Moonlight Rising - Chapter 1

The Hogwarts Express rumbled along the tracks, its rhythmic jolting as effective as a lullaby. Leandra Maycomb sat in the compartment with her head on her chest, torn between sleep and wakefulness by the soft movement of the train. It was the sixth time she rode the train to Hogwarts and the sixth time she couldn't fight off sleep. She had really tried to stay awake and speak with her friend opposite to her, but drowsiness had washed over her within an hour of the ride and she was inattentive for the rest of the trip.
Across from her sat Chloe Williams, who was watching the trees go by in the darkening evening. Occasionally she glanced at Leandra, wondering if it would be possible to start a conversation now. But Leandra remained immobile, her head hanging forward, her hair in front of her face like a brown curtain. Inwardly, Chloe winced at Leandra's physique. She was so thin and fragile-looking that Chloe was convinced she would shrivel up and die if she caught the flu. Chloe promised herself, not for the first time, to give her friend her dessert in addition to her own at mealtimes in an attempt to get some meat onto those bones. At least, she added in afterthought, she would, if the dessert weren't so damned tasty. Chloe liked to think of herself as curvalicious, and she was proud of her appearance. Rubenesque was another such word – a lovely muggle term she had picked up a year past. She smiled. She was vain, she knew it. But what good was a beautiful body if you didn't revel in it?
She was pulled out of her musings when the train slowed to a halt. Leandra stretched. "Are we there already?"
"We can't be," frowned Chloe. "We're what, maybe half way?" Outside, everything was dark; the only thing she saw in the window was the reflection of the compartment. The train showed no sign of revving up again and Chloe was just about to go into the corridor and ask what had happened when the lights flickered and went out. One of the girls sharing their compartment pulled out her wand – but to her confusion, no light shone at its tip when she whispered the incantation.
"What's going on?" None of the four students could find an answer.
Suddenly the air became cold: so cold that the girls could see their breath form in front of their faces. No one said a word. Slowly, hoar frost formed along the windowpane. Chloe shivered, and noticed that Leandra was doing the same.
Moments passed, and Chloe felt her anticipation for the new year, her joy of seeing her friend again, all of her happiness fading and being replaced by an uncommon sense of dread. A rock formed in her stomach. Through the darkness, she thought she could make out shapes, shadows, in the corridor. And just as she felt the cold of the room reach her emotions, there was a bright flash of light somewhere in the train – and within seconds, warmth returned to her skin and her soul. Chloe and Leandra exchanged a look of confusion mixed with fear. The two other girls started chattering nervously. It wasn't long before the train began moving again.
For the rest of the journey, Leandra remained awake.

*


In the Great Hall, the newly arrived students were talking about the incident on the train. At first, everyone presented their own theory, but after some debate, most of them agreed that it – whatever it was – had come for Harry Potter. Chloe rolled her eyes. Ever since he had come to Hogwarts, he was the centre of attention. Either for being the Boy Who Lived, or for getting himself into a spot of deadly trouble. Some saviour he was.
After the choir finished its greeting song, Professor Dumbledore stepped forth and gave his annual introductory speech, explaining that the school was, for the time being, under the protection of Dementors, the ruthless guardians of Azkaban. A whisper went through the crowd. That was what had been on the train, then. Leandra leaned closer to Chloe. "There are more of those things around here?" Chloe shrugged and nodded.
"Happiness," Dumbledore was saying, "can be found in the darkest of times, if you remember to turn on the light."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe muttered, glancing at Leandra. Leandra only looked back with large brown eyes. Chloe cocked an eyebrow and listened to the rest of the welcoming ceremony in silence.

