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Chapter 356: The Dementors
Chapter 356: The Dementors
The rain intensified, turning the view outside the train window into a blurry, grayish landscape. Unbeknownst to them, darkness had completely enveloped the sky.
The compartment door opened once more, and Fred and George, taking advantage of the dimly lit moment, tiptoed inside.
"Percy didn't come, right...?" George asked.
"No," Cedric replied, looking at the two of them curiously. "It's been so long, and he's still not letting it go? It's just a badge change; it's not like it's a big deal."
"To be precise, he's never caught us," George said as he closed the door and turned around. "We've been watching him, and he's walked through the train several times."
"You're joking, right?" Cedric's initial reaction was disbelief, thinking they were just saving face and didn't want to admit it.
The train was only so big, with a single corridor stretching from the front to the back, without any turns or bends. Moreover, the compartment doors also had glass, allowing visibility into the interior.
If Percy had been patient, he should have been able to find them by now.
Kyle had the same thought.
"Have you learned the Disillusionment Charm?" he asked. "Or did you borrow Harry's Invisibility Cloak?"
"Neither," George replied as he sat down next to Cedric. "We hid in the food trolley, which has a hollow space underneath with a partition, just enough to hide two people."
"Percy walked past us three times without noticing."
"Once, he even stopped to buy something—a licorice wand and a crucible cake."
"We recognized his shoes..."
"So, you've been hiding in the food trolley all this time?" Autumn checked the time and asked incredulously, "Wow, it's been five hours."
The food trolley wasn't very big, about the size of the table in the compartment.
Two people, crouching under a table for five hours... To be honest, if it were her, she'd rather take a beating from Percy.
"Of course not," Fred said. "After the food trolley completes a round, it stops at the front, which is the driver's compartment. We've been hiding there the whole time."
As he spoke, the lights in the corridor and above the luggage racks suddenly lit up.
The dim glow illuminated the carriage, making the darkness outside seem even more profound.
"We should be arriving soon, right?" Ginny asked.
"Yes," Autumn replied. "One more hour."
"I wish it would be sooner," Fred said, rubbing his stomach. "I'm starving, and I really want to get to the banquet..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the train began to slow down.
"Your wish came true?" Fred stood up excitedly, pressing his face against the window to get a clearer view of the outside.
"Impossible!" Autumn checked the time again. "We're still an hour away from our scheduled arrival time."
"Maybe the driver wants us to get to the banquet faster and has increased the train's speed," George said with a smile.
"No, George, I don't think the train has sped up," Autumn said.
Fred, who had been leaning against the window, lifted his head. "Outside, it's not the familiar Hogsmeade Station but a completely unfamiliar place."
The train slowed down further, and the sound of the wheels gradually faded, leaving only the louder wind and rain pounding against the windows.
With a jolt, the train came to an abrupt halt, as if someone had slammed on the brakes.
A large box fell from the rack and nearly hit Luna on the head.
"I'm the Head Boy, everyone back to your compartments, no need to panic!" Percy's voice echoed from outside.
But at this moment, the title of Head Boy seemed a bit inadequate.
Especially when all the lights suddenly went out without warning, plunging the train into a moment of panic, with screams echoing throughout.
"Don't you feel like the weather has gotten a bit chilly?"
Fred rubbed his arms and pointed at the window. "Look, there's ice forming on the glass."
Unbeknownst to them, a thin layer of ice had already formed on the glass.
"And it's only September!" Cedric frowned.
If it was already icing up in September, what would winter be like?
"It must be the Dementors..." Kyle observed the faint shadows outside. "They're probably here to check if Black is on the train."
"No, that's not possible..." Ginny curled up in the corner, shivering. "Those monsters from Azkaban? How can they be here on the train? Professor Dumbledore would never allow it..."
"I think Kyle is right."
Autumn, who had been peering out, suddenly turned pale. She had seen it—at the end of the dark corridor, a figure in tattered robes, floating in mid-air like a ghost.
"One on each side..." Autumn quickly retreated, "They're checking the compartments!"
The compartment fell silent.
Having grown up in a wizarding family, they had all heard of Dementors to some extent.
But they never imagined that they would encounter these creatures on the train to Hogwarts.
It was impossible not to feel nervous.
Kyle instinctively moved to the front.
He gently waved his wand, and a silvery glow soon appeared at the tip.
The light was much dimmer than the Lumos Charm, but it was softer and covered a larger area.
Due to the tension, the people around him didn't notice this, except for Conna, who tilted her head curiously.
She felt that the surroundings seemed to have suddenly become less cold.
However, this wasn't the right time to ask questions, so she remained silent.
Soon, one of the Dementors reached their compartment.
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... Blake... No, it's Bracke...】
It kept repeating a name, but it couldn't remember it correctly, saying a different name each time.
It seemed to have a rather low IQ.
But this was normal; after all, they didn't even have brains.
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It stood at the compartment door, extending a grayish-white, eerie hand and gently hooking it...
The compartment door slowly opened.
But the light in the room also spread out, just enough to illuminate its body.
The Dementor immediately withdrew its hand and began to back away unconsciously, sticking tightly to the back of the carriage.
"There's no one you're looking for here," Kyle said. "None of us are hiding Black under our robes, so go away."
The head, covered by a tattered hood, turned towards Kyle and made another gurgling sound.
【I want... to check... command...】
"No, I'll say it again, Black isn't here!"
Kyle waved his wand again, and the surrounding white light became brighter.
The Dementor struggled again, looking as if it had been thrown a big pile of dung, feeling miserable and helpless...
But despite this, it stubbornly refused to leave the compartment.
【Check... command...】
"Go away!"
【Not going...】
"Go!"
【Not going...】
Kyle's lips twitched.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a twinge of guilt for bullying the weak, though in this case, 'weak' referred to intellect rather than strength.
"This is ridiculous," Kyle muttered.
The white light around them gradually condensed, finally forming a hazy cloud that enveloped Conna and the others.
"You're only allowed to check," Kyle aimed his wand at the Dementor and reminded it, "If you dare do anything else or absorb any emotions, I'll make you leave."
【No... Brian... smell...】
The Dementor floated again without the white light, and took a slow breath as it entered the compartment.
Everyone suddenly felt a chill, but it was just cold.
【Not... Brian... smell...】
The next second, the Dementor quickly left the compartment and turned around, floating away.
"Yes, Black," Kyle couldn't help but remind as he closed the door.
【Black... Blake...】
"..."
Sure enough, this guy had no intelligence; it had forgotten the name again in less than a second. Kyle wondered if all Dementors were like this, or if he had just encountered a fool.
At this moment, a commotion suddenly broke the silence in the previously quiet corridor.
Kyle vaguely heard someone screaming...
"Harry!"
"Professor, Harry fainted!"
"Help, help..."
It was Ron's voice, followed by Hermione's, and the last one sounded like Neville's...
Then, a silvery light illuminated the corridor once more.
The Dementor that had just left instinctively wanted to retreat back into the compartment, but Kyle had already closed the door.
On one side was the tightly closed compartment door, and on the other, the approaching silver light. Kyle wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he saw a hint of helplessness in the Dementor.
(End of Chapter)
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