Demons

"You know how the Patronus Charm can make a shield, right?" Sally-Anne asked Professor Babbling that afternoon.

Sally-Anne enjoyed her lessons with Professor Babbling. They didn't only focus on the Shield Rune, but on anything Sally-Anne wanted to discuss with the Ancient Runes Professor. Her mum likened it to having an academic adviser. Despite the name, you didn't always talk about academics, you just talked.

"I am aware," Professor Babbling replied.

"Is it possible to combine it with the Shield Rune?"

Professor Babbling shook her head sadly.

"Unfortunately, no. Without a doubt, it would've been useful, but Pandora was never able to integrate it."

"What's that mean?" Sally-Anne asked, looking at her hand.

"At first, only the Blast Rune existed. It was developed by a department in the Ministry of Magic called the Department of Mysteries. Their intention was to use it for warfare, although it didn't work well. It took a lot of the user's own energy, and with no way to restore the energy put into it, it was ultimately scrapped."

That brought a question that Sally-Anne had had before to the front of her mind. It had been popping into her head more often since she resumed training with Rose.

"I've been meaning to ask about that."

"By all means, go ahead."

"Why does the Shield Rune tire me out when other spells don't?"

"As I've explained before, runes draw their power from the magical energy placed into them. When a casting rune is imprinted on a person, it's charged there and then. Once you use it, it's gone until you recharge it. Even runes that are carved into rock will run out of energy eventually, but it's been discovered that the more durable the material, the longer it takes. That's not the case for a rune like yours. The human body is another sort of structure, and if you want, I can explain the equations that dictate it."

"Thank you," Sally-Anne said, smiling politely, "but I'll pass."

"Unlike other runes, a Shield or Blast rune must be triggered. Like a wand, incantations must be used, but the rune becomes the focal point instead of the wand. Energy must flow through the focal point, but unlike both wanded and wandless casting, this energy doesn't come from around you, it comes from inside you."

"Oh!" Sally-Anne said. "So it's like when I'm running."

"Exactly. It's just like a muscle, and like any muscle, it will become easier to use as you practice with it."

Sally-Anne wasn't usually one for in depth explanations, but she was always proud of herself when she finally understood a concept someone was attempting to explain to her.

"Returning to your original question, the Blast Rune took too much out of the user, and it was deemed useless. Circular runes are still uncommon, but Pandora thought she saw potential in the idea, so she researched them. She derived those runes on your hand, combining them to fulfill specific purposes. Her idea was to create a surge of energy and shape it to create a shield, rather than discharge it as a burst. That's what those runes do. The incantations call up the energy, and the runes shape it based on the incantation. That's why there are so few ways of shaping the energy."

"So when I use dostradi, the words call up electricity, and the runes make the dome around me."

"Sort of. I misspoke when I said that the incantations alone call up the energy. It doesn't call up electricity from within you, it draws energy from within and around you, and the runes handle the rest. They change it into the electrical energy, and the rune combined with the incantation shapes it. Both are involved in both steps. It took her years to develop the correct combination of incantations and runes, and even longer to work out a way to have it absorb the energy it blocked."

"It doesn't seem like there are that many spells it can block," Sally-Anne said.

"I always thought it odd. Pandora was too brilliant a witch for something so simple to escape her."

Sally-Anne shrugged. "It's still brilliant." She looked at her hand again. "So there's no way to replicate a Patronus Charm shield, because there's no incantation and rune that can make that sort of energy?"

"Correct," Professor Babbling said. "May I ask why you're wondering about it?"

Sally-Anne didn't falter once as she explained that Professor Lupin was teaching her and her friends the Patronus Charm. There was nothing wrong with them wanting to know about it, especially with the hoard of Dementors in their backyard.

"We haven't even been to Hogsmeade yet, but we're thinking about it this weekend," Sally-Anne said. "Hermione and I hate the thought of passing through the gates with Dementors there."

"They shouldn't bother you," Professor Babbling said. "They search the carriages sometimes, but they won't stay for long."

"It's still bad after that," Sally-Anne said. "Luna still has nightmares, and Rose refuses to leave the castle without her."

"I am really sorry to hear that," Professor Babbling said. "I hope you get to go."

"Me too," Sally-Anne said, smiling. "I've heard it's wonderful to get to go around the town."

