The dementor breathed out a sigh of relief and hugged the teen he had only just met a few weeks before. "Yes! Please! Thank you, thank you, thank you," he pulled back quickly and motioned to Hedwig in concern.
Harry saw David and Neville's auras both flare. Neville's was a calm orange tinted color, and David's was as green as his eyes. Neville pulled back first and gave Harry a reassuring smile. David's hand replaced Neville's and a sigh of relief seemed to come from everyone in the room when the gashes on Hedwig's torso slowly closed. Hedwig happily hooted and ruffled her feathers when the Drus opened his eyes and tiredly smiled. "Hedwig! I was so scared!" Harry cooed and rubbed her feathers, smoothing out those that had come out of place. "Never scare me like that again! I love you so much!"
Harry turned to David who had been joined by Brook, his girlfriend. "Anything you need, and I mean anything," Harry told him seriously. "You just ask. You too Neville," Harry smiled at his dormmate. "I'd hug you, but you said I'm the anti-elf, so I'll keep my hands to myself."
"Yeah, you're the anti-Dryad as well," David smirked at him. "I'm good with no more hugs. And you're welcome. I'm just glad I could help."
"Well, I see this is a good day for a lecture on healing potions that can be used on animals," Snape stood and cleared his throat.
Everyone, even Malfoy, groaned at that, but Harry could only smile that Hedwig was fine again. "You ok?" Luna asked him quietly.
Harry's smile fell as it all sunk in now that the panic was gone. "I'm going to kill her!" He shouted, causing everyone to jump. He stood and rushed towards the door before Luna grabbed him by the waist to stop him.
"Who may I ask are you planning to murder, Mr. Potter?" The Potions Professor asked with a wary look on his face. He really didn't know what Harry was and didn't want to take any chances.
"Umbridge," the dementor growled as the room's temperature dropped a few degrees. "Who else would be screening my mail and would attack Hedwig?!"
"I hope you're ready to call Azkaban home for a very long time then?" Snape drawled as he moved slightly to block the door.
Though Snape didn't know it, his words reminded Harry of just how much he didn't want to be exiled to guard Azkaban for the rest of his life. He knew he couldn't be incarcerated but made to guard the prison was just as bad in his opinion. It was trapped, one way or the other. "Calm down, Harry," Luna said, rubbing her hand soothingly up and down his arm. "You don't know for certain it was her, and Hedwig is fine now."
Harry breathed in and out deeply, reminding himself that he was morally against causing harm to others and pushing down his dementor impulses. "You're doing so good, Harry," Luna remarked calmly. "You aren't your new instincts, you're stronger than they are."
Snape raised a questioning eyebrow at that but didn't ask. "Sit down, Po-Harry," he said in what could pass for a kind tone for Snape anyway. "Listen to Luna and look after your owl."
Hedwig hooted from the table she had perched on. Harry finally calmed enough to sit between her and Luna, pulling his aura back in more to raise the room's temperature. "I'm sorry," he mumbled to the room in general.
"Oh please, we've all lost it a time or two. You at least didn't destroy the room like Kara did last year," Montague remarked dismissively while everyone settled back down, and the fourth year Slytherin girl mentioned gave the chaser a disapproving glare. "Creature emotions tend to run high."
"Indeed. Right, now, take notes. There are five good healing potions that will work for humans and animals…" Snape began in his lecturing tone.
Harry stayed with Hedwig the entire night after her attack. He followed her throughout the Forbidden Forest as she hunted and flew around. Nothing in the forest would dare to challenge a dementor, so he knew if any of the larger, nastier creatures decided to try out owl for dinner, he would be there to protect her. Unfortunately, he did have to keep his aura firmly pulled in or he would scare off the mice Hedwig was stalking. He was sick and tired of being cold all the time, but it was worth it to watch over his best friend.
After picking up Jamie the next morning, Harry realized the soulless body wasn't in the state of good health he had been tirelessly trying to get it to for months. Jamie felt heavier than normal and almost feverish. Normally, Harry wouldn't feed from his classmates at breakfast because he didn't want them starting off the day with a lower mood, but he had to that morning. Already, he knew that it was going to be a rough day. Ron and Hermione glanced at him worriedly across the breakfast table while he pulled his scarf closer around his neck and blew on his hands. It might be early October, but it felt like January in the dungeons to Harry.
Harry's sour mood turned slightly better when the owls flew in with the post. "Oh, I completely forgot!" Harry smiled at his two friends and pulled the letter Hedwig had brought him the night before put of his robe pocket (it had passed the sniff test that morning to be worn again). Quickly, he pulled it out of the envelope with the small, red stain on it that Harry couldn't bear to look at for a second longer.
"What's that Harry?" Hermione asked, putting another scoop of eggs onto Harry's plate with concern in her eyes.
"A letter from Snuffles," the dementor smiled wistfully after reading it. He passed it to his friends who read the cramped, scribbles of Harry's godfather:
....
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