https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-357-The-Incident-that-Shocked-Lupin-for-a-Year/12538617/
Chapter 356: The Dementors
Chapter 356: The Dementors
The rain outside showed no signs of letting up, turning the view from the train window into a murky gray blur. Unbeknownst to them, night had fully descended.
Once again, the compartment door slid open, and this time, Fred and George slipped inside, taking advantage of the dim lighting.
"Percy's not here, is he...?" George asked.
"No," Cedric replied, eyeing the twins curiously. "It's been a while. Hasn't he let it go yet? It was just a badge change; it's not like you committed some huge offense."
"You could say he's never really caught us," George said as he closed the door and turned around. "We've been keeping an eye on him as he walked up and down the train."
"You're kidding, right?" Cedric's first reaction was disbelief, thinking they were just saving face.
After all, the train wasn't that big. A single corridor ran from the engine to the caboose, with no bends or turns, and the compartment doors all had glass panels that allowed one to see inside.
If Percy were patient enough, he would surely have found them by now.
Kyle shared this thought.
"Have you learned the Disillusionment Charm?" he asked. "Or did you borrow Harry's Invisibility Cloak?"
"Neither," George said proudly as he sat down next to Cedric. "We hid in the snack trolley. There's a hollow space underneath it, and a partition that can perfectly conceal two people."
"Percy walked past us three times and didn't notice a thing," Fred added.
"There was even a time when he stopped to buy something—a licorice wand and a cauldron cake," George continued.
"We recognized his shoes..."
"So, you've been hiding in the snack trolley this whole time?" Cho glanced at the time and asked incredulously, "Five hours?!"
The snack trolley wasn't that big; it was about the size of the table in the compartment.
For two people to crouch under that table for five hours... Honestly, if it were her, she would rather take a beating from Percy.
"Of course not," Fred said. "After the snack trolley finishes its round, it stops at the very front, near the driver's cabin. We've been hiding there."
As he spoke, the lights in the corridor and above the luggage racks suddenly flickered to life.
The warm, yellowish glow illuminated the compartment, making the darkness outside seem even more profound.
"We must be close to Hogwarts now, right?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, we are," Cho replied. "About an hour more."
"I wish we could get there sooner," Fred said, rubbing his stomach. "I'm starving. I can't wait for the feast..."
As if in response to his wish, the train began to slow down.
"Did our wish come true?" Fred exclaimed, jumping to his feet and pressing his face against the window to get a better view.
"That's impossible!" Cho checked the time again. "We're still an hour away from our scheduled arrival."
"Maybe the driver wanted us to get to the feast sooner, so he sped up the train," George suggested with a smile.
"No, George, I don't think the train sped up," Fred said, lifting his head from the window. "We're not at the Hogsmeade station. This place looks completely unfamiliar."
The train slowed to a crawl, and the sound of the wheels gradually faded away, leaving only the howling wind and the pounding rain against the windows.
With a sudden jolt, the train came to a complete halt.
A large box tumbled from the rack, nearly hitting Luna on the head.
"I'm the Head Boy," Percy's voice rang out from outside. "Everyone, return to your compartments and remain calm!"
However, at this moment, the title of Head Boy seemed somewhat inadequate.
Especially when, without warning, all the lights went out, plunging the train into chaos as screams and shouts filled the air.
"Don't you think it's getting a bit cold?"
Fred rubbed his arms and pointed to the window. "Look there."
At some point, a thin layer of ice had formed on the glass.
"It's September!" Cedric frowned.
If it was already freezing in September, what would winter bring?
"It must be the Dementors..." Kyle said, eyeing the shadowy figures outside. "They're probably here to check if Black is on board."
"No, it can't be..." Ginny curled up in the corner, her voice trembling. "Those monsters from Azkaban? How can they be on the train? Professor Dumbledore wouldn't allow it..."
"I think Kyle's right," Cho said, her face suddenly pale. She had been peering out the window and had seen it—a figure floating at the end of the dark corridor, cloaked in tattered robes like a ghost.
As children from wizarding families, they had all heard of Dementors to some extent.
But they never imagined that they would encounter these monsters on the Hogwarts Express.
It would be a lie to say they weren't nervous.
Kyle stepped forward.
He gently waved his wand, and the tip soon lit up with a silvery-white glow.
This light was much dimmer than the Lumos spell, but it was softer and covered a larger area.
However, due to the tension, no one else noticed this, except for Connor, who tilted her head curiously.
She felt that the surroundings didn't seem as cold anymore.
But it wasn't the right time to ask questions, so she remained silent.
Soon, one of the Dementors reached the compartment they were in.
They could clearly hear the gurgling sound coming from its throat.
To others, it was just a meaningless noise, but Kyle heard something different.
["Brian... Blika... No, it's Brakay..."]
It kept repeating a name, but it couldn't quite remember, and each time it sounded different.
It seemed to have a rather low IQ.
But that was normal, considering they didn't even have brains.
It stood at the compartment door, extending a grisly, grayish-white hand and slowly hooking it...
The compartment door slowly opened.
But the light from within also spilled out, illuminating the Dementor.
The Dementor immediately retracted its hand and began to back away, pressing itself against the back of the carriage.
"He's not here," said Kyle. "None of us are hiding Blake under our robes. Now leave."
The head beneath the tattered hood turned to Kyle, emitting another gurgling sound.
["I want to... check... orders..."]
"No," Kyle said firmly. "I'm telling you again, Blake isn't here!"
Kyle waved his wand again, and the white light around them brightened a little more.
The Dementor struggled, looking like it had been splattered with dungbombs, feeling uncomfortable and helpless...
But despite this, it stubbornly refused to leave the compartment.
["Check... orders..."]
"Get out!"
["Won't... leave..."]
"Leave now!"
["Won't leave..."]
Kyle's lips twitched.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a twinge of guilt for bullying the weak... although in this case, "weak" referred to intelligence rather than strength.
"This is ridiculous," Kyle muttered.
The white light around them gradually condensed, eventually maintaining a hazy cloud-like form that enveloped Connor and the others.
"You can only check," Kyle said, pointing his wand at the Dementor. "If you dare do anything else or absorb emotions, I'll kick you out."
["Orders... check... no food..."]
With the absence of the white light, the Dementor floated into the compartment and slowly inhaled.
Everyone felt a chill, but it was just cold.
["No... Blain... scent..."]
The next second, the Dementor quickly left the compartment and turned to float away.
"Yes, it's Blake," Kyle said as he closed the door, unable to resist reminding it.
["Blake... Blika..."]
"..."
As expected, this guy didn't have much intelligence. In less than a second, it forgot again. Kyle wondered if all Dementors were like this or if he had just encountered an idiot.
At that moment, a disturbance suddenly broke the silence in the corridor.
Kyle vaguely heard someone screaming...
"Harry!"
"Professor, Harry fainted!"
"Help, help..."
It was Ron, Hermione, and Neville's voices.
Then, a silver light illuminated the corridor once more.
The Dementor that had just left subconsciously wanted to retreat back into the compartment, but Kyle had already closed the door.
On one side was the closed compartment door, and on the other, the silver light was drawing closer. Kyle couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but he thought he saw a hint of helplessness in the Dementor.
(End of Chapter)
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