Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 523-521: Dementors (4k)

Lupin seemed eager to hear more, which made Ron like him a lot.

He glanced instinctively at the window seat, where Sheehan was eating pumpkin pie and reading.

Suddenly, all the lights in the aisle and on the luggage racks turned on.

The train clattered and rattled, raindrops pattered, and the wind howled outside the window.

"Wait a minute, are we almost there?"

As Ron spoke, he leaned over and looked through Professor Lupin at the now completely dark car window.

As soon as he finished speaking, the train began to slow down.

"awesome!"

Ron said,
"You can get off the train with Sheen, but it's strange that he owes you wages... You work for Fried?"

"I think it's not a magic item shop, but a bookstore."

Lupin said kindly.

"Bookstore...you mean Grimm's Bookstore? Merlin...so you have the latest version of Grimm's Notebooks?!"

Ron was taken aback.

"Of course I do."

Lupin smiled, his eyes crinkling, and carefully took out a complete set of the Grimm series from the tattered but interesting box.

The yellowed pages suggest that he has probably read these books more than once.

"The Wizarding Chronicles!"

Hermione gasped in delight.
"Sheen said he hasn't finished it yet, and you actually have the manuscript..."

“Oh, of course, Mr. Green and I always exchange letters about the history of magic…”

Lupin smiled and nodded.

He looked at the young wizards who had gathered around him and was certain that they probably had a good relationship with his boss.

His smile became even warmer.

It looks like he'll find his boss soon.

Lupin was surrounded by the young wizards, with Ron standing the furthest away and unable to see the manuscript.

He sighed dejectedly, stood up, and carefully walked to the window, trying to get a better look at what was happening outside.

"I'm starving, I really want to go to the banquet..."

"It's impossible to get there yet."

Hermione turned around, holding a manuscript, and said.

"Then why did it stop?"

The train is getting slower and slower.

The sound of the wheels gradually faded, while the wind and rain pounded against the car windows louder than before.

Ron was closest to the door, so he got up and looked down the hallway.

Throughout the carriage, countless heads peered curiously out from the compartments.

The train came to a sudden stop, and a series of clattering sounds came from afar—the luggage must have fallen off the racks.

Then, without any explanation, all the lights went out, plunging them into complete darkness.

"what happened?"

Ron's voice rang out in front of everyone.

"Ouch!"

Hermione gasped.
"Ron, these are my feet!"

"Sorry—I really can't see clearly—"

Ron said.

"Do you think the car is broken?"

Harry groped his way back to his seat.

"do not know……"

A piercing squeaking sound came from the darkness, and Harry saw Ron's dark, blurry figure.

He was wiping a clean spot on the car window and looking out.

"Something is moving outside,"

Ron said,
"It looks like someone is getting on the bus..."

"Mr. Green—so you were here all along—"

A deep, cheerful voice broke the tense atmosphere. It was Lupin, holding up his glowing wand to help the dark-haired wizard illuminate the manuscript.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lupin."

Sheen emerged from the ocean of magical knowledge and spoke with a slight smile.

"I don't think Lupin is here to ask for back pay."

Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Anyone can see that, Hermione."

Ron pursed his lips.

"No one in the entire wizarding world doesn't want to get in touch with Sheen... Did I say that? The last signed notebook of Sheen sold for thirty Galleons!"

Ron suddenly started winking and making faces again. Although his face wasn't very clear in the darkness, everyone could still hear the exaggerated tone in his words:

"Even if they don't want to associate with Mr. Green, which of those newspapers or those so-called pure-blood families wouldn't want to know Mr. Hermes, who is returning with honor?"

The young wizards fell silent for a moment.

They always forget what a prestigious position the name Grimm holds in the entire wizarding world...

“You’re right, Ron. But the car seems to be broken now…”

Suddenly, Harry spoke.

"Shall we go outside and take a look?"

Harry glanced at Sheehan, who was being chatted with by Lupin, and made a suggestion.

"I think I can."

Ron eagerly opened the door.

