Daphne and I continued walking back to the castle, it must have been around 12:30 AM or 1:00 AM. The air was crisp and bitter; I was fine, but Daphne was shivering. I wish I had a coat to give her to display some chivalry and romanticism (I also wanted my friend to be warm and not miserable).
"If you'd like, you can have my extra layer of robe," I said.
"No, that's okay, I think I'll be fine," she let out an exhale that plumed like smoke from the frosty air. "Is it me, or did it get colder around here?"
A chill swirled through the air, and I had to fold my arms. "I think you're right. It just took a temperature dip by a few degrees... Fahrenheit, not Celsius, still getting used to that," I chuckled but grew concerned. I saw some fog rolling in from the trees towards our path.
"Would you be averse to running?" Daphne asked.
"No, we're not even near the Forbidden Forest, and I'm getting the creeps," I picked up my pace, and both of us jogged back towards Hogwarts. The fog became thicker just as we were on the edge of the castle grounds. I looked up at the sky, and the stars had vanished, I could no longer see in front of me. We stopped.
"What's happening?" Daphne asked, spinning around in a circle.
"I don't know.”
A cloaked figure glided through the trees coming closer to us. Depressing emotions washed over my mind, I couldn't focus on anything except despair and the loneliness I felt back in the U.S. I was frozen as the cloaked figure stared directly at me. My legs couldn't move, but I didn’t want to run anymore. I wanted to stay.
"Rooolllliiieeee!"
I thought I heard my name, but it sounded like it traveled through water.
"Thaaaaaat's aaaaaa deeeee!” the voice trailed off.
Was that Daphne?
"Exxpeeeeeectoooo paaaaatrooooonuuuum!"
Nothing happened, except the monster's scaly face floated closer as the hood fell down, but there was a moment where I felt clarity. Wait, that’s a de-
I whipped out my wand and yelled, "Expecto Patronum!" but the faintest wisp spat out from the tip.
It kept inching closer.
"Roooollieeee, I'm sooooorry!" Daphne cried. "Expecto Patronum!"
My conscience was taken over again as depression shrouded my thoughts. My head felt submerged under a sea of misery.
"Expecto Patronum!"
The dementor vanished in a second, but the world spun beneath my feet. I fell into the dirt but my eyes were still open. A glowing white raven gracefully floated in front of me. Then the sight of the mystic beauty disappeared. My eyelids grew too heavy, I had to close them, but I was still trembling.
“Leon?" Daphne whispered.
Two people picked me up, supporting my arms with their shoulders. We moved forward, I couldn’t tell where I was going, the world was blurry to me. Eventually I was washed over with warm light, and my vision cleared. We were right next to Mr. Lancaster’s office.
“Oh my gosh, what happened to him? He looks paler than a ghost!" Mr. Lancaster whispered.
"We were out on the castle grounds when suddenly a dementor came out and tried attacking Rollie," Daphne explained.
"Here, let's sit him down," Mr. Lancaster put me in his office chair, and from his desk, he pulled out a candy bar. "You're going to want to have some chocolate. Trust me, you'll feel much better."
He unwrapped it, handed it to me, and I took a bite. I couldn't believe how much my energy was rejuvenated. I wasn’t lightheaded anymore, but still had a minor tremble through my body. "Leon..." I croaked. "You can summon a Patronus? And you didn't even say anything in class?"
"You're welcome," Leon muttered.
"Thank you. I mean that, I really do. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner. I'm just… so amazed. I had no idea you could summon a Patronus."
"Well, now you know, are you happy?" he said sharply.
"I don't understand," I scratched my head. "Why would you want to keep that a secret? If I could do that, I'd be telling everyone."
"Just like you kept your Quidditch talents a secret," Daphne chimed in.
I stopped and focused on the chocolate bar.
"I'm going to bed," Leon headed towards the hallway.
"Wait!" I whispered loudly.
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Leon stopped with his back to me.
"You have our word. Daphne and I will all keep it a secret. I promise," I said.
Leon stood there for a moment and strode off, but I think I heard him say, "Goodnight," quietly.
"Rollie, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure how much we'll be able to keep that incident a secret. I'm going to have to tell Zita about this. I hope you understand?" Mr. Lancaster said.
"Yeah, I understand. Just tell her that Leon is super self-conscious about people knowing he can summon a Patronus," I said, followed up by a few coughs.
"Are you okay?" Daphne put her hand on my shoulder.
"Yes, I'll be fine," even though I didn't want her to move her hand, she did anyways. The two of us went back to the common room, and I tried falling asleep after sneaking back into the dorm, but I laid awake, tossing and turning the entire night. The chill from the dementor stuck to my skin like scent of smoke from a bonfire. It took me forever to feel warm underneath my thick blankets.
***
Classes went on through Friday as they usually would, although Bran and Edna both asked if Daphne and I were "all right" repeatedly, but both of us always replied with, "I'm fine."
It wasn't until after classes finished up did Daphne and I have a moment together in the corridor by ourselves.
"Is it me, or have you felt off all day?" I asked.
"I agree, I've felt just... I don't know, I guess unsettled, maybe a little afraid? It took me forever to fall asleep. I was so cold."
"Yeah, me too."
