Compared to the cheerful Compartment W, the students in the other cubicles felt the temperature had suddenly dropped.
It's pouring rain outside, and the temperature shouldn't have dropped this drastically.
I didn't feel cold physically; the chill felt more like it came from my soul.
The car was slowing down, as if it was about to stop.
"Have we arrived?" Astora poked her little head out of the cubicle.
With a "clunk," the train really came to a stop.
It was a bit sudden, and she almost fell over.
However, compared to Hogwarts Castle, this little accident is nothing.
It seemed as if a gust of wind blew by, and the kerosene lamps in the corridor were going out one by one.
The students craned their necks, seemingly wondering why the train had stopped midway.
Astoria shivered and returned to the brightly lit cubicle.
"What happened?" Vincent stuck the alchemical lighting tools on the wall.
"I have no idea."
The Hogwarts Express is protected by multiple magical spells, making the possibility of an accident virtually zero.
The braking was a bit sudden; it seems there really was an accident.
"Squeak—" A piercing sound, like a knife tip scraping against glass, rang out.
Everyone looked out the window and saw a dark figure, like half a cloak, drifting past in the downpour.
"What's that?" Hermione instinctively crossed her arms.
It's only September, but it feels like winter already.
Another dark figure drifted by.
George, ever the easygoing one, joked, "Maybe we ran into some kind of dark creature."
Qiu Chao breathed on her cold palms and said, "Don't joke around, there's magic on the train to drive them away."
The shadowy figure drifted by for the third time, and a thin layer of fog rose on the glass.
Vincent reached out and wiped the foggy area.
Not the outside, but the inside.
The temperature did not change, but the fog quickly spread back and even condensed into water vapor.
He looked back and saw that they were all trembling, while the few cute pets were on alert.
What's wrong with you?
"It's cold," Fred, rubbing his hands together. "Dude, don't you feel cold?"
"I don't think so." Vincent shrugged and looked at the windowpane, which was covered with a thin layer of frost.
"Squeak—" The piercing sound rang out again.
Even if they couldn't see clearly, they knew the shadowy figure had returned.
"Ah—" A scream came from outside the cubicle.
The voice sounds like Draco's.
Vincent, the only one who didn't feel any discomfort, quickly drew his wand.
Just as he was about to go out to check the situation, Astoria suddenly screamed behind him.
"It—it's there!"
A withered, extremely rotten hand reached out from the seat next to Neville.
"Gurgle—"
Neville looked down and fainted before he could even utter a cry of alarm.
"Expecto Patronum!" Vincent's staff tip emitted a golden light.
The withered hand, exposed to the sunlight, hurriedly withdrew as if it were being burned.
The half-meter-tall Suanni Patronus brings warmth and dispels the coldness from the soul.
Under the golden light, the frost on the glass stopped thickening and even began to melt.
"Drip—" Water droplets dripped down the windowsill.
You can vaguely see a large group of dark shadows outside, as if they are watching this compartment.
"It's—it's Dementors." Hermione's voice trembled.
It was an instinctive fear that made even the usually carefree twins tense up.
There were several visible, and the number surrounding the Hogwarts Express was likely much greater. An atmosphere of despair began to permeate the entire compartment.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Vincent pointed his wand out the window. "Don't you all know the Patronus Charm?"
The Suanni Patronus rushed out of the carriage, its curly fur exploding into a burst of starlight like fireworks.
Its claws slapped at a Dementors that was covering its right hand.
The Dementors, bringing despair, scattered in terror.
Everyone's eyes were immediately drawn to Vincent.
Anyone facing such a terrifying dark creature for the first time would inevitably feel fear.
They were just kids, even Rolf was one.
Cedric stopped trembling, drew his wand, and pointed it forcefully out the window. "Expecto Patronum!"
The pale blue light emanating from the tip of his staff grew brighter and brighter, as if something was about to emerge from it.
It was a Patronus, a beautiful little horse.
It flew out of the carriage and joined the Suanni Patronus in driving away the Dementors.
"I'm curious—" Fred said with a mischievous grin, "Cedric, what amusing thing have you thought of?"
Cedric glanced at Qiu subconsciously, then stiffly turned back as if feeling guilty.
"Anyway, I'm not here to cause trouble for you guys late at night."
The unsettling sense of fear is gradually disappearing.
George joked, "Choi, you seem to be blushing."
Qiu hurriedly covered her face.
Hermione loosened her grip on her hand. "He's lying to you."
Vincent, focused on dealing with the Dementors, smiled slightly.
It's good that the friends overcame their instinctive fears, but the appearance of these dark creatures is really too abnormal.
They should stay in Azkaban in the North Sea, instead of wandering outside and absorbing the students' happiness.
The Ministry of Magic made a mistake in making the arrangements, but the root of the problem lies with Sirius Black, the escaped convict.
As his thoughts changed, the Suanni Patronus grew even larger.
It was wreathed in flames, looking very majestic and imposing.
Encouraged, the Patronus horse statue grew bigger and bigger.
The Dementors dispersed further, but none of them seemed to intend to leave.
Vincent's smile gradually faded.
The Suanni Patronus roared and charged towards them.
Astoria waved her little hands, cheering on the two Patronus.
Just like its personality, the Suanni is aggressive, and even Dementors that is about to turn away will get a claw strike.
The students in the other cubicles noticed what was happening outside.
"Wayne!" Draco gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
Just now, while I was in a meeting with the senior management of the Black Swan Club, discussing how to trip up Vincent, a terrifying face without features suddenly peered in from the ceiling.
He was the first to discover it, and the first to scream in fright.
The terrifying creature quickly disappeared, and then a faint golden light shone through the window.
"Draco, they're Dementors, right?" Pansy, her face pale, leaned closer.
"How did these weird things get here? What is the Ministry of Magic doing?"
"It should be a security check." Draco took a deep breath.
"My dad said that to prevent the Black from escaping, they were placed in some remote suburbs."
Blaise Zabini stopped trembling. "But this is the only route the school bus can take!"
"Damn Black!" Marcus cursed.
"A scumbag like him deserves Dementor's Kiss!"
The Suanni Patronus chased the Dementors further and further away, Draco clenched his fists even tighter.
Sirius Black was Death Eaters, as was his father Lucius.
Marcus's sweeping generalization was a bit too much, but he found it even harder to accept the fact that he had been saved by his arch-enemy.