The train stopped.
Harry, being closest to the door, pushed open the sliding door and peered out. The corridor was in chaos, students were crammed at the entrance, chattering about what had happened.
"What's going on?" Ron also stood up.
No sooner had he spoken than the lights went out.
The entire carriage was plunged into darkness instantly.
The noise in the corridor grew louder; some people screamed, some fumbled for something, and others bumped into walls.
"What's happening? Why are the lights off?"
"Hey, Penelope, where are you? Are you okay?"
"Let go, Percy, that's my foot!"
Hermione clutched Crookshanks, and the cat let out a low whimper.
"Lumos."
Charlie's voice rang out in the darkness.
A ball of silvery-white light floated from the tip of his wand, hovering in the center of the compartment, its orange-yellow glow illuminating the entire space.
Ron cowered behind Charlie, his face pale.
Hermione also pulled out her wand and cast the Spell. Another ball of light appeared, making the carriage a bit brighter, but Hermione's light could not detach from her wand. This made Hermione quite displeased; how could he even find a new way to cast a Lumos Spell?
In the corridor outside the compartment, students gradually lit their wands.
Tiny specks of light appeared in the darkness, and the carriage finally felt less oppressive.
Professor Lupin opened his eyes.
He sat up straight, looking at the floating ball of light in the compartment, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
"That's an excellent level of magic," his voice was a little hoarse.
"Which house are you from? If we were at school, I should be able to award you points."
Charlie turned his head.
"Hufflepuff."
Professor Lupin nodded, just about to say something, when the compartment's sliding door was suddenly pushed open.
A figure stood at the entrance.
It was so tall it almost touched the ceiling, clad in a black cloak, with a hood covering its entire face. A hand emerged from beneath the cloak, grayish-white, its skin shriveled and clinging to the bones, covered in spots and wrinkles, like a dead person crawled out of a grave.
Charlie gripped his wand. By all accounts, nothing usually went wrong on the school train, but this ghostly thing didn't look like a good person.
Several similar figures were roaming the corridor.
Professor Lupin frowned deeply.
"Dementor? Why is it on the train?"
The Dementor stood at the entrance, neither speaking nor moving. It slowly took a breath, letting out a chilling rattle.
A bone-chilling cold instantly swept through the entire compartment, even frosting over the train windows.
Charlie felt the air seemed to freeze, the temperature plummeted, and his breaths were filled with icy moisture.
Hermione hugged Crookshanks tightly, and the cat let out a piercing hiss.
Ron was frozen in his seat, his face pale.
Harry sat on the outermost seat, closest to the thing.
His face turned ashen, his lips purple, and his body trembled violently.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but not a single word came out. He looked as if his throat had been squeezed, his breathing rapid and chaotic.
Professor Lupin suddenly stood up, his face anxious. He pulled out his wand, ready to save Harry.
But at this moment, a silvery-white light ignited beside him.
Charlie raised his wand.
"Expecto Patronum."
A silvery-white light burst from the tip of the wand, instantly filling the entire compartment.
The light condensed into shape, forming a divine dragon, circling in the air.
The divine dragon was several meters long, its scales shimmering in the silver light, its whiskers flowing, its claws sharp, and its eyes exuding majesty.
The Dementor at the entrance was like snow exposed to scorching sunlight; its cloak began to melt.
The Dementor recoiled a step, letting out a low growl.
The divine dragon rushed out of the compartment and soared straight down the corridor.
All the wandering figures in the corridor were swallowed by the divine dragon; their black cloaks dissipated in the silver light, turning into wisps of black mist.
Gasps of surprise from students echoed throughout the carriage.
In less than a few seconds, all those figures vanished.
The divine dragon flew out of the train, circling in the dark sky, its silvery-white light illuminating the entire heavens.
With the Dementor gone, the temperature in the train warmed up, and students crowded to the windows, gazing in awe at the sacred figure in the sky.
"What is that?"
Inside a certain compartment, Ernie and Justin calmly withdrew their gaze, looking disdainful.
"You've never seen anything. That's Charlie's Patronus Charm."
"What! The Patronus Charm can be that powerful?"
"I've seen my dad use it; his Patronus is tiny."
"It's okay, tiny is also very cute."
Looking at their shocked classmates in the carriage, Ernie and Justin felt a secret thrill. "Holy cow, so this is how good Charlie feels when he shows off!"
Charlie's compartment was very quiet.
Professor Lupin stood rooted to the spot, his wand still raised, his expression shocked and disbelieving.
He turned his head and looked at Charlie.
"You... what year are you in?"
"Third year." Charlie calmly put away his wand.
Professor Lupin fell silent.
A third-year student, capable of conjuring a Patronus of this caliber?
This fully corporeal Patronus looked as if a real creature had appeared before their eyes.
At this level, there were only a few people in the entire magic world who could do it.
Ron's voice was tearful: "Can you two stop chatting for a moment? Harry has fainted!"
Hermione suddenly snapped back to reality. She knelt beside Harry, reaching out to touch his forehead.
"Oh my, his skin is like ice."
Professor Lupin hurried over, crouching down to check on Harry's condition.
Ron was frantic, reaching out to slap Harry's face.
"Harry, wake up! Harry!"
Slap, slap, slap.
Each slap was loud.
Harry's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, his voice weak.
"If you hit me again, I'll really faint."
Ron's hand froze in mid-air, a little embarrassed.
"You're awake?"
Ron helped Harry sit up against the seat, and Hermione quickly handed him a cup of water.
Professor Lupin pulled a large bar of chocolate from his pocket, broke it into several pieces, and distributed it to everyone.
"Eat some, chocolate will make you feel better."
Ron took the chocolate but didn't eat it, instead asking Harry.
"What happened to you just now?"
Harry clutched the chocolate, his face still very pale.
"I heard someone screaming, and then my head hurt terribly."
Ron was stunned.
"Screaming? How come I didn't hear anything?"
Hermione also shook her head. "I didn't hear anything either."
Professor Lupin sighed, his tone heavy.
"No one was screaming; the Dementor made you relive the most painful memories hidden deep in your heart."
Harry looked up, his eyes full of confusion.
"What is a Dementor?"
"The guards of Azkaban," Professor Lupin said. "They feed on human happiness, and those who come near them relive the worst memories of their lives."
Charlie was a little puzzled.
"Then why would they appear on the train?"
Professor Lupin's face grew even uglier.
"It must be to catch Sirius Black, this is at the Ministry of Magic's instruction."
Charlie had originally thought that the Ministry of Magic having an Umbridge was foolish enough, but he hadn't expected there to be an even more skilled person.
How could such an obviously uncontrollable thing be placed on the train without any supervision? Whose subordinate is this? I would like to appoint him as Minister of Justice.
Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted in the corridor, and someone was shouting.
"Who is it? Who is obstructing the Ministry of Magic's enforcement?"
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