Venus

12- Venus Takes Chocolate From A Strange Man

"Ve are you okay?" Mali asked her friend in a worried voice.

Venus nodded weakly, she wrapped her arms around herself.

Harry was still lying sprawled out on the floor, whilst Hermione and Ron tried to rouse him.

Ginny was pale and looked like she was going to be sick. Neville looked as though he was going to burst into tears at any second.

"Here." The man who had cast the spell to get rid of the dementors offered Venus a few squares of chocolate, "it will help." He told her after seeing the look on her face.

"I'm not supposed to take chocolate from strange men," Venus eyed the chocolate wairily.

"I'm not trying to poison you," he insisted, "now eat up."

Eventually Venus did as he asked, and a warm feeling spread throughout her body.

"What was that-" Harry, who had just come around, asked, "that thing!"

"That was a dementor Harry," the man answered, whilst dishing out chocolate to the rest of the compartment, "they were searching the train for Sirius Black."

"Who screamed?" Harry asked.

"Who yelled?" Venus added.

"No one screamed," Hermione frowned, looking worried, "and no one yelled. You just started shaking Harry and then you blacked out."

"Did no one else pass out?" Harry looked around.

"Well... no." Ron said, "but I felt horrible."

"If you'll excuse me," said the man, who had finished off his chocolate bar, "I have to have a word with the driver." He left the compartment.

"Who is that?" Mali frowned after the man.

"He's the new Defence Against The Dark Arts professor," Hermione was still looking at the door, "Professor R.J Lupin."

There was a silence in the compartment and all eyes turned to Venus. The girl sat with her head in her hands, hunched over.

She still felt like she could cry, the shouts that she had heard, the rattling breaths of the dementors were filling her brain, slipping in and out of her thoughts.

"Why were they so focused on you?" Ron blurted out eventually.

Venus looked up at her brother, "I have no idea," she lied.

********

"Ve, why are you hiding under the table?" Mali asked her during the start of term feast.

"Everyone is staring at me." She replied from under the table.

The teachers had insisted that she and Harry be checked out my Madam Pomfry before the two headed to the feast. Which meant that the two had walked in mid way through the feast.

Immediately everyone was staring at them, Venus especially. It seemed that Malfoy's rumour had continued to spread.

"Venus c'mon have something to eat," Ginny kicked her sister.

"Ow!" Venus rubbed the spot where Ginny's foot had connected with her, "just pass me some sausages and I will continue to live down here."

Venus looked around, "I'm going to bother Ron."

She crawled off underneath the table, approaching where Ron, Harry and Hermione were sat.

She reached out to pull on Ron's leg, but froze when she heard what they were talking about.

"Ron it makes sense." Hermione insisted, "she doesn't look a lot like you or your parents does she."

"Hermione stop it," Ron said through a mouthful of food, "there's no way that Venus is...Ah!" Venus yanked on his leg and Ron slid under the table with her.

"What the-Venus!" Ron spluttered as he gained his bearings, "what the bloody hell are you doing."

"I could ask you three the same." Venus glared at him, and then quickly crawled off back towards Ginny and Mali.

She scrambled back into her seat between the two girls and fixed her glare on a bowl of mashed potatoes.

"Is she trying to smash it?" Mali mused. "Light it on fire?"

"They were talking about it too," Venus replied eventually.

"Not that stupid rumour again!" Mali rolled her eyes, "Ve I thought you knew better than to care what everyone else thinks."

Ginny coughed, indicating that Mali should shut up.

The feast ended and they all began heading towards their respective common rooms.

"Miss Weasley," Professor McGonagall caught Venus's arm as she left the hall, "the headmaster would like a word."

"You guys go ahead," Venus told Ginny and Mali, "I'll see you in the dorms."

She followed McGonagall back into the hall at towards where Dumbledore sat in his position at the teacher's table.

"Miss Weasley," Dumbledore smiled at her. Venus didn't return the smile, "I trust you enjoyed the feast."

"Yes," Venus replied.

"Well as I said earlier the dementors will be guarding the school this year," Dumbledore said, "and as you have already seen they are drawn towards you."

"It's because of him isn't it," Venus referred to Black.

"Yes it is, the dementors cannot see, they rely solely on their senses, and as you are his daughter you must seem almost identical to him in the eyes of the dementors." Dumbledore's eyes flashed.

"So what are you saying?" Venus frowned.

"You must be extra careful this year Venus, no midnight wondering," he warned her, clearly he had noticed Venus's fondness for walking around the school after dark, "I will personally see to it that they come no where near you. But you must promise to be careful yourself."

"I promise."

Two updates in one day. I'm spoiling you.
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~Em xx