This year, I boarded the Hogwarts Express a little earlier than usual. While relaxing in an empty compartment and reading the latest release from Lockhart Publishing,
a story about an eccentric protagonist who loves magical creatures and gets caught up in an incident in New York, the door suddenly opened and both familiar and unfamiliar faces came in.
"Elainaaaaa!"
The one who burst into my compartment shouting at the top of her lungs was a black-haired, boyish, energetic girl. She was Saya, a junior one year below me. Through a twist of fate, I had taught her magic last year, and we had also run around together trying to resolve the "Chamber of Secrets" incident.
"I never thought I'd run into you here! What a coincidence! Is this destiny?"
Saya's eyes glistened as she forcefully grabbed my hand.
"It's destiny, right!? That means we have no choice but to get married, right!?"
"Well, marriage aside… it's been a while. You look well, Saya."
"Yes! Thanks to this hat and this treasure, I'm doing great!"
In her hand was the handkerchief I had given her last year, carefully preserved inside a ziplock bag. Heavy…
"It was worth searching for you all this time!"
"That's no longer a coincidence. That's just stalking."
Ever since last year's incident, for some reason, Saya had grown attached to me. Even during summer vacation, she sent me letters almost every day. At first, I diligently replied, but it gradually became troublesome, so I started spacing out my responses and giving half-hearted replies in hopes it would naturally fizzle out. Unfortunately, she refused to give up.
"Sis, is this the woman?"
Behind Saya stood a stunning girl with long black hair who looked oddly sultry for her age. Leaning lazily against the wall, she pulled a very "legitimate wife" move on Saya. From her gaze, I could clearly sense the unspoken message: "Who are you to Saya? Not that I'm handing her over to anyone."
"Oh, I'll introduce you to Mina too. This is Elaina!"
"…I see."
After staring me down as if I were a cheating partner, the girl called Mina gave a small bow.
"I'm Mina, Saya's younger sister. Thank you for taking care of my sister last year."
"Oh, it was nothing at all… ehehe."
"There's something I haven't told you, Sis."
Somehow, I was beginning to understand the dynamic between these sisters.
"I'm Elaina. Nice to meet you, Mina."
I shook hands with Mina, and the sisters took seats on the opposite side of the compartment.
"Listen to this, Elaina. After we found out I could stay at Hogwarts until graduation thanks to earning the Special Award for Services to the School, Mina suddenly said she wanted to go to Hogwarts too."
"Well, Sis, you can't do anything on your own, can you?"
"See? This is what I'm talking about. Isn't that awful?"
She complained, but Saya didn't seem entirely unhappy. And why, exactly, was I being made to listen to the sisters' lovey-dovey banter?
"By the way, Mina, do you have a house you'd like to be sorted into?"
Trying to steer the conversation away, I asked, and Mina tilted her head slightly before answering.
"I looked into a lot of things, but Ravenclaw seems like the best fit for me. I don't dislike studying."
"Eh? Come to Gryffindor with me, Mina!"
"I get how you feel, Sis, but you shouldn't choose your house just based on familiarity."
Saya flailed about noisily, while Mina replied coolly and calmly. At this point, it was hard to tell which one was the older sister. Mina had initially been openly wary of me, but after talking for a bit, she seemed quite composed for a first-year, essentially a calm, model-student type.
Before long, as the three of us ate sweets and chatted idly, the sky gradually clouded over, and light raindrops began to fall.
The weather on the island of Great Britain is usually overcast, with many days covered in gray clouds that make it unclear whether it will rain or not. Heavy rain is rare. Instead, a light drizzle will fall softly, then stop again shortly after. That pattern is the norm.
This is because the warm Gulf Stream flows in from the Atlantic, making the climate relatively mild for the latitude, while low-pressure systems originating from the Arctic push down from the north. These two air currents collide overhead, making cloudy skies more likely.
However, on this day, the rain showed no sign of stopping and pounded against the windows, while the wind howled loudly as well. It was abnormal weather, closer to a mild storm.
"Heading to the castle by boat from the lake in this weather… Mina, you're really unlucky to—whoa!?"
