, I said be quiet," this time Ron gestured over to the other side where a lump of blankets was place. 

Uh... Not exactly a lump of blankets, but yeah that's the first thing that came to my mind. There was a sudden jolt as the train stopped and I would have toppled inside if the twins hadn't grabbed my arm in time. 

"Why are we stopping?" Harry asked. 

Good question, Harry, but no one here knows the answer. 

Ron was peeping through the window, "it looks like people are coming abroad. That never happens."

The lump stirred and obviously it was not a lump but a man who was fast asleep before but had roused from all the commotion. He might be a new Professor. Hey, I never knew Professors also came from the Hogwarts Express! Or maybe this is just an exceptional case. 

He wasn't that old as compared to the other Professors we had and looked somewhere in his mid thirties. His face was scarred though and his hair were flecked with grey. Interesting. Maybe he's come to fill up Lockhart's place. Oh damn, where are my manners? I have discovered that being too curious at times definitely has some disadvantages. 

"We'll go ask the driver what's wrong," Fred whispered in my ear and both of them vanished. 

How rude, that means I'll have to be stuck in here. The Professor was staring at me as if he had just seen a ghost. Oh right, he's definitely thinking that I'm so rude that I didn't even bother giving an introduction. Might as well get on with it. 

"Excuse us for being impolite," I sort of apologized and extended my hand, "Katerina Weasley. I know my name's quite long so I rather prefer being called Kat. The two idiots who just vanished outside are my brothers Fred and George." 

I hope that was enough. Some introduction. However, he was still staring at me in (what seemed like) shock and confusion. I raised an eyebrow quizzically to which he straightened and shook the offered hand, "Remus Lupin." 

I nodded, "pleasure." Knowing that the twins were nowhere to be seen I decided to sit with them in their compartment, "shift over, Pumpkin." 

Ron shot me an irritated look (well, he should have gotten used to me calling him Pumpkin by now) and resumed glancing out the window, "do you think we've broken down?" 

Dunno, who knows of course? Before I could ask Mr Lupin if he really was a Professor or not, all the lamps went out and everything plunged into total darkness. Now of all times. The three of them were still wondering aloud on what was going on when the door slid open and there was a thud. Maybe someone fell. 

"Sorry. Do you know what's going on? Ouch, sorry," oh, so it's Neville. 

"No idea. Sit down," Mr Lupin spoke firmly. 

"I'm going to ask the driver what's going on," Hermione stood up, trust her to take charge of any situation like a fully grown adult. The door slid open again and then another thud and two painful squeals. 

"Welcome to the Emergency Exit, Ginny," I mumbled. 

I would know it was her anywhere, no matter how much the darkness or the noise, I just kinda always knew when she stepped in and out of a room where I was present. Kinda strange. Maybe I was just literally too pissed off about us having this cold barrier between us and after all this time it was getting really annoying.

All of them had started talking all at once but I din't really notice. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Professor Lupin's hoarse voice, "quiet!" 

His voice seemed sort of familiar and that's unnerving, really. I mean, who else do I know who was tall, had mousy brown hair and scars all over his face? Yeah you get it but I don't think it's him. It could be him for all I know... I mean... Still, it's too far fetched. 

There was a soft crackling noise and a shivering light filled the compartment. He appeared to be holding a handful of flames. Pretty cool, actually. And frankly speaking, I hadn't noticed the horn rimmed specs hooked to his pocket before. Maybe... Or perhaps it's just a coincidence. I mean, Percy too has horn rimmed specs, no big deal. 

"Stay where you are," he ordered and went to the door. But before he could reach it, the door slid open itself. Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the flames Professor Lupin had procured, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. 

I saw its scabby, grayish, almost decayed hand for a split second which got suddenly withdrawn into the folds of the black cloak. 

Shit. 