"I can imagine. That dementor really liked you," Daphne shuddered.
Mr. Lancaster came jogging down the hall, scanning the corridors until he made eye contact with us. "Hey there! Zita would like a word with both of you."
Daphne and I exchanged a nervous glance.
Mr. Lancaster escorted us to the staircase that shifted to the corridor with the gargoyle statue. Mr. Lancaster was about to whisper into its ear, but it moved out of the way. Leon came out and furrowed his brow as he swept past us.
"No hello?" I jokingly said.
Leon halted.
"I'm sorry, Leon,” Mr. Lancaster said. “But your friends didn't say anything. I was the one that told Zita. But you have to understand, I had to do it. This is a big deal."
Leon took a deep breath. "Whatever," and he went down the steps.
Once we were inside Zita's office, she dismissed Mr. Lancaster and told him to wait outside. Daphne and I sat next to each other while Zita was at her desk.
"I'm sorry you two had to go through that experience last night. I can't imagine the fear that went through your minds. I hope it doesn't taint your experience while you're here at Hogwarts, and if it does, I take full responsibility. I hope both of you accept my apology."
"Sure," I said.
"Yeah, I don't blame you at all. There's no worry there. We had an amazing time at the show," Daphne said.
Zita nodded. "Thank you. Now, can either of you tell me what happened with the dementor?"
"I think I know who summoned it against me," I said, and Zita arched her brow. I explained to her my situation with Houston back when I went to school at Huntshrow and how I saw him at the Weird Sisters concert.
"Thank you for telling me this information. I'll handle it from here."
"What do you mean? What are you going to do? He's not going to get in trouble, is he?" I said.
"Potentially. If Houston is the one who summoned the dementor on you, he will most definitely face repercussions for his actions."
"But then he'll just target me even more!"
"Rollie. If he committed this crime, it's severe. Besides, he doesn't know if a professor found out about it and reported the situation. You have nothing to worry about. I promise I'm here for you."
Her voice was so warm and reassuring that it assuaged the stress. "Okay. Thank you, I really appreciate that."
Zita sighed. "It's going to be tough to get over my mistake for allowing you to go to the concert. I'm glad you had fun, but it was irresponsible on my part, especially since there's another issue that's been creeping up."
Daphne and I arched our brows.
"The curse of the Forest has been spreading. It's been slow, but it's inching further out, towards the castle grounds, even the path to Hogsmeade."
Daphne gasped.
"Fortunately, it's nothing to be concerned about yet. At the end of the school year, though, things might look a little rougher if we don't find some solutions. The Ministry of Magic is at a loss, as are we."
"There's been no luck breaking the land curse?" Daphne asked.
"No. And I shouldn't tell you this, but my intention is to curb any curiosity about the Forbidden Forest. Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Professor Shacklebolt, and I went to the Forbidden Forest one night not too long ago to investigate the land curse. And as soon as we stepped foot in its radius, all of us had such immense head pain we had to leave immediately. Granted, we didn't try much except using our Patronus, which helped a little at first, but then they disappeared without our control."
"Wow," I uttered. "That's so bizarre."
"It's a delicate situation we're still trying to figure out. Hoping to have an answer soon, there was some promise with Professor Mortitch's potion, but the land quickly reverted back to its dying decay. Purple auras have been coming from the ground like smoke. The green grass has turned into a shade of gray. I know I probably shouldn't be telling both of you this, but you're old enough and smart enough. To prevent fear from spreading throughout the castle, I expect you to keep this information under your cap. As well as dissuade any curiosity other students might have about it. Although I don't think that will be much of a problem, the students have been pretty well-behaved.”
I couldn't help but think about Leon summoning a troll. If only she knew he was outside, smoking cigarettes all the time.
"And you might even think that Leon and his friends might go into the forest since they have a knack for defying the rules," Zita continued, "but I wouldn't worry about him. He's shown tremendous progress, even if he smokes late at night on the castle grounds. He's much more respectful, and sometimes it's best to give students the freedom to misbehave just a little bit to get it out of their system. As much as I wish he wasn’t put in the situation, I’m proud he rescued you two with his Patronus. While it doesn't make up for his ill-behavior in the past, he's definitely making steps in the right direction. Had I expelled him last year, who knows what he'd be getting involved in... Excuse me, I'm digressing. I'll let you two go. I'll update you regarding what comes of this dementor situation as soon as I receive word. Until then, I think it's best you two really start practicing your Patronuses."
Out in the hallway, I was at a loss for words as Daphne and I headed back towards the common room.
"Zita is so different than any headmaster I could have ever imagined," I finally said.
"She's wonderfully generous, I think," Daphne said.
"Headmaster Pine at Huntshrow would never have let students knowingly smoke on the grounds or give away tickets to a concert for punishment. Doesn't that seem a little crazy to you?"
"It is bizarre, but the school has been running very well. Zita's approval numbers are high among the Ministry of Magic as well as the wizarding world. The O.W.L. tests have had some of the best scores in Hogwarts history under Zita's leadership. The dropout rate is also at point-zero-one-percent, I think? "
"Wow, I guess she really knows what she's doing. I just hope her and the professors can figure out what's going on with this land curse soon."
"Me too,” Daphne said.