Weekly Drabble Challenge: Dementor - Results

[MissPurplePen]

Name: MissPurplePen
House: Hufflepuff
Warnings: Well, it's a bit depressing, I guess.
Title: The Happy Memories
Words: 496

He was there. He was there at Hogwarts, at the lake. This was where he had been the happiest, where he had had the best times of his life. There were hundreds, thousands of memories here, happy memories—he had to feel them now…

But he couldn’t get rid of the cold. It was surrounding him, and he couldn’t see anymore. He couldn’t see the lake, he couldn’t see the castle, he couldn’t see the Dementors—but they were there. He felt them. They were the cold.

The happy memories; he had to feel those happy memories. He had had so many adventures here, so many childish adventures…This had been his escape; the only place he had been happy…This was where he had met his best friends, his only friends.

The cold wasn’t just surrounding him anymore. It was penetrating him, it was inside him. His only friends. One had been shunned from society, one he wanted to kill…and two had been killed. His best friends had been killed.

He’d been blamed. He had done nothing…but he had. He had backed out. He had come up short. He had let them down, and they died. It was his fault.

Everything was black. The cold was unbearable. He couldn’t breathe anymore; it was as if his entire body was being constricted from the inside. There weren’t any more happy memories.

He looked across the vast, deathly black water to see the silhouette of a massive structure embedded among a collection of high, jagged cliffs. It was a deathly sight—he could almost feel the blood running through his veins freezing in place.

Through the blackness, something small and bright shone in the corner of his eye. A small, white dot—it was so small and insignificant, and yet against the backdrop of such empty darkness, it was almost blinding to him. Somehow he knew he had to reach that dot, to touch it, and the coldness would go away. Then he could breathe, and he could feel the happy memories.

He leaned back against the cold, hard wall. He wrapped his arms around himself in a tight hug, trying to keep warm. It was always so dark, and it was always so cold. There were no windows and no fires—just him, the cold, hard walls, the cold, hard floor, and the thin rags he’d been forced to wear for months…and the Dementors. They always lurked outside the door. He never saw them, but he felt them. It was the coldest when they were around. It felt the most terrible. It was all he could to not to break…

No. He hadn’t done anything. He was there, at Hogwarts. He was at the lake. He had hundreds of happy memories. But it was so cold…Harry. He had Harry. Harry was right here, right beside him. He couldn’t breathe…Harry—James—Harry…

Suddenly his lungs filled with air, and warmth flooded over him. He knew the Dementors were gone.

[tc015]

Name: tc015
House: Gryffindor
Title: A Dark Memory
Warnings: Character Death and Some Violence
Words: 473

“I wish Father had bought me the Firebolt. He said he wanted to see me beat Potter this year first. Then I could get the broom. It should be easy. After all, Potter is highly overrated.”

Draco Malfoy was talking to his fellow housemates in their private compartment on the Hogwarts Express. On his left, Crabbe and Goyle were paying very close to their leader. They idolized him, and worshipped him like a god. On his right Pansy was laughing at what he had just said. He liked Pansy a lot. There was something special about her.

Pansy laughed and replied, “The only reason Potter’s on the team is because Dumbledore likes him.”

“I know. Everyone thinks Potter’s so bloody brilliant, though he’s really just a –”

The compartment that had just been extremely warm a minute ago was now ice cold. Draco shivered.

“What the hell is going on here? Don’t tell me the school’s was too poor to pay for heat.”

Everyone laughed, but they were quickly silenced. Everything began to feel cold. All of the happiness in the compartment seemed to have vanished, and it was replaced an eerie sadness. Draco felt a cold terror race up his spine, one that he hadn’t felt for many years.

A five-year-old boy awoke with a start. He heard a lot of noise coming from the living room. The boy hurriedly found his slippers and tip-toed down the stairs. He looked over the banister and saw a figure wearing a long black cloak and a mask over his face.

“Now do you understand or do you need more convincing?” the man said coolly.

“NEVER!” the woman screamed. “I could never be convinced to join your crowd, you coward!”

“I see you’re unwilling to cooperate. Guess I will just have to get rid of you. AVADA KEDAVRA!”

The woman’s cries of pain disappeared, and only silence was left. Draco was scared. Why was someone hurting the poor lady in his living room? What was going on?

The man took off his mask to reveal long blonde hair and pale grey eyes. The man waved his wand, and the lady disappeared.

“Father,” the little boy whispered, scared out of his mind. Why was his father hurting that woman? He let out a quick, which startled his father. The boy quickly ran up the stairs and never told anyone about what he saw.

Draco tried to think about something else, but he couldn't. He wanted to cry, to run into a corner and be alone. Before he knew it, the darkness was gone and all of laughter was restored to the room again.

Draco had almost lost it. One more minute and he would have been sobbing uncontrollably on the ground. He quickly wiped the sweat off his forehead, and turned the conversation back to Potter.

