The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

Chapter 124 You shall not pass!

The rotting, scabbed hand gripped the door frame.

As the tall figure slowly floated into the compartment, the temperature inside plummeted to freezing. Harry felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave; all his joy vanished, leaving only the bone-chilling cold and the echoing screams in his ears.

"No—no—" Harry cried out in anguish, covering his ears and sliding uncontrollably off his seat.

"Harry!" Ron and Hermione cried out in alarm, trying to help him up, but they were too overwhelmed by fear to move.

Only Lo Wei was still standing.

[Warning: Sanity is decreasing. Current willpower remaining: 35%.]

[Physical attack detection: Ineffective (Ghostly Physique).]

Lowe felt his very soul tremble. It was the primal fear of a apex predator.

But he did not back down.

He bit his tongue, using the momentary clarity brought on by the excruciating pain to prop up his swaying body. He gripped the black thornwood wand tightly in both hands.

"You want him?"

Luo Wei's voice was hoarse, yet carried a desperate madness, "Then step over my corpse first!"

The cloaked monster seemed to disregard the human with the small stick. A dismissive inhale escaped from beneath its bottomless hood, and it continued to drift towards Harry, who lay sprawled on the ground.

"Get out of here!"

With a roar, Lowe swung his wand and thrust it toward the monster's chest.

puff.

It was like piercing a cold mist. The wand passed through the monster's body without encountering any resistance or causing any damage.

Attack ineffective.

[WARNING: Exposure to high concentrations of dark energy. Sanity -20.]

A bone-chilling coldness traveled through Rowe's entire body from the wand. His arm instantly went numb, and the Blackthorn Wand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

"Physical attacks ineffective—" Rowe staggered back a step, leaning against the doorframe. "Damn it, I need a Numenor dagger—"

The Dementor ignored Rowe's counterattack. It bent down, its rotting hand reaching for Harry's face. Harry's body convulsed violently, his eyes rolling back.

It was at this moment of despair.

You shall not pass!

With his last ounce of strength, Rowe spread his arms and stood between Harry and the monster. His eyes were unfocused, but they burned with the last embers of a flame.

"As long as I'm still standing—"

The Dementor stopped what it was doing. It seemed to be enraged by the human's foolishness, and turned its hood toward Rowe, preparing to enjoy this appetizer that had been delivered to its doorstep.

Suddenly, a silver light shone in the corner of the private room.

It was a warm, pure light, full of hope. It wasn't as dazzling as lightning, but like the first ray of dawn, it instantly dispelled the darkness and cold in the carriage.

The man who had been sleeping in the corner stood up.

He held a wand in his hand, from which spewed a silver animal (which looked like a wolf or a dog) that roared as it charged toward the Dementor.

The Dementor let out a reluctant screech, forced by the silver light to turn and leave the private room, disappearing into the dark end of the corridor.

As the monster left, the lights in the carriage came back on.

Luo Wei leaned against the doorframe, panting heavily. His vision was somewhat blurred, but in the fading silver light, he saw the man's back.

A tattered robe, gray hair, and a magic wand that seemed incredibly sacred at that moment.

Under the system's filter, that figure overlapped with a great figure from memory.

Luo Wei murmured to himself, tears welling in his eyes, "You've finally—woke up."

The man turned around. His face was still pale and tired, but his eyes were unusually gentle. He glanced at Harry lying on the ground, then at Rowe, who was leaning against the doorframe, looking at him with adoration.

"Are you alright?" Professor Lupin's voice was a little hoarse. He took a huge piece of chocolate from his pocket, broke off a piece, and handed it to Rowe. "Eat this. It will help alleviate the effects of the darkness."

Rowe stretched out his hands, trembling, as if receiving a holy sword bestowed by the king, or dried rations from Lambas given by the Elf Queen.

"Thank you—Lord Grey Robe." Rowe solemnly accepted the chocolate, then immediately took a big bite.

The warmth of the chocolate flowed down my throat and throughout my body, dispelling the lingering chill.

[Sanity value is recovering —]

[Item obtained: The Grey Wizard's Gift (actually just a high-quality chocolate).]

[Effect: Removes fear and restores stamina.]

"Who's that?" Ron asked, his voice trembling. He and Hermione were busy helping Harry to his seat. "What—what is that thing?"

"Dementors," Professor Lupin said, handing out the remaining chocolates to the others. "Guardians of Azkaban."

He shoved the chocolate into Harry's still-dazed hand: "Eat it, Harry. It'll help you."

"But—" Harry weakly raised his head and glanced at Rowe, "What just happened—what happened?"

"Just now?" Professor Lupin smiled, glancing at Rowe, who was wolfing down chocolate. "Just now, a brave knight tried to protect you with a sword that didn't exist. Although it was reckless, it was very admirable."

Lo Wei wiped the chocolate stains from the corner of his mouth and resumed his usual serious expression.

"That is my duty, Ringbearer." Rowe picked up his wand from the ground and tucked it back into his belt. "Though my sword cannot harm ghosts, the oath of a ranger is harder than steel."

Professor Lu Ping looked at Luo Wei with great interest, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

"A ranger?" he said softly. "An interesting title. Are all Hogwarts students this individualistic these days?"

“It’s not just his personality, Professor,” Hermione interjected, glancing worriedly at Harry. “Love—he’s always like that. He lives in another world.”

"Perhaps," Professor Lupin smiled gently, "but sometimes, this kind of world is also a kind of power."

Just then, the train slowly started moving.

The rain was still falling outside the window, but the suffocating darkness had receded. Ahead, the lights of Hogwarts Castle could be seen faintly in the rain.

Looking out the window, a new notification popped up on the system interface:

[Mission Summary: Encounter on the Train.]

You did not back down in the face of an invincible enemy, successfully buying time until reinforcements arrived.

[Reward: Willpower +2 (Increased Darkness Resistance).]

[Special Reward: The Grey Wizard (Lupin)'s Attention.]