Moreover, those people emerging have broken Vid's earliest imagined safe retreat.
When he just started school, Vid thought if Voldemort resurrected and controlled a huge power like in the original story, he could take his parents and escape abroad.
At least in the original story, Voldemort's power didn't extend beyond the United Kingdom.
But those forces assembled by werewolves, vampires, and Muggles indicate that survival abroad seems harsher, possibly even worse than the United Kingdom!
At least in the United Kingdom, wizards rarely kill people.
Vid pondered those chaotic matters while classmates cheered Leian's leopard defeating Carrel's lynx, then two others started dueling.
In another compartment not far away, singing voices came, then quickly turned into a chorus.
They started with Christmas songs, then Hogwarts' school anthem, followed by a group of girls singing the Magic World's pop song: "A Cauldron of Hot Love."
Michael sitting next to Vid hummed along: "With a gentle wave of the wand, love's fire ignites, illuminating the ancient spell's secrets... this is a cauldron of hot love, simmering with the flame of magical happiness, no matter how time flows, love's fire never extinguishes..."
Warm breath fogged the glass, forming a layer of white misty water droplets; Michael drew a heart on the glass, stared at it for a while, then suddenly shivered.
"Strange..." he rubbed his arms and said, "Why did it suddenly get cold?"
Theo, who was about to fall asleep leaning against Neville, was awakened by the cold. He looked out the window and asked, "Is it going to snow?"
The sky outside the glass window was gloomy, showing an increasingly thick dark gray, the lights in the corridors and compartments cooled down, and fine snowflakes floated down from the sky.
Everyone complained about the weather and rose to find thick cloaks to drape on.
"Something's not right." Michael blew warm air and said, "Vid, look!"
Feather-like intricate ice patterns appeared on the window glass, temperatures dropped rapidly to bone-chilling cold, and everyone suddenly felt as if thrown from warmth into freezing outdoors.
Vid thought this scene looked very familiar... like he'd seen it somewhere in his memory...
Then, the train, which had been slowing down, suddenly shook and stopped on the tracks, the newly turned-on lights went off, and the surroundings became eerily quiet.
"What's going on?"
"Did you step on my foot?"
"Who? Stop pushing me!"
"Lumos!"
Vid pointed his magic wand, illuminating the compartment brightly; he saw Neville had fallen, and Harry frantically adjusting his skewed glasses.
Other compartments lit up one after another, and Vid heard Hermione's voice: "Surely it's a train malfunction, at least the Warmth Spell failed—who'll go with me to ask the conductor what's happening?"
"Wait, Hermione... Better not run around now!" Padma quickly advised.
"You stay here, Padma." Hermione held her glowing magic wand, opened the compartment, turned back and said, "I'll be right back."
"Wait, Hermione—"
"I'll come with you!"
Harry managed to pull out his magic wand from his pocket and said quickly, Ron also came running from another compartment.
"Go back, don't move!"
Vid finally pushed past blocking students and walked out of the compartment, emphasizing, "Stay in the compartments and don't move!"
Hermione was startled by his expression, and Padma pulled her back.
Vid had already sensed it...
An icy chill swept through him, seeming to drain all happiness away, freezing breath, making his body uncontrollably shiver...
From the other end of the train, terrified screams of students were heard.
Vid gritted his teeth and swung his magic wand—
"Expecto Patronum!"
A dazzling silver eagle flew out, spreading its broad wings and swiftly flapping down the corridor, striking a monster as tall as the ceiling at the end of the hallway.
It was a Dementor.
It stood outside a compartment, making effortful inhaling motions, cloaked entirely in black, revealing only a scabby, rotten hand.
It seemed to want to grab something... or someone, but before it succeeded, it was hit squarely in the chest by the silver eagle.
The Dementor was knocked away, as light as having no weight at all. The silver eagle didn't let up, chasing after it, until it drove the figure off the train.
At that moment, the silver eagle also flew out, soaring back and forth around the train, moonbeam-like wings leaving bright glows behind, completely illuminating the train's exterior.
At this point, students realized there were many Dementors around the train, densely hovering in the air, circling but unable to break past the silver eagle's protection.
Vid heard his teeth grinding out creaky noises.
He suddenly recalled Rita Skeeter's intelligence—"The Ministry of Magic sent a special unit to capture Obscurus..."
Indeed, it was a special unit... Dementors can decipher human emotions, draining happiness and hope, creating decay and despair... and Obscurus is born from despair and pain...
The Ministry tried to use the attraction between Dark Creatures to find hidden Obscurus, but didn't consider whether they would truly control these entities!
Vid struggled to maintain the silver eagle, unsure if his magic power was insufficient, or because the students' joy was too tempting, the Dementors, although driven a distance away, still lingered, unwilling to leave.
The silver eagle couldn't chase these guys away because the train was too long... chasing one direction allowed Dementors from another direction to approach.
If only there were two Patronuses, even slightly weaker, Vid could let the Patronus attack the Dementors!
But the Patronus Charm is not something a student must learn, on this train, perhaps only Vid and Harry have mastered it... right, Harry...
"Harry, what are you doing!" Vid gritted: "Patronus Charm!"
Harry shakily stood from his seat, his face horribly pale, yet persisted in drawing out his magic wand.
"Expecto... Expecto Patronum! Ex... Ex... Expecto..."
Silver mist wisps emitted from the tip of the wand, resembling his initial learning level, the flickering mist exuding faint light, weak like a candle flame ready to extinguish.
"Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!"
Harry gasped, and relied on Neville's support to barely remain standing, trying hard to recall happy things, but hearing a woman's horrifying, desperate screams—
"Don't move Harry! Don't move Harry... Kill me instead... Show mercy... Show mercy..."
His head hurt as if torn open, Harry's vision suddenly darkened, and he fainted completely.
The wand "clattered" to the ground.
"Harry!"
Neville cried out in panic, trying hard to hold onto his fainted friend.
Vid broke into a cold sweat on his forehead.
Facing Dementors on this scale for the first time, no wonder Harry couldn't withstand... but what now? Just persist like this? Until other wizards arrive?
A drop of sweat fell to the floor.
"Hang in there, Vid!" Michael shouted, "I've already sent messages to my dad and the professors at school!"
"Me too! My mom said she'll come as soon as possible!"
"My aunt works at the Ministry of Magic! They'll definitely find a way!"
Originally frozen stiff in fear, the students now spoke loudly, desperately flipping through their Friendship Books, searching for any help.
But the train now stopped in the wilderness, none of the students could pinpoint their exact location, even if their parents wanted to Apparate in support, they could only estimate a range and then search.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Vid's vision suddenly brightened, a silver Doberman sprinted through the air, becoming increasingly brighter... directly charging toward the Dementor at the train's tail...
Vid turned abruptly to see Professor Abigail wielding her magic wand, standing outside the train, the wand's tip gleaming with silver light.