Loren: When I Grow Up, I'll Become You

The silver light suddenly brightened, then slowly dimmed. After finishing today's Fiendfyre practice, Loren's consciousness withdrew from the Fantasy Book.

Loren spent a few minutes checking the crucible and adjusting the heat. He pulled back the black cloth cover, moved the Walnut Wood box in front of him, and knocked open two latches. The box, which had been trembling occasionally, was now quiet, as if a force was holding it shut from the inside.

Having skillfully constructed the false memories, Loren breathed a sigh of relief, adjusted his Occlumency, and began to guide the Boggart's strange Magic Power.

The box lid clicked open, and a chilling aura emanated from it. A pair of pale, corpse-spotted hands emerged from within. Accompanied by heavy breathing, the Dementor, shrouded in a black robe, slowly floated out, bringing with it an increasingly icy chill to the surrounding air.

Before it could react, the Patronus's Radiance, which had been prepared in advance, was slapped directly in the face. After imprisoning the Dementor, Loren stuffed a large mass of false memories, shimmering with silver light, into it.

Wisps of memory, like wisps of smoke, disappeared beneath the black hood. Loren sensed a faint connection between himself and the Dementor. He calmed his mind and focused on this connection, immersing himself in it.

After a few seconds, Loren's vision blurred, and he was looking down at the top of his head from a strange angle.

The Dementor's body was constantly responding to the sensations of cold and hunger, while the newly inserted memory cluster slowly and continuously radiated a warm and satisfying euphoria, like a comforting potato soup.

Although Boggart can transform into Dementor, he cannot fully mimic the characteristics of Dementor, and his memory processing speed is very slow.

Based on the current progress, this bundle of extra-sized potato food, "Good Memories," should be able to sustain Loren's control over this body for nearly ten minutes.

With the Patronus Charm's light receding, Loren manipulated the Dementor's body, causing it to float and drift into the air.

It was a very strange feeling. Although the Dementor's body was filled with a cold and sluggish feeling, and the joints were even a little stiff, it was exceptionally light. Flying was like an instinct, without the need for any wings or other power.

Walking around the ceiling, Loren held up his withered, rotting hand to his eyes, turning it over to examine it closely. The pale skin gleamed with a chilling light in the candlelight.

He had a feeling that while physical attacks could reach the body, they couldn't cause any damage.

It resembles a corpse, yet it is completely different from a corpse.

"Dementor ... Boggart ... what kind of beings are they..." Loren murmured softly.

Just then, the clock struck midnight, and before we knew it, it was time for the Castle lights to go out.

After packing my things, I came out of the Room of Requirement. All the torches and candlesticks in the corridor had been extinguished. The wind and rain outside the Castle were still howling, and strange noises came from the shadows of the corridor from time to time, which were eerie and frightening.

A gloomy castle, a stormy night, and eerie ghostly screams—it's a classic scene from a horror movie.

"Anyway, it's the weekend, no classes tomorrow..." Loren paused, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "And I'm doing this to help Harry ..."

A few minutes later, the parchment, still damp with ink, was folded into the shape of a paper crane. After Loren cast Impervius Charm on it, it wobbled and flew towards the Hospital Wing.

Late at night, in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing.

Madam Pomfrey had turned off the lights two hours earlier, leaving the Hospital Wing in complete darkness. The air in the ward was filled with the unique scent of detergent and herbs—a very distinctive smell that subtly made one feel at ease.

But Harry couldn't sleep. He lay on the hospital bed, staring intently at the ceiling, his eyes wide open like saucers.

Damn Dementor!

Because of this accident, the Animagus Ritual failed right at the start!

The Hogsmeade trip wasn't entirely satisfying!

"I really should ask Madam Pomfrey for some sleeping potion." Harry shook his head irritably, then sat up abruptly, grabbed his wand from the bedside table, and flicked out a few blue flames.

Using the warm, soft firelight, Harry climbed to the foot of the bed and began to count the gifts and well-wishes his friends had sent.

"Keep the candy Neville gave me..."

"We'll eat the fruit Seamus sent tomorrow..."

"Cookies from George and Fred?"

Harry paused, examined the packaging carefully, memorized it, and then stored the cookies in his Storage Scale. "I'll find a chance to send them back..."

"Today's Transfiguration?"

Harry paused, then remembered that it was left by Hermione before she left, saying that she hoped Animagus knowledge could keep him company during his boring hospital days.