"It is," Professor Babbling said. "Don't let the Dementors ruin your good time."

"What if they search our carriage? What are we supposed to do?"

"Dementors can't do any permanent damage beyond the Kiss, so–"

Professor Babbling stopped talking and went pale.

Sally-Anne frowned, her professor's strange reaction making her all the more curious.

"'The Kiss'?" Sally-Anne asked.

"Never mind."

"What is it?"

"Leave it alone, Sally-Anne!"

Sally-Anne was shocked. What was 'The Kiss'? Why was Professor Babbling so bent on not telling her about it? It couldn't be that bad, could it? How much worse could Dementors be? They fed on happy memories! They could actually take your happy memories away from you! Her memories of Harry, Hermione, and Rose could vanish in an instant just by going near them.

She can't know about the Dementor's Kiss, Sally-Anne heard Professor Babbling think. No one should have to know about it.

Sally-Anne nearly asked about it, but she realized that she'd give away the pendant if she did. She didn't want to drop it; she wanted to know about it!

"How much worse can they be?" she tried again.

"You don't want to know."

"I'm going to find out anyway," Sally-Anne said. "If not from you, then from Rose, because someone else is going to be thinking about it."

Sally-Anne hoped her expression was as serious in reality as it was in her head.

"Fine," Professor Babbling said. "I guess if you'll just find out anyway. First, are you religious?"

"Sort of," Sally-Anne said. "Mum and Dad used to take me to church every few weeks. We never seem to have the time."

"Do you believe in the afterlife?"

"Yeah," Sally-Anne said. "I don't know about all the stuff Rose says, but I've always thought that one day I'll be up in Heaven with Mum and Dad. Just like a fairy tale, we'll all live happily ever after."

Professor Babbling sighed, and Sally-Anne became concerned. Maybe she shouldn't know about it.

"The Dementor's Kiss is when a Dementor lowers its hood, and… do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I really want to know," Sally-Anne said, getting impatient.

"It lowers its hood and… and sucks out the victim's soul."

Sally-Anne froze. Not just physically, but her mind stopped working.

"Sally-Anne?" Professor Babbling asked.

It ripped out the soul of a person. In addition to feeding on happy memories, on top of ripping the joy out of the air itself, Dementors could rip the immortal soul of a person straight out of their body! No Heaven or Hell, no final judgement, just trapped for all eternity inside a Dementor. Were the souls trapped? What happened to a soul after a Dementor stole it?

Worst of all, those things were right outside. Closer than the Basilisk had been, and this time, no Rose to save her. They wouldn't petrify her; if they got her, it would be all over. There wouldn't be a chance of seeing her mum or dad in another life.

Sally-Anne felt faint. The room started to spin, and she swayed in her chair. She felt ill, and her vision grew cloudy.

"Sally-Anne!"

The next thing she knew, she was staring at the ceiling. Her head throbbed, and her arm was sore.

"It's alright," she heard from somewhere far away. "Sally-Anne, can you hear me?"

Who was Sally-Anne? Why was everyone so worried about her? Right! That was her!

"I'm okay," she said. She attempted to climb to her feet, but she fell back down.

"I'm taking you to Madame Pomfrey."

"I'm fine," Sally-Anne said. She made another attempt at standing up, succeeding on that one. "I'm fine. It's just a lot to take in at once."

She thought back to just moments ago when Professor Babbling asked her if she really wanted to know. Why hadn't she said "no"? She could never go back to not knowing the dark secret of the Dementors.

"I'll be alright, I just need some air," Sally-Anne said. "I'm going to go to the Great Hall for lunch."

"Sally-Anne, I'm sorry," Professor Babbling said. "I did warn you."

"I'm sorry for not believing you," Sally-Anne said. "Next time you tell me I don't want to know something, I'll just nod and agree."

Sally-Anne stumbled out of the classroom, and, to her amazement, made it all the way to the Great Hall without passing out.

When Neville got to lunch, he found Sally-Anne looking like she'd just seen Dementors in the corridors and no Hermione. Ron looked angrier than usual, and Ginny looked just as confused as Neville was. He glanced over at the Ravenclaw table, where he saw Rose and Luna sitting.

Neville wished that Rose would sit at the Gryffindor table more. He liked sitting with her, but he was too nervous to go over and sit at the Ravenclaw table with them.

