Dementors, Gits, and Tears

                                    

                                          
Chapter Seven: Dementors, Gits, and Tears
                          
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When Embry eventually opened her eyes again she found herself still in the carriage with the twins and Lee, who were still talking about different pranks. What really caught the girl's attention was the fact that Lee and Fred were sideways, though she quickly realized that she had curled up on the bench in her sleep, resulting in her laying on her side with her head in George's lap. She bit her bottom lip as unease knotted in her stomach, feeling George moving some of hair back from her face. Just as she went to sit up though the train jolted to a stop. As she was about to go tumbling to the floor a pair of arms wrapped around her, keeping her in place.
                          
"Thanks," she gave George a small nod as the lights went out and he let go of her. "What's going on?"
                          
"Not sure," Fred frowned. Curiosity got the best of the girl as she opened their carriage door to look down the corridor, finding others doing the same. 
                          
"Lu, get back here!" George called at the brunette when she started to venture down the dark corridor. She only ignored him as she kept going, only stopping when she spotted Ron's friend Harry looking around just as a coldness washed over the corridor. That's when she saw it. It seemed to be floating and was covered in torn black rags, but she could still see its skeletal hand as it moved closer to Harry.
                          
"Lu!" Fred and George were by her side in an instant, pulling her back towards their carriage as fast as they could without drawing the creature's attention to themselves. Once they were inside, George pulled the door shut and locked it before drawing the curtains shut for extra measure.
                          
"What's gong on?" Lee looked between the twins.
                          
"There's a dementor on the train!" George informed his friend as they all sat down. 
                          
"What's that?" Embry asked. Before they could answer though the lights came back on and the train started to move once more.
                          
"Meow," Embry looked down to see Lark slipping out from the space between the bench and the wall. She looked up at her owner with her yellow eyes before jumping into the girl's lap. 
                          
"They guard Azkaban, they literally suck the happiness right out of you." Fred informed his friend as he ran a hand through his messy hair. "If it does it long enough then it can leave you without a soul which will eventually kill you. That's why we pulled you away."
                          
"Thanks," she smiled at the twins, relieved that they had been there for her. "How much longer until we reach Hogwarts?"
                          
"Not long," Lee shrugged. "You should probably go ahead and get changed into your school robes now."
                          
"Okay," she moved Lark from her lap and onto the bench before she grabbed her bag and headed out of the carriage. She headed down to where she'd seen the bathrooms when she'd boarded the train, only to freeze at the sight of familiar gray eyes and blonde hair.
                          
"Well, if it isn't the little Squib!" Draco glared at her as the group behind him stopped, looking at Embry in confusion.
                          
"Leave me be," Embry hissed as she shoved past his group, hurrying towards the bathroom. But, before she could get away, Draco's hand locked around her arm, roughly making her turn to look at him. 
                          
"I didn't excuse you!" She could feel his nails digging into her arm through her shirt. "Where did your manners go?"
                          
"The same place my fist will go if you don't let me go." She surprised herself with her threatening tone of voice. Never before had she spoken in such a manner, it almost scared her. 
                          
"Best remember your place if you want to survive," he hissed in her ear, giving her arm one last squeeze before letting her go and storming away with his friends. Embry's breathing grew rough as she hurried the rest of the way to the bathrooms. She didn't hesitate to lock the herself in the girls' room. She barely had enough time to lock the door behind her before she collapsed to the ground, sobs racking her body as she pulled her legs close to her chest.
                          


                          
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"Where's Lu?" Lee asked the twins, making George look up from where he had been busy scratching behind Lark's ear. He glanced out the window, only then realizing that they were only minutes away from the station and Lu hadn't come back from changing into her robes.
                          
"I'll see if she's off with Ginny." George handed Lark off to his twin before heading down the corridor where he easily spotted Ron's friend, Hermione, standing outside the bathroom. "What's going on?"
                          
"Malfoy found a new target," Hermione shook her head as George heard the quiet sobs coming from inside the bathroom. "After he was done with her she ran into the bathroom and hasn't come out since. She's been crying in there for nearly half an hour. I've tried everything, but she won't come out."
                          
"Ginny!" George called for his sister when he spotted her talking to a Ravenclaw in her year.
                          
"What?" Ginny frowned as she left the other girl.
                          
"Hermione said Malfoy found a new target who's crying in there," George nodded towards the bathroom door. "I think it's Lu."
                          
"Lu?" Ginny hurried over to the door, lightly tapping on it. "Can you let me in?"
                          
For a moment the three stood outside the bathroom only to receive no answer. For a second, George contemplated breaking down the door himself, worried for his friend. Before he had the chance to do so though the door opened to reveal Embry's small figure, dressed in her plain black school robes with a turtleneck peeking out from underneath her white shirt. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying.
                          
"I'm fine," she told them. Before Ginny or George had the chance to question her about what had happened she pushed past them, heading in the direction of her carriage. As if her encounter with Draco had never happened. Still, George stood there in utter confusion, wondering what Draco Malfoy had said that managed to bring the young brunette to tears. In that moment George made a silent promise to keep an eye on Lu and protect her from the likes of the Malfoy boy.