As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, a few figures covered in soot could be vaguely seen.
"Ah—" Sirius Black's scream rang out.
Harry, who was being protected beneath him, could feel his cold touch.
To protect himself, he shielded himself from the impact of the explosion.
"Ah—" The scream rang out again.
Several Dementors had already opened their empty mouths, as if they were devouring Sirius Black's soul.
Something has to be done, something absolutely must be done.
Get moving, get moving quickly!
Harry gripped his wand tightly and recited the Patronus Charm.
The silver orb of light detached from the tip of the staff, knocking away several Dementors in front of it.
But soon, they came back.
Not enough, still not enough.
Painful memories flooded Harry's mind, but the expression on his face was more resolute than ever before.
Sirius Black is his godfather, and they have a lot of precious time ahead of them that they absolutely cannot let those ugly monsters take it away.
The silver orb expanded, and countless beams of light shot out from the cracks covering its surface, illuminating the Dementors and forcing them to retreat.
The blinding light disappeared, and a half-human-sized Doe Patronus stood beside Harry.
However, the Dementors charged at them again in the next second.
"Harry!" Vincent, who was kneeling, pulled out the Serpent Staff from the ground.
"Expecto Patronum!" It was Snape's voice.
Another Doe Patronus raced through the air before the Dementors could arrive.
Before Vincent could even be surprised, he also recited the Patronus Charm upon seeing two doe, one large and one small.
Despite the Dementors' relentless attacks, the three Patronus remained steadfast, standing firmly in front of Harry and Sirius Black.
"Cough cough—" Lupin sat up and looked around.
Snape, the only one still standing, was wearing tattered pajamas. McGonagall, with her hair disheveled, had just sat up, just like Snape. Hermione and Ron were lying behind Vincent, seemingly unconscious.
Lupin clutched his chest and immediately began coughing violently from the pain.
It looks like a broken rib, probably embedded in the lung.
After catching his breath, he looked back at Vincent was slowly standing up while leaning on his Serpent Staff.
I wouldn't say I'm completely unharmed, but I'm in much better shape than I always am.
We must resolve the crisis involving Harry and Sirius Black as soon as possible. Peter Pettigrew seriously injured and can't have gone far.
Lupin touched his chest with his wand, and after a simple healing, summoned the Patronus Wolf.
The Dementors were almost all riddled with holes; they just needed to hold on a little longer.
"Hmm—" Hermione's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she slept.
She opened her eyes and saw a very familiar, broad back.
"Awake?" Vincent turned around. "After we deal with these Dementors, we'll go find Peter Pettigrew together."
Hermione, who had sat up, shook her head. "You're pushing yourself too hard. Take a rest first."
She raised her wand and summoned the Peacock Patronus.
Vincent slowly put down his Serpent Staff. "I'll go check on Ron."
He walked up to Ron and squatted down.
There were no external injuries; he was simply knocked unconscious by the impact of the explosion.
After confirming that he was alright, he lay on the ground as if he had collapsed.
Everyone was careless.
Despite being severely injured, Peter Pettigrew was able to cast the Blasting Curse through sheer willpower and even managed to escape with his battered body afterwards.
This enemy is dangerous and must be dealt with as soon as possible.
Vincent raised his hand to look at his watch; it was 5:10 a. m.
"Why hasn't that old geezer come back yet..."
It's been almost three hours. Dumbledore has probably gone somewhere that the previous headmasters couldn't contact.
The most suspicious one, of course, is Nurmengard.
He shook his head and looked toward the Dementors.
The tables have turned; now it's the Patronus' turn to attack.
But they never gave up, even as their bodies began to become transparent.
Hmm? Only the young doe remains?
Vincent squinted at Snape.
The other person also seemed to sense something and looked over, their gazes exchanging sparks in the air.
Both Snape and Harry's Patronus are doe, and the only thing that connects them is Lily Potter.
So affectionate, yet unwilling to express it; what a twisted personality.
Perhaps he was tired of staring, Snape looked away.
After his victory, Vincent stood up and stretched, feeling particularly pleased with himself.
He walked up to McGonagall. "Professor, this can't go on. The Dementors can't be completely eliminated, and we'll be stuck here."
The worried McGonagall understood this perfectly well. "I know you have a way of catching Peter Pettigrew, but you should understand that we won't let you and Hermione go on an adventure together."
Vincent couldn't refute it, and could only glance at the idle Snape.
McGonagall understood immediately, but she shook her head slightly. "Peter Pettigrew must stand trial alive. We cannot allow an innocent person to continue to be wanted."
If Sirius Black's innocence can be proven, the Ministry of Magic will be in for a real headache.
She's probably annoyed by the recent searches, otherwise McGonagall wouldn't have disregarded the Ministry of Magic's reputation.
Capturing Peter Pettigrew alive is quite difficult, but it's not impossible.
Vincent raised his Serpent Staff. "Professor, I can assure you, I will bring him back alive."
McGonagall's conflicted eyes swept over Lupin and Sirius Black.
Whoever goes with her, Peter Pettigrew has a high chance of being killed on the spot, and she herself will have to stay behind to keep an eye on Snape.
Only Vincent and Hermione truly possess this ability.
"Alright." McGonagall's expression was incredibly serious. "I must reiterate that this is an extremely dangerous operation."
Vincent also became serious. "Professor, we will definitely capture Peter Pettigrew alive with our own hands and then deliver him to the Ministry of Magic ourselves."
Sirius Black, Lupin, Snape all looked over.
These are things they should be doing, but even they themselves can't guarantee they won't kill.
Vincent looked them over one by one. "Professors, let's go."
He walked over to Hermione and, in front of everyone, activated the Time-Turner together with her.
Apart from McGonagall and Sirius Black, who remained calm, the other three, along with Ron who had just woken up, stared wide-eyed.
Snape was the first to react and let out a series of cold laughs.
Lupin was alright, but Harry and Ron were completely shocked.
What shocked them even more was that two figures were slowly walking towards them from a distance.
One of them was dragging something in its hand, which looked like a person.
As they got closer, everyone realized that it was Vincent and Hermione who had just left.
The one being dragged along by the leg was none other than Peter Pettigrew, who was on the verge of death.
McGonagall quickly stepped forward. "Mr. Wayne, Miss Granger, is everything alright?"
Vincent and Hermione stared at each other awkwardly.
"Well, Professor, it was just a minor accident."