"What's going on?" he asked Ginny.

"I don't know. His Majesty is having another temper tantrum, and Sally-Anne hasn't spoken since she sat down."

"Is she alright?" Neville asked.

"I don't know," Ginny said. "Probably. Wanna see something kethé?"

Neville started laughing at Ginny using the word "kethé" and at how quickly she changed the subject.

"What? Did I say it wrong?"

"No, it sounds weird coming from anyone other than Rose," Neville said.

"Have you got a problem with it?" Ginny asked. Her face turned red as she glared at him.

"Of course not," Neville said. "What did you want to show me?"

Ginny rolled up her sleeve to reveal a bracer on her arm. Attached to the bracer was her wand. The tip of it was just below her palm, although when she flicked her wrist, the wand sprung up so the tip was just above her palm.

"Rose said I needed some way of not being disarmed, so I asked Hermione, she came up with this."

Ginny moved her wand back down with her other hand until Neville heard a faint click.

"I've had to learn to do wand movements with my arms instead of my wrists, but I'm only worrying about it for my fire spells."

"Aren't you afraid you're going to get burned?" Neville asked, still eyeing the contraption on Ginny's wrist.

"I was at first, but Rose said she'd make me something for it, but to wait until Snowy Time."

"That means Christmas," Neville said.

"That's what Hermione said," Ginny said, rolling down her sleeve. "I don't suppose you know where she is, do you?"

"I haven't seen her since breakfast. I think she's got practice with Rose on Wednesdays. Maybe she knows."

Neville glanced down the Ravenclaw table again. Rose and Luna were still sitting there, so all he'd have to do is walk down and ask. Then he'd have to endure mockery from the Ravenclaws, or other Gryffindors. Rose wouldn't let them do that, would she? Not with her right there.

"Why don't we go find out?" Neville asked.

"Sure," Ginny replied.

The two of them stood up, and Ginny hopped over the table.

"Ms. Weasley!" Professor McGonagall shouted from the teachers' table.

"Sorry!" she shouted back. "Won't happen again!"

Neville knew if anyone were just as brave as Rose, it had to be Ginny. Sally-Anne was brave when it came to disasters, but Ginny was brave all the time. She went around, doing her own thing, no matter what any of the boys said. Percy gave her grief whenever she refused to be ladylike, but she always dismissed him. Neville didn't know where she found the courage; he certainly didn't have it.

"Hey, Rose," Neville said when they reached her.

"Hey Toad. Hey Firecracker."

Some Ravenclaws started snickering, and Neville caught one of them muttering "Toad."

"Oi!" Ginny snapped. "You got a problem?"

The Ravenclaws that were brave enough to sit near Rose and Luna looked from Ginny to Rose, then shifted away from them.

"That's what I thought," Ginny said as she sat down.

Rose appeared at the other side of the table next to Luna.

"We were wondering if you knew where Hermione was," Neville said as he took his seat.

"I haven't seen her since this morning," Rose said. "She got into a fight with an NPC."

Neville concentrated on his knowledge of Rose's terms. Which one was NPC? Was that the one about wealth? No, that was wealth by level. Damage? No, that was damage per second.

"What's an NPC again?" Ginny asked.

"Non-player character," Rose said. "Background noise. Unimportant."

Neville knew he had bad people skills, but even he could tell that there was an edge to Rose's voice.

"Who'd she fight with?" Neville asked.

"Her brother," Rose said, nodding towards Ginny.

"That lousy git!" Ginny exclaimed. "He's got to be the most self-centered person ever! Whining about how Mum likes Harry or Bill or Charlie better than him! She likes them better than everyone! I know that!"

"We are talking about Ron, right?" Neville asked.

"Of course I'm talking about Ronald!" Ginny snapped.

"No, Rose."

"Why would we be talking about Rose?"

"Is Rose talking about Ron?"

"Oh!" Ginny stopped ranting, blushed, then looked at Rose. "You are talking about Ronald, right?"

"Yup."

"Good," Ginny said.

"Doesn't that mean Ron's an NPC?" Neville asked.

"Yup."

That didn't sound like Rose. She was nice, so long as you didn't make her angry. It was easy if you remembered the three rules: 1. Don't upset her friends; 2. Don't touch her things; 3. Don't talk about dragons. Rose said that Ron and Hermione were fighting again, so that meant he'd upset her. What if she upset him? No, Ron started looking upset after Hallowe'en.