The young wizards walked down the aisle, leaving only Lupin and Sheen in the box.

In the narrow passageway, someone tripped over Harry's legs and fell down in pain.

"I'm sorry! Who is it? Do you know what happened? Ouch! I'm so sorry—"

"Navie, don't wander off, stay close to me."

Harry groped in the dark, grabbed Neville's robe, and pulled him up.

"Harry? Is that you?"

"It's me, Neville. Let's go—"

"Let's go ask the driver what happened."

Hermione's voice said.

Harry felt Hermione pass in front of him, heard the sliding door open again, followed by a bang and two more painful screams.

"who is it?"

"who is it?"

"Ginny?"

Hermione?

"What are you doing, Ginny?"

"I'm looking for Ron—"

"Okay, you can come in and sit down first—"

"Don't sit here!"

Harry quickly said,
"I'm here! Ouch!"

Neville let out a painful howl.

The group stumbled back into the private room.

The box is now very crowded, with seven young wizards and a professor.

"Go behind me."

At that moment, a serious voice broke in.

Everyone saw a flash of light on the chest of the little wizard by the window, and then his figure disappeared from the darkness.

They turned around in surprise to find that the little wizard had already reached the very front.

With a slight crackling sound, a flickering light illuminated the cubicle.

Professor Lupin seemed to be holding a flame in his hand, which illuminated his tired, gray face, while his eyes appeared very alert.

"Stay put and don't move."

He spoke in that hoarse voice, then he held up the flame and slowly stood up.

But before Lupin could reach the door, the sliding door slowly opened.

In the flickering flame of Lupin's hand, a tall, cloaked figure could be seen standing in the doorway, almost touching the ceiling.

His face was completely hidden under the hood.

Ha, who was at the front of the crowd next to Sheen, glanced down and what he saw made his stomach clench.

A hand emerged from beneath the cloak, greyish-white, gleaming eerily, seemingly covered in slime and spots, like something rotting in water after death…

The hand vanished instantly. The cloaked figure seemed to sense Harry's gaze, and the hand suddenly disappeared into the folds of the black cloak.

Then, the cloaked creature—whatever it was—slowly took a long breath, making a gurgling sound in its throat, as if it were inhaling more than just the surrounding air.

A bone-chilling cold swept over them.

Harry felt like he couldn't breathe.

The chill seeped into his skin, penetrated his chest, and entered his heart...

Harry rolled his eyes upwards and couldn't see anything.

He was overwhelmed by the cold, and his ears were ringing as if he were in water.

Something was pulling him down, and the whooshing sound was getting louder and louder...

Just then, he heard screams coming from a great distance—terrifying, panicked, and pleading screams. He wanted to help the person; he tried to move his arm, but he couldn't move it at all…

A thick white mist swirled around him, swirling within his heart—

"leave!"

Harry heard a loud rebuke.

A cat, a silver-white cat, a shimmering cat, ran out from beside him.

It leaped confidently to the figure in black robes, who fled like a mouse that had seen a cat.

"Harry! Harry! Are you alright?"

Someone is slapping Harry's face.

"Wh-what?"

Harry opened his eyes. The lights were flashing overhead, and the floor was shaking—the Hogwarts Express was moving again, and the lights were back on.

He appeared to have slid from his seat onto the floor.

Ron and Justin knelt beside him, and he saw Neville, Ginny, Hermione, and Professor Lupin standing behind them, all watching him.

Harry felt extremely uncomfortable. When he raised his hand to push his glasses up his nose, he touched his face and found it covered in cold sweat.

A hand reached out.

"Harry, you need to rest."

The same voice that had just reprimanded him spoke.

“Sheen…”

Harry's mind was a complete mess, but he wouldn't forget that voice.

Sheen helped him back to his seat.

"Are you OK?"

Ron approached and asked nervously.

"fine."

As Harry spoke, he quickly glanced toward the door.

The cloaked figure was gone.

"What happened? Where—where did that thing go? Who's screaming?"

Harry asked, puzzled.

