"The Ministry of Magic said they didn't find anything," Harry's face suddenly fell, looking extremely troubled.
Not long after Sirius Black's breakout, Harry's aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, were attacked. Fortunately, some Ministry of Magic personnel were patrolling nearby, or who knows what would have happened.
"The Ministry people said the attacker was most likely Sirius Black, and that he was coming for me." Harry pursed his lips, regretting that he had endangered his aunt's family.
"But honestly, you're so lucky you moved to the guild a year ago. Otherwise, if he had actually found you, who knows what horrible things could have happened."
"At least I can use the magic the guild leader left us to return to the guild, but my aunt's family…" Harry couldn't continue. If something had happened to the Dursleys that day, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
"How are your aunt, uncle, and cousin now?" Hermione asked, concerned.
"They're fine, their injuries weren't serious. After the Ministry sent them to St. Mungo's Hospital for a bit of treatment, they were taken to a safe location. The Ministry will erase their memories after a while."
"That's good," Hermione nodded, then sighed, her angry expression returning. "Honestly, where has Victor gone?! He's not here when we need him. If we had asked him for help, I'm sure Sirius Black would be back in Azkaban by now!"
"Actually, we can't rely on the guild leader for everything," Harry objected. "We've been studying magic with him for so long. I think I'm capable enough to handle this escaped convict."
"But no one has ever escaped from Azkaban before," Ron said, suddenly sounding a little scared. "I heard my dad say that Sirius Black is a madman who loves to kill. He used magic to blow up entire streets, and a lot of Muggles died because of him."
"So, for someone so dangerous, I think it's best we don't get involved."
"…Thanks, Ron. Thanks for the vote of confidence." Harry rolled his eyes. The confidence he had just built up was instantly shattered by Ron's words!
Screeeech!
BANG! BANG!
Just as the three of them were chatting, a harsh grinding of metal sounded, and the train suddenly came to a screeching halt. The three of them stumbled in their seats, their bodies lurching forward or backward, and their conversation was abruptly interrupted.
"Why did the train stop? What happened?" Harry asked, looking around in confusion. "It can't be at Hogwarts already, can it?"
"No way. We've only been on the train for less than two hours. We can't possibly be at school yet." Ron immediately pressed his face against the window to see what was happening, but everything outside was a murky gray, and with the raindrops on the window, he couldn't see anything at all.
So Hermione also stood up, opened the compartment door, and peered out. She saw many other young witches and wizards in the aisle, peering at each other, all trying to find out why the train had stopped.
CRASH!
At that moment, a loud bang was heard. The entire Hogwarts Express seemed to have been hit by something, and it started to shake violently.
The intense tremor sent Hermione stumbling back into her seat.
Ron immediately asked with a panicked expression, "What's happening?!"
"I don't know. Maybe the train has a malfunction?" Harry guessed, licking his lips to hide his own anxiety.
Then, the train's lights suddenly and inexplicably went out. The entire train was plunged into darkness, and a commotion immediately erupted outside the compartment as the young wizards started to panic.
After a while, the train's lights flickered back on, but they were blinking on and off, much like a scene from a horror film.
Ron, who was sitting by the window, seemed to feel something. A chilling coldness seemed to be transmitted through the glass.
He immediately strained to look out the window and saw some dark figures floating outside. He quickly warned, "Something is moving out there!"
From a bird's-eye view, the Hogwarts Express was now stopped on a viaduct. The sky was filled with black clouds, and it was pouring rain. All colors seemed to have been drained away, leaving a lifeless, gray scene that felt like all life was withering.
Sensing that something was approaching, the three in the compartment instinctively took out their wands.
At that moment, the train's lights went out again, and the entire train was completely shrouded in darkness.
In the faint, fading light outside, Ron saw something flash past the window, followed by a faint metallic clinking sound. He immediately said, his voice tense, "That thing out there seems to want to get on the train!"
Just as he finished speaking, a visible chill suddenly rose from beneath the train window. The raindrops clinging to the glass froze at a visible rate. Then, the three of them felt an icy coldness that seeped into their very bones.
"Could it be… Dementors!" Based on their characteristics and the news of the day, Hermione immediately deduced what was happening. She said with a mix of anxiety and anger, "They stopped the train! What do they want?!"
CRASH!
The train shook violently again.
Then, a terrifying creature floated down the aisle outside the compartment, and an overwhelming sense of dread instantly made the trio gasp.
It wore a hooded cloak, and its entire body looked like it had rotted in water. It had scabbed hands, and its whole body seemed to be decaying. A layer of frost formed everywhere it passed.
The Dementor stopped in front of their compartment and, with a clear purpose, stretched out its rotted, skeletal hand and slid open the compartment door.
Immediately, a cold, foul odor rushed toward them.
Three magic circles—one red, one brown, and one blue—immediately lit up inside the compartment.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all felt that this visitor meant them no good.
However, they didn't immediately attack.
Not only were the Dementors supposedly under the Ministry of Magic's command, but using a magic circle in such a confined space was tricky. If the power was too weak, it might be useless. If they used too much power, half the compartment would be blasted to smithereens.
There were many other young wizards on the train!
So, the three of them stood in a stalemate with the Dementor for about ten seconds.
But just then, the Dementor slowly turned its head to look at Harry.
The next second, Harry felt an inexplicable pulling sensation, as if something were draining all the happiness from his heart. A feeling of emptiness and loneliness filled his entire body.
"Harry!" Hermione saw that the Dementor was attacking her friend. She aimed her wand at the creature and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!"
A sacred, silvery-white light erupted from Hermione's wand, directly interrupting the Dementor's feast.
The Patronus Charm was the only spell that could fight Dementors, and it was their greatest weakness!
Unfortunately, Hermione's talent for this powerful protective magic was relatively low. The Patronus she cast hadn't fully formed yet, and under the Dementor's influence, the light of her Patronus could only just barely hold its own against the creature.
And just as Hermione was struggling to maintain her Patronus Charm, a fully-formed Patronus—a rabbit—suddenly hopped twice in mid-air and flew into the compartment, then kicked the Dementor away.
This sudden Patronus caused Lupin, who had been resting in the back of the same compartment, to stop the action of raising his hand to cast the Patronus Charm.
"Are you all right?"
A light voice came, and Luna appeared at the compartment door, holding her wand. Her Patronus was continuously circling her. The warm light it emitted dispelled the cold brought by the Dementors.
"Thank you, Luna," Hermione let out a long breath. She had almost been forced to use her celestial magic.
"You're welcome. I'll protect you." Luna faced the Dementors with a relaxed expression. Their frightening aura had no effect on her; in fact, she seemed to find it a bit amusing.
At the same time, there was more than one Dementor inside the train. This created a situation where Luna was the dividing line. Behind her was a safe zone, and in front of her were several Dementors, all ready to attack.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Black Cloak," Luna said softly. "I won't let you hurt my friends." As she spoke, her Patronus became more and more solid and bright.
In the face of this searing, sacred light, the Dementors collectively floated backward. It was clear they were starting to retreat. As the guards of Azkaban, they had only boarded the train to search for the escaped convict, Sirius Black, and to get a quick meal on the side. But since they hadn't found the prisoner and the search was complete, there was no need to fight a losing battle against the girl with the powerful Patronus Charm.
So, the Dementors inside the train slowly began to retreat, heading for the doors to leave.
But clearly, someone didn't want them to leave unscathed...
Just as the Dementors were preparing to withdraw from the train, a blue-violet flame suddenly erupted from thin air.
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