"What did he say to upset Hermione?" Neville asked.

"Long story," Rose said.

"They'll be alright," Luna said. "Cohort will realize he's upset Brain and go apologize."

Neville admired that about Luna. She always stayed hopeful, almost no matter how bad things got. Neville couldn't do that without Rose. Neville knew everything would be alright so long as Professor Dumbledore or Rose were with them.

He just hoped he'd never have to find out what he'd do without them.

Despite Sally-Anne knowing what was coming, the group attempted a trip to Hogsmeade that weekend. Ron, Harry, and Sally-Anne were in one carriage, while Neville, Hermione, and Rose rode in the second one. Normally, they might've tried to squeeze into a single carriage, but Hermione refused to be in the same one as Ron. No one objected, so off they went.

"Is everything alright?" Neville asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Hermione said. "Let's just try to have some fun."

Up ahead of them, Sally-Anne glanced around her and saw that they were approaching the gate. She held her hands together to try to stop them from shaking, but it didn't help. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the ride to be over.

"I see Dementors at the gate," she heard Harry say. "Looks like they're just watching the carriages go by."

Sally-Anne slowly opened her eyes, but still felt the air grow cold. No matter how hard she tried to focus, she felt an overwhelming sense of fear. Before she knew it, she'd slipped back into her duel against Malfoy and felt the snake latch onto her arm. Sally-Anne was going to die, and she couldn't even fight back.

She tried to tell herself that it wasn't real, that everything turned out okay, but when she did, she didn't believe it.

Sally-Anne looked up and saw a dragon towering over Rose. It fired acid at her and her friends, but even her Shield Rune wasn't enough to protect them. Hermione knocked her to the floor and took the hit because Sally-Anne was too weak.

"How are you going to protect Harry if you can't protect yourself, Princess?!" Rose shouted at her.

Sally-Anne began to cry. She held herself tightly, trying hard to be brave, but she didn't have it in her. Everyone was going to die, and she was helpless to stop it.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A flash of warm light chased away her nightmare. As reality reasserted itself, Sally-Anne saw she was on the floor of the carriage.

"Sally-Anne!"

She looked toward the source of the voice and saw Harry standing over her.

"It's gone now," he said, helping her onto the seat beside him. "It's gone."

"What happened?" she asked faintly.

"Dementor searched our carriage," Ron said.

"You started screaming, then fell on the floor," Harry said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry," Sally-Anne said, keeping her arms wrapped around herself.

"Why are you apologizing?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. I…"

Harry gave her a quick hug, and she relaxed. She placed her hands in her lap, but held them together to stop them from shaking.

"The worst of it's over now," Harry said. "Professor Lupin says Hogsmeade trips are the best."

"That's what Alex said," Sally-Anne said, smiling. She began to fidget. "I hope the others are alright."

Behind them, Rose had drawn Crimson Thorn the second she heard Sally-Anne scream. He remained folded up, much to the confusion of both Neville and Hermione.

"Doesn't he need to be unfolded?" Neville asked.

"Not entirely," Rose said. "I made some mods to him over the summer."

They all felt the chill as they approached the Dementors at the gate. Rose waited, and sure enough, one of the Dementors stuck its head into the carriage.

"Nyr doch!" Rose shouted, aiming Crimson Thorn at the monster.

An orb of blue energy formed at the tip of her weapon, then streaked towards the Dementor. The orb of force hit it head on, and the monster evaporated the second the orb made contact.

The second Dementor backed away from the carriage before Rose could turn Crimson Thorn on it.

"What was that?" Neville asked.

"I integrated a casting glove into Crimson Thorn," Rose explained. "It only works when he's folded up, but for when he is, I've got a wand of orb of force inside him."

"What's 'nyr doch' mean?" Hermione asked.

"'Eat this ax'," Rose replied.

"Huh?" Neville asked.

"Dwarven battle cry," Rose explained.

"Oh."

Not a minute after passing through the gate, they arrived at Hogsmeade. When they got off the carriages, they found Alex waiting for them.

"Is everyone alright?" she asked, although her question was answered the moment she saw Sally-Anne. "Sally-Anne!" She rushed over to the dirty-blonde and wrapped her up in a hug. "It's alright, Sweetheart. It's over."

