The sliding door of the carriage creaked open.
A monstrous figure floated in—cloaked in tattered, soaked robes, gliding silently. Instantly, every joyful feeling was sucked from the room. Only dread remained.
A Dementor.
"Ah!" Harry gasped, collapsing backward.
He was clearly in more pain than anyone else, as the Dementor drained his happiness and left behind nothing but agony and despair. Perhaps it was this intense reaction that drew the creature's attention—Dementors couldn't see but sensed people through emotion and scent. Mistaking Harry's suffering for Sirius Black's, the Dementor drifted toward him.
But in a flash, Blake apparated from his seat, placing himself between the creature and Harry.
"Whoosh..."
Blake felt his joy being consumed rapidly. In its place surged a dark, overwhelming fury.
He lowered his wand, abandoning the Patronus Charm mid-cast, and switched to a different spell. The Patronus would only repel—he wanted to do more.
The Dementor, trembling with excitement after tasting Blake's potent happiness, left Harry behind and turned on its new prize. But as it drank from Blake, something unexpected happened.
Terror.
The Dementor felt fear—something rare for its kind. The "nutrients" it had just devoured had left behind something terrifying... Blake.
Though it had no eyes, the Dementor could somehow "see" the red glow flaring in Blake's.
"You enjoying yourself?" Blake asked coldly.
The Dementor hesitated. Never had one of its victims spoken so calmly mid-assault.
"So... if you're harming me, that means I can fight back, right?"
Blake raised his wand.
Flames erupted—Gubrai's Fairy Fire, a blaze capable of incinerating corporeal darkness.
"Shaaaa!"
With a shriek, the Dementor was instantly reduced to ash. Blake stared into the smoke, his eyes alight.
Dementors, as tangible beings, could be destroyed. Gubrai's Fairy Fire had proven it.
Unleashing his rising bloodlust, Blake blew a hole in the carriage roof with an explosive spell and apparated onto it. He could've done so without causing damage—but he needed to destroy something.
From the roof, his True Eyes scanned the train.
Inside, over ten Dementors fed on young students' joy, terrifying them. Over twenty more floated above the train, watching.
They'd been sent by the Ministry of Magic to inspect for Sirius Black. The feeding frenzy wasn't sanctioned—just instinct.
But now, Blake had his excuse.
They all had to die.
Alerted by the scream of the incinerated Dementor, the others above the train rushed toward Blake.
No witch or wizard would face over twenty Dementors alone without a Patronus.
But these creatures underestimated him. They'd spent years learning wizards could only repel them—never kill.
So they attacked.
But today, they met something far worse.
"Whoosh!"
Blake's wand erupted with Gubrai fire, transforming into a massive orange fire dragon that devoured ten Dementors mid-charge. The rest fled in terror—feeling, perhaps for the first time, a real threat.
"Run? You think you can?"
Blake's fury swelled. More flames followed.
In the carriage, Lupin—now recovered—watched in shock. He had meant to help, but Blake acted too quickly: killing one Dementor, blasting the roof, confronting the rest.
Lupin realized Blake's power was beyond anything he'd expected. And worse—he was losing control.
Blake cast again. A dozen more Dementors burned.
Then he lifted his wand to summon a Patronus.
"No—!"
Lupin saw one Dementor creeping up behind Blake. In his current state, Blake lacked happiness. Without it, he couldn't cast the Patronus Charm.
Lupin raised his wand and began casting a protective charm.
But before he could finish, something astonishing happened.
From Blake's wand burst a solid white phoenix—his Patronus.
Lupin's jaw dropped.
"Impossible…"
How could Blake summon a Patronus so powerful—so pure—in such a violent emotional state?
The phoenix soared, its glow radiating outward. The sneaking Dementor was blasted away. Waves of white light burst from the phoenix's wings, repelling every Dementor still within the train.
"Shaaa!"
Screaming, the Dementors fled—those still feeding tried to escape.
But the phoenix wasn't letting them go.
More shocking still, Lupin noticed the fleeing Dementors weren't escaping—they were being herded.
The phoenix drove them in tighter and tighter circles, confining them.
Blake was corralling them into one place.
And then...
"Whoosh!"
The fire dragon struck again.
In one blast, dozens of Dementors turned to ash.
The icy grip they'd left in their wake began to fade. The fairy fire warmed the carriages, and the oppressive gloom lifted.
The Patronus phoenix continued to soar back and forth, its song healing the shaken hearts of the young witches and wizards below.
Blake finally lowered his wand, letting the fire dragon vanish—but left the phoenix to continue its circuit through the train. Its song washed away despair like sunlight melting frost.
Only after ensuring every trace of the Dementors was gone did Blake dismiss the phoenix.
Then he leapt back through the hole in the roof, returning to the train.
Everyone stared at him.
A moment later—clap!
Kassandra began to applaud. Others quickly joined. The cheers grew louder, echoing through the carriages.
Moments earlier, word had already spread: Blake had faced a sky full of Dementors and won.
Their applause cut through the remnants of fear like sunlight.
Suddenly, a system prompt echoed in Blake's mind:
[Ding! Shock detected!]
[Ding! Gratitude detected!]
[Ding! Pleasant emotions detected!]
Treasure chest obtained.
Of course, the residual fear dulled the strength of the emotional response, so the reward wasn't high. Still, a gain was a gain.
He hadn't meant to lose control... but once the Dementor drained his joy, the rage took over.
"Well done, Blake," Lupin said, patting his shoulder.
The professor had feared the worst—but Blake pulled back just in time.
And that Patronus...
A phoenix.
No wonder the rumors said he was Dumbledore's son.
"Tsk… I think I caused some trouble again…" Blake muttered, scratching his head.
"We'll vouch for you!" Kassandra said firmly.
"You did the right thing, Blake," Hermione added. "You saved us—and Harry."
"Well..." Blake blinked. "Those weren't just monsters—they're Azkaban's jailers, Ministry employees… Wait, did you say—Harry?"
Blake turned to find Harry still unconscious.
They lifted him into a seat. As the train resumed its journey, Blake slipped a small pill into Harry's mouth. Moments later, Harry coughed and stirred awake.
"Wha… what happened?"
It was night now. The sky outside had darkened completely.
Harry sat, face flushed. Word had spread he'd been the only student to faint in front of the Dementors.
He was mortified.
"That was a Dementor," Lupin explained gently. "A dark creature. Get too close, and it sucks away all happiness, leaving only your worst memories."
"If it feeds long enough, it won't stop until you're hollow—soulless."
"Your pain is heavier than most, Harry. That's why you fainted. It's not your fault."
Harry exhaled heavily. Lupin's words helped, but the shame lingered.
"No wonder I felt so awful…" Ron muttered.
"Only the Patronus Charm can repel them," Lupin continued, then turned to Blake. "And Blake… you're the youngest wizard I've seen cast such a strong Patronus. That's something to be proud of."
"Thank you, Professor Lupin," Blake said with a faint smile.
"Don't worry about what happened. The Dementor meant to harm you—your response was justified. I'll stand by you."
"I'm not worried about myself," Blake replied quietly. "I just don't want to cause trouble for Professor Dumbledore."
Lupin's heart warmed. Such concern—not for himself, but for Dumbledore.
Filial, indeed.
Still... that phoenix Patronus...
If Blake wasn't Dumbledore's son, how could his Patronus be the same?