The train doors shut with a soft hiss, sealing Max inside the Hogwarts Express. He exhaled slowly, glancing around the dimly lit corridor. Students were still bustling about, shoving their trunks into compartments, greeting old friends, and complaining about the upcoming school year. The noise gave him some cover, but he couldn't risk drawing attention.
Moving quickly, he ducked into an empty compartment near the back of the train. He pressed his back against the seat, pulling his cloak tighter around him. Echo, still invisible to others, hovered near the ceiling.
"Well, you got in," Echo said. "Now what?"
Max peered out the window as the train lurched forward, pulling out of the station. "Now, we lay low until we reach Hogwarts."
Easier said than done.
The first thirty minutes passed without issue. Max kept his head down, occasionally watching students pass by. He heard snippets of conversation—excited chatter about the upcoming year, rumors about Sirius Black, and complaints about increased security.
Then, the train stopped, and the temperature dropped, someone had boarded the train.
A shiver ran down Max's spine. His breath misted in front of him, and the warmth of the train faded, replaced by a creeping chill. The chatter in the corridor died down, replaced by a deafening silence.
Echo materialized, his expression grim. "Max… we've got company."
The lights flickered. A distant scream echoed through the train. Max felt it before he saw it, a heavy, oppressive presence, as if all the happiness was being sucked out of the world. Then, in the dimly lit corridor, shadowy figures glided past the compartments.
Dementors.
Max's heart pounded. He had read about them, but experiencing their presence firsthand was something else entirely. The air itself felt poisoned, thick with despair. He forced himself to move, slipping off the seat and crouching behind the bench.
The compartment door rattled.
A Dementor drifted past, its skeletal fingers dragging along the frosted glass. Max held his breath. He could hear them—whispers, twisted echoes of his worst memories. The day he died. The feeling of helplessness. The searing pain before darkness took him.
His hands trembled. His vision blurred.
A raspy breath came from the other side of the door. The Dementor lingered, sensing something. Its skeletal hand curled around the handle.
Max clenched his fists.
'Move., Damn it', thought Max
Tapping into his mana reserves, he reached for the concealment spell he had practiced. It was imperfect, but he didn't need perfection—just enough to make himself less noticeable. He focused, wrapping the magic around him like a second skin, bending the light and suppressing his presence.
The door creaked open.
The Dementor hovered just inside the compartment, its hollow, rotting mouth opening slightly. The world around Max darkened, the cold intensifying. His body felt heavier, like it was being drained.
'Hold on. Just a little longer'
The creature hesitated. Then, as if losing interest, it pulled back. The door drifted shut, and the Dementor moved on.
Max sucked in a shaky breath, his head spinning. Echo materialized beside him. "That was too close."
Max nodded, trying to shake off the lingering dread. "Yeah… and that's just the beginning."
Shouts erupted from further down the train. Students were panicking. He peeked out the window and saw more Dementors gliding between compartments, drawn to the fear. One of them was forcing open a door, and a student inside collapsed, their face drained of color.
After a few minutes, the temperature got back to normal and the dementors were nowhere to be seen. The train once more started.
"Looks like Professor Lupin did his job.", said Echo.
Max gritted his teeth.
'This isn't going to stop at the train.'
Damn it, I forgot that this year, Sirius Black escaped from the Prison and everyone thinks that he is after Harry. So, Hogwarts will be completely guarded. They wouldn't just be searching the train; they'd be swarming the castle.
Max clenched his fists. If he set foot in the Great Hall, the professors would spot him instantly. The Dementors, too. He had no official identity, no place at Hogwarts. He needed another way in.
Then, an idea struck him.
Harry had once left Hogwarts during a field trip to Hogsmeade. He had used a hidden passage, a tunnel beneath the One-Eyed Witch statue. If that passage still existed . . . Max could use it to sneak into Hogwarts without alerting anyone.
"We need to get off this train before it reaches the station," Max muttered.
Echo raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"
Max glanced at the window, then at the rapidly passing landscape. The train was cutting through the countryside, getting closer to the mountains surrounding Hogwarts. His mind raced.
"We are jumping off"
Echo stared at him. "Are you insane?"
Max smirked. "You should know the answer to that by now."
He gripped the edge of the seat, steeling himself. The train was still moving fast, but it would slow down as it neared the station. He just had to time it right.
He waited, muscles tensed. The train curved along a bend, the speed dipping slightly. Max grabbed his bag, yanked open the window, and swung himself onto the ledge.
Echo let out a low whistle. "You're really doing this."
Max grinned. "See you on the other side."
Then, he jumped.
The wind roared in his ears. The ground rushed up to meet him, and he braced for impact. His mana surged through his body, reinforcing his legs just as he hit the grassy hillside. He rolled, absorbing the impact before pushing himself up, breathless but unharmed.
Echo materialized beside him, shaking his head. "You're ridiculous! A psychotic person. How could you think jumping from a moving train is a valid idea."
"No need to shout so much Echo, we are safe and we need to get to the tunnel quickly before the dementors know of the intruders that have entered."
Max dusted himself off, already scanning the landscape. In the distance, the train continued toward the castle, taking the students with it.
Now, all he had to do was find the entrance to the tunnel.
Echo floated beside him. "Let's hope your memory is as good as you think it is."
Max smirked, adjusting his bag. "Guess we're about to find out."
With that, he took off toward Hogwarts, ready for the next challenge.