In contrast to the journey to Hogwarts, the first days of classes passed uneventfully. Leandra let the incident with the Dementor glide from her mind and concentrated on studying, at the same time not neglecting her writing. Her newest material was hidden safely at the bottom of her trunk. Chloe had told her to send in a second collection to the publishing house, as the first one had been such a success two years ago. Leandra had merely smiled at this.
She was sitting in the Ravenclaw common room with a hot cup of cinnamon scented tea, reviewing the new chemical substances they had learned about in Potions class earlier that afternoon, when Chloe let herself fall into the armchair opposite. Leandra looked up into Chloe's darkened face.
"What happened?"
"I saw you know who." Chloe sighed and let her head fall back.
"What!"
"Oh, not him!" Chloe raised her head, an expression of annoyance on her face. "Natalie," she groaned.
"Oh." Leandra looked to the ground. Natalie had left Chloe just before the summer holidays this year. But she hadn't just left her. She had left her for Tristan Kendrick, a Hufflepuff boy in the same year. And judging by Chloe's reaction to seeing her ex-girlfriend again after the summer, Natalie was happy. Leandra found herself at a loss of what to say. She hated seeing her friend torn by such emotions and she felt awkward, not knowing how to make her feel better.
"I don't know what to do," Chloe sighed. "I don't know what kind of spell he cast on her. It's been so long and she's still so... into him." She looked past Leandra and out of the window where a songbird was flying loops.
Leandra bent over her tea, trying to conceal the look of disbelief on her face. It couldn't be that Chloe still believed in that mad theory. "Chloe... have you ever considered that maybe... just maybe... he didn't bewitch her?"
Anger came over Chloe's features. "Are you suggesting that she meant to leave me for him?" She sat upright in her chair. "No. That's not possible. We were like the sun and the sky, like night and day... we are meant to be!" She clenched her fist. "Tristan used magic to steal her from me. I know this is true." Her features softened as she looked Leandra in the eye. "She wouldn't have left me. Not just like that."
Leandra couldn't find an answer. She sipped at her tea. Chloe leaned back with unfocused eyes and was quiet; but Leandra knew that the look on her face meant anything but silence on the inside.

*


The students filed into the classroom and found their seats. Despite Chloe's initial protests, Leandra secured a desk for the both of them at the front of the room. As soon as everyone settled down, the professor leaned against a table with his arms crossed in front of his chest and surveyed his students. Leandra reckoned she saw a hint of approval in his eyes. "I," he began, "am Professor Remus Lupin and will be your Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor. During the course of this year we will discuss non-verbal incantations, advanced shielding techniques, magical parasites and what to do when you've been targeted by a vampire." Leandra listened attentively, captivated by Lupin's voice. It was comforting and kind, and reminded her of something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She was still trying to place it several minutes later when she realised she was no longer paying attention to his words. She shook her head and forced concentration. "And that's why they're so important," Lupin was saying. Damn it, she thought. "Can anyone think of any situations in which they could be useful?" Leandra sighed inwardly and squinted at Chloe's parchment. She was not surprised to find it bereft of notes.
"What is he talking about?" she whispered.
Chloe looked at Leandra incredulously. "Non-verbal incantations! Aren't you paying attention?"
Lupin walked through the rows of desks and called on one of the students. "At night," the student answered.
"Yes," Lupin said. "When else?"
"During class," someone else chimed in, causing a chuckle to wash over the class.
"Perhaps, though I believe that if Professor Dumbledore hears that I'm teaching you non-verbal incantations solely for the purpose of disrupting your lessons, I'll need to look for a new line of work. Any other ideas?"
"When you're gagged," Chloe suggested.
"Yeah, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" A boy sneered to her right.
"Shut up, Flanagan."
"That's very correct," Lupin said, his voice silencing the snickering that seeped through the air. "When you've been prevented from speaking – for whatever reason." He smiled, and Leandra found herself smiling as well. The professor paced the room as he explained in further detail the benefits of non-verbal incantations. Leandra felt a rush of anxiety every time he passed her. "Let me demonstrate," he finally said and pointed his wand toward the book cases in the back. A moment later, a thick book floated obediently into his waiting hand." As you have probably noticed, I used the basic Accio spell, but did not even as much as whisper a word. Learning how to cast non-verbal incantations takes time. But more so, it requires willpower. I do not expect each of you to master this technique. I do, however, expect you to pass the theoretical examination at the end of the year." Several students sighed in relief, others in disappointment. "Now, non-verbal incantations work in the same way as spoken incantations do. The important part is that the incantation must be thought as clearly as speech in the caster's mind." For the rest of the session, Lupin explained the differences between verbal and non-verbal incantations. When he finally dismissed the class, Leandra discovered that she could not remember a thing he had explained, but found that she had memorised every detail of his face.