Sally-Anne nearly collapsed in her prefect's arms. She was already worn out from her ordeal, and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep.

"One of the Dementors searched our carriage," Harry said. "She collapsed."

"Same with us," Hermione said. "Rose shot one of them, and the other ran off."

"Come on, you lot," Alex said. She put her arm around Sally-Anne. "Lunch is on me."

"Wow," Hermione said. "Thanks."

They all followed Alex to the Three Broomsticks, a pub in Hogsmeade. She warmly greeted the owner, Madam Rosmerta, who set the seven of them up with a large round table. Alex sat Sally-Anne down next to her, then took her own seat.

"It's convenient that she had this available," Hermione commented.

"You could say that," Alex said. "You could also say that I knew you six were coming, and I planned this."

"You did this for us?" Harry asked.

Harry wasn't sure what to think. If it had been someone treating just him differently, then he would've been angry, but it was his friends too. Especially Sally-Anne, who still looked awful after the carriage ride.

"You lot have had the hardest time with the Dementors this year," Alex said. "I'm just doing anything I can to help."

"Wish Percy were more like her," Ron muttered.

They ordered food, although Sally-Anne hardly spoke a word the entire time. Everyone began to worry about her. Even Ron found it hard to be mad that Sally-Anne received so much attention.

Partway through lunch, Alex suddenly turned to Hermione, who sat on her other side.

"Hermione, get Rose out of here."

"Why?" Hermione asked, looking in the direction Alex was.

When she saw him, she paled. He walked in with Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Hagrid. He wore his usual coat and bowler hat, and walked with what Hermione thought was an undeserved sense of authority.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, the man responsible for sending Dementors to Hogwarts, had just entered the Three Broomsticks.

Hermione's hand darted out to grab Rose. She shot a look to Neville, who followed suit.

"Don't you dare," Hermione said.

"I just want to say 'hi'," Rose said in a sickly sweet voice.

"That's not a bad idea," Alex said, standing up. "Not you, Rose." She turned to Sally-Anne. "Come on. We're gonna go talk to Professor McGonagall."

"Okay," Sally-Anne whispered.

The two girls walked over to where the four adults were sitting.

"All I'm saying is I remember asking for a pair of Dementors to guard the gates," Fudge was saying. "I only saw one."

"Excuse me, Professor McGonagall," Alex said.

"Ms. Nertlyn," Professor McGonagall said. "I'm in the middle of something."

She frowned when she saw Sally-Anne.

"I wouldn't be asking if it weren't important," Alex said. "I wanted to clear usual procedures for you for Sally-Anne. She's been like this since she passed through the gate."

Alex met McGonagall's gaze and hoped she understood.

"I understand," Professor McGonagall said. "Usual procedures are clear. What about her friends? Are they alright?"

"Yes."

"Good. If you would please let Ms. Peta-Lorrum know I haven't finished grading the exams yet, but I'll have them finished soon."

Alex nodded, then politely excused herself and Sally-Anne. She didn't need to ask about Professor McGonagall's strange message; the purpose was plain as day when she saw Minister Fudge's face.

The second Rose's name was dropped, Fudge flinched.

"You remember Ms. Peta-Lorrum, right Minister?" Professor McGonagall asked as Alex led Sally-Anne away. "That young lady, Ms. Perks, is one of her best friends."

"You don't say," Fudge said, regaining his composure. "Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Back at the students' table, Alex and Sally-Anne took their seats.

"What was the point of that?" Rose asked.

"Fudge can't deny that Dementors are harming anyone now," Alex said.

"He already knew, he just doesn't care," Rose said, glaring at the table where Fudge sat.

"Why did he recognize your name?" Alex asked.

"I've only met him the once," Rose replied. "I told him we killed the Basilisk. Does he remember me?"

"He remembers you, alright. I think he nearly fainted when Professor McGonagall said your name."

"Does that mean I can–"

"Don't you dare leave this table," Alex said. She looked around and realized that someone was already missing.

"Where's Harry?"

"He snuck off while you lot were distracted by me," Rose said. "He's eavesdropping on Professor McGonagall."

Alex glanced back over at the other table. She didn't see anything, but it didn't surprise her that Rose could.

"There's nothing we can do now," Alex said. "We can't get to him without drawing attention, so let's let him be."

