Werewolf transformations really that exhausting? But Fenrir Greyback, Voldemort's lackey, was so strong—maybe it was because Greyback went around biting people every full moon, so he ate better than Lupin.
"He's back," Cohen said, turning back.
"Brilliant!" Harry said happily.
"Nightmare over—who knows how long I've been worried about this," Ron sighed in relief. "Two rolls of parchment! I don't even want to think about what Snape would have done if he'd caught me without my homework..."
After all the students had settled down, Lupin intended to start the lesson, but a chorus of complaints about Snape erupted from below.
"He gave us a ton of homework!"
"We don't even know what werewolves are—"
"—Two rolls of parchment!"
"Did you tell Professor Snape that we haven't covered that yet?" Lupin frowned slightly.
"Yes!" Dean said angrily. "But he just sneered at our learning abilities, saying we were way behind—"
"He wouldn't listen—"
"—Two rolls of parchment!" Ron insisted on loudly complaining about the amount of homework, hoping Lupin would cancel it.
Finally, Lupin told them they didn't have to write the assignment—Hermione looked very disappointed because she had already finished it.
"Knew Snape wouldn't get his way," Ron boasted with great foresight. "That's why I didn't write it at all."
"You seem rather proud of 'not learning'," Hermione criticized sternly.
"When I become Headmaster of Hogwarts, I'm going to abolish homework, that dreadful stuff," Cohen said, lying on his desk.
Because the Grindylow in the glass tank Lupin brought would shrink back into the weeds in fear whenever it saw Cohen, Cohen had to avoid its gaze so Lupin could show the creature to the students.
After class, Harry was kept behind by Lupin. When Cohen and the others saw Harry again in the Great Hall, a big smile was plastered across his face.
"I have a way to deal with those Dementors now," Harry said happily. "Professor Lupin has agreed to teach me the spell to resist Dementors."
"I looked up some books," Hermione said. "The best way to deal with Dementors is the Patronus Charm—Cohen mentioned it last time, and it's the same spell Dumbledore used at the Quidditch match..."
"It must be super powerful," Ron said. "All those cold feelings disappeared instantly. Can we learn it together?"
"But the book says this spell is very difficult," Hermione said worriedly. "It doesn't seem like something third-years can learn..."
"But it's the only way, isn't it?" Harry said resolutely. "I'm going to learn it—otherwise, I won't be able to do anything in the next match—and who knows if those Dementors will come again..."
"I just mean, don't get too discouraged," Hermione said with concern. "It might take you a while to learn—"
"You could learn it too," Ron said curiously. "I'd feel much safer once you guys learn it..."
"You really don't want to taste any of life's bitterness, do you," Cohen quipped.
"I think I'll... pass for now," Hermione said, shaking her head for once. "I have too many classes—I still have to write my Arithmancy homework later. I'll learn it in fourth or fifth year."
"Once I learn this spell, I'll be able to drive all those damn Dementors away," Harry said hopefully.
"That would be great," Ron said.
"Ha, that would be just fantastic," Cohen said dryly.
---
He didn't dare imagine how Harry and the others would react if they knew there had always been a Dementor right next to them—especially after Harry had been severely affected by Dementors twice already.
Cohen had been thinking about how to reveal his little secret identity a bit more naturally—the Dementor thing couldn't be kept from them forever. The longer it dragged on, the older they would get, and the older they got, the deeper their prejudices and stubbornness would become, and his Dementor identity would become increasingly dangerous.
Considering that the protagonist of this world could really "defeat the boss by shouting about friendship and bonds" across levels, Cohen didn't want to become another "Voldemort."
Before Christmas, they had the last Hogsmeade weekend of the term. This time, Harry could go through the secret passage—but they didn't tell Hermione about it because she would definitely stop Harry if she knew.
Harry felt that acting first and informing later was the best choice.
When Cohen and the others met Harry outside Honeydukes, Hermione's reaction was noticeably more agitated than Harry's.
Harry and Ron insisted all along that "Sirius Black wouldn't know about this secret passage," but Hermione wasn't reassured.
That was until Ron grabbed a Ministry of Magic notice that stated Dementors would be patrolling Hogsmeade every day after sunset.
"See, Hermione, the Dementors will be patrolling everywhere at night!" Ron said. "Sirius Black will definitely get caught if he shows his face."
"But..." Hermione started to say something but didn't continue.
When Dementors were mentioned, Hermione secretly glanced at Cohen.
This suddenly gave Cohen the feeling that he had been found out—Hermione had always been quite clever. She only needed one homework assignment to figure out that Lupin was a werewolf based on his illness cycle.
But Cohen couldn't remember when he had been exposed—during the Quidditch match? When those Dementors tossed Neville towards Cohen as a snack?
Or was it about Dumbledore's Patronus?
However, Hermione hadn't talked to Cohen about this privately yet. He didn't know if she was simply trying to keep it a secret for Cohen or if she was afraid that Cohen would suddenly lash out and suck out her soul.
"The post office!" Ron pointed out to Harry. "Zonko's Joke Shop is up ahead—and then further out is the Shrieking Shack..."
"And Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop—" Hermione introduced. "Over there—the quills inside are made very delicately—"
"It's too cold here..." Harry said, shivering, because he was under the Invisibility Cloak and had forgotten to put on his robes before leaving. "Is there anywhere warm?"
"The Hog's Head?" Hermione asked. "There are fewer people there, and Harry might be safer."
"The Three Broomsticks," Cohen said. "The Hog's Head is no good. The owner there doesn't seem to like me much; he glares at me every time I come in—and the fewer people there are, the easier it is for Harry to be seen."
In the end, they still chose the Three Broomsticks because the environment of the Hog's Head was indeed too bad, always giving people the feeling that drinking the beverages there would lead to immediate death.
They chose a corner seat, shielded by a Christmas tree, where Harry could take off the Invisibility Cloak and enjoy the fireplace and drinks.
Ron suggested butterbeer, but Cohen insisted on ordering something else for himself.
"I have some not-so-good memories associated with that stuff," Cohen said. "Those unicorns in my trunk were ruined by butterbeer in this lifetime. Now they lie sprawled out drunk on the grass every day, and sooner or later, they'll be eaten by Norbert, who's still groggy from just waking up."
However, Harry and Ron seemed to like the taste of butterbeer quite a bit—Cohen found it too greasy. He didn't even put much butter on his bread, feeling that... jam and cheese were better.
read more inpatreon
ilham20