Hogwarts: Proficiency Panel

Chapter 522 523: The Dementors

Lupin looked perfectly willing to indulge their curiosity, which immediately

earned him Ron's approval. Ron cast a subconscious glance toward the window,

where Sean was calmly eating a pumpkin pasty and reading his book.

Suddenly, the lights in the corridor and on the luggage racks flickered and

hummed to life. The train continued its rhythmic clack-clack, rain drummed

against the glass, and the wind howled outside.

"Wait, are we nearly there?" Ron asked, leaning across Professor Lupin to peer

into the pitch-black night outside.

As if in answer, the train began to slow down.

"Brilliant!" Ron said. "You can get off with Sean then, Professor. Though I have

to say, it's mental that he owes you wages... were you working at Fred and

George's joke shop?"

"I believe it wasn't a joke shop, but a bookstore," Lupin said mildly.

"A bookstore... you mean Green's Bookshop? Merlin's beard... does that mean you

have the newest edition of Green's Notes?!" Ron gasped, his eyes wide.

"I certainly do." Lupin's eyes crinkled with a smile. He reached into his

battered but fascinating suitcase and pulled out a complete set of the Green

Series. The yellowed edges of the pages suggested he had read them more than

once.

"The Wizarding Magical Annals!" Hermione let out a low, excited cry. "Sean said

he hadn't finished it yet, but you have a manuscript..."

"Oh, yes. Mr. Green and I have shared a long correspondence regarding the

history of magic," Lupin nodded.

He watched the circle of young wizards surrounding him. It was clear they shared

a close bond with his employer. His smile grew warmer. It seemed he would find

his footing as a professor quite quickly with such a connection.

As the others crowded around Lupin, Ron, who was furthest from the manuscript,

couldn't see a thing. He let out a dejected sigh and stood up, moving toward the

window. "I'm starving. I can't wait for the feast..."

"We can't be there yet," Hermione said, looking up from a page of the

manuscript.

"Then why are we stopping?"

The train was slowing to a crawl. The sound of the wheels on the tracks faded,

replaced by the roar of wind and the lashing rain against the glass. Ron, being

closest to the door, stood up and peered into the corridor.

All along the carriage, heads were poking out of compartments with curious

expressions. With a violent jolt, the train came to a complete halt. A series of

loud bangs and clatters echoed from the distance—luggage falling from the racks.

Then, without warning, all the lights went out. They were plunged into total,

suffocating darkness.

"What's going on?" Ron's voice sounded thin in the dark.

"Ouch!" Hermione hissed. "Ron, that's my foot!"

"Sorry—I can't see a thing—"

"D'you think we've broken down?" Harry asked, fumbling his way back to his seat.

"Dunno..."

A harsh scratching sound filled the air. Harry saw Ron's blurry silhouette as he

wiped a patch of condensation off the window to look outside.

"There's something moving out there," Ron whispered. "I think... I think

someone's coming aboard..."

"Mr. Green—there you are—"

A low, pleasant voice broke the rising tension. It was Lupin. He had produced

his wand, its tip glowing with a soft light that illuminated the manuscript in

Sean's hands.

"Good to see you, Remus," Sean said, emerging from the depths of his study with

a slight smile.

"I don't think Professor Lupin is here to demand back wages, Ron," Hermione

noted thoughtfully.

"Anyone can see that now, Hermione," Ron muttered, rolling his eyes. "Everyone

in the wizarding world wants a piece of Sean... did I tell you? A signed copy of

his notes sold for thirty Galleons last month!"

Ron began to gesticulate wildly, his voice full of its usual exaggeration. "Even

if they don't care about the bookstore, what Ministry official or 'Noble House'

doesn't want to know the man they're calling 'Hermes Returned'?"

The group fell silent for a moment. They often forgot the sheer weight the name

Green carried in the wider world.

"You're right, Ron," Harry said suddenly. "But the train's still stopped..." He

looked at Sean, who was now engaged in a quiet conversation with Lupin. "Should

we check it out?"

"I'm in," Ron said, sliding the door open.

The students filed out into the narrow corridor, leaving Lupin and Sean alone in

the compartment for a moment. In the darkness of the hallway, someone tripped

over Harry's legs.

"Ouch! Sorry! Who's that? Does anyone know what's happening? Bloody hell—"

"Neville, stay close to me," Harry said, reaching out to pull Neville up by his

robes.

"Harry? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Keep moving—"

"Let's ask the driver," Hermione's voice suggested.

Harry felt Hermione brush past him. He heard another sliding door open, followed

by a thud and two more cries of pain.

"Who's that?" "Ginny?" "Hermione?" "What are you doing here, Ginny?" "Looking

for Ron—" "Right, well, get inside and sit down—" "Don't sit there!" Harry

yelled. "That's me! Ouch!"

Neville let out a pained yelp. The group eventually tumbled back into the

compartment. It was now incredibly cramped—seven students and one professor.

"Get behind me."

A stern, commanding voice cut through the chaos. The group saw a flash of light

from the amulet on Sean's chest, and his silhouette seemed to vanish from the

window seat.

They turned in surprise to find that Sean was already at the front of the group.

With a soft crack, a flickering flame erupted in Professor Lupin's hand. The

light illuminated his tired, grey face and his eyes, which were now sharp and

alert.

"Stay exactly where you are," he said hoarsely. He stood up, holding the handful

of fire before him.

But before Lupin could reach the door, it slid slowly open.

In the wavering light of Lupin's flame, a cloaked figure stood in the doorway.

It was tall, its head nearly brushing the ceiling. Its face was completely

hidden beneath a deep black hood.

Harry, standing right beside Sean, looked down. What he saw made his stomach do

a slow, sick flip.

