The train ride to Hogwarts was always a long one, stretching the whole day, but when in the company of the twins, Harper barely felt like a minute passed. However, this year was different. Normally, the train would go straight to Hogwarts, with no stops along the way, but this year, towards the end of the long journey, the train grinded to a halt.

"What's going on?" Harper asked as the power was cut and all the lights went out. She jumped in fright when something glided past the outside window. "Something's outside, do you think someone's getting on?" She continued her questioning as nerves built up.

"I don't know Harper, I'll have a look out in the corridor." George, or who she presumed was George, said- it was dark in the compartment after all. She heard someone, who she once again presumed was George, get up and slide the door open, sticking his head outside.

He sat back down, saying, "No one else seems to know what is going on either." Silence washed over the compartment once again, but this time it was followed by a strange chill. Harper began to shiver as something approached the carriage. The door to the carriage slammed open and Harper could just about make out bright blonde hair which could only belong to one greasy git- Draco Malfoy.

Draco was stood in the doorway, whimpering in fear as he looked at something along the corridor. Harper gave a little cough, bringing the thirteen-year-old's attention to the people in the compartment. "Alright there Malfoy, you look like you are about to wet yourself." Fred smirked at the boy, who quickly turned away and hurried down the corridor, leaving the compartment door open.

Harper sighed, but hadn't expected anything less from the boy, before getting up to shut the compartment door herself. However, at the door, she was met with an ungodly creature. She was paralysed, with her hand on the door handle, staring at the creature, which she recognised as a Dementor.

Suddenly, Harper felt like she was somewhere else. She heard a terrifying scream and saw a flash of green light before there was a thump of a body hitting the floor. And as soon as the memory began, it was over, with the green light being replaced by a silvery-blue one.

She looked to the side, tears streaming down her face, still in shock, and was greeted by the sight of her uncle hurrying towards her. His face clearly displayed worry for his niece, who had been faced with a Dementor and had obviously been affected. Sure, she didn't pass out, like Harry did, but she had truly been shaken up by the whole experience. It was highly unusual for the young Hufflepuff not to have a smile on her face and it was even more unusual for her to have tears streaming from her eyes.

Remus Lupin quickly got over the shock of seeing his niece in such a state and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her as she cried into his chest. The power had come back to the train, and Fred and George had come out of the compartment to see what had happened. To say they were shocked to find their best friend sobbing in the arms of her uncle would be an understatement.

Harper soon calmed herself down enough to be able to talk, yet she uttered no words. Instead, she pulled away from her uncle and offered him a sweet, yet small, smile, which he returned, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out chocolate, breaking some off and handing some to her and the twins.

"I'm going to talk to the conductor Harper, will you be okay with the twin." Her uncle asked her, to which she nodded in reply before heading back into the compartment, passing the twins on the way. "Look after her boys." Remus nodded at the twins, who nodded back before following Harper back into the compartment as Remus continued his journey to the front of the train.

When they arrived back in the compartment, the twins found Harper curled up next to the window, with her head resting against it. Without a word between them, the boys headed towards her, Fred sitting opposite and George sitting next to her. George wrapped his arm around Harper, who quickly turned and leant into him, her eyes closed as she fitfully drifted off to sleep.

Around an hour or so later, Hogwarts appeared in view and George shook Harper awake. She drearily opened her eyes, sitting up straight and looking around. She smiled at the two boys, who looked at her with concern as she straightened her robes. "So, when are we doing this prank then?" She asked, acting as if nothing happened at all.

But the boys knew her better than anyone else did. They knew that she was ignoring what had happened only an hour prior. But they also knew that they should just follow her lead and not being it up. They knew she was talk when she wanted to and they just needed to be there for her. So that is exactly what they did.

The twins mirrored the smile their friend was giving them, before standing up and brushing their own robes down. "We're almost at Hogwarts, we should probably get our trunks." Fred suggested, before reaching over and grabbing Harper's hand, to help her up.

"Okay, but you guys are getting my trunk down. I don't need a repeat of last year." Harper shuddered at the memory of trying to reach her trunk and falling, with her trunk falling on top of her.

"Of course, m'lady, why else would you have such tall friends when you are basically a dwarf." George joked, laughing as Harper rolled her eyes but let them go and take her trunk anyway. She smiled as the boys brought the three trunks down, happy that she had friends as good as the twins. She didn't know what she would do without them. And hoped she would never have to find out. 

Word Count: 1019

Published: 16/06/20