Cedric's Suspicion

Many people were disappointed to hear that the club would only open once a month... they had thought it would be open weekly.

Before they could say anything, Professor McGonagall gave them a look, and everyone immediately shut up and silently left the Great Hall.

Kyle and the others walked down the corridor, and after turning a corner, Cedric suddenly asked:

"Do you think Professor Lupin would agree to let me face a Dementor alone if I went to him?"

"I don't know." Kyle shook his head and said, "But I think if you really think that way, you'd better go find him as soon as possible. Maybe by tomorrow, the Dementor will no longer be in the castle."

You know, neither Headmaster Dumbledore nor Professor McGonagall liked those guys... The one in the Great Hall was purely used as a teaching tool."

"That's true." Cedric slapped his forehead. "Let's not wait until tomorrow, I'll go now..."

After saying that, he started running back.

The others parted ways at the stairs and returned to the common lounge.

Kyle noticed that Kanna hadn't said a word and looked quite conflicted, glancing back at the Great Hall every now and then.

"You also want to go see Professor Lupin?" Kyle asked.

Kanna nodded, then shook her head.

She really wanted to have her own Patronus as soon as possible, but she didn't want to face Dementor... or rather, her original intention in learning this spell was to prevent herself from being affected by Dementor.

There are some things that Kanna really doesn't want to experience again... like her Animagus mouse when she was in first grade.

She had almost forgotten about it, but when the Dementor appeared on the Quidditch Pitch last time, she remembered the "disappearance" scene in the Forbidden Forest and felt so uncomfortable that she couldn't eat for several days.

She now feels like kicking any mouse she sees; she's almost developed a phobia of them.

Kanna shook her head again, making up an excuse casually, "I'm just worried about Cedric. Do you think he can succeed?"

"It should be possible," Kyle said, "But only if the professors agree."

Cedric is just one step away from getting there. If he can't take that step himself, getting someone else to give him a kick is a good idea.

Dementor are perfect for this job, and they can kick pretty far.

The two went into the common room and found a seat near the fireplace.

It's very late now, but there are still many people here, all excitedly discussing what happened in the club, showing no signs of wanting to sleep.

Kanna glanced at Kyle, who was roasting sausages in the fireplace, and asked softly:

"Besides Dementor, are there any other ways to help learn the Patronus Charm?"

"Yes," Kyle said, flipping the sausage on the tongs. "Patronus can influence each other. A true Patronus can arouse and intensify those happy emotions, making the process of learning this spell much more efficient."

Kanna blinked. "Then why didn't you tell Cedric before?"

"He didn't ask," Kyle said matter-of-factly. "I thought he liked Dementor."

"Who would like that kind of thing..." Kanna said speechlessly.

"That's hard to say, everyone has their quirks." Kyle flipped the fire tongs again and continued, "And most importantly, this method is more suitable for beginners to simplify the process. Cedric has already passed this stage and is now in the final step."

"If he can't find the trick, even a hundred Patronus surrounding him every day won't help. In this situation, Dementor are far more helpful to him than Patronus."

"What about me..." Kanna asked softly, "Will this method work?"

"Okay," Kyle said. "It's too late today. How about tomorrow? Let's go to the Room of Requirement."

"Mmm," Kanna responded softly.

By this time, the aroma of grilled sausages had attracted quite a few people, so the two stopped talking about it.

The Patronus Charm is already a highly difficult spell, and after two hours of training, many people were hungry.

The rich aroma of grilled sausages made their mouths water.

Some people left the common room immediately, and when they returned, they had a lot more food in their hands.

Bread, Pumpkin Juice, pies... and whole roasted chickens and large cuts of meat.

This brings us to Hufflepuff's advantages.

While others could only sleep hungry, they were able to enjoy a hearty late-night snack in a short time.

And you don't have to worry about getting caught for nighttime outings.

The kitchen is right next door; unless the professor or Filch is guarding the door, there's no way they'll be caught.

Soon, the sausages were grilled.

Kyle brought a fork and handed a slightly charred sausage to Kanna.

Kanna's eyes lit up as she took the bite.

"How is it? Is it cooked yet?"

"Mmm-hmm." Kanna nodded repeatedly, "Delicious."

"That's good." Kyle then took one as well.

Kanna blinked, feeling that something was amiss, but the fragrance wafting to her nose quickly made her forget about it.

A short while later, Cedric returned as well.

As soon as he walked in, he was bombarded with various fragrant aromas.

"Any more? Give me one too!" He walked over to Kyle, snatched a sausage without a word, and then took some toast from other tables.

"Did you get it done so quickly?" Kyle asked.

Cedric shook his head. "No, I came straight back."

"Because of Professor McGonagall?" Kanna said. "Is she still against you contacting the Dementor?"

"No, Professor McGonagall had already left when I arrived. It was Professor Lupin who seemed to be feeling unwell."

Cedric said, "I waited at the Great Hall door until everyone had left, and just as I was about to go in, I saw Professor Snape hand him a large cup of potion, saying that he needed it."

"Professor Lupin is sick again?" Kanna asked.

In the first half of the academic year alone, Professor Lupin had already taken leave twice, once with Professor Snape covering for him and once with Professor McGonagall covering for him.

Moreover, according to Cho, their Ravenclaw also missed a few Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"Probably... He finished all his medicine."

Cedric said, "And upon closer inspection, his complexion was indeed worse than usual. I felt it wouldn't be appropriate to let him interact with the Dementor at this point, so I came back immediately."

"It's okay, you can go see him again in a few days," Kyle said, "Or wait until the club starts next month."

"That's the only way."

Cedric put down his Pumpkin Juice and said thoughtfully, "Don't you all find it strange that Professor Lupin didn't seek out Madam Pomfrey...?"

I mean, she was there too, and she was probably much more professional than Professor Snape."

"Perhaps Madam Pomfrey has other things to do," Kanna said.

"Maybe..." Cedric said softly, taking another sip of Pumpkin Juice.