https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-357-The-Incident-that-Shocked-Lupin-for-a-Year/12538617/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-359-Professor-Lupin-s-First-Earnings/12538619/
Chapter 358: Two Galleons, Barely Breaking Even
Chapter 358: Two Galleons, Barely Breaking Even
As Harry munched on his chocolate, Lupin left the compartment with the letter in hand to find the driver. He needed to inform the school about what had transpired on the train, and the driver had an emergency owl on hand.
However, that was back in his school days; he wasn't sure if the same arrangement still stood.
After Lupin left, Ron still eyed Harry with concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Much better," Harry replied, taking another bite of his chocolate. He wiped the cold sweat and raindrops from his face and said, "But I don't understand...what happened back there."
"We're curious about that, too," Fred said.
While the feeling invoked by the Dementor was extremely unpleasant, it shouldn't have caused anyone to pass out directly. And out of the hundreds of students on the train, it seemed that Harry was the only one affected in such a way. Even Ron was fine.
"When that Dementor looked at you..." Ron trailed off, still a bit shaken as he recalled the scene, "You suddenly stiffened, fell out of your seat, and started convulsing..."
Ron and Hermione then proceeded to recount the entire incident in detail, including how Harry had fainted and how Professor Lupin had ultimately driven away the Dementor.
"It was a silver light," Hermione said, "I couldn't see clearly what it was, but the Dementor seemed terrified of it."
"Silver light?" George murmured, "That must have been the Patronus Charm."
"I didn't think he'd know that one," Fred said, sounding a bit surprised, "Looks like our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher might actually be competent this year."
"Don't get your hopes up too high," Cedric chimed in, "He could also be the Care of Magical Creatures teacher... Remember, Professor Kettleburn retired this year."
"Damn, how could I forget about that," Fred scratched his head, "I hope we won't have to endure another semester of reading classes, I've really had enough of those."
Cedric shrugged; he felt the same, but the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers at Hogwarts had always been a letdown.
Given the past two years' experiences, he wouldn't be surprised if they got another useless teacher this year...
"Patronus Charm?" Hermione exclaimed, having just realized the crux of the matter.
"Yes," Fred explained, "That's the charm Professor Lupin used to ward off the Dementor just now. Look at our conditions now; we're feeling much better, aren't we?"
It was then that Hermione noticed the truth in his words.
Ron and Neville, as well as those peeking in from outside, all had somewhat pale faces, and she imagined she looked the same.
However, the faces of Cedric and his companions were quite normal, appearing no different from usual, and even the youngest, Ginny, looked unaffected.
"Patronus Charm?" Hermione muttered under her breath, mentally noting down the spell.
Just then, Lupin returned and said with a smile, "I just asked the driver, and we'll be arriving at Hogwarts in another thirty minutes."
This was wonderful news for Harry, who couldn't wait to get back to the warm and comfortable castle.
Most importantly, the professors and Dumbledore would be there...and Dementors would surely not dare to enter.
However, Harry still couldn't quite understand why he was the only one who had fainted while everyone else was fine.
He asked Professor Lupin about it, but the latter simply shook his head and offered reassurance.
"Dementors force us to relive our worst memories, and our pain becomes their sustenance," he explained lightly, "Perhaps the Dementor took an interest in you because your experiences differ from those of your peers."
He continued in a casual tone, "Also, don't take it too hard, as I noticed that the Dementor's behavior here was quite different from how it acted in the other compartments. It failed to restrain its feeding impulse and actively absorbed the surrounding emotions... This unique ability of Dementors is something that even adult wizards can't resist. You're only thirteen, so it's normal that you fainted."
Harry still found this explanation a bit far-fetched.
"But Ron and Hermione didn't faint," he said softly, "And neither did Neville."
Seeing Harry's dejected expression, Ron wanted to comfort him but didn't know what to say. As he racked his brain, he suddenly turned and noticed something glinting on Hermione's clothes.
Ron's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Could it be that we're fine because we're wearing the badges?"
He pointed to a similar badge just below his collar and said, "Remember, these are the ones Kyle gave us earlier. They're made from fire dragon scales. Even Dementors would be afraid of something as powerful as a fire dragon, right?"
"That's impossible," Hermione objected, "Even if Dementors are afraid of fire dragons, they wouldn't fear a single scale."
