Harry and the other two had arrived rather late this time. Most of the compartments on the train were already full. After searching for a long time, they finally found one occupied by only a single person, with just enough room for the three of them.
After stowing their luggage, Ron pointed at the unfamiliar man beside them and asked curiously,
"Who's he?"
Hermione studied him for a moment before answering,
"Professor Lupin."
"How do you know everything?" Ron asked curiously.
Hermione rolled her eyes and pointed at the suitcase beside the stranger.
"Are you an idiot? His name is written on his trunk. Remus Lupin."
"Fine." Ron fell silent, feeling rather stupid indeed.
The three chatted in the compartment, and Harry told Hermione and Ron about Sirius Black's escape from prison.
Ron's face filled with terror as he asked fearfully,
"Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to hunt you down?"
Hermione comforted him.
"It's okay, Harry. Everyone is looking for him. They'll catch him soon enough.
"And you're very strong. You don't need to be afraid of Sirius!"
Ron was still worried. "But no one has ever escaped from Azkaban before. And he's a madman addicted to murder."
"It's fine. I can handle him." Harry did not believe Sirius could hurt him.
Besides, he felt that something was suspicious about the matter. Even when he had looked through the case files from Sirius's conviction, he had found plenty of loopholes.
So Harry guessed that Sirius had very likely been falsely accused!
Just as the three of them were sharing stories about their summer, the train suddenly jolted violently. A piercing metallic screech rang out from outside, and the Hogwarts Express came to a stop in the middle of its journey.
Hermione looked out the window in confusion, but rainwater clinging