Lupin: This Is Third Year?

Professor Lupin slept soundly throughout the journey, chatting idly. While they talked, the train had already left London, speeding along fields dotted with cattle and sheep; through the windows, one could see fields and pastures rushing past.

Around midnight, dark clouds began to gather in the sky, stretching out in a continuous line, making the sky gloomy and overcast.

"It looks like it's about to rain." Hermione straightened up and glanced out the window, then looked at Professor Lupin, who was sleeping soundly by the window. The window was slightly ajar, and a cold wind was whistling in through the crack.

The little Witch thought for a moment and whispered, "Should we help the professor close the window? He'll catch a cold."

"I'll do it." Loren got up and gently closed the window without waking Lupin.

Just then, a plump Witch with dimples and a friendly smile pushed open the door to the cubicle, "Darling, would you like to buy some food from the car?"

The four exchanged a glance and smiled in unison.

"I'll buy it! I still have some bonus left from my trip to Egypt, and Mom gave me some pocket money!" Ron jumped up and went into the aisle.

Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Bubbling Brew, Chocolate Frog, Pumpkin Pasties, Crucible Cake... and all sorts of other strange and wonderful foods, I sold a little of each.

"Twelve Silver Sickle, cheaper than I thought!" Ron grinned as he carried a huge pile of snacks into the private room and dumped them onto the table.

Two years ago, when they were still freshmen, he met Harry for the first time, and Harry had bought just as many snacks. Ron still remembered the somewhat awkward scene from that time; familiar faces and familiar places, yet he felt a different kind of connection.

But Ron didn't think much of it; he just wanted to treat his friends to a good meal before his allowance was squandered or tricked away by the Twins.

"And this too, it's on me!" Ron pulled out a bulging cardboard box and opened it, revealing four sandwiches inside. "Smoked meat sandwiches, at least she remembered I don't like corned beef."

"Mrs. Weasley also prepared one for me." Harry took out a similar cardboard box, opened it, and revealed the same bacon sandwich inside.

Ron picked up a sandwich, took a bite, and mumbled, "A little dry... a little cold... needs to be heated up."

Loren pulled out a glass jar of honey, shook his wand, and tossed in two blue flames. "Let's put it up here and roast it for a while."

"Praise be to Loren!" Ron cheered, stacking the two sandwich boxes on top of the glass jar.

The aroma of the smoked meat slowly wafted out as it was grilled. Mrs. Weasley's cooking was superb; the sandwiches, which had been sitting for several hours, still looked tempting after being reheated.

"Meow~" Crookshanks popped out of the wicker basket, put its hind feet on the seat, pawed at the small table with its front paws, and stared at the glass jar with its bright yellow eyes.

Ron paused for a moment when he saw its persimmon-like face. "What an ugly cat."

"Crookshanks, don't run around!" Hermione called out, picking Crookshanks up and bringing him back. Then she glared at Ron. "Nonsense, Crookshanks is absolutely gorgeous!"

Harry stared at Crookshanks ' face and fell silent for a moment.

At the crucial moment, Loren stepped forward, grinning as he handed each of them a Chocolate Frog: "Eat, eat..."

The clouds grew thicker and thicker, and the sky outside grew increasingly gloomy. Around three or four in the afternoon, the long-brewing rain finally began to fall. The train clattered and rattled, the raindrops pattered, and the wind howled outside the window, but Professor Lupin remained asleep.

Listening to the sound of rain hitting the car window, Loren and the others felt their hearts gradually calm down. Hermione stroked Crookshanks ' ginger-yellow fur, and its eyelids began to droop, and it soon fell asleep.

"Approximately when will we arrive?" Loren turned his head to look out the window.

"Based on the experience of the past two years, after dark," Harry said somewhat uncertainly.

Ron, engrossed in playing Gomoku on the table, defeated Harry again. As he ate the pieces, he chuckled and said, "If we were driving Flying Car, we'd be a little faster. If we were riding Firebolt, we'd be even faster."

"Spare the Whomping Willow, and Mr. Weasley too." Harry rolled his eyes at him. "The Whomping Willow, who's older than us, was almost killed by us. Your dad got a huge fine for his Flying Car, and if he hadn't won the grand prize, his sandwiches today would be bread slices on bread."