Mid-sentence, the train suddenly began to slow down, and I nearly bit my tongue.
"Elaina, what happened?"
"A person-on-tracks accident?"
"That wouldn't happen on the Hogwarts Express."
As I tried to calm a slightly anxious Saya, Mina responded with a composed, matter-of-fact comment.
"A malfunction seems unlikely. If it were a train robbery or terrorism…"
Even as we speculated, the train continued to lose speed, until it finally came to a jolt and stopped on top of an arched bridge.
"Something's moving out there. Ah, it looks like someone's getting on!"
As Saya wiped the fog from the window and peered outside, the next instant, all the lights in the train suddenly went out at once, plunging everything into pitch darkness.
"E-Elaina…"
Taking advantage of the chaos, Saya pressed herself close to me. Whether she thought it was a good opportunity or was genuinely scared was hard to say. I left her as she was and, just in case, took out my wand.
"Lumos. Light."
First, I illuminated the darkness to check our surroundings. Mina was trembling slightly but bravely held her wand at the ready. As for Saya…
"Elaina, you smell so good… ehehe♡"
With a completely dazed expression, drool was dripping down her chin.
"Please stop that, Saya. Molesting someone is a crime."
"Molesting? No way, I was only…!"
"What else should I call those filthy hands of yours slipping under my skirt?"
"It is love!"
Smack.
"Ow!?"
For the moment, I pried the sex offender Saya off me and shoved her toward Mina.
"Oooh…"
Saya curled up on the floor holding her head where she had been thumped, while Mina let out a weary sigh. Even so, she patted her sister's head lightly, as if soothing a child.
"Sis…♡"
I looked away from Mina's increasingly dangerous eyes and breath, and opened the door to check outside.
Peeking my head out, I saw several other students doing the same, leaning out of their compartment doors and looking around to see what had happened.
"Hey, look over there…"
Someone muttered, and when they did, everyone's eyes shifted toward the far end of the corridor, the opposite direction from where I was looking. I turned my head to follow their gaze, and—
"What is that…?"
At the end of their line of sight stood a dark, shadowy figure, swaying like an apparition. Its head was hidden beneath a hood, and a tattered black cloak fluttered around its tall frame. The tiny bit of its hand that was visible was covered in scabs and glowed cold gray-white, like a corpse rotting underwater.
"A Dementor…"
It was a creature that thrives only in the darkest, foulest places, flourishing in decay and despair. It was one of the terrifying jailers who should only exist in Azkaban Prison, from which escape is said to be impossible.
When the Dementor began to inhale deeply, a chilling cold washed over everyone. The windows frosted over, the chill burrowed deep beneath our skin, and it felt as though it would freeze our hearts themselves.
To them, human happiness is sustenance. Just by being near, they spread despair and misery. I hurried to retreat back into our compartment when, from somewhere far down the train, we heard a shout.
"Expecto Patronum—Come forth, guardian spirit!"
In the next instant, a shining silver guardian burst from a nearby compartment and drove the foul creature away. As the Dementor fled from the Patronus, lights flickered back to life in the train, and warmth slowly returned to the air.
"W-What was that…?"
Back inside, Saya and Mina were clinging tightly to each other. Their faces were pale, and their fingers still trembled.
"A Dementor. A dark magical creature, and a guard of Azkaban Prison."
As I handed them each some chocolate to calm them down, their color gradually returned. Mina spoke hesitantly.
"Why would something like that be here…?"
"Most likely they are searching for the wanted man, Sirius Black."
I took a bite of chocolate myself, and warmth spread slowly through my hands and feet.
"That was really scary…"
Saya's voice was thin and shaky, and her shoulders trembled with unease.
"When it came near us, I thought I might never feel happy ever again…"
I held Saya's hand gently, trying to comfort her. Little by little, she relaxed, and her cheeks flushed faintly with warmth.
Even Saya must have been deeply shaken, because after that she remained unusually quiet. We spent the rest of the trip to Hogwarts nibbling chocolate and speaking only in murmurs.
(End of chapter)
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