Chapter 362: Although There Is No Evidence, I Suspect You Are Sirius!
Chapter 362: Although There Is No Evidence, I Suspect You Are Sirius!
Ivan's Invisibility Cloak hindered their perception, making the Dementors only faintly sense the various thoughts drifting from Ivan's direction, finding them quite delectable.
Ivan hesitated about whether to take action and drive away these annoying creatures.
Once a battle broke out, it would inevitably cause a huge commotion. Unless he could kill all the Dementors, the incident would definitely be reported, and it would be impossible to hide it from Dumbledore.
The Ministry of Magic would also inevitably react!
Ivan had not heard any news beforehand, so he was worried that acting rashly might change history.
However, at this moment, Hermione was already struggling to hold on, extremely tense, with memories flooding her mind, causing her consciousness to waver, and her body to tremble.
Noticing Hermione's state was off, Ivan became very anxious. With the Time Turner on his chest becoming increasingly hot, he could no longer remain silent.
"Back off, there's no one here you're looking for!" Ivan shouted hoarsely.
The Dementors, however, moved even closer, not believing Ivan's words. It was unusual for anyone to fly to Hogwarts at this time!
Although there was no evidence, they suspected that the person in front of them was the wanted criminal, Sirius!
Dementors cannot speak, but they managed to convey their thoughts through some method.
Ivan hesitated, not wanting to conflict with them, and casually said, "I am a Hogwarts staff member. I found a lost Thestral outside and was planning to bring it to the Forbidden Forest!"
The Dementors did not disperse. While their intelligence was low, they were not easily fooled by Ivan.
More importantly, they had been used as search tools by the unscrupulous Ministry of Magic and had not had a proper meal for several days. Now, they had finally caught someone who might be Sirius, and they were not about to let this opportunity slip.
A large number of Dementors began to stir, their lack of patience and the Ministry's rules forgotten. They only knew they were very, very hungry.
One Dementor soon drifted close to Ivan, extending its withered, scabbed hand to remove whatever was affecting their perception, so they could absorb more delicious emotions.
Just as the scabbed hand reached out, a burst of white light emitted from the Invisibility Cloak, instantly repelling the Dementor and causing it to collide with several others behind it.
The nearby Dementors, who had been somewhat cautious, were immediately enraged. They swarmed towards Ivan, like a black tide, overwhelming and devouring.
"Expecto Patronum!" Ivan waved his Wand, and a dense white mist coalesced into a sturdy shield in front of him.
Numerous Dementors collided with the shield of white mist, creating ripples and hissing sounds as if being corroded, but they could not break through the defense.
Enraged, the closest Dementors even removed their hoods, revealing their grotesque faces beneath the brims.
Their heads were dry and emaciated, with only scabbed, gray skin where eyes should be, and below that, a hollow, wide mouth, sucking in greedily. The white mist shield gradually thinned, and the surroundings became even colder.
Hermione struggled to move backward, trembling in Ivan's arms, her forehead beaded with cold sweat. Large amounts of illusory, colorful things were continuously being stripped from her body.
Ivan no longer held back.
Although he couldn't summon the Unicorn Shadow to conceal his identity and avoid drawing the attention of the Ministry of Magic, his Patronus Charm had improved significantly over time, allowing him to use it in various creative ways.
With a wave of his Wand, the swirling white mist in the air quickly condensed into several glowing orbs, which then charged forward.
The unprepared Dementors had no time to dodge and were scattered by the impact, their forms becoming somewhat disintegrated.
More Dementors angrily gathered from behind, but the orbs exploded, sending white mist spreading outwards and blasting the approaching Dementors away.
While the Dementors in Hogwarts were numerous, the white mist created by Ivan's Patronus Charm, which was linked to his unique bloodline magic, was far more powerful than the typical Wizard's. It was a true bane to the Dementors.
However, Ivan didn't want to make too much of a scene. He used the Patronus Charm to clear the path, knocking away the Dementors in front of him, and then rode the Thestral, charging through the encirclement.
"Quick! Head to the Forbidden Forest!" The long-awaited sunlight fell on him again, and Ivan, feeling a sense of relief, didn't dare to linger. He directed the Thestral to fly towards the Forbidden Forest as fast as possible.
Behind them, a large number of Dementors, unwilling to give up, tried to catch up.
Ivan repeatedly drove them away.
After several attempts, these creatures learned their lesson and abandoned their pursuit. Some of them separated, perhaps to report the situation, while the rest only dared to circle in the sky from a distance.
Ivan ignored them. The Time Turner around his neck was growing increasingly hot, but fortunately, the Thestral flew very fast. In a short while, they entered the Forbidden Forest and successfully landed.
Ivan dismounted the Thestral and turned around, looking at Hermione, whose face was somewhat pale. He helped her down and asked, "Hermione, are you okay?"
Hermione shook her head, reassuring Ivan that she was fine. Now that they were away from those terrifying Dementors, she felt much better.
At that moment, the Thestral suddenly let out an eagle-like cry, its large orange eyes glaring angrily at Hermione.
Ivan was initially puzzled but then noticed that Hermione's hand was stained with some reddish-brown feathers.
"I was a bit too nervous and kept wanting to grab onto something, so I'm really sorry!" Hermione stuck out her tongue sheepishly and apologized to the Thestral.
The Thestral wasn't appeased and held its head high with pride. Only after Ivan's soothing did it finally lower its hostility towards Hermione, although it still wouldn't allow her to pet it.
The young witch looked quite disappointed.
Ivan smiled and was about to offer some comforting words when the surrounding space and time suddenly froze.
"Damn it, why couldn't it wait just a little longer!" Ivan wanted to curse, but he couldn't speak. He could only watch helplessly as time rapidly flowed by.
(End of Chapter)
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