Dawn Rivera

The Dementors' Kiss

I've never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks and Lizzie lead the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron go next, looking like contestants in a six-legged race. Next comes Professor Snape, drifting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as we descend, held up by his own wand, which is being pointed at him by Uncle Sirius. Harry, Danny, Hermione and me bring up the rear.

Getting back into the tunnel is difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron have to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still has Pettigrew covered with his wand. I can see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks and Lizzie are still in the lead. Harry and Danny go right after Uncle Sirius, who is still making Snape drift along ahead of us; he keeps bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. I have the impression that Uncle Sirius is making no effort to prevent this.

"You know what this means?" Uncle Sirius says abruptly to Harry and Danny ahead of us, as we make our slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," says Harry.

"Yes..." says Uncle Sirius. "But I'm also - I don't know if anyone ever told you two - I'm your godfather, Harry. And your uncle, Dathaniel...and of course your sister Dawn's, too." He glances at me and gives me the ghost of a smile. Cool. I've been waiting for me and Hermione to get in on their conversation. I'll take this as an invitation.

"Yeah, we knew that," says Danny.

"Well, both your parents appointed me your guardian," says Uncle Sirius. "If anything ever happened to them..."

Harry and Danny wait. Does Uncle Sirius mean what I think he means?

"I'll understand, of course, if you three want to stay with your other aunts and uncles," says Uncle Sirius. "But...well...think about it. Once my name's cleared...if you wanted a...a different home..."

Some sort of explosion takes place in my stomach.

"What - live with you?" Harry says, he and Danny accidentally cracking their heads on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Me leave the Dursleys? Danny and Dawn not live with their aunt and uncle who have been lying to Dawn for years about her parentage, siblings..."

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," says Uncle Sirius quickly. "I understand. I just thought I'd -"

"Are you mad?" says Danny, his voice easily as croaky as Uncle Sirius's. "Of course Harry wants to leave the Dursleys! Of course Dawn and I don't want to go to our other aunt and uncle! Have you got a house? When can we move in?"

Uncle Sirius turns right around to look at us; Snape's head is scraping the ceiling but Uncle Sirius doesn't seem to care.

"You three want to?" he says. "You three mean it?"

"Yeah, we mean it!" says Harry.

Uncle Sirius's face breaks into the first true smile I have seen upon it. The difference it makes is startling, as though a person ten years younger is shining through the starved mask; for a moment, he is recognisable as the man who laughed at Harry's parents' wedding - Harry showed me a photograph a little while ago.

We do not speak again until we have reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks and Lizzie dart up first; they evidently pressed their paws to the knot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron clamber upwards without any sound of savaging branches.

Uncle Sirius sees Snape up through the hole, then stands back for Harry, Danny, Hermione and I to pass. At last, all of us are out.

The grounds are very dark now, the only light comes from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, we set off. My mind is still buzzing. I am going to leave the only family I've known for twelve years. I am going to live with Uncle Sirius, Harry's parents' best friend...I feel dazed...What will happen when I tell Uncle Zachary, Aunt Daisy and Gertrude I am going to live with the convict they've seen in the papers! Uncle Zachary's brother...No. That couldn't be, could it? No, it doesn't add up...Uncle Zachary's a Rivera, not a Black. So then...what? Then it hits me - they must be half-brothers. Or step brothers...either one...that's the only conclusion I can think of...