"What about–"

"No, Rose," Alex and Hermione said.

Harry's head was reeling. He had slipped away while everyone was distracted by Rose and Sally-Anne, and listened in on Professor McGonagall's conversation with the Minister of Magic. After they had finished talking about Rose, Professor McGonagall explained what she knew about Sirius Black.

He was their friend. The man that had betrayed his parents had been his dad's best friend. Not only that, but he was Harry's godfather. His parents had trusted Sirius Black so much that they entrusted him with raising Harry if something were to happen to them!

Harry snuck out of the Three Broomsticks, and kept walking until he was out of the way of everyone else. He needed a minute to clear his head. He pulled off his invisibility cloak, then stood in silence.

Harry didn't know how long he'd been there when his friends caught up to him.

"Harry, where were you?!" Hermione gasped.

"He was their friend," Harry said.

"What?" Ron asked.

Not too far from them, Sally-Anne began to cry. Harry didn't care. It wasn't that he didn't care about his friend, but her problems could wait.

"So you heard too," Rose said.

"Did you hear what they said?" Harry asked.

Rose shook her head.

"Not all of it, but then, I already knew."

"What?!" Harry roared.

Harry briefly remembered seeing Hermione angry at Rose when she told them that she wasn't a witch. Was this how Hermione had felt? It didn't matter. Nothing else mattered. What mattered was that Rose had known that Sirius Black was friends with his parents, and she didn't bother to tell him.

"How long?!"

"Since Professor Lupin started giving you lot lessons on the Patronus Charm. Professor Dumbledore told me that he was friends with Sirius Black, so I put it together."

"Who else knows?! Hermione?! Luna?!"

"Just me," Rose said. "I didn't involve them."

"Did you know he was my godfather?!"

"I don't know what that is," Rose said. "Is it like a torerl?"

"This isn't the time for your made-up words, Rose!" Harry snapped. "Don't you understand? My parents' best friend betrayed them to Voldemort! Isn't that punishable by death in your world?"

"Who's gonna kill him, Scarface?" Rose asked. "You? He'll hear you coming a mile away."

"Everyone, calm down," Alex said.

"Not if I'm quiet!" Harry shouted. "He can't see me!"

"I can see your footprints in the snow!" Rose shot back.

"I'll sense him coming!"

"From 30 feet! He can still hit you from outside that range! He's the only person to escape from Azkaban!"

"I can beat him!"

In a flash, Harry's feet were knocked out from under him. A boot was pressed on his chest, holding him on the ground, and he found himself looking up a crimson blade.

"Rose!" Alex shouted. "Stop!"

"What now, Scarface?" Rose asked. "Gonna disappear? Gonna disarm me? Crimson Thorn can't be disarmed, and you can't move. I was within 30 feet of you, and you still weren't fast enough to stop me. Yet."

For a minute, no one moved. Rose and Harry glared at one another, Sally-Anne buried her head in Alex's side, and Hermione, Ron, and Neville watched, hoping that Rose wouldn't seriously hurt Harry.

"Alright," Harry said finally. "I get it."

Crimson Thorn folded up and vanished back inside Rose's glove. She reached out her hand and helped Harry to his feet.

"This is what I've been trying to tell you all month," Rose said. "You're good, but grownups have got experience we haven't got. I've heard tales of Wizards that research all the best spells, but no one can tell you what you'll need. Sk'lar figured that out too. When I first came here, I had to change how I was persisting spells on myself, because my system didn't work well enough. It worked in theory, but not in practice. Everyone goes through it; better to learn it now rather than when you're in a fight with Sirius Black."

Hermione let out a sigh of relief.

"That's far more excitement than I wanted today," she said.

"Me either," Neville said.

"So long as Sirius Black gets what's coming to him, I don't care," Harry said. "If the Dementors get him, then–"

"No!"

They all turned to see Sally-Anne, tears still in her eyes, no longer staying close to Alex.

"You can't!"

"Sally-Anne, it's alright," Alex said, trying to hold the girl, but she shrugged off the prefect's protection.

"You don't know what they'll do to him!" Sally-Anne shouted.

"Who cares?" Harry said. "He doesn't deserve to be happy after what he did!"

"They'll take his soul!"

