Dementor

The rain grew heavier, and the view outside the car window turned a watery gray. Before we knew it, it was completely dark.

The door to the private box opened again, and Fred and George, taking advantage of the dim light, tiptoed in.

"Percy didn't come, did he...?" George asked.

"No." Cedric looked at the two of them and asked curiously, "It's been so long, and he still isn't going to let you go? It's just a badge change, it shouldn't be such a big grudge."

"You could say he never caught us," George said, closing the door and turning around. "We watched him go around on the train several times."

"You're kidding, right?" Cedric's first reaction was disbelief, thinking they were just trying to save face and didn't want to admit it.

The train is only so big, with a single aisle running from the front to the back without any bends. The compartment doors also have glass panels, so you can see inside.

Percy just needs to be patient, and he'll definitely find them.

Kyle thought so too.

"You've learned the Disillusionment Charm?" he asked. "Or did you borrow Harry's Invisibility Cloak?"

"Neither," George said smugly, sitting down next to Cedric. "We hid in the snack cart; it's hollow underneath, and there's a partition—just enough to hide two people."

Percy walked past us three times without us noticing.

"Once he even stopped to buy something: a Licorice Wands and a Cauldron Cake."

"We recognized his shoes..."

"So, you've been hiding in the dining car all this time?" Qiu checked the time and asked incredulously, "My God, five hours!"

The snack cart wasn't very big, about the same size as the table in the private room.

The two of them squatted under the table for five hours... Honestly, if it were her, she'd rather get beaten up by Percy.

"Of course not," Fred said. "After the snack cart completes its rounds, it stops at the very front, in the driver's compartment, where we stay."

As they were talking, the lights in the aisle and on the luggage racks all suddenly turned on.

The dim yellow lights illuminated the carriage, making the outside world appear even darker.

"We should be there soon, right?" Ginny asked.

"Almost there," Qiu said. "One more hour."

"I wish it could be soon," Fred said, rubbing his stomach. "I'm starving, I can't wait to get to the party..."

He had barely finished speaking when the train suddenly began to slow down.

"My wish came true?" Fred exclaimed in surprise, standing up and pressing his face against the window to see what was happening outside.

"That's impossible!" Qiu checked the time again. "There's still an hour until we arrive."

"Maybe the driver wanted us to have dinner sooner, so he sped up the train," George said with a laugh.

"No, George, I don't think the train has sped up."

Fred, who was peering out the window, looked up. "This isn't the familiar Hogsmeade Station; it's a completely unfamiliar place."

The train slowed down, the sound of the wheels gradually faded, and the wind and rain pounded against the windows louder than before.

With a thud, the train came to a sudden stop, as if it had been slammed on the brakes.

A large box was thrown off the shelf, nearly hitting Luna on the head.

"I'm the student council president. Everyone, get back into your private rooms. Don't panic!" Percy's voice came from outside.

But at this point, the title of student council president seemed a bit insufficient.

Especially after all the lights went out for no apparent reason, panic instantly gripped the train, with screams erupting everywhere.

"Don't you guys feel like the weather's getting a bit cold?"

Fred rubbed his arms and pointed to the window, saying, "Look here."

I don't know when, but a thin layer of ice had formed on the glass.

"It's September now!" Cedric frowned.

It freezes in September; how will it survive the winter?

"It should be Dementor ..." Kyle looked at the indistinct figures outside. "They're probably here to check if Black is in the car."

"No, that can't be..." Ginny huddled in the corner, trembling as she said, "Those monsters from Azkaban? How could they be on the train? Headmaster Dumbledore would never allow that..."

"I think Kyle is right."

Qiu, who had been peeking outside, suddenly turned deathly pale. She saw it: at the end of the dark corridor, a figure in a tattered cloak floated in mid-air like a ghost.

"One on each side..." Qiu quickly stepped back. "They're inspecting the carriages!"

The carriage fell into a deathly silence.

Children who grow up in wizarding families have all heard of Dementor.

But they never imagined they would encounter these monsters on the train to Hogwarts.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous.

Kyle consciously stepped to the front.

He gently shook his wand, and a silvery-white halo quickly appeared at the tip.

This light was much dimmer Wand-Lighting Charm, but it was softer and covered a wider area.

Because of her nervousness, no one around her noticed this; only Kanna tilted her head curiously.

She found that the surroundings suddenly didn't seem so cold anymore.

However, this wasn't the right time to ask questions, so I didn't say anything.

Soon, one of the Dementor arrived at their private room.

They could even clearly hear the gurgling sounds coming from each other's throats.

To others, it was just a meaningless sound, but Kyle heard something else entirely.

[Brian... Blake... no, it's Braca...]

It kept repeating a name intermittently, but couldn't remember it, and each time it said it differently.

The most striking feature is that he doesn't seem to have a very high IQ.

But that's normal, since they don't even have brains.

It stood at the door of the private room, extending a grayish-white, sinister hand that gently beckoned...

The door to the private room slowly opened.

But the light in the room also spread out, landing right on it.

The Dementor immediately shook off its hand and began to unconsciously back away, pressing itself tightly against the carriage behind it.

"The person you're looking for isn't here," Kyle said. "None of us hid Black under our robes. Let's go."

The head, wearing a tattered hood, turned to Kyle and made another gurgling sound.

I want to check the command...

"No, I'll say it again, there's no Black here!"

Kyle waved his wand again, and the surrounding white light brightened even more.

The Dementor struggled again, looking as if it had been pelted with Dungbomb, feeling miserable and somewhat helpless...

Despite this, it stubbornly refused to leave the private room.

[Check... command...]

"Run!"

[No... go...]

"Walk!"

[I'm not leaving...]

Kyle's lips twitched slightly.

For some reason, he suddenly felt a pang of guilt for bullying the weak... but the "weak" here didn't refer to strength, but rather intelligence.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Kyle muttered to himself.

The surrounding white light gradually receded, eventually settling into a hazy, misty atmosphere that enveloped Kanna and the others.

"Inspection is allowed only." Kyle pointed his wand at the Dementor and warned, "If you dare do anything else, or absorb even a single emotion, I'll kick you out."

[Command... inspect... don't eat...]

The white light disappeared, and the Dementor floated up again, entering the private room and slowly taking a breath.

Everyone felt a sudden chill, but that was all.

[It doesn't taste like... Bonline...]

The next second, the Dementor quickly left the private room, turned around, and floated away.

"Yes, Black," Kyle couldn't help but remind him as he closed the door.

[Black... Blake...]

"..."

Sure enough, this guy isn't very bright; he got it wrong again in less than a second. I wonder if all Dementor are like this, or if he just ran into a fool.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the previously quiet corridor.

Kyle vaguely heard someone screaming...

"Harry!"

"Professor, Harry has fainted!"

"Help! Help!"

It's Ron, and Hermione's voice too, and the last one sounds like Neville...

Then, a silver light shone again in the corridor.

The Dementor that had just left instinctively tried to retreat back into the box, but Kyle had already closed the door.

On one side was the tightly closed door of the private room, and on the other side was the ever-approaching silver light. Whether it was his imagination or not, Kyle actually saw a trace of helplessness in this Dementor.