"Maybe..." Ron hesitated, "...it has a certain repelling effect?"
To be honest, even Ron found this reason far-fetched, but he couldn't think of a better explanation at the moment, so he continued, "We're wearing the badges and we're fine, but Harry changed into his robe earlier, so he fainted."
For some reason, when Harry combined Professor Lupin's and Ron's words, he immediately felt a lot better.
Although this line of thinking might be a bit self-deceptive, he preferred to believe in the power of the fire dragon badge rather than admit to being weaker and more timid.
There was one other person in the compartment who was convinced as well.
"What fire dragon badge...?"
Neville stood up, his eyes hopeful as he looked at Kyle. "Do you have any more? I want to buy one."
He didn't want to experience that soul-piercing coldness again, like what he had felt earlier.
"Well... I do have some more..."
Kyle pulled out a handful of colorful badges from his pocket. "But these probably won't work against Dementors..."
"I'll take them!"
Before Kyle could finish his sentence, Neville had snatched all the badges from his hand.
"How much?"
"Hmm... two Galleons each," Kyle explained.
Neville's hand paused as he counted out the money. "How much did you say?"
"Two Galleons each. These are made from genuine dragon scales, which are already quite valuable. The engravings on them are also handcrafted by locals in Romania. Two Galleons is barely breaking even," Kyle clarified.
Neville looked at the six badges in his hand, hesitating.
Twelve Galleons in total... he didn't have that much money. Mrs. Longbottom usually didn't give him a lot of pocket money because he tended to lose things.
"Never mind, it's not that useful anyway," Kyle tried to persuade him again. "I have plenty of ways to sell these, so there's no need to force a sale like this."
With the Dementors stationed at the castle this year, it would soon become clear whether the badges had any effect or not. False advertising could lead to returns and severe negative repercussions, possibly damaging the reputation they had built over the past three years.
It just didn't seem worth it.
However, just as Neville was wavering, Lupin unexpectedly spoke up.
"Perhaps it might actually have some effect," he said, and this seemed to make up Neville's mind.
He gave three badges back to Kyle and took out six Galleons from his robe pocket, handing them over. "This is all I have. I'll take three!"
"Well..."
Kyle looked at Lupin, unsure what he meant by his earlier comment.
Lupin shook his head at Kyle's questioning glance and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, walked over to him and quietly explained, "When facing Dementors, the most important thing is courage. Only by not fearing them can you remain unaffected.
If Mr. Longbottom firmly believes that the badge can ward off Dementors, then it will be useful.
I think, as the youngest recipient of the Merlin First Class Honor, you should understand what I mean."
Could something be useful just because one firmly believed in it? Kyle pondered this seriously.
It wasn't difficult to understand, as many spells worked this way. When he had been learning the Patronus Charm, Newt had repeatedly emphasized that to successfully cast a complete Patronus, one must have an unwavering belief in oneself.
The same was true for the Disillusionment Charm he had learned; any self-doubt would lead to failure.
"Do you mean..." Kyle asked thoughtfully, "...that the badge can give him the belief to no longer fear the Dementors?"
"Yes," Lupin nodded. "But the premise is that the Dementor must be able to control its feeding impulse."
He pointed in Neville's direction and added quietly, "However, at least for now, it seems to be working."
Kyle looked over as well.
Since receiving the badge, Neville had stopped trembling, and his pale face had gained some color. He looked much better than before.
"The badge is just a vessel; it could be a stone, a leaf, or a twig... What's important is that people truly believe, from the bottom of their hearts, that it works!" Lupin said, turning to Kyle. Then, his expression became strange as he abruptly changed the subject. "However, aren't you selling them for a bit too much? Two Galleons each?"
"No, sir," Kyle smiled. "You can ask around in Diagon Alley about the price of fire dragon scales. In potion shops, they're clearly priced at fifteen Sickles per scale, and that's without any discounts.
Add to that the cost of engraving and the Floo Network fees to and from Romania, and two Galleons is barely covering the cost. I'm not making any profit."
Lupin was momentarily speechless.
Indeed, anything related to fire dragons was quite expensive, and he let out a soft sigh. Turning around, he made his way back to his seat.
Just then, there was a commotion outside, and as soon as Lupin left, someone entered the compartment.
"Sorry, I accidentally overheard your conversation just now... Do you have any more of those badges?"
(End of Chapter)
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