"No one screamed."

Ron said he became even more nervous.

Harry looked around the brightly lit cubicle. Ginny and Neville looked at him, both of them pale.

"But I heard screams—"

The loud crack startled them all.

Professor Lupin broke a large piece of chocolate into several pieces.

"Give,"

He handed Harry a particularly large piece and said to him...
"Eat it, it will help."

Harry took the chocolate, but didn't eat it.

What is that thing?

He asked Sheen.

"Dementor,"

Seeing Lupin distribute the chocolates to everyone, Sheen replied,
"The Dementors of Azkaban".

Everyone stared at Sheen in surprise.

Professor Lupin also crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Eat,"

He added,

"That will help. Please excuse me, I need to speak with the driver..."

He walked past Harry and stopped next to Sheehan.

“A magnificent Patronus Charm, Mr. Grimm, a physical Patronus, this is incredible.”

Lupin said with surprise.

“Let me go with you and talk to the driver. Not every wizard in every room has a guardian charm.”

Sheen glanced at the dark corridor and said.

“Hmm… if it’s you… let’s go, Mr. Green…”

Lupin paused.

"I'll go with you."

Justin suddenly spoke up.

“Mr. Finley, this is not a good idea.”

Lupin was somewhat embarrassed.

He was unwilling to refuse Justin.

"I'll go as well."

Hermione stood up as well and said.

"This……"

Lupin is having a hard time making a decision.

"Let's go together then."

Sheen said.

"As you wish."

Lu Ping obediently replied.

So he walked in front, and the group disappeared down the corridor together.

As Sheen advanced, wand in hand, he pondered some questions.

The Dementor just attacked Harry, or rather, it didn't specifically attack Harry at all; its very existence was an attack on wizards, but Harry still reacted strongly.

Sheehan thought that this was probably related to Harry's soul.

Even if he is destroyed, Voldemort's influence on Harry will likely persist for many years.

"Are you really alright, Harry?"

Ron stayed behind to look after Harry, and then he looked at Harry with concern and said...

"I don't understand... what just happened?"

Harry wiped the more cold sweat from his face and said.

"Um—that guy—that Dementor—is just standing there looking around, I mean it seems to be looking around, I can't see its face—and then you—you—"

I thought you were having an attack.

Ron said he looked shaken.

"You seemed to stiffen, fell off your seat, and started convulsing—"

"Then Mr. Green raised his wand."

Ginny said admiringly,

He said, "Leave." Then a silver beam shot out of the wand and flew towards the Dementor, which then fled...

"terrible."

Navee said the voice was louder than usual.
"Did you feel how cold it was when it came in?"

"I feel weird,"

As Ron spoke, he shifted his shoulders uneasily.

"It's like I can never be happy again..."

"But none of you—fell off your seats?"

Harry said awkwardly.

"No."

Ron said, looking at Harry with concern.

"But Ginny was shaking like crazy..."

Harry really didn't understand.

He felt weak and his whole body was trembling, as if he had just recovered from a bad cold.

He also felt a little embarrassed, wondering why he was the only one who lost his composure, while no one else did.
Sheen is back.

Beside him was Lu Ping, who remained vigilant.

Professor Lu Ping paused as he entered, looked at everyone, and said with a slight smile:
"I didn't poison that chocolate..."

"Harry, have some."

Sheen said softly.

Harry took a bite and was surprised to feel a sudden surge of heat rushing to his toes and fingertips.

"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes."

Professor Lu Ping said.

"Dementors absorb the wizard's happiness, and sweets can make people feel better."

Sheen explained it again, and then hesitantly took out a steaming hot pumpkin pie from the Wizard's Book.

"Do you want to...?"

"I won't stand on ceremony."

Justin said with a smile.

"Oh! Sheehan, I mean, having a seamless expansion space is fantastic!"

Ron moved closer and helped Harry over.

"Your... guardian spirit spell, is it?"

Only Hermione was still preoccupied with the spell Sheen had just cast.

(End of this chapter)