A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

“I don’t like this kind of weather,” Aaron said. “Especially on long train journeys, it’s so depressing.”

"Just bear with it." Hermione glanced at her watch. "We still have half an hour before we arrive."

Suddenly the train braked sharply, slowing down more and more, with the wheels making a screeching sound as they hit the rails.

All the lights went out one after another, and they were trapped on a bridge.

Roar!

Abe suddenly let out a low growl, quickly jumped onto the table, and warily stared out the window.

"What happened?" Ron asked anxiously.

"Don't move," Aaron said, stopping Harry from going out to investigate. "There's something outside, quite a lot of it, and..."

Before the words were even finished, a thin layer of ice formed on the window of their compartment, the temperature dropped instantly, and everyone felt the biting cold.

Looking at the dark shadow flashing past the train window, Aaron couldn't help but swallow hard. "And if nothing unexpected happens, that disgusting thing is about to get on the train."

"Do you know what it is?" Hermione shuddered as she spoke. "A magical creature?"

“You should have heard of it,” Aaron said casually. “The guardian of Azkaban, the Dementors.”

Chapter 296 The Dementor Gets on the Bus for Inspection

“Dementors!” Ron exclaimed in shock, his face turning deathly pale. “Are you sure it’s Dementors? They’re not in Azkaban, what are they doing on our train?”

"how could I know?"

“I remember now,” Harry said suddenly. “Mr. Weasley mentioned that the guards of Azkaban were coming to Hogwarts, and they guessed that Sirius might come to the school.”

"Good heavens, they even mobilized these prison guards just for a wanted criminal," Aaron said speechlessly. "But that doesn't make sense either; there's no reason for Dementors to get on our train!"

boom!

The private room suddenly shook.

A figure over three meters tall, wearing a tattered black cloak, stopped outside the door.

"Fluorescence."

Aaron drew his wand, and a white light illuminated the entire compartment, as well as the figures outside.

hiss!

Aaron felt nauseous after just one glance. He had seen disgusting things before, but never anything this disgusting.

Apart from the cloak, the Dementor looked as if it had been soaked in water and was completely rotten.

A grayish-white bony hand slowly emerged from the cloak and pulled open the sliding door.

An eerie atmosphere filled the private room. Harry, Hermione, and Ron trembled with nervousness, while Crookshanks and Scabbers huddled in their host's arms.

“Mr. Dementor, the person you’re looking for isn’t here,” Aaron said calmly. “We didn’t invite you here either, so please close the door.”

The Dementors ignored them, glanced around briefly, and then turned their heads toward Harry Potter, seemingly showing great interest.

It began to inhale, making a gurgling sound in its throat, like a howling wind.

Harry felt a chilling aura envelop him, his fear amplified, and he plummeted into darkness, his consciousness growing increasingly blurred.

Roar!

Abe roared and lunged forward, knocking the Dementor out of the workshop.

Harry snapped out of his daze, panting heavily, his entire body drenched in sweat.

Before he could even savor the feeling of surviving a close call, he saw the Dementor looking at him, which terrified him so much that he kept shrinking back.

At this moment, what he was most grateful for was that there was a college professor in this private room. Regardless of whether this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was reliable or not, he had to be reliable at this moment.

Professor Lu Ping seemed to have heard his plea and suddenly opened his eyes.

He quickly drew his wand, a thick white mist swirling at its tip. The Dementor seemed to have encountered its natural enemy and decisively chose to retreat.

"Looks like our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year is reliable after all," Aaron said with a knowing smile, then placed a piece of chocolate in Harry's hand. "Here, have some. After being attacked by a Dementor, chocolate is more effective than tranquilizers."

Harry nodded, then blankly tore open the wrapper and took a bite.

Once he felt his body warm up a bit, he reluctantly sat back down in his seat.

"Harry, are you alright?" Ron asked anxiously.

“It’s nothing,” Harry said, still shaken. “I heard a woman scream, and for some reason, it made my heart ache.”

“That’s a Dementor sucking your soul dry. You’ll see the memories you least want to see,” Lupin explained. “You should thank the cat. If it hadn’t knocked the Dementor away in time, you would at least have fallen into a coma.”

Harry paused for a moment, then gave Abe a grateful smile.

"Is it really a cat?" Lupin looked at Aaron, puzzled. "Excuse my bluntness, but a normal cat should look like this."

Lupin pointed to Crook Mountain, where the large orange cat was huddled in a basket, trembling, seemingly still gripped by fear.

“Abe is definitely a cat,” Aaron said without batting an eye. “I’ve had it since it was born.”

Abe raised its head unhappily; it was a dragon, after all, and possessed the pride befitting a dragon.

Aaron immediately glared at it and pressed down its proud dragon head.

