Kyle hadn't even managed to find Hermione on the Hogwarts Express before the sudden, piercing screech of wheels grinding against the tracks echoed outside the window.
The abrupt braking triggered a series of bangs and thuds throughout the train, signaling that luggage was tumbling from the overhead racks. Then, all the lights flickered out simultaneously, plunging the entire train into total darkness.
Everything around them fell silent, save for the fierce lashing of rain against the windows, creating a rhythmic pitter-patter. Kyle glanced out the window, trying to discern what had caused such a sudden halt. He saw nothing but dark clouds stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
Students began trickling out of their compartments, one after another, wondering what was happening.
"Everyone, get back to your compartments!" Percy's voice drifted over from the far end of the corridor.
"Percy, what's going on?" Kyle used a Wand-Lighting Charm to illuminate the interior of the carriage.
"Oh, Kyle, it's you. I'm not entirely sure myself..."
Just then, the door near the carriage coupling swung open, accompanied by a faint, rattling intake of breath. A cloaked figure, tall enough to brush the ceiling, drifted in through the door. Its face was completely hidden beneath a tattered hood, and a hand—slimy and gray, looking like dead flesh that had rotted in water—protruded from the cloak.
Percy drew his wand and pointed it at the creature with a look of high alert, not forgetting to shield Kyle behind him.
Kyle really wanted to say: Brother, there's really no need. It's hard to say who's protecting whom here.
He recognized the thing at a glance: a Dementor. Looking at their posture, it seemed they intended to board the train and conduct a search.
Was the Ministry of Magic out of their minds? Why would they think Sirius would be hiding on the Hogwarts Express... Well, actually, Sirius was currently hiding on the Hogwarts Express.
But even if the Ministry had managed to stumble upon Sirius's hiding place like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, Kyle, who was harboring a Ministry fugitive, wasn't about to just indulge them.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver honey badger leaped past Percy, charging forward ferociously. It lunged at the Dementor and began to tear and bite at it with sheer violence.
For some reason, Kyle found that his Patronus was somewhat different from others. Back at New Nurmengard Castle, Dumbledore had used Occlumency to fabricate a false memory, leading a Boggart to believe that Kyle's greatest fear was a Dementor. This allowed the Boggart to simulate the form of a Dementor so that Kyle and Hermione could practice the Patronus Charm.
A Boggart is a magical creature of the Wizarding World—a shape-shifter that peers into your heart and turns into the thing you fear most.
Hermione's otter Patronus could only emit a specialized shockwave to repel the Boggart-Dementor, but it couldn't actually kill it. Kyle's honey badger, however, was different. When it encountered the Boggart-Dementor, it simply charged with reckless rage and shredded it to pieces with its claws.
Perhaps it was due to the differing natures of the animals. In any case, the hyper-aggressive honey badger reacted the same way when it encountered a real Dementor. It had to be said: there was a reason Kyle's Patronus took the form of a honey badger.
After using the Patronus Charm and the Shield Charm (Protego) to manifest Susanoo once again, Kyle followed the honey badger and charged.
He smashed through the iron plating of the carriage roof, leaving a massive hole. The once-enclosed carriage instantly turned into a "convertible."
Standing on top of the train, Kyle surveyed the surroundings. The Hogwarts Express was currently stopped on a high viaduct in the middle of a valley. The sky was swarming with Dementors, surrounding the train from all directions.
Kyle took a quick scan. Including those that had already boarded for the search, there were at least two hundred of them. Had the entire Dementor population of Azkaban moved here?
Was the Ministry of Magic insane? With this many Dementors, could they guarantee that none of them would lose their minds and give a student a Dementor's Kiss?
Kyle looked at the Dementors before him and suddenly formed the Ram hand seal.
Magic surged out of his body, the powerful airflow blowing Kyle's hair straight up. A skeletal upper body composed of solidified light began to rise in tandem with Kyle's movements. The Patronus Charm and the Shield Charm merged to form meridians and flesh, growing rapidly over the surface of the bones.
Immediately following that, ghostly blue Fiendfyre wrapped around the giant's body like a robe, condensing into a solid set of armor on its surface. The half-bodied Susanoo stood tall between heaven and earth, looming over the landscape.
Susanoo: Third Form!
At that moment, two silver Patronuses drifted out from the final carriage of the Hogwarts Express. However, compared to the thirty-meter-tall Susanoo, these two Patronuses were far too small.
Two weapons forged from the Patronus Charm appeared in Susanoo's hands. Kyle manipulated the giant to swing two silver blades of sword-qi toward the dense swarm of Dementors in the sky.
Wherever the silver sword-qi passed, the Dementors were shattered, dissolving into dust between heaven and earth. A warmth capable of cheering the human heart rippled outward with the sword-qi, instantly dispelling the chill the Dementors had brought to everyone's minds.
The students inside the train witnessed Susanoo's display of divine might, their faces filled with utter shock.
"Stop! Stop at once!"
A toad-like old witch scrambled onto the roof, screaming at Kyle in desperation. "This is a search authorized by the Ministry!"
The woman appeared to be an assistant to Minister Fudge—Umbridge, if he recalled correctly. He had seen her at the Ministry ten days ago. Because she was so exceptionally ugly, Kyle had a deep impression of her.
But what did a Minister's assistant matter? Kyle had absolutely no intention of acknowledging her.
A second torso extended from Susanoo's back, transforming it into a double-sided, four-armed form. One of the arms casually flicked a finger, instantly sending Umbridge flying.
The old witch screamed as she was launched off the roof of the train, over the edge of the viaduct, and straight down into the mountains.
Good riddance; fall to your death for all I care.
Kyle didn't give her a second glance, continuing to manipulate Susanoo to clear out the Dementors gathered around the train.
A wolf, a badger, and an otter—three silver Patronuses—danced nimbly through the air, blocking the Dementors' escape routes and driving them toward Susanoo. With a single strike of Susanoo's blade, four more Dementors vanished into ash in the blink of an eye.
Soon, there was no trace of a single Dementor left in the sky.
Kyle did not immediately disperse Susanoo. Instead, he had his honey badger Patronus dive back into the train, charging through from the engine all the way to the caboose to ensure no Dementors remained hidden.
Only after confirming the train was clear did Kyle release the Ram seal. The thirty-meter-tall Fiendfyre demon, losing its magical sustenance, began to slowly dissipate.
Kyle's magically magnified voice echoed from the roof to every corner of the train:
"The Dementors have been eliminated. Prefects, count the students of your respective Houses and confirm their safety. Do not leave a single person unaccounted for."
After delivering the order, Kyle jumped back into the carriage through the large hole in the roof.
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