---
Chapter 368: What You Saw Was Not a Dementor!!
"Oh, Darren… it was Cadogan… He kept changing the password, and I couldn't remember it. So I wrote them on a note, but the note disappeared."
"The passwords are ridiculous," Darren said helplessly, looking at Cadogan.
He knew the password, of course—Cadogan himself had insisted on telling him. The portrait seemed worried Darren might get locked out of Gryffindor.
Darren even suspected that if Black had disguised himself as Darren, Sir Cadogan might have happily welcomed him in.
Fortunately, no one else knew this yet.
Darren took Neville and the others into the common room. Sir Cadogan looked thoroughly crestfallen.
As soon as they entered, the Gryffindor common room came alive.
"Is that a Firebolt?"
"Wow, can I try it?"
"I want Darren to fly with me!"
"In your dreams!"
Darren led Harry to Hermione's side. She was buried in her homework, piles of parchment spread in front of her. She was doing Muggle Studies.
Harry remembered that her Muggle Studies class was supposed to be during their Divination period. He had no idea when she even attended it.
He had meant to ask Darren about it, but instead walked up awkwardly and apologized.
Hermione pursed her lips and glanced at Darren, hesitating for a moment… then accepted Harry's apology.
"It's fine. I was just worried someone dangerous had sent it to you. But now at least you can use it without worrying, right?"
Her words made Harry feel guilty. He hurried to thank her—
But suddenly Ron burst out of the boys' dormitory.
In his hand was a piece of parchment stained with a horrible red liquid that looked just like blood.
"Scabbers! Scabbers!"
Darren leaned in and looked. It really did look like blood.
That rat was certainly ruthless with himself… But as the resident "kind-hearted big brother," Darren still stepped back with a pale face.
"Look—this was under my bed!"
Ron held up several strands of ginger-colored cat hair.
The conclusion seemed obvious.
Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers.
The tension between Ron and Hermione finally exploded.
Ron shouted that Hermione had never bothered to control Crookshanks. That cat had been after Scabbers from the start, and she never cared.
But Hermione refused to accept it.
She insisted the hair could have been there for days—and maybe Scabbers was still alive somewhere.
She asked Ron to search the dormitory properly instead of accusing her.
Ron became even angrier.
He declared he was done with her.
Hermione, equally stubborn, refused to apologize for something she was not sure she had done.
Harry believed Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers too. When he quietly suggested Hermione apologize, she finally exploded.
"Oh, so your Firebolt was my fault, and now Scabbers is my fault too? Fine! Everything is my fault! Just leave me alone!"
She grabbed her bag and stormed out toward the library.
Darren followed.
Because of the cold war in Gryffindor, Darren had been spending most of his time alone in the library. Hermione felt uncomfortable knowing that.
She decided it was better to study with Darren than stay in the common room in silence.
Time passed quickly.
Another Quidditch match arrived.
Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw.
Darren stood near the pitch, wand in hand, watching nervously.
Then he saw cho chang flying high above the field. As she passed, she even blew him a flying kiss.
Darren simply laughed and kept cheering for Harry as if nothing had happened.
Many girls secretly sighed in relief.
Then they all looked at Harry again.
They realized the biggest obstacle to getting close to Darren wasn't any rival girl.
It was his brother.
Fortunately, Harry never interfered with Darren's personal affairs.
Mostly because Darren had never said who he liked.
Or maybe because Harry himself had no idea about such things.
This match, Harry was uncommonly serious.
"I must catch the Snitch," he muttered.
At last, he spotted it.
He dived sharply—
And suddenly, several huge "Dementors" appeared on the field.
Darren recognized it instantly.
They were fakes.
Even so, he released his dragon Patronus without hesitation.
At the same moment, Harry cast his Patronus too.
Two brilliant guardian spirits entangled in mid-air.
The fake "Dementors" screamed and fell out of the sky.
Crabbe.
Goyle.
Malfoy.
And several other Slytherins.
They had dressed as Dementors to scare Harry—and were immediately wiped out by real Patronuses.
The crowd fell silent.
All eyes turned to Darren.
He stood there, furious.
At first, he tried to hold himself back.
Then he looked at Harry.
And suddenly, he lost all restraint.
He threw down his wand and rushed straight at them.
Punch after punch.
"Scaring my brother!"
"Pretending to be Dementors!"
"Disgracing Slytherin!"
"Not caring if you get yourselves killed!"
"And you still think this is funny?!"
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
[Ding, Father value +100]
It was chaotic.
Not terrifying—just ridiculous and strangely touching.
He was furious… yet still worried they might actually get hurt.
He even yelled that if he had used a real combat spell, they could have died on the spot.
Everyone watching wanted to laugh—and somehow felt moved.
This foolish boy was always like this.
As for Harry—
The moment he landed, he ran toward Lupin and shouted proudly,
"Professor Lupin! I'm not afraid of Dementors anymore!"
He looked around excitedly, searching for Darren.
He wanted to tell his brother he had beaten his fear.
Lupin hesitated.
He wasn't sure whether to tell Harry the truth.
Before he could decide—
A cry of pain came from the field.
Darren.
Lupin gave up instantly.
"Oh," he said calmly, "what you just saw… was not a Dementor."
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
---