Harry paused for a moment, wondering when Hermione would realize that no one but her would consider reading serious, educational books as a pastime.

Even Loren wouldn't do.

"Next!"

Harry muttered something, pulled a greeting card from the pile of gifts, and before he could think, he had already opened it with both hands.

A shrill, high-pitched voice, like that of House-elf, suddenly burst from the letter, shrilling, "Harry Potter! Get well soon! Defeat the Dementor! Win the Quidditch Cup!..."

Harry's pupils dilated violently, his scalp tingled, and he hurriedly slammed the envelope shut, then threw it onto the table in fright.

But the magic on the letter was activated; the folds opened and closed repeatedly, like a giant mouth singing loudly on the table.

"Harry Potter— "

Harry pressed the envelope firmly, glanced around, and placed the thickest and heaviest-looking book, "Today's Transfiguration," on top of it, using the power of knowledge to prevent it from summoning Madam Pomfrey.

"It must be another prank by George and Fred, how awful!"

Just as Harry breathed a sigh of relief, a paper crane flew in from outside the curtain and wobbled to a stop in front of him.

Unfold the paper crane; there's only one simple sentence on it. "Come quickly to the room in the Third Floor Corridor!"

The ink wasn't completely dry yet; it looked like it had just been written. The handwriting was unfamiliar; it wasn't from someone he knew...

Who wrote this letter? What was their intention? Was it to murder him?

Harry's eyes gleamed as he silently pondered the various possibilities.

The Third Floor Corridor, the room where Fluffy, hid during his first year, but Fluffy had already been sent away by Hagrid, and that room had been abandoned for a long time... Voldemort was far away overseas, Wormtail Peter had been brought to justice, and the other Death Eater were blocked outside the school by the Dementor, so no one could sneak in.

Not one of Voldemort's men.

Who could it be?

In the pitch-black hospital room late at night, Harry's eyes shone brighter than the floating blue flames. Thinking back to the prank items he had just played, he felt he had a vague idea of the truth.

George and Fred?

Possibly!

Loren?

Possibly!

Malfoy and his despicable Slytherin gang?

That's possible!

Harry used his clever but sleepless mind to think things through and was surprised to find that so many people at school wanted to harm him. Although it wasn't a murder that endangered his personal safety, the idea of trying to prank him and embarrass him was just as malicious.

After some thought, Harry took out the Invisibility Cloak from the Storage Scale and decided to take the initiative.

On the other side, after releasing the paper cranes, Loren walked briskly to the room on the Fourth Floor.

"[The Alohomora] "

Loren pushed the door gently, but the wooden door was too old; the rusty metal hinges creaked and groaned, the sound carrying far down the quiet corridor.

The room was filled with a lingering, unpleasant body odor belonging to Fluffy.

Loren took out his wand, and a soft, milky-white light emanated from its tip, illuminating the not-so-spacious room.

Cobwebs were stuck in the corner, and dust clung to them. Dumbledore probably forgot to lift the ban on entering, as no House-elf had come in to clean for the past two years.

The Trapdoor on the ground was open, and Loren aimed his wand at the hole below, spraying several orbs of light into the darkness.

It seemed that the Devil's Snare had come back to life, its tendrils intertwined and completely obscuring the entrance to the cave.

Loren paced back and forth in the room, pondering how to give Harry a sufficiently exciting surprise, when a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

Why does this feel like something Dumbledore would do?

Squeak—

The creaking of old pages filled the air as the door to the Hospital Wing slowly opened, revealing a narrow passageway that could only accommodate one person at a time. A few seconds later, the door slowly closed again.

During the opening and closing of the door, not a single person could be seen, not even when Mr. Filch, the caretaker, patrolled by.

Harry hid behind the Invisibility Cloak, as if draped in a light veil, and the outside world was slightly blurry when viewed through Invisibility Cloak.

The rumble of thunder surged through the high clouds, the wind lashed against the ancient Castle walls, and through the drizzling rain, the dull thud of breaking branches echoed from the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

In the quiet yet noisy late night, Harry walked alone in the long, empty corridor. Unconsciously, Harry slowed his breathing and relaxed his steps.

It was dark and quiet. To get from the Hospital Wing on the Second Floor to the Fourth Floor, you had to pass through some places.

Professor Lupin's office light was still on, and the sound of running water came from the Girls' Bathroom; perhaps Moaning Myrtle hadn't gone to bed yet, or perhaps ghosts didn't need to rest...

