Hogwarts Express and New Colours 5

Then she remembered the speech he gave last year at the year-end feast and her eyes widened. Now she understood what he said about doing things on his own and a warning which he sent to certain greasy Professor.

She kept her thoughts to herself, didn't ask for clarification or anything but watched Harry carefully. He is making small talk with Cho who is happy to talk with Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. With occasional giggles and laughs, the Hogwarts express moved its destination.

After few hours

Midway through their journey, it started to rain and everyone wrote it off as just a change in weather. After some time the train stopped with a jerk. The lights were flickering. Soon they all felt a cold chill down their spines and chill in the air as the coldness spread across the windows and the feeling of death and despair oozed in the air. Harry read about this. He knew what is responsible for this. But against all hope, he prayed for it not to be what he thought.

Soon with another jerk, the door of the train opened and they all felt someone enter. Harry knew very well who did it and immediately took his wand and closed their cabin with all the shades down.

The people in the compartment felt the coldness increase as they saw a figure in front of their compartment move. Everyone's breath rate increased as the figure tried to open the door to Harry's cabin with its skeletal hands.

As the door didn't budge, it tried further, the door slowly cracked. Harry stood from his seat. The feeling of coldness increased and his magic flared to life, filling the room with warmth.

The sudden spark of warmth managed to bring others from their trance. Everyone felt relieved from the feeling and turned to see Harry at the door and someone banging their door.

Without any incantation or breaking, the door opened and the figure came in, its face was a horrible site that is going to scar them for life. There stood a tall hooded figure with rags as clothes, floating in the air with its bony fingers on the door of the cabin, looking directly at Harry.

"Expecto Patronum," Harry said clearly. A silvery Doe came to life and attacked the bony figure.

Harry made a gesture to them to be quiet and stared at the thrashing figure in silence. It screeched and thrashed around as the Doe rammed into it and soon it left out the compartment screeching all the way out. Harry sighed in relief and others widened their eyes in awe and surprise.

"Sorry, you have to see that. That is a Dementor, a dark creature that is the guard of Azkaban. I think I have a clue as to why they are here and please eat some chocolate," he said out of breath and gave them a piece of Dairy Milk which he bought with him.

Though not close to the Dementor, they had enough experience by staying near, particularly Cho, as she is the nearest of all them and they ate the chocolate in comfortable silence all the while Harry was muttering about the incompetent minister and Ministry officials in general.

Cho's view of Harry Potter has changed after seeing him up and close and experiencing his power. It is warm like the sun in the winter for her. It is a nice feeling which she hoped to have more.

After the experience of Dementors and the Prefects checked every compartment for any unfortunate encounters with the dark creatures. Harry bought the entire trolley of chocolates and supplied them to the whole train.

The train started moving after that to the Hogsmeade station and it went uneventful after the encounter with Dementors. Harry gave the two girls space to change to their robes and changed himself later. They moved into the Carriages, where he saw strange creatures.

Creatures which are like Horses but skeletal with bat-like wings with blackish-brown skin. He knew of them. They are Thestrals. A variety of creatures that live in Forbidden Forest and is seen as a bad omen in the wizarding world as their relation to death.

Only the person who had seen death can see them. Harry went in the same carriage as the other two of them which shocked quite a few faces when he is not seen with his friends. Malfoy tried to comment something, but Harry didn't care about him to listen and moved on.

As everyone reached the Castle, Harry excused himself and split himself from the group as they all went into the Great Hall and sat at their house table. Harry waited patiently for his name to be called.