A hand was protruding from the cloak—a greyish, slimy-looking hand, glistening

with a sickly sheen like something that had died and rotted in stagnant water.

The hand vanished as the creature seemed to sense Harry's gaze, retracting into

the folds of the black fabric. Then, the thing—whatever it was—drew a long,

rattling breath. It sounded like a death rattle, as if it were trying to suck

more than just air from the room.

An intense, bone-deep cold swept over them.

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. The cold seeped through his skin,

into his chest, and wrapped its frozen fingers around his very heart. His eyes

rolled back. His vision went white, then black.

He felt himself drowning in the cold. A rushing sound filled his ears like

rising water. Something was dragging him down, deeper and deeper.

Then, from a vast distance, he heard it—screaming. Terrible, terrified, pleading

screams. He wanted to help, he tried to move his arms, but his body refused to

obey.

A thick white mist swirled around him, spinning within his mind—

"BE GONE!"

A thunderous command shattered the silence.

A cat—brilliant, silver-white, and radiating a blinding light—bolted past Harry.

It leaped toward the cloaked figure with a majestic, fearless grace. The

Dementor recoiled, fleeing from the silver light like a rat from a cat.

"Harry! Harry! Are you alright?"

Someone was slapping Harry's face.

"Wh-what?" Harry opened his eyes. The lights overhead were bright again. The

floor was vibrating—the Hogwarts Express was moving.

He was lying on the floor. Ron and Justin were kneeling beside him. Behind them

stood Neville, Ginny, Hermione, and Professor Lupin, all watching him with

expressions of deep concern.

Harry felt wretched. As he pushed his glasses back up, he realized his face was

drenched in cold sweat.

A hand reached down to help him.

"You need to rest, Harry."

It was the same voice that had shouted the command.

"Sean..." Harry's brain felt like mush, but he would never forget that tone.

Sean helped him back into his seat.

"You okay?" Ron asked nervously.

"Yeah," Harry whispered, glancing quickly at the door. The cloaked thing was

gone. "What happened? Where did—that thing go? And who was screaming?"

"No one was screaming, Harry," Ron said, looking even more worried.

Harry looked around the brightly lit compartment. Ginny and Neville were both

deathly pale.

"But I heard it—"

CRACK.

The sound made them all jump. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of

chocolate into pieces.

"Here," he said, handing a particularly large chunk to Harry. "Eat this. It

helps."

Harry took the chocolate but didn't eat it. "What was that thing?" he asked

Sean.

"A Dementor," Sean replied, watching as Lupin distributed chocolate to the

others. "A guard of Azkaban."

Everyone stared at Sean in shock. Professor Lupin crumpled his chocolate wrapper

and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Eat," he repeated. "It really will help. If you'll excuse me, I need to speak

with the driver..."

He stepped past Harry, pausing for a second beside Sean. "An exceptional

Patronus Charm, Mr. Green. A corporeal form at your age... truly remarkable."

"I'll go with you to speak with the driver," Sean said, glancing at the dark

corridor. "Not every compartment has someone capable of casting a Patronus."

Lupin hesitated for a second. "A wise point. Come along then, Mr. Green."

"I'm coming too," Justin added.

"Mr. Finch-Fletchley, I'm not sure that's—" Lupin began.

"I'm going," Hermione said, standing up firmly.

Lupin looked between them and sighed. "Very well. Stay close."

The four of them disappeared into the corridor. Sean held his wand aloft as they

walked, his mind turning over the details of the encounter.

The Dementor had targeted Harry—or rather, its presence had affected him more

than anyone else. Even though it hadn't made a specific move against him, the

reaction was violent.

It's his soul, Sean thought. Even with the Horcrux gone, the shadow Voldemort

left on Harry's spirit for all those years hasn't fully faded.

"Are you sure you're alright, Harry?" Ron asked, watching his friend with

concern.

"I don't get it... what happened?" Harry wiped more sweat from his forehead.

"Well—that thing—the Dementor—it just stood there," Ron said, looking shaken. "I

couldn't see its face, but it was looking around. Then you... you... I thought

you were having a fit."

"You went rigid," Ginny added quietly, her voice full of awe. "You fell off your

seat and started twitching. And then Mr. Green stood up."

"He just pointed his wand and said 'Be Gone,'" Ginny continued. "This silver

thing shot out of his wand—a cat made of light—and the Dementor practically

scrambled to get away."

"It was terrifying," Neville said, his voice higher than usual. "Did you feel

how cold it got?"

"I felt weird," Ron said, shuddring. "Like I'd never be happy again..."

"But none of you... fell off your seats?" Harry asked awkwardly.

"No," Ron said, though he kept his eyes on Harry. "Ginny was shaking like a

leaf, though."

Harry couldn't understand it. He felt weak, his limbs trembling as if he were

recovering from a severe bout of dragon flu. He felt a pang of humiliation—why

was he the only one who had completely lost it?

The door slid open again. Sean and Lupin returned.

Lupin paused, looking around the compartment with a small, reassuring smile. "I haven't poisoned the chocolate, you know..."

"Eat some, Harry," Sean said gently.

Harry finally took a bite. To his immense surprise, a wave of warmth suddenly

flooded through his body, reaching down to his fingers and toes.

"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," Lupin announced.

"Dementors feed on human happiness," Sean explained. "Sweets act as a

counterbalance; they help stabilize the mind."

He reached into his Wizard's Tome and produced a steaming hot pumpkin pie.

"Would anyone like a piece?"

"I wouldn't say no," Justin grinned.

"Blimey, Sean, having an Undetectable Extension Charm on your pocket is the best thing ever," Ron said, helping Harry sit up straighter.

Hermione, however, was staring at Sean with a different focus. "Your Patronus...it was a cat, wasn't it?"

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