Herman had an adult's soul, after all, and quickly spotted the crucial issue. He cut in urgently, "Hey, shouldn't we find a conductor first, or whoever's in charge on the train? Failing that, even the snack trolley lady would do. We need to tell an adult about this."
Draco nodded like a chick pecking at grain, hastily agreeing with Herman's suggestion as she spoke at top speed. "Yes, yes, yes! I remember the conductor's in the front carriage! Let's hurry."
Hugo's passive skill activated as he recalled the introduction to the Hogwarts Express he had read in a book. "I remember the book said someone would be in charge of the train-a professor sent by Hogwarts to be on duty." At this, Herman's eyes instantly lit up like two searchlights. He clamped his hands around Hugo's shoulders like pincers and pressed him. "Did the book say where the professor on duty would be? In the dining car, or the engine, or do they have a regular seat in one of the carriages?"
Shaken like a blade of grass in the wind, Hugo grew dizzy and hurriedly waved his hands. "I don't know! I really don't know. The book didn't go into that much detail."
As though inspiration had suddenly struck him, Neville slapped his forehead and hurriedly said, "I remember seeing an adult in a compartment we passed earlier. The Hogwarts Express doesn't usually carry anyone besides students, so that person's probably a professor!"
"Right!" Hugo instantly remembered too and hastily echoed him, seizing the chance to slip out of Herman's grip like a loach.
Hearing the two of them, Herman burned with anxiety and hurriedly said, "Come on, let's hurry and tell the professor."
In truth, Herman had little interest in telling a professor and little sense of the bigger picture. His main thought was that, with an unknown threat hanging over them like a dark cloud, staying near a professor would be safer, provided that professor wasn't Lockhart, that empty suit.
"Let's go." Neville wasted no more words, turning and running out of the compartment like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Seeing this, Herman hurriedly grabbed his suitcase, ready to charge out.
Just as Herman stood up, Draco and Ron, sitting opposite him, also ran out like two startled fawns. Herman shifted aside to let them pass and fell a step behind.
Once everyone else had left the compartment, he was about to leave when he noticed Harry still sitting in her seat like a statue.
"Why aren't you moving?" Herman asked, but with the situation so urgent, he did not wait for Harry's answer before continuing. "Come on, hurry. We might be attacked any moment. Danger won't wait for us."
With that, Herman grabbed Harry's small hand and ran out, trying hard to keep up with Draco ahead.
Although the differences in how boys and girls developed meant Herman was slightly shorter than Harry at present, he still had some strength. His tug sent Harry stumbling like a scarecrow blown over by the wind.
By the time Harry regained her footing, there was no time to speak. She could only race along with Herman; if her legs moved even a little too slowly, she would be dragged down.
The six of them raced desperately through the train like a group of rabbits fleeing in panic. They encountered plenty of students along the way, and the inevitable bumps and collisions caused quite a commotion.
But when everyone saw Neville leading the way, few got angry. Some even chased after them, hoping to exchange a few words with Neville. He was something of a celebrity, after all.
Neville was in no mood to deal with fans, however, and simply ran headlong toward the compartment he remembered. Unfortunately, despite their desperate efforts to hurry, they were still a step too late.
A thunderous boom rang out, followed immediately by the shrill, grating screech of brakes, like metal scraping against metal. Then the train came to an abrupt stop, sending everyone running down the corridor crashing to the floor like puppets with their strings cut.
Herman landed right on top of Draco ahead of him. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, bracing his hands like sturdy supports so his upper body did not land on her back. His lower body, however, was harder to control and pressed tightly against her.
Less than a second later, Harry fell onto him from behind, and the three of them rolled into a tangled heap like a twisted rope.
Herman no longer even knew where his hands were. He only felt that they seemed to be somewhere they should not be, while he was being squeezed from both sides.
"Get off!" This time, Harry and Draco were remarkably in agreement, a trace of anger in their voices.
"All right, I'm getting up." Herman dared not say anything more. He hurriedly snatched his hands back as though shocked and struggled to stand. Other parts of their bodies collided in the process, and Harry angrily shoved him, sending him crashing into Draco like a billiard ball.
Draco screamed and hurriedly pushed Herman away, sending him rolling into Harry again.
After taking a few punches and kicks, Herman finally managed to stand. He hurried a couple of steps forward to stand beside Hugo and Neville, asking breathlessly, "What happened? Did the train stop?"
The others up ahead had not noticed the little incident between Herman and the two girls. They, too, had only just gotten up, looking like people startled awake from a dream, and all wore puzzled expressions at Herman's question.
Just then, an adult figure appeared in the carriage ahead. Although robes concealed his figure, that long blond hair allowed Herman to recognize him immediately. It was Professor Quirrell.
He had previously told Old Tom that he would also be taking the Hogwarts Express and would drop Hannah off along the way. It seemed the professor Neville had mentioned earlier was him.
The moment he saw Quirrell, Neville hurried over and said anxiously, "You're a professor at the school, aren't you? We noticed what looked like a vampire following the Hogwarts Express, shadowing us outside the windows the whole time."
Quirrell did not suspect Neville of lying. After all, the Hogwarts Express had suddenly stopped, which was very unusual. Something could very well have happened, and the appearance of a vampire made sense too.
"Don't wander about. Stay on the train and don't open the windows. I'll go to the engine to see what's happening and find Professor Marlene. She's the professor on duty," Professor Quirrell said gravely.
Neville hurriedly said, "Professor, can we come with you? We saw the vampire, after all, so we can explain it to Professor Marlene."
Listening to their exchange, Herman silently gave Neville a thumbs-up, though his own aim was rather different from Neville's. He wanted to stay with a professor, which would offer at least some safety. After all, most Hogwarts professors would protect their students. Even if it was Snape, well, they had Harry with them, didn't they?
Quirrell looked at Neville's face and considered for a moment before saying, "Neville, isn't it? I know your parents. You're very brave, just like them. But there's no need for you to come along now. I believe you, and Professor Marlene will too. Could you help keep order? I suspect the little first-years might not listen to anyone else, but you should be able to manage, Son of the Champion."
Hearing that Quirrell knew his parents, Neville immediately felt closer to him and readily agreed like a soldier entrusted with an important mission. "Yes, Professor."
Quirrell nodded in satisfaction, turned, and walked toward the engine. Although Herman still wanted to follow him, he could find no excuse and could only help Neville keep order. Still, since Quirrell had stressed that they should remain on the train, it ought to be safe there. At that thought, Herman felt somewhat more at ease.
"Look, there's something outside the window!" someone suddenly shouted from a compartment, their voice cutting through the air like an alarm.