"Follow me," Draco whispered.
As he spoke, he first gathered up happy memories, and his wand instantly lit up with a pale golden glow of Patronus magic.
"Infuse your warmest, happiest memories into the amulets. You don't need to summon the complete Patronus; simply continue to output light magic to link the seven amulets into a closed loop."
As Draco spoke, he traced a circular guardian rune in the air with his finger.
Silvery-white runes coiled around the seven moonstones, weaving a fine net of light.
"These are triple isolation runes, specifically designed to counter the soul-draining magic of Dementor."
"It can both block their bodies, shield them from feelings of despair, and protect students' happy memories from being touched."
Hermione immediately composed herself, forcing herself to calm down, and closed her eyes to recall the warmest memories from the depths of her heart.
The family gathered around the dining table, life with Draco, the smiling faces of her friends, the sense of accomplishment from solving a difficult problem in class... Strands of clear, warm golden magic flowed from her fingertips, steadily pouring into the moonstone amulet in front of her.
The seven charms instantly glowed with a soft silver-gold light. Draco quickened his pace, waving his wand to place minor guardian runes at the beginning and end of each carriage.
Connect all the nodes to form a complete magic network, creating a spherical protective shield that covers the entire train.
"The barrier, centered on carriage number four, expands outwards in layers, creating an invisible light barrier both inside and outside the train."
" Dementor will be detected instantly upon appearance and then repelled by the power of the Patronus."
After saying that, he raised his hand and conjured his own Patronus.
A fiery red lion raised its head and let out a silent roar, then transformed into countless tiny silver lights that slowly merged into the entire barrier.
"My Patronus will act as the core of the barrier, maintaining stability around the clock. Even if my magic power is greatly depleted, the Moonstone amulet can absorb the light magic power in the air to automatically replenish its energy, ensuring absolute safety."
As the silver light faded, the entire train was quietly enveloped in a very faint silver film.
It is invisible to the naked eye, yet it can instantly make people feel a surge of warmth and security.
The chill and unease that had been lingering in Hermione's heart vanished in an instant.
Hermione stared blankly at the empty carriage, feeling the flowing light magic.
Then he turned to Draco: "... Incredible, Draco, you actually did it."
Crookshanks jumped down from Hermione's arms, walked around the carriage, and his nose twitched slightly.
"I didn't expect that white-haired kid actually succeeded. This light barrier is quite warm; those gloomy, rotten things definitely can't get in."
"I wasn't lying, was I, little witch!" Draco said smugly, then wiped the thin layer of sweat from his brow.
Don't get too cocky, I also put in a lot of effort.
"That can't be denied," Draco said.
"But isn't it a great deal to save all the students on the train with just one condition?"
Hermione's face stiffened, and she quickly waved her hand:
"I just wanted you to act quickly, so the condition I owe you doesn't count!"
"Tsk," Draco said dismissively, "What a perfectly innocent little witch has turned into a deadbeat."
"Who's the deadbeat?!" Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly.
He hurriedly offered a pretext,
"That's right. You were the one who threatened me with the formation, not the other way around. It doesn't count at all! Besides, I participated in setting up the formation, so that cancels it out. Why should I owe you anything?"
She became more and more confident as she spoke, but her eyes unconsciously drifted to the side, not daring to look Draco directly in the eye.
Crookshanks, who was squatting beside the moonstone, couldn't help but speak in their minds:
"Little witch, don't try to deny it."
"Back then, this kid said he wouldn't set up the formation unless you agreed, and you immediately gave in. Besides, he used more magic power to set up this formation than you did, so it's not very fair of you to renege on your promise."
The chubby orange cat unusually spoke up for Draco.
"Did you hear that? Even your cat can't stand it anymore and is speaking up for me. That chubby cat is more reasonable than you."
Crookshanks flicked its tail in dissatisfaction, mentally retorting, "My name is Crookshanks, not Little Fat Cat! But I'm telling the truth."
Hermione was both angry and embarrassed. She reached out to scratch Crookshanks's chin, but Crookshank nimbly dodged her.
She stomped her foot. "You two actually teamed up to bully me! Crookshanks, whose cat are you anyway?!"
Crookshanks nimbly jumped onto the seat next to him and curled up into a ball of orange fur:
"I'll side with whoever's right. I'm not anyone's appendage. Besides, this kid will definitely be in charge of household chores in the future, and I'll have to rely on him then!"
"Well, you little fat cat, you're such a snob!" Hermione gently grabbed Crookshanks's head and shook it.
Draco leaned against the carriage wall, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold, and chuckled, "See? Even your cat knows when to back down. What are you still arguing about?"
"Since the conditions have already been set, there's no way to back out now. You might as well remember them and wait until I've figured out what I want before you fulfill your promise."
"I'm not going to obediently remember that!" Hermione snorted, turned and walked to the window, looking at the increasing number of students outside the platform. "Besides, you can't make any unreasonable demands, can you?"
"Whether it's excessive or not is up to me," Draco said slowly as he walked to her side. "But don't worry, I won't make you do anything against your principles, nor will I put you in a difficult position."
Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed even more. Pretending to look at the crowd outside the window, she muttered softly, "That's not necessarily true... Who knows what you're thinking?"
Crookshanks yawned in his chair, lazily adding in his mind, "Little witch, stop being stubborn, I can tell you're happy about it."
Hermione glared at it instantly, only to see Crookshanks bury his head in his paws, pretending to be asleep.
Just then, the station's announcements could be faintly heard, and students began to board the train one after another, their footsteps and voices gradually filling the empty corridor.
"Alright, the students are up. Let's find a private room and keep an eye on the barrier, just in case anything goes wrong."
Hermione nodded, bent down and picked up Crookshanks, who was pretending to be asleep, and followed Draco to the empty box.
But she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Even if we find a private room, it doesn't mean I've accepted that condition."
Draco glanced back at her, smiled, and said, "Say what you will, I'll remember it."
As soon as the two entered a private booth by the window, Crookshanks immediately broke free from Hermione's embrace.
After precisely jumping onto the cushioned seat by the window, it curled up comfortably and started snoring.
It didn't want to get involved in their bickering anymore; eating dog food every day was really annoying the cat.
Hermione petted the cat, and the door to the private room was gently pushed open, with Cho Chang and Emock walking in side by side.
Both of them were carrying backpacks, and when they saw Draco and Hermione, they both froze.