A silence fell over the group. Everyone stared at Sally-Anne, not sure how to react.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Dementors have this thing called the Dementor's Kiss. They lower their hoods, and take a person's soul!"

"Good!" Harry snapped. "He deserves it after what he did."

"How can you say that?!" Sally-Anne shrieked.

"No one deserves that!" Rose shouted.

"He betrayed my mum and dad!"

"So kill him!" Rose shouted. "Fine!"

"What difference does it make?" Ron asked. "Taking someone's soul's just like killing them, isn't it?"

"It's not!" Sally-Anne sobbed.

She didn't know how to make Harry understand. She didn't know what to say or do.

"How can you take his side after what he did?" shouted Harry.

"I'm not!" Sally-Anne sobbed, collapsing to the ground.

"You're defending him!"

"That's enough!" Alex roared. She ran over to Sally-Anne and put her arms around the girl. "Rose, take us to the Hospital Wing. Just me and Sally-Anne."

Rose pulled Serendipity, then began to move everyone. First, she sent Alex and Sally-Anne to the Hospital Wing, then Neville back to Gryffindor Tower. She sent Harry and Ron to their room, then finally her and Hermione went to the Room of Requirement.

After Rose dragged Hermione into the Room, she collapsed on one of the couches that the Room provided them.

"Why did it bother you so much that Dementors can remove a person's soul?" Hermione asked, sitting on the other couch. "Isn't that no different from someone dying?"

Rose was ready to talk about it. It was the very reason she brought Hermione with her to the Room of Requirement.

"A few years ago, back on De'rok, a madman called Ithaka Wixwary hatched a plan to destroy Sentrum City," Rose explained. "Sentrum's the trade capital of De'rok, and the economy effectively halts if it's destroyed."

"That seems like a design flaw somewhere," Hermione said, hoping to cheer up her friend. Just like after the boggart, she was starting to become frightened by Rose's current mood, to say nothing of Sally-Anne.

"It was an intentional flaw," Rose replied. "Someone designed it that way a long time ago. Wixwary and friends disabled the dimensional lock on the city. Sort of like the ward on Hogwarts that stops you lot from teleporting."

Hermione nodded her understanding.

"They teleported into the city and began to wreak havoc while Wixwary set up for a ritual. Most of it was already prepared, but he needed a final piece of it: A platform high above the city." She smiled faintly. "Fortunately for De'rok, the Exalted had just learned about it. The four of them entered the city, where I was at the time. Probably the only one other than the Enforcers running towards the people trying to kill everyone."

"What happened?"

"We broke into two teams: Sk'lar and Carolina were tasked with stopping the ritual Wixwary was performing, and Bowie, Shadow, and I were to evacuate the city."

The look on Rose's face told Hermione one thing: This story didn't have a happy ending.

"The ritual was intended to destroy the city. It brought destruction down upon an area, centered upon the caster. That meant that the caster wouldn't survive."

Hermione gasped. "Oh my– Did Sk'lar go up there?!"

Rose shook her head. "I've often wondered if that would've been better. At least then… No, he didn't. The ritual was made with the intent of tricking someone into doing it for you. The more pure the soul sacrificed, the more control the caster had over the ritual. But the caster had to give up their very soul to power the ritual. The ritual consumed their soul."

Hermione didn't understand. What could have happened to make Rose think that her brother giving up his soul would've been better than what actually happened?!

"Sk'lar teleported Carolina up to the platform, and she took out Wixwary. Then… Then she took control of the ritual, and concentrated it on just the platform. It was consumed, and Carolina died."

"But… you brought her back, right?" Hermione asked. "You said you can–"

"I couldn't back then," Rose said. "I've only had Serendipity for a few years, Hermione. I made her less than a year before arriving here. The spell that powers her hadn't been rediscovered yet. Even if it had… Even if it had, her soul was lost. Revivify rejoins a soul with its body, but we didn't have a body or a soul. Carolina was gone, and we couldn't bring her back."

Hermione didn't need the rest of the story after that, but she didn't want to interrupt Rose.

"But that didn't stop Sk'lar from trying. He tried for a year to bring her back. During those 12 months, I talked with Shadow, Alice, and Uncle Oz. I even talked with Bowie once or twice. But I never saw Sk'lar. Uncle Oz was the one who told me Sk'lar was probably at Episti, despite how much Sk'lar hated going there. Going to Episti meant the possibility of seeing his parents, and Sk'lar hates seeing them, but there's no collection of knowledge quite like it. Sk'lar hid in the library there for a year, desperately trying to bring back Carolina."