“It seems to be an unusual cat.” Lupin didn’t doubt it much. “Excuse me for a moment, I need to speak with the driver.”

After Lupin left, Harry looked at the three of them with a sullen expression. "I feel like the Dementors are targeting me."

"Be confident, and forget about feelings." Aaron hugged Abe. "Compared to others, people like you who have lived for over ten years but haven't experienced much joy are more likely to become targets of Dementors."

If you don't want to be helpless when facing Dementors, you need to learn a defensive spell, a high-level defensive spell.

"Is that the one Professor Lupin drove away the Dementors?" Hermione asked curiously.

“That’s right,” Aaron nodded. “That’s called the Guardian Charm; it can drive away Dementors.”

“Thank goodness.” Ron breathed a sigh of relief. “Our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor happens to know this spell, and he’ll definitely be willing to teach it to us.”

“This isn’t easy to learn.” Aaron gave Harry a meaningful look. “Especially for you.”

"What do you mean?"

"The most important factor in casting the Guardian Charm is happiness or hope."

I don't mean to discourage you, but how many happy memories do you think you have from these past thirteen years?

Upon hearing this, Harry pursed his lips.

After he turned one, he moved into the Dursleys' house, which was worse than an orphanage. As a result, he had a very difficult twelve years, which could even be described as a living hell.

“You can think of Quidditch,” Ron reminded him. “Riding on a flying broomstick is definitely the happiest thing for you.”

A glint of light flashed in Harry's eyes. "Thank you, Ron. I almost forgot there are bright spots in my life."

Ron's lips twitched, a deep resentment growing within him towards Harry's aunt and uncle's family.

This family is definitely no good; Harry couldn't feel any joy in their home at all.

"Aaron, do you know this spell?" Hermione asked.

"I guess I can!" Aaron nodded sheepishly; he was much better at it than Lupin.

“Then you can teach us,” Ron said excitedly.

"Uh... I'm busy."

"Hey, you call yourselves friends? You won't even help with something this small?"

“But I’m not a teacher.” Aaron rolled his eyes. “Learning the Patronus Charm takes a long time, and I have my own things to do.”

Putting everything else aside, I've signed up for five elective courses this semester; I'm simply overwhelmed.

"You also signed up for five courses?" Hermione asked, sounding surprised and uncertain.

"also?"

Aaron looked at Hermione with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

He has a mental clone that can barely take five classes, while Hermione is just one person and shouldn't be able to finish all five classes.

“She also signed up for five courses,” Ron said speechlessly. “The worst part is that she’s a Muggle-born wizard, yet she’s trying to study Muggle research.”

“Personally, I think Muggle research is the most valuable,” Aaron said seriously. His identity meant he would have to deal with all sorts of Muggles, and the more he learned now, the less he would suffer in the future.

At that moment, the sliding door opened, and Lupin sat in his previous seat, picked up the wine bottle by the window, and took a sip.

"I've spoken with the driver, and the train can depart soon."

A short while later, the lights in the private room came on, the floor shook slightly, and the Hogwarts Express started moving again, finally stopping at Hogsmeade Station a dozen minutes later.

Aaron pulled an umbrella out of his suitcase, opened it, and got off the train.

Because of the rain, the platform was more chaotic than usual, and with Dementors boarding the train midway, many people were still in a state of panic.

"First-year students, this way!" Hagrid shouted, urging the first-year students to cross the river in the traditional way.

As for the students above the first year, they took a different route, boarding Thestrals and traveling towards Hogwarts.

"Aaron, are you alright?" Draco asked curiously. "Many people saw the Dementors go into your private room."

"It's alright. It's just that Professor Lupin acted quickly. Otherwise, Abe's dragon breath would have definitely driven him away."

"Professor?" Draco seemed to realize something, frowning slightly. "The man in your private room is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?"

"You seem a little dissatisfied with him. Did Professor Lupin offend you in some way?"

“He was dressed in rags, his clothes were patched up, and his trunk was tattered. He was definitely at the bottom of the wizarding world. I don’t think he has any skills.”

“Heh!” Aaron shook his head. “Lohart is considered an upper-class figure in the wizarding world, but what is he really like?”

I think Professor Lupin is capable of this position; at least... he can drive away Dementors.

Draco was speechless and unable to refute.

As the carriage approached the gate, the students saw several Dementors patrolling overhead and felt a chill run down their spines.

After passing through the gate, the carriage went up a ramp and stopped in front of the steps leading to the castle.

The group walked up the steps, passed through a magnificent oak door, and then up a marble staircase into the auditorium.

Students from the first year and above gradually sat down at the long tables belonging to their respective colleges. The ceiling reflected the weather that night: dark clouds covered the sky, but it wasn't raining.