Hidden Wings - Part I

Home at Hogwarts

„Hey Potter!", Draco said mockingly.
„Is it true that you fainted?"

He laughed and put on a frightened face, squeaking „Dementor!", while his friends roared with laughter.

Neville turned pink and mumbled: „Sorry Harry."

They had bumped into him on their way out of the train, telling Neville what had happened.
His face had been a sicken-looking white.

„Ah, don't listen Harry", said Fred calmly while George joined Harry's other side.
„Malfoy was practically peeing his pants when he came into our compartment."

Jessamine followed them to the carriages and stopped dumbfounded.

There were thestrals pulling the carriages.
She remembered seeing them from a distance with her herd, but she hadn't expected them to be this close to Hogwarts.

The thestrals near her nickered warningly, stomping with their hooves.

Silverwings and thestrals were able to live peacefully next to each other, but there was a strong dislike between them.

Jessamine didn't bother try to tell the others, if they didn't comment on them it meant they could not see them.
She sat in the back of the carriage as far away as possible from the thestrals and silently listened to a conversation between Neville and Hermione on plants.

She softly petted Esma, who still shivered from their encounter with the dementor.

The thestrals pulled the carriage on a path up to the gates of Hogwarts, where Professor McGonagall awaited.

Jumping out of the carriage, Jessamine joined the other students flooding into the warmly lit castle.

„Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger", Professor McGonagall addressed the two Gryffindors, „follow me."

Sharing a confused look with Harry, Jessamine continued walking into the Great Hall, and took her seat at the Slytherin table. She breathed in through her mouth, as the smells in here overwhelmed her.

„Hey Jess", Erica greeted her and seated herself next to Jessamine.

„Hi Erica", Jessamine responded, happy to see her friend.

„Did you see the dementor too?", Erica asked and shuddered.
„It was awful, I felt so cold and hopeless."

She broke off as she noticed the shivering bird on Jessamine's shoulder.
„Is Esma alright?", Erica asked concerned.

Jessamine carefully picked the blackbird of her shoulder and kept her in her hands, trying to soothe her by stroking her feathers.

„She's still frightened from the dementor", Jessamine sighed.
„I don't understand why it was there."

„Oh!", Erica exclaimed surprised, „didn't you read the Daily Prophet? Apparently a prisoner from Azkaban escaped. His name is Sirius Black, and now the dementors are looking for him."

Sirius Black?

That name didn't ring a bell.

Jessamine watched the Professors enter the Great Hall, with them Professor Lupin.

She noticed with surprise, that Professor Snape seemed to hate Professor Lupin almost as much as he loathed Harry.
If looks could kill, Professor Lupin would be dead from Professor Snape's glares by now, Jessamine thought to herself.

The Sorting ceremony went over quickly, they got a handful of Slytherins, while most newcomers went to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

At some point, Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall again, waving shortly at Jessamine before sitting down at their table.

Jessamine picked at her carrots, she wasn't feeling very hungry.

Neither was Esma, who usually dove right into the pumpkin tarts that appeared for desert.

Her ears were starting to ache from the constant chattering and clanking of silverware. Now she wished she could turn off her sensitive ears.

Her thoughts were disrupted by the headmaster, who stood up and and called out: „May I have your attention please?"

The students quieted down and looked at the headmaster expectantly.

„We have a new Professor for Defence against the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin", introduced Professor Dumbledore and started clapping.

The teachers joined in, except Professor Snape, and most students just stared at Professor Lupin's ragged clothes.

Jessamine clapped loudly to make up for the lack of applause.

„Secondly", Professor Dumbledore continued, „Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. So our new Professor shall be Professor Hagrid."

The headmaster started clapping again, and the Gryffindor table joined in loudly.
Jessamine cheered and smiled at Hagrid, watching amused how he wiped his eyes at the table cloth.

„And lastly", and now the voice of the headmaster sounded grim, „as you all have probably heard, Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban."

Whispers broke out in the Great Hall and Professor Dumbledore raised his hands to silence everyone.
„The ministry has found it necessary, to post dementors around the school. They are here, to prevent Sirius Black from entering Hogwarts. However",
Professor Dumbledore paused and looked at them urgently.
„A word of caution: dementors are vicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It's not in the nature of a dementor to be forgiving. But you know happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light."

Silence filled the Great Hall and Jessamine traded a worried look with Erica.

Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands and all food vanished instantly.
„I think it is time for you to return to your dorms", he instructed and the hall was filled with shuffling and whispering, as students made their way to their dorms.

„Guys", Jessamine whispered after she had fought her way through the crowd.
„What's going on?"

Harry looked at her grimly.
„Mr. Weasley thinks that Black is after me", he stated gloomily.
„I heard him talking."

„That's why the dementors are here", Jessamine concluded worriedly.

Hermione nodded.

„It's most likely that Black will come here", she said and looked around, noticing the empty hall.

„I'd better go", Jessamine spoke and added: „I'll see you tomorrow?"

The Gryffindors nodded, still with a serious expression on their faces.

The Slytherin common room was bursting with students, no one wanted to go to bed yet.
Jessamine heard some speculating on how Sirius Black could have escaped, and made her way tiredly to her room.

Esma had flown to the owlery, feeling a little better.

Not bothering to fold her clothes, Jessamine flopped onto her bed.
That's how she woke up the next day.