Harry's mind was in turmoil.

The passageway where Mrs. Norris was once petrified has been restored to its original state; the writing on the walls has been removed, leaving only a few unrecognizable scratches.

Do other traces on the Castle walls also hold equally exciting adventures, left behind by former professors and students?

"By the time we all graduate, probably no one will remember the story of the Basilisk and the Chamber of Secrets anymore..." Harry thought. "That might be a good thing."

A few minutes later, Harry arrived outside the Third Floor Corridor, where the old wooden door was half-open.

Harry remembered this room. Not long after school started, he was tricked by Loren into going out at night, and that's where he saw the Fluffy. The second time he came, he was caught red-handed by Headmaster Dumbledore... And then things got even more exciting when he ran into Voldemort!

Harry took a deep breath, somewhat disappointed that the door-opening spell he had mastered was useless. With a creaking sound, Harry, hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, pushed the door open and went inside.

The room was pitch black; you couldn't see anything.

Harry felt his breath hit the Invisibility Cloak and bounce back, and he could feel some heat.

He hesitated whether to turn on the light, worried that someone might attack—whether it was George, Fred, or Loren, they were all capable of doing such a thing.

Bang--

The wooden door behind him slammed shut with a heavy thud.

A familiar, terrifying chill spread out, like icy tentacles reaching out to Harry's skin, making his hair stand on end and his skin crawl with goosebumps.

At the same time, he realized that something was moving in the room.

Damn it, not again!

Harry cursed inwardly. He had just been thrown off his flying broom by the Dementor during the day, and now he had run into this damned thing at night!

The Invisibility Cloak was useless against the Dementor. Without thinking, Harry immediately lifted the Invisibility Cloak, waved his wand, and unleashed a burst of blue flames that illuminated the entire room.

A Dementor hovered above the Trapdoor, its entire body covered in a long black robe, wrapped from head to toe in a black cloak. Its face was obscured by the robe, revealing only a pair of empty eyes that gleamed with a green light, like cold, sharp blades piercing the mind and causing dizziness.

The icy water poured into my chest through my nasal cavity, cutting into my internal organs. My whole body began to feel cold, and I started to shiver uncontrollably.

Harry seemed to vaguely see the scene from that night again, and the terrifying green light of the curse.

As Harry's eyes began to roll upwards, seemingly about to faint again, Loren, who was controlling the Dementor, was stunned. He knew Harry was somewhat fragile, but he hadn't expected him to be this fragile.

He quickly withdrew some of the Dementor's Magic Power, otherwise he would have had to take him back to the Hospital Wing later.

"Huffing and puffing—"

"Huffing and puffing—"

Harry, panting heavily, suddenly felt the suffocation lessen for some reason. Harry struggled to concentrate, trying to recall Professor Lupin's instructions, his mind filled with happy memories, and he chanted the incantation in a low voice: "[Patronus Charm]".

A cloud-like, silvery-white radiance burst forth, like boiling steam from a boiler, quickly dispelling the biting chill that enveloped the body.

Before Harry could even catch his breath, an even stronger chill rushed back, constantly squeezing his Patronus's radiance.

The two forces converged in mid-air, constantly vying for dominance.

But the chill was growing thicker and heavier, and Harry felt his breath becoming icy cold, like raindrops outside.

Harry tried to put aside the growing despair and desperately searched his mind for happy memories.

"Happy memories..."

Receiving her first Hogwarts acceptance letter, witnessing the magic firsthand through Hagrid ... meeting Ron, Loren, Hermione on the train... enjoying a delicious meal at the opening banquet...

She learned of her parents' love for her and met Sirius Black for the first time...

Vivid images flashed before Harry's eyes; he seemed to feel a continuous flow of power being poured into his wand, transforming into a radiant Patronus glow—

But the heavy, thick chill continued to draw closer!

For a moment, Harry felt dizzy. The muffled thunder seemed to stop, the howling wind and rain disappeared, and the faint screams in his ears faded away.

Under the Dementor' chilling gaze, Harry inexplicably recalled the marks on the wall he had seen on the way here, the simple brass lock hanging outside the room door, and the Trapdoor trapdoors...

Those life-or-death adventures I went through with my friends form a line, leading to the image of us lying together in the Hospital Wing...

Harry forced a smile, his lips twitching slightly.

"[Put Your God - Guardian] "