Steam filled the air above the platform, and the train whistle sounded muffledly. Hermione's grip on the orange cat tightened.
Crookshanks, held in her arms, had his soft, orange fur ruffled slightly by her grip.
It did not struggle.
His eyes were slightly narrowed, and his nose twitched slightly as he sniffed the faint, chilly scent in the air.
That was the chilling despair brought by the Dementor.
Even before getting close, the Magical Creatures's keen senses allowed it to detect the danger in advance.
It gently nuzzled Hermione's tightly clenched hand, letting out a low, gentle purr.
A languid, feline voice entered Hermione and Draco's minds, "Don't panic, little witch. That chilling scent is still far off; only a faint shadow has drifted over."
Hermione's heart skipped a beat. She looked down at the cat in her arms, loosened her grip, and heard her response echo in her mind:
" Crookshanks, you felt it too?"
Crookshanks flicked his bushy tail, the fur brushing against Hermione's wrist, and said with a hint of disdain:
"Those gloomy, rotten things are cowardly; they only dare to act up when there are many people around. But this smell is stronger than last time, so there must be quite a few here."
It looked slyly at Draco and spoke directly to him:
"Kid, are you hiding a secret? The little witch is so nervous she's practically squeezing me flat. If you don't have a solution, I'll just scratch those rotten things with my claws."
She loosened her grip on the cat, poking its round belly helplessly. "When did I tighten my hold on you? You snuggled into my arms yourself."
"Little fat cat, I'm your owner's girlfriend. Don't be so disrespectful! What should you call me?"
"If you keep calling me that like that, I'll starve you while Hermione's not around." Draco said, reaching out to grab Crookshanks ' paw and shaking it up and down.
Crookshanks instantly bristled, its orange fur standing on end, and it retracted its paw, snarling:
"What chubby kitten! I'm strong! Besides, you're all talk and no action. The little witch is protecting me! You want me to call you that? Dream on!"
As it spoke, it deliberately nuzzled its plump body into Hermione's arms, rubbing its head against Hermione's neck.
He looked like he was begging for protection, then secretly glanced at Draco with a provocative look out of the corner of his eye.
Hermione couldn't hold back any longer upon hearing this, and chuckled as she lightly pinched Crookshanks's nape.
" Crookshanks! Don't call him that!"
Then, she said to Draco, half-laughing and half-crying, "Don't take it to heart."
"No way." Draco immediately stood with his arms crossed, glancing sideways at the orange cat in Hermione's arms. "You need to let this little fat cat know who's in charge before I prepare anything to protect the students."
Hermione's brow, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. She looked at him, both angry and exasperated. " Draco! What kind of time is this to be arguing with a cat?"
"It's not out of spite, it's about rules," Draco said.
If we don't establish the rules today, who knows how they'll take advantage of us in the future.
"Who wants to acknowledge you! The little witch is my master, you're just an accessory at best!" It even deliberately tugged at Hermione's clothes with its paws, looking aggrieved and defiant.
Hermione was caught between a human and a cat, feeling both amused and exasperated.
She patted Crookshanks's back to quiet it down, then looked at Draco and spoke softly:
"Alright, alright, get ready first, okay? After we deal with the Dementor, I'll make it apologize to you and call you by your name, is that alright?"
"No way." Draco wagged his index finger from side to side. "Unless you owe me another favor, I won't let this little fat cat off the hook and will immediately set up the formation."
Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly at his words, and she glared at him, annoyed. "Why do you always have to negotiate? You're even more cunning than the Goblin of Gringotts."
Crookshanks snorted irritably in his arms, mentally yelling at Hermione:
"Little witch, don't agree to him! That white-haired brat is full of mischief; who knows what outrageous demands he might make!"
Hermione ignored Crookshanks ' rant, sighed helplessly, and conceded:
"Okay, okay, I owe you one request, alright? Hurry up, don't delay the formation."
Draco immediately beamed, deliberately flicking Crookshanks's head, and said smugly, "It would have been better if we had done this sooner. Come on, let's set up the formation, little fat cat, come along."
Crookshanks bared his teeth...
Then Hermione subdued him.
Draco got a yes, he immediately dropped his playful act and became serious. He grabbed Hermione's hand and headed towards the middle of the carriage. "Come on, let's go to carriage number four, the middle one."
Hermione was pulled forward by him, and asked in confusion, "Why did you choose the middle carriage, number four?"
"That's the very center of the train, where the magical energy is most evenly distributed, maximizing the barrier's range and ensuring the protective force evenly covers every carriage."
Draco explained it to her, Hermione, after listening, asked again:
"But this place is far from both the front and back of the car. If the Dementor approach from both ends at the same time, won't there be some oversights?"
"Don't worry, the barrier spreads spherically. If the core is stable, the edges won't be weak." Draco pulled her to the door of carriage number four, opened the door, and gestured for her to go in.
The carriage was empty, except for the compartments and the corridor. Reaching the middle of carriage number four, he turned to look at Hermione.
"Come, let's set up the formation together."
I designed Patronus Protective Barrier in advance. Once it's set up, the Dementor will be completely shut out as soon as they appear, and not even a trace of despair will be able to get in."
Hermione looked at him in shock.
" Patronus... barrier? You mean, using the Patronus Charm to construct a large-scale defensive array?"
"This is a high-level spell that almost no one can perform; even seasoned Auror might not be able to do it."
"You're all alone..."
Draco tapped the tip of her wand, a smile playing on his lips:
"Well, here you are! My little Gryffindor witch, I can't do without you."
Hermione paused for a moment, then her cheeks flushed slightly:
"Who's your little witch? I just don't want to see the students terrified by Dementor."
That being said,
But she had already gripped the wand firmly.
Crookshanks peeked out from Hermione's arms, his eyes darting around.
"You want to create that light barrier that can block evil spirits? This kid actually knows such powerful magic? Little witch, don't be fooled by him. Don't force it if you don't have enough magic power."
As it spoke, it even reached out its paw and nudged Hermione's arm, acting as if it were protecting its owner.
Draco ignored Crookshanks's mutterings and took out seven pre-polished moonstone amulets from his pocket, their surfaces engraved with fine, dark patterns.
Following the orientation of the Big Dipper, he placed the talismans one by one on the magical nodes of the carriage walls and floor.
With a wave of his wand, the Levitation Charm lifted one of the amulets toward the metal wall of the car roof.
The amulet transformed into a shimmering white light, merging directly into the metal patterns on the car roof. It left no trace on the surface, but the flow of runes could be seen only through magical perception.