Ron continued to chuckle.

The undulating mountains outside the window became blurry. The train continued speeding northward. The rain grew heavier, and the train window turned a watery gray, gradually darkening.

Loren used his Magic Sight to look out of the car again and again, but still couldn't see the Dementor. He gently scratched Crookshanks's chin, making it purr contentedly.

Crookshanks opened his eyes a crack, kicked away Hermione's hand that was stroking his fur, and crawled away from her legs. He curled up in Loren's arms.

Hermione: "..."

Caught off guard by the little Witch's annoyed expression, Loren couldn't help but chuckle, "Hermione?"

"Um?"

"Want to eat Cockroach Clusters?" Loren pinched a Cockroach Clusters and brought it to her mouth.

"I won't eat! Ugh... I won't..."

The sky outside grew darker and darker; whether it was the setting sun or the thick clouds, it eventually became completely invisible. With a click, the lights in the aisle and on the luggage racks suddenly switched on.

Shortly after the lights came on, the sound of the wheels gradually disappeared, and the train was slowing down, seemingly about to stop.

"Great!" Ron quickly shook his head to shake off the drowsiness, a gesture he seemed to have learned from Crookshanks. He stood up and carefully walked past Professor Lupin, trying to get a better look out the window. "Let's get off quickly, I can't wait to get to the banquet!"

Hermione glanced at her watch, her expression serious. "We still have an hour until we arrive."

"Then why did it stop?" Harry asked.

Loren stood up and looked down into the aisle. Throughout the carriage, countless young wizards' heads peeked out curiously from their compartments.

The train screeched to a stop, the braking inertia causing some luggage to fall from the racks with a clattering sound. Then, inexplicably, all the lights went out, plunging the entire train into complete darkness.

"What happened?"

"My foot! Who stepped on my foot?"

Before the train stopped, there was a compartment in the middle of the Express Train, the closest to the door.

Neville shifted his position further inside.

But Hannah, standing next to her, immediately moved closer. The girl had rosy cheeks and two golden braids. She shared the Chocolate Frog wizard card in her hand with Neville, muttering, "Look, another Dumbledore. They really should print fewer Dumbledore cards; that would make the headmaster seem more mysterious."

"Yes, yes." Neville stammered for some reason.

Since his parents regained consciousness, his grandmother always said he had grown up and hadn't stuttered all summer. But he was a little flustered when faced with the girl's enthusiasm.

Hannah swung her legs casually, "Neville, tell me about your parents. During the holidays, many patrons at the Leaky Cauldron were talking about the Lumbard couple ' fame."

Just then, the train suddenly stopped and the lights went out.

"Ah--"

Hannah lost her balance and fell forward.

Neville quickly reached out to support her arm, making sure the girl was seated firmly before letting go. "Are you alright?"

"N-nothing." Hannah's heart pounded. She stared blankly at Neville, sensing that Neville seemed different than usual. "Neville, I—"

"Shh." Neville stopped her from speaking, and amidst the chatter of the young wizards, they heard the car door open.

In the dim light of the day, they seemed to see something boarding the vehicle.

Along with those things came an unsettling chill, not the coolness brought by autumn rain, but a more chilling cold that made one's soul tremble.

"Stay put," Neville whispered, pushing open the cubicle door and slowly walking out.

Hannah heard the compartment door close, followed by a slight popping sound, and a flickering flame illuminated the compartment and the car door. In the flame's light, she could see what was boarding the car.

A cloaked figure, tall and imposing, nearly touched the ceiling. A hand extended from beneath the cloak, unlike that of a normal creature; devoid of flesh, a withered, grayish-white human skin clung to the bones, gleaming eerily, seemingly covered in slime and lividity, like something rotting in water after death.

The moment Neville saw the Dementor, he felt breathless, a wave of dizziness washing over him. In his dazed state, he heard screams from afar, the sounds of Bellatrix Lestrange's torture... groans, the cries of agony from those tormented by the Cruciatus Curse...

Neville nearly fainted.

"Neville! Neville!" Hannah's panicked voice came through the cubicle door.