Not a Dementor. Please God, not that ghoulish, abominable, absolutely ghastly creature. No, no, no way. I would happily accept a whole day of Potions with Snape rather than facing this monster. I mean, it's no joke that Dementors scare people senseless. And I don't wanna go through the torture again. No thanks. 

I felt sharp needles going through my hand and turned it over to see that the scarred word AZKABAN imprinted on my palm had started to bleed. Great. Absolutely fantastic. Is it possible for things to get more beautifully amazing now? Ugh. 

Ginny clung on to my arm fearfully. Okay...? I placed an arm around her and pulled her close. I mean I know she can be really annoying at times and can go to great lengths to irritate me but still... She happens to be my sister. And I have to be there for her if she needs me. 

Talk about self sacrificing.

That ominous thing beneath its flapping black hood drew a long rattling breath probably trying to suck our souls. I felt my lungs tighten as all the air was sucked out of me. Professor Lupin was standing in front of us as if attempting to shield us and was arguing with that Dementor, "no one is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks! Now, go." 

I felt Gin trembling, shaking with fear. I might have assured her that it would be okay soon, but I knew it wasn't going to be. This cold seemed worse than that which I had experienced in my nightmare. It went deep under my skin, it was as if the dreadful cold was penetrating my heart. I felt as if I was drowning into emptiness and something was dragging me down. 

It was as if Ginny wasn't even beside me even though I knew she was there clutching on to my arm. All feelings were subsiding. The only thing I felt was a horrible fear gnawing at my insides. And then from far away, I heard screaming. Terrible screams of distress, of pain and agony.

"I didn't betray them," the voice struck me hard like a whip, "it wasn't me! I could never ever think of doing that to my friends."

Sirius's face came before my eyes. Worse than I had seen him in my nightmare. I tried to call out to him but couldn't. I shut my eyes tight praying for it all to stop. "Make it stop, please," I muttered. I need to breath but with this heavy fog around, I don't think I can manage.

***

I felt someone shaking me. Maybe someone was holding my hand, I don't know. 

"Katerina, can you hear me?" I heard a faint voice as if it was coming from miles away, "open your eyes." 

I did as I was told. It wasn't dark anymore. Perhaps the lights came back on. I looked around and saw Ginny huddled in a corner and she looked nearly as bad as I felt, the others were crowded on the other side of the compartment while Professor Lupin was standing in front of me. 

"Eat it. It'll help," he handed me a large piece of chocolate. All of this seemed vaguely familiar but I couldn't think clearly at the moment. I noticed he had given all of them some chocolate but why, though, I have no idea. 

"Come on Kat, I didn't poison the chocolate. Eat it, trust me, you'll feel better." 

I nodded and took a bite. Gradually warmth spread over my freezing insides and I felt a bit more alert. 

Hermione seemed to be explaining what had happened, "but the Dementor didn't move so Professor Lupin muttered something and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it..." 

But I still felt extremely dizzy. Professor Lupin was with Harry at the moment who had passed out as well. 

After he was done there, he turned to me, "feeling better?" 

I managed a low nod, "thank you, Professor." 

He drew closer and his voice was low as if what he was going to say was confidential and meant for only me to hear, "chocolates always help. Like I told you before, it's an excellent remedy to cope with fear and distress." 

My eyes widened in recognition since these were the very words which Moony said to me that night when I had that nightmare. I could see it now, those scars, that voice, the handful of flames! 

"Moony," the name escaped me. 

He nodded a little. Freaking Cauldrons!

"I... I can't stay here," I mumbled and tried to get up, "I need to go out. Find the twins." 

I don't know why I said that. I mean, of all the things I could have said at seeing a best friend after 15 years or more, here I was fleeing away from him. 

Bloody brilliant, Katerina. 

He was insisting me to sit down and rest but I don't know what got into me. I just... I just wanted to get out of here. Maybe it was too much for me to handle.

 I reached the door but my head swayed and I lost focus. I grabbed the first thing that came to my hand but before I could regain my composure, an awful darkness engulfed me.

***