Nighttime Visit

At dinner, the students sat in their seats and waited while the first-years listened to the professors' introduction outside.

As it happened, the Slytherin table had been moved beside the Gryffindor table this year, so Draco no longer had to sneak over every now and then.

"Potter, Potter!"

Harry turned around. Draco lowered his voice. "I heard you passed out on the train. What happened?"

Harry recalled some unpleasant memories and shook his head. "I don't know why that creature singled me out."

Draco frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Dementors are disgusting, sure, but they shouldn't attack people at random. Otherwise, my parents would've warned me. And I looked around— you were the only one it targeted. Do you think it was after you?"

"After me?" Harry thought that, apart from inflating Aunt Marge like a balloon over the summer, he hadn't done anything to wrong the Ministry of Magic.

"Whatever it is, be careful for the next few days. My father said the Ministry has been negotiating with Dumbledore lately, trying to get the Dementors to guard Hogwarts and catch Sirius."

"Bloody hell! Have they gone mad? They're actually letting those monsters into the school?"

Bing Huan beckoned the others closer. "They haven't announced it yet, so let's not talk about it and cause a panic. Whatever's going on, there must be something special about Harry. Just to be safe, head straight back to your dorms when it's time."

"Aren't you coming back?"

"I have to ask Old Dumbledore about something. You don't think the Dementors would dare bother me in front of Dumbledore, do you?"

Hermione said, "Once everyone gets to their dorm, send each other a message."

"Okay!"

They had just returned to their seats when someone called their names again. "Potter, Granger, and the brat next to Granger! Come over here." It was Professor McGonagall.

They nervously followed her. Students always felt they'd done something wrong around Professor McGonagall.

Fortunately, they hadn't had time to get into trouble yet this year. Professor McGonagall gestured for the three of them to sit by the fireplace. "Professor Lupin sent an owl to tell me about what happened to you on the train. How are you feeling now, Harry?"

Just then, Madam Pomfrey came in and stared at Harry in surprise. "Have you gotten yourself into another dangerous situation, young man?"

"It was a Dementor, Poppy."

Madam Pomfrey's expression turned grave. As she carefully examined Harry, she muttered angrily, "How could those fools think it was a good idea to put Dementors around the school?"

"Is everything all right?"

"Mm, nothing too serious. Have some chocolate."

"I already did," Harry said. "Professor Lupin gave me some on the train. He made sure everyone else had some, too."

"Mm, at last we have a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows the proper treatment. You still need to get plenty of rest over the next few days. I'll be off, McGonagall."

After Madam Pomfrey left, Professor McGonagall looked at Harry. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. Wait by the door for a moment. I need to talk to Granger and this boy about the timetable."

Under Professor McGonagall's kind gaze, Harry went outside and closed the door behind him.

"You're really getting out of hand, Bing Huan!" Her tone changed abruptly. "If Professor Lupin hadn't mentioned it in his letter, I wouldn't have known you nearly took the Hogwarts Express apart."

Bing Huan: (・人・)

"I couldn't help it. Things were urgent. I couldn't just stand by and let the Dementor go after Harry, could I? I don't know the Patronus Charm, so I had to use something with a bit more firepower. Hehe."

"Stop laughing!"

After scolding Bing Huan for five minutes, she spent another five reminding the two of them what to keep in mind during classes this term. By the time they returned to the Great Hall, the Sorting Ceremony was over. The three of them crouched low and quietly slipped back to their places.

Before the feast began, the headmaster, Dumbledore, as usual had a few words to say. "Welcome back to school, everyone, and welcome to our new students. Before we begin the feast, there are a few things I'd like to mention.

"First, many of you have probably already heard. We currently have several Dementors from Azkaban on the school grounds. They're here on official business. They'll be stationed at the school's various entrances, and I must warn you: do not approach them under any circumstances. None of your tricks will work—not even the Invisibility Cloak."

Harry, Ron, and Draco exchanged glances. Well, that was definitely aimed at them.

"I don't want any young witches or wizards to be harmed by a Dementor this term. Now, we also have some good news for the new school year. We're delighted to welcome two new teachers. Professor Lupin has kindly agreed to fill the vacancy in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Oh, Snape didn't get it again," Bing Huan muttered, looking at Snape's dark expression. Snape had wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts for years, though Dumbledore's answer every year had been, "Perhaps next time."

"And now, our second new teacher." Dumbledore gestured toward a familiar figure. "Hagrid will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures from now on." At last, everyone knew who had told them to buy the biting book.

After Dumbledore announced that they could return to their dorms, the group went to find Hagrid.

"Look at you, becoming a teacher without saying a word," Draco said, patting Hagrid's broad back.

"Congratulations, Hagrid!"

"I have you lot to thank for it. All right, we can talk more tomorrow during the day. Go get some sleep—it's too dangerous at night." Hagrid was excited, but that only made him more worried something might happen to Harry and the others, so he urged them to head back.

Bing Huan arrived at the Headmaster's Office. The two old men had already poured tea.

"I thought you'd be here soon. Have some calming tea tonight," Dumbledore said, adjusting his glasses. "Let me guess—you want to ask about the Dementors?"

"No. Old Dumbledore, do you remember saying that Voldemort had accidentally left something behind in Harry?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"The situation may be worse than we thought. It could be a fragment of a soul. When Harry was attacked by the Dementor earlier, I clearly sensed another soul inside him."

"Are you sure, Little Huan?"

"The other soul felt cold and sinister. It definitely wasn't Harry's. It seems our original guess was right. Voldemort really did create that thing he could use to resurrect himself—a Horcrux—and he made more than one. That's why his soul is so fragile.

"And when we deal with Voldemort, we'll have to account for the fragment inside Harry, too. Otherwise, it'll be quite a show if Voldemort uses Harry's body to resurrect himself. Old Dumbledore, Old Grindelwald, what do you think?"

"If we want to deal with it, we'll have to destroy the soul fragment without harming Harry. If it's as you say, then the fragment is already half a Horcrux. Within the bounds of magic, we'd either have to use a Basilisk fang or the Gryffindor's Sword to destroy Harry, body and soul, or use the Killing Curse," Grindelwald replied, stroking his chin.

Dumbledore pondered for a moment.

"To cast the Killing Curse without harming Harry, it would have to be done with Harry's own wand, and the wand must not have turned against him when the curse is cast. Since a wand cannot kill its own master, the Killing Curse would only affect the soul fragment inside Harry."

"But there aren't many wands with that kind of temperament, and even if one exists, it may not accept Harry as its master. Do you have a way, kid?" Grindelwald sighed.

"I do, but the soul fragment has to come out and cause trouble first. As long as it emerges or tries to possess Harry by using its own power, I can pull it out."

"Then we'll leave it at that for now and decide what to do based on the circumstances. And don't tell Harry yet."

Bing Huan nodded. "By the way, can either of you cast the Patronus Charm?"