Seeing that he had regained consciousness, Hannah's face lit up with surprise, and she immediately grabbed the doorknob, trying to open the door and pull Neville back inside.

"Stay put!" Neville braced himself against the cubicle door, panting heavily. He glanced back at the Dementor.

The thing seemed to be adapting to the almost overflowing atmosphere of joy in the carriage, slowly inhaling deeply, indulging in the positive and happy mood of the little wizards, moving very slowly.

Ever since news of Lestrange's escape broke, Dad has been seeking a chance to get back in his position or, more accurately, to get revenge, and he's been paying close attention to news from the Ministry of Magic.

As someone from Aurors family, he naturally knew what that thing was, and even why it had come to be. At the same time, he also knew that this thing was mentally unstable and difficult to communicate with, and might lose control at any moment when faced with a whole cart of tempting food.

"Listen, Hannah, I'm going to get help right now. Try not to alert the thing, I'll be right back."

Hannah nodded obediently, Lomberton was now exceptionally convincing.

Neville strode toward the back of the car... He instinctively felt that the other person was more reliable than the Prefect and the chairman.

As he walked away, a dark shadow slowly drifted past.

Hannah's eyes widened suddenly. She wanted to scream, but it seemed as if an invisible hand was gripping her throat, the scream stuck in her throat. A pervasive chill, mixed with fear and panic, seeped into her lungs with each breath and then spread throughout her body.

The ghostly thing seemed to be attracted by Neville and floated over following his footsteps!

After the Dementor left the carriage, Hannah sobbed twice, wiped her eyes, and resolutely pushed open the compartment door, running towards the Prefect's compartment at the front of the carriage.

The cubicle door suddenly opened, and a chubby figure squeezed in, flustered but forcing himself to remain calm. "Loren, the Dementor, get on the bus—"

Before Neville could finish speaking, he saw Harry's eyes roll upwards, and he slumped off his seat and onto the floor.

"Harry!" Ron lunged at him.

Seeing the others staring incredulously behind him, Neville suddenly realized what had happened, and a wave of intense self-reproach washed over him—he had attracted the Dementor!

Loren and Hermione immediately drew their wands and aimed them at the Dementor.

A rustling sound came from beneath the dirty, tattered cloak. A bone-chilling cold had somehow enveloped them. A strange shadow seemed to be twisting and writhing beneath the cloak, and black mist carrying negative emotions churned and swirld, flowing out from under the cloak and constantly being generated.

Just one glance at the Dementor and a flood of painful memories surged from the depths of my heart. Joy and positive emotions seemed to be absorbed by the Dementor along with the air and the chill, while indifference and negativity were spreading.

This was the first time Hermione had Dementor so closely, and she felt goosebumps rise all over her body. She could also feel Crookshanks trembling. The last encounter at sea was too far away; it was over before she could even get a good look at it.

The next second, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, pulling her back a step.

Looking at the Dementor before him, Loren smiled and said softly, "You're in big trouble if you run into me."

Upon hearing this, Neville suddenly felt his tense heart calm down, and a strange feeling arose in his mind, as if he should be afraid of the Dementors, not the Dementor.

"[Patronus Charm] "

A soft, silvery glow suddenly filled the entire field of vision, sweeping out like the flames of a gas explosion, melting away the omnipresent chill, dazzling and intense yet not blinding.

The moment the silver light appeared, Neville noticed that the Dementor opposite him suddenly froze, as if some kind of instinctive fear had descended upon it. The next instant, the Dementor turned around and flew backward quickly, but the silver light had already enveloped it.

The black smoke continued to dissipate, and faint, eerie screams echoed from beneath the cloak.

A dazzling silver-white light enveloped the entire carriage and surged towards the front of the train. The wind howled outside, carrying with it similar eerie screams. Through the glow of the Patronus Charm, Neville could see the Dementor fleeing outside.

A sense of unease rose in Neville's heart; it seemed that the silver light he had seen was not the whole picture, but only a corner of Loren's power.

Behind the young wizards, Remus Lupin stared in disbelief at the scene.

Are all the students at Hogwarts this level now?

So what should I teach?