Chapter 403: Cedric’s Doubts
Hearing that the club would only meet once a month, many students were visibly disappointed; they had expected weekly sessions. Before anyone could voice their objections, though, Professor McGonagall gave them a firm look, and they all fell silent, filing out of the Great Hall without a word.
As Kyle and his friends walked down the corridor, Cedric suddenly spoke up after they rounded a corner.
"Do you think Professor Lupin would let me face a Dementor alone if I asked him?"
"I'm not sure," Kyle replied, shaking his head. "But if you're serious, you'd better ask him soon. The Dementor might not be here tomorrow—both Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall aren't fond of having them around. The one tonight was just a teaching tool."
"You're right," Cedric said, giving his head a quick pat as if to spur himself on. "I'm not waiting until tomorrow—I'll go now!" And with that, he dashed off back down the corridor.
The rest of the group split up at the stairs, heading back to the common room. Kyle noticed that Kanna hadn't spoken the entire time and seemed a bit conflicted, glancing back toward the Great Hall as they walked.
"Do you want to go talk to Professor Lupin too?" Kyle asked.
Kanna nodded, then shook her head, seeming torn. She longed to produce a Patronus of her own, but the thought of facing a Dementor terrified her. After all, the whole reason she'd been learning the Charm was to protect herself from Dementors.
Some things, she reminded herself, weren't worth reliving. Like the time in her first year with the Animagus rat. She had almost managed to forget about that until the Dementors appeared at the last Quidditch match, dredging up memories of the "final act" in the Forbidden Forest. For days afterward, she could barely eat or sleep, and now, whenever she saw a rat, she felt the urge to kick it. She might never shake that feeling.