[Cheshlin]

Name: Cheshlin
House:Slytherin
Title: Dementor Defense
Warnings: Death mentioned and violence
Words: 315

Tonks turned around as she felt coldness surround her. Dementors had been attacking people in the streets of London, and they had to be stopped. She was out with several members of the Order of the Phoenix trying to hunt them down. It appeared that they had finally found a few of them.

All hope seemed to flee from her. Her wand slowly dropped as the moment Remus had first denied any feelings for her played through her head.

A dark form moved towards her and slowly started to push its hood back. Despair and horror filled her as she was unable to protect herself because of the horrible memories flashing through her mind.

Now she was watching as Sirius dueled with their Aunt Bellatrix and looked at her with his cocky grin. Suddenly he flew backwards into the veil, as a spell hit him. Then she looked on as her mother cried holding onto her father’s body after a Death Eater attack.

Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulders and she looked up into love filled eyes. She was back to herself in an instant. Dementors were all around her, but she knew what to do. With Remus at her side, she was reminded of the happy thoughts in life. Together they raised their wands, and together they shouted Expecto Patronum.

The other members of their party heard their cry and quickly joined them. That many happy memories and Patronuses drove the Dementors to the ground and they were able to get five more of those monsters off the street and destroyed.

Turning to Remus, Tonks leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. “Thanks, I needed you. I told you our love counts for something!”

With a laugh she turned back to the streets to see if they could track down more of the Dementors. She heard Remus chuckling behind her.

[Dill]

Name: Dill
House: Ravenclaw
Title: The Dark Lord's Fate
Warnings: None, unless you have a vivid imagination, then the sight of the Dementor's face will haunt you forever.
Words: 442, or so my word counter tells me.

“He struggled against them as they advanced towards him, their decaying corpses of hands stretching out to him. He tried to run, but all of his will had left him. All that remained were the memories of his darkest moments.

One by one, they played like a Muggle film before his eyes. He saw the orphanage and its small, sad inhabitants. He saw his own curse backfire on himself. He saw the destruction of his soul. Yet, while his tormented life replayed in his mind, he saw them close in.

“No,” he begged. “You don’t understand!”

Of course, they did not. All they knew were the orders from the damned Ministry of Magic and their precious Harry Potter. The closest creature of gloom pulled its hood back to reveal the most horrifying, mutilated head he had ever seen- and that was saying something for he was Lord Voldemort.

Instinctively, he reached for his wand, but the monster swiped it from his hands with one of its wicked claws. From that moment on, he knew that he was helpless. A tree root tripped him as he tried to back away, and before knew it, the face from the underworld was on his, sucking what remained of his soul out of him.

He tried to scream, but no one would hear him, no one would help him. Any goodness left in him was devoured by utter negritude. Everything that made him Lord Voldemort, the most feared sorcerer of the century, flooded out of his body into that of the demon that had its terrible hold on him.

Moments later, the Dementors glided away, leaving the pitiful shell of the former Dark Lord on the forest floor. A fate worse than death no longer awaited Lord Voldemort, once the greatest and most villainous of all wizards.”

Harry Potter looked at his wide-eyed children and chuckled. “Of course,” he said in his deep, calm voice. “That was very long ago.”

“What happened to Lord Voldemort after that?” his youngest, Lilly, asked while tugging on her father’s robes.

Harry smiled. He had taught his children that fear of a name only increased fear of the thing itself. “Well, Lilly, Lord Voldemort lived as a husk of his former self. He’s like a snake that’s shed its skin. Do you understand that when a snake sheds its skin, the skin is no longer alive?”

Lilly nodded, her round, green eyes wide in amazement. “But, Daddy, I thought that the prophecy said that you had to defeat him.”

“Well, my little lady,” he replied, picking her up and sitting her on his knee. “Sometimes, prophecies don’t come true.”

[kumydabookworm]

Name: kumydabookworm
House: Gryffindor
Title: Taking a New Face
Word Count: 286
Warnings: None

I feel it approaching me, a jumble of thoughts and joys and tensions, coiled tightly around a core so solid I can nearly reach out and grasp it. I cannot grasp anything in this world - but this is the only thing I miss.

I search through the jumbled threads, tight threads of rage and loose threads of laziness - the thin bands of jealousy, the thick bands of joy. Tracing along their fingertips, following a thread of pride...I find it.

The slippery, short band of fear - just there, on the nail of their index finger. An image formed along my outer edges as I take hold of the thread. I feel myself morph into a tall, imposing figure.

My face becomes a robed figure, with a dark face. My body is pulled from the air, as my magic hums, feeding off the fear. I feel myself strengthen, the illusion of dark clothing growing midnight black.

I want your darkness. Give it to me. My mind rolls away from me, fully immersing itself into the strange creature that this boy fears. Under the hood of my robes, a silver mouth forms - a mouth that opens wide, sucking in hungrily the dark tension that rolls from this boy in front of me.

"Riddikulus!"

