Chapter 387: Backflip
Chapter 387: Backflip
As the sole injured party in the Dementor incident, Harry had to remain in the school hospital for the entire weekend.
A steady stream of visitors came to cheer him up, but Harry found it hard to smile.
His broom was broken, snapped cleanly in two.
Yes, falling from fifty feet would certainly do that.
He had already thought of this when he first woke up, but seeing the broken pieces of his Nimbus Two Thousand made his heart ache anew.
Though Professor Wood had assured him it could be fixed, good as new, with a trip to Diagon Alley and a bit of gold.
But he couldn't go to Diagon Alley now... not even Hogsmeade.
Besides, there was another matter weighing on Harry's mind.
In his first Divination class, Professor Trelawney had seen an omen of ill fortune in his tea leaves—the shape of a black dog.
And during the match, there had indeed been a black dog on the stands, right before he fell from fifty feet in the air.
Yet, Harry hadn't mentioned this to anyone, not even Ron or Hermione. He knew Ron would panic, and Hermione would scoff; he understood his friends too well.
He wanted a real, sensible opinion because that black dog had appeared twice now, and each time it brought deadly peril.
The last time was before the start of term when he almost got run over by the Knight Bus, and now this fall from his broom.
Surely he wasn't expected to watch out for that beast from now on.
And then there were the Dementors...
Harry sat silently on his bed, only half-listening as Hermione regaled him with stories of what had been happening around the school.
Kyle's Dragon Scale Badge had become popular again.
"I don't think it did much, but most people say it helped them a lot," Hermione said, fiddling with the badge on her chest. "Dean Thomas said he didn't feel the Dementors at all, but in truth, he was close to tears before those Patronuses arrived.
I was right there and saw it all."
"But how do you explain Neville's situation?" Ron argued. "He wore two badges and was doing infinitely better than he had been on the train. He even managed to come and visit you."
"Maybe he's just gotten used to the effects of the Dementors," Hermione suggested. "It might have nothing to do with the badges."
Ron clearly disagreed, saying earnestly, "Everyone knows you don't just get used to that sort of thing. The fear only gets worse."
Listening to their conversation, Harry suddenly wondered if Kyle might be able to offer him some advice about the mysterious black dog.
He also wanted to ask about dealing with Dementors... about that Patronus Charm the Professor had mentioned.
...
The opportunity presented itself soon enough.
On Monday, as he returned to school, Harry happened to spot Kyle and Cedric heading towards the Great Hall.
He quickly went over and took the chance to voice his concerns.
"A black dog?"
"Yes," Harry confirmed. "I saw it on the stands before I fell, and I wondered if there was anything I could do about it.
You probably don't know, but I also saw it on Privet Drive... there's no way an ordinary dog could have followed me all the way from Little Whinging to Hogwarts, right!"
"Well..."
Cedric pondered briefly. "It could be that you're mistaken. After all, unless the breed, size, and color are very similar, it's hard for us to tell if it's the same dog.
"I'm not sure about Privet Drive," Kyle interjected. "But the one you saw in the stands should be a good dog... Wasn't it huge, with matted fur, as if it hadn't been washed in ages?"
"You saw it too?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Yes, the last time we went to Hogsmeade Village," Kyle replied with a smile. "It was lying in front of a shop, and I even played with it for a while. I think it must have wandered over from there."
"What?" Harry was still puzzled. "Do you mean it's a dog from Hogsmeade, not an omen of ill fortune?"
"If every black dog represented an omen, what about Hagrid's dog?" Kyle pointed out. "Don't forget that Fang is also black."
Harry realized that this seemed to be the case.
Fang was Hagrid's black boarhound, which he saw every time he attended Care of Magical Creatures class...
"And..." Kyle continued, "That dog is very human-like and extremely intelligent. It can roll over, shake hands, and even jump through hoops."
"I strongly recommend the backflip," Cedric said. "I bet even some well-trained Corgis can't match its precision."
"I think hoop-jumping is pretty good too," Kyle said. "Set up three hoops of different sizes; it feels like playing an alternative version of Quidditch."
Listening to their conversation, Harry's aversion and fear of the black dog gradually faded.
If many people had seen it, perhaps it was just an ordinary dog like Fang.
Moreover, with all the talk of hoop-jumping and backflips, Harry found himself growing curious. Was the dog really as clever as Kyle claimed?
It was a shame he couldn't go to Hogsmeade, but he could always ask Ron and Hermione to look for it.
"Oh, right," Kyle reminded him. "If you want to see its tricks, remember to bring some food, or that lazy dog won't budge."
Harry nodded to indicate that he'd keep that in mind.
"There's one more thing," he said. "Could you teach me how to use the Patronus Charm? I don't want to pass out again the next time I encounter a Dementor."
"Well..." Kyle hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "As much as I'd like to teach you, I might not have much free time in the coming days. With three training sessions a week, plus some other activities, my schedule is almost fully booked."
Harry looked disappointed.
But Kyle quickly added, "However, you can ask Professor Lupin; he knows that spell too."
"Professor Lupin!" Harry exclaimed happily. "That's right; Hermione told me he made the Dementor on the train back off."
"You're welcome, Harry," Kyle said.
Without even finishing his meal, Harry hurried off toward Professor Lupin's office.
(End of Chapter)
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