"I know she's not dead," Hermione said. "You talk about her as if she's alive."

"It was Sk'lar's last resort that brought her back to life," Rose said. "In my world, it's not a matter of believing in deities, but a matter of worshiping them. Well, we got help from one. That was when I first met EL. The only entity in all creation that could've helped us. We got lucky. That's not the point of this story."

"What is?" Hermione asked.

"We found Sk'lar at the end of that year, and he was in horrible shape. He hadn't slept in days, his eyes were bloodshot, his movements were erratic… He didn't look like my brother anymore. He was running on pure adrenaline. It… It hurt to see him that way, desperately trying to bring back his best friend. Sk'lar felt responsible for her death, and the guilt was eating him alive. My brother was always the smart one, the one who gave me hope when I needed it most. Seeing him like that made me feel like all hope was lost. I felt like I was going to lose my brother after losing one of my only friends."

"So that's why it bothers you that much that Dementors can extract the soul from a person," Hermione said. "You don't want what happened to your brother to happen again."

"Carolina's the kindest, most selfless person ever," Rose said. "At her funeral, her dad told us a story about when Carolina was being picked on by some other girls. Her dad told her that they were just jealous of how pretty she was– typical dad answer– so Carolina went back over to the kids and said, 'It's alright. I think you're pretty too.' Of all the people that deserved to die, Carolina was one of the few who didn't. Even Wixwary survived that. He's still alive. We lost Carolina in that crisis, and a bit of my brother went with her."

"But Sirius Black isn't Carolina. He's a mass murderer."

"But what if he didn't do it?" Rose asked. "What if he realizes he did something wrong? What if he changes? It will be too late. If you get hurt, I can fix any damage, even mental. I can bring you back if you die, so long as I'm right there, but if you're soul's removed from your body, that's it. That's the one thing I can't fix."

Hermione thought she understood, but Rose kept explaining more and more, and now Hermione wasn't sure if she understood anymore. It sounded like Rose was saying that there would always be someone hurt by it, but Rose didn't care if she killed a person. Not 20 minutes ago she was contemplating killing Cornelius Fudge. If Rose could restore life to a person no matter what, then it'd make sense, but as it stood, Hermione couldn't see the difference between killing someone and taking their soul.

Unless…

"You liar."

Rose looked up from the couch.

"What?"

"You gromphun liar!"

"What did I do?"

"There's no time limit on how long after someone dies that you can restore them, is there?!"

Rose stared at Hermione, as if assessing her options. After a moment of silent contemplation, she let out a sigh.

"There is, but it's not six seconds," Rose said. "I still need a body."

"What's the actual limit."

"Brain–"

"What is it?!"

"I don't remember," Rose said. "At least 20 years."

Hermione didn't know what to say. Rose could bring people back from the dead. Luna's mum, Harry's parents, murder victims, anyone.

"I didn't tell anyone because if I did, they'd all start asking about it. I can bring back anyone, but not everyone."

Hermione opened her mouth to scream at Rose for lying to her again, but a thought occurred to her.

"What about your parents?" Hermione asked.

"Like I told you over the summer, their bodies were destroyed, just like Carolina's."

Hermione understood. She understood Rose's frustration with Harry, her reluctance to restore life to the dead, and her refusal to tell anyone about it. She understood because if Rose could, she'd bring back her parents, but she couldn't. It wasn't a matter of choice for her, it was personal. Rose understood perfectly what it was like to lose someone she loved, and even though she had the power, she still couldn't see them again.

"You'll run out of XP," Hermione said. "You said even the thought bottle has its limits. That's why you won't tell anyone you can, and that's why you don't want to remove a soul from a body. You can still bring them back, no matter how much time passes, but you can't after that."

Rose nodded.

"No one else will understand you," Hermione said.

"Toad and Moon will," Rose said. "He knows the difference, and she wants to see her mum after she's gone. She can't do that if her soul's extracted."

Hermione nodded, then laid down on the couch. She was exhausted.

"Think we should invite Sally-Anne to our sleepover?" Hermione asked.

"Alex is with her," Rose said. "They'll be alright. Thanks for understanding, Hermione."