Suddenly, another thread - of laughter - begins to vibrate from the human. My form is forced into a different shape - the midnight clothes fade into that of a woman's. Finally, scorchingly hot waves of laughter flood toward me. I struggle against the maelstrom, but the waves decimate me.

The boy in front of me glows white-hot with joy, and I am doomed, scraps of my being flung into the ether.

[Cwiddy]

Name: Cwiddy
House: Hufflepuff
Title: Walking Nightmare
Warnings: dark
Words: 229

Darkness closed in around him. He ran stumbling into the night, as shivers and cold filled his heart. Voices scorning him, calling coward, praising his no good cousin filled his ears. Then a shadow moved, coming closer. Then the ground came up and met him as he curled into a ball, no longer able to escape from the cold embracing his mind. The voices grew ever stronger and he lost all hope of seeing his Mom or Dad again. The shadow hovered ever nearer and leaned forward almost in an embrace. Then frozen finger tips drew him close to the hooded darkness, in almost a kiss.

Dudley awoke screaming. Cold sweat reminded him of the dream, that night when his cousin Harry had saved him from that monster. A part of him still blamed Harry for that nightmare. Perhaps is was revenge for all those nights he had slept under the stairs, and felt no love from the family that had taken him in, but never welcomed him.

“Diddykins! Are you alright? Have another nightmare?” exclaimed Petunia Dursley as she rushed into his room. “Want me to make you some warm milk to help you go back to sleep?”

“Yes, Mom, get me some warm milk,” replied Dudley as he stood up to join her in the kitchen. He shivered once more hoping he never had that dream again.

[joybelle423]

Name: joybelle423
House: Ravenclaw
Title: A Fate Worse than Death
Warnings: Character Death
Words: 498

‘I’m sorry, Mrs Malfoy, but you can’t go in there.’

Narcissa drew herself to her full height, staring the young Auror full in the face.

‘My son is in that room, awaiting the Kiss.’ Her voice was soft and quiet, yet deadly cold. ‘Exactly what do you think I could do? The room is heavily warded; he cannot escape. I want to say goodbye to my only son.’ Her words trembled slightly. She could see the wizard’s eyes softening.

‘Very well,’ he sighed resignedly. ‘You may have five minutes.’

‘Thank you,’ she said.

He turned to the door, muttering as he waved his wand, lowering the wards before he turned the heavy brass key in the lock. Narcissa swept through.

There, sitting on the cot with his head in his hands, was her son. He didn’t look up when the door opened.

‘Draco,’ Narcissa whispered. Stunned, he lifted his head, staring at her incredulously.

‘Mother? What … how did you –’

‘Shh, darling,’ Narcissa soothed. ‘I convinced the guard to let me in. I wanted to see you before –’

‘Before my soul is sucked away?’ Draco said harshly. ‘I’ve seen it happen. The Dark Lord used to let us watch as they fed on helpless Muggle-borns.’ He shuddered. ‘Have you ever seen it – the Kiss?’

‘No.’

‘You don’t want to. This one girl … when the Dementors came near, she screamed and pleaded for mercy, clawing at her bonds. All the Death Eaters stood by, laughing and mocking. The closer the Dementor got, the weaker she became, until … it pulled back its hood. Its face was like evil itself. Even the Death Eaters could barely stand to look at it. Its eyes and face were covered in scabs that oozed glistening pus; its mouth was lipless, full of small, pointed teeth.’

Narcissa stared at her son, chilled by the description. Draco’s eyes were unfocussed and glassy.

‘Then … the Dementor grasped the girl by the arms. She was no longer struggling – she just lay there, limply, tears streaming from her eyes, a look of complete horror on her face. The Dementor bent over her … pressed its evil mouth to hers … and with a deep, rattling breath, the girl’s soul was gone. She was gone, worse than dead.’

He turned back to his mother. ‘And now, it’s going to happen to me.’

‘No, Draco,’ Narcissa said firmly. ‘I won’t let that happen.’

Draco gave a harsh laugh. ‘And exactly how do you propose to stop it? You know as well as I do there is no escape.’

‘Yes, Draco, there is,’ she said gently, pulling out her wand. ‘I love you, Draco.’

She steeled herself for what she knew she had to do.

‘Avada Kedavra!’

A jet of green light hit Draco in the chest. He crumpled to the floor.

Narcissa put her wand back in her pocket. She had protected her son until the very end, saving him from a fate worse than death.

[MithrilQuill]

Sorry for the long wait...again!


*drumroll*


First Place:


Someone Else by solemnlyswear_x

And

Going Under by Astrofire


Second Place:


After the Transformation by Blinded Moon

And

Hide by mugglemathdork


Third Place:


A Dark Memory by tc015

And

A fate worse than Death by joeybelle423


There's also a couple that were sort of off-topic but excellent drabbles nevertheless, so they deserve some mention.


Accio Chocolate's very first fanfic and Kumydabookworm's Taking a New Face.


And thanks to everybody who wrote a drabble, they were all very, very good.