Lupin looked sincerely interested, which immediately made Ron like him.
Ron instinctively glanced toward the seat by the window. Sean was sitting there, eating pumpkin pie and reading.
Suddenly, all the lights in the corridor and on the luggage racks flicked on at once.
The train clattered and rattled, rain hammered against the windows, and the wind howled outside.
"Wait, are we almost there already?"
Ron leaned across, looking past Professor Lupin at the now pitch-black window.
The moment he said it, the train began to slow down.
"Brilliant!" Ron said. "You can get off with Sean, then. Though it's weird that he actually owes you wages… What, do you work at Fred's place?"
"I don't think he means that joke shop," Lupin said kindly. "I think he means a bookshop."
"A bookshop… You mean Green Bookshop? Merlin's beard… does that mean you've got the newest version of the Green Notebook?!"
Ron was stunned.
"Of course I do."
Lupin smiled, then carefully took out a full set of the Green Series from his battered but rather interesting trunk.
The yellowing pages showed that he had probably read them more than once.
"The Wizarding Chronicle of Magic! "
Hermione gasped in delight. "Sean said he hadn't finished it yet, and you've already got the manuscript…"
"Oh, certainly. Mr. Green and I have always exchanged letters about magical history," Lupin said with a smile and a nod.
He looked at the young wizards crowding around and realized they likely had quite a good relationship with his employer.
That made his smile even warmer.
It looked like he would be able to find his boss very soon.
Lupin was surrounded by the young wizards, while Ron, standing farthest away, couldn't see the manuscript at all.
He let out a disappointed sigh, stood up, and carefully walked over to the window to check what was happening outside.
"I'm starving. I really want to get to the feast…"
"There's no way we're there yet," Hermione said, turning around with a page of the manuscript in hand.
"Then why are we stopping?"
The train was slowing more and more.
The sound of the wheels gradually faded until only the wind and rain were left, battering the windows louder than before.
Ron was closest to the door. He stood and looked out into the corridor.
Heads were poking out curiously from compartments all along the carriage.
The train jerked to a stop. Somewhere in the distance came a crash and clatter—someone's luggage must have fallen off a rack.
Then, for no reason at all, every light went out.
They were plunged into complete darkness.
"What's going on?" Ron's voice sounded from in front of them.
"Ow!"
Hermione gasped. "Ron, that's my foot!"
"Sorry—I really can't see—" Ron said.
"Do you think the train's broken down?" Harry groped his way back to his seat.
"No idea…"
A shrill squeaking noise came from the darkness, and Harry could just make out Ron's dark, blurry shape.
He was rubbing a clear patch on the window and peering outside.
"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "Looks like someone's getting on the train…"
"Mr. Green—you were here all along—"
A low, cheerful voice broke the tension. It was Lupin. He had raised his wand, and its light now illuminated the manuscript for the black-haired young wizard.
"It's good to see you, Mr. Lupin," Sean said, lifting his head from the sea of magical knowledge with a faint smile.
"He definitely doesn't look like he came to collect wages," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Anyone can see that, Hermione," Ron muttered. "There isn't anyone in the whole wizarding world who doesn't want to get close to Sean… Did I ever tell you? One signed notebook of his sold for thirty Galleons!"
Ron started waggling his eyebrows again. Even though his face was hard to see in the dark, everyone could hear the exaggerated tone in his voice.
"And even if they didn't want to get close to Mr. Green, what newspaper or so-called pure-blood family wouldn't want to know Mr. Hermes, returned in glory?"
The young wizards fell silent for a moment.
They always forgot just what the name Green meant in the wizarding world…
"You're right, Ron. But I think the train's broken down…" Harry suddenly said.
"Should we go outside and have a look?"
He glanced at Sean, who was now chatting with Lupin, and made the suggestion.
"Sounds good to me."
Ron eagerly pulled the door open.
The young wizards stepped into the corridor, leaving only Lupin and Sean inside the compartment.
In the narrow corridor, someone tripped over Harry's legs and crashed painfully to the floor.
"Sorry! Who was that? Do you know what's going on? Ow—sorry—"
"Neville, don't wander around. Stay close to me."
Harry fumbled in the dark, grabbed Neville by the robes, and hauled him back up.
"Harry? Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me, Neville. Come on—"
"Let's ask the driver what's happening," Hermione's voice said.
Harry felt Hermione brush past him, heard another sliding door open, then slam shut, followed by two pained shrieks.
"Who's that?"
"Who's there?"
"Ginny?"
"Hermione?"
"What are you doing, Ginny?"
"I'm looking for Ron—"
"Alright, get inside first—"
"Don't sit there!" Harry said quickly. "I'm here! Ow!"
Neville let out a pained howl.
Stumbling over each other, they all piled back into the compartment.
Now it was ridiculously cramped—seven young wizards and one professor.
"Get behind me."
A serious voice suddenly cut in.
They saw a flash of light at the black-haired boy's chest, and then his figure vanished into the darkness.
They turned in shock. He was suddenly already at the very front.
With a soft crack, another shaky light lit up the compartment.
Professor Lupin seemed to be holding a handful of fire in his hand. It lit his tired gray face, but his eyes were sharp and alert.
"Stay where you are," he said in that hoarse voice, then slowly rose to his feet, holding up the flame.
But before Lupin could reach the door, it slid slowly open.
In the flickering firelight, they saw a hooded figure standing in the doorway, tall and huge, nearly brushing the ceiling.
Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood.
Harry, standing right near the front beside Sean, let his eyes drop lower—and what he saw made his stomach twist.
A hand was protruding from beneath the cloak.
It was glistening, grayish, slimy, and mottled, like something dead that had rotted in water…
Then the hand vanished. The hooded thing, whatever it was, seemed to sense Harry's gaze, and suddenly withdrew it into the folds of its black cloak.
Then the cloaked thing—whatever it was—drew a long, rattling breath, as though it were sucking in more than just the surrounding air.
A wave of icy cold swept over them.
Harry couldn't breathe.
The cold sank through his skin, into his chest, into his heart…
Harry's eyes rolled upward. He couldn't see anything anymore.
He was drowning in the cold. A roaring filled his ears, like he was underwater.
Something was dragging him downward, and the roaring grew louder and louder…
Then he heard screaming, from very far away—terrible, terrified, pleading screams.
He wanted to help that person. He wanted to move his arm, just a little, but he couldn't move at all…
A thick white mist was swirling around him, swirling inside his heart—
"Get out!"
Harry heard a sharp, ringing command.
A cat—a silver-white cat, shining with light—leapt out from beside him.
It sprang gracefully toward the black-robed figure, and the figure fled from it like a mouse from a cat.
"Harry! Harry! Are you alright?"
Someone was slapping Harry's face.
"W-what?"
Harry opened his eyes. Bright lights were shining overhead, the floor was trembling, and the Hogwarts Express was moving again. The lights had come back on too.
He seemed to have slid off his seat onto the floor.
Ron and Justin were kneeling beside him. Behind them stood Neville, Ginny, Hermione, and Professor Lupin, all staring at him.
Harry felt awful. When he raised a hand to shove his glasses back up his nose, he found his face slick with cold sweat.
A hand reached toward him.
"Harry, you need to rest," said the same voice that had shouted just now.
"Sean…"
Harry's head was mush, but he would never forget that voice.
Sean helped him back into his seat.
"Are you alright?" Ron asked anxiously, coming closer.
"I'm fine," Harry said, quickly glancing toward the door.
The hooded thing was gone.
"What happened? Where did that—that thing go? Who was screaming?" Harry asked in confusion.
"No one was screaming," Ron said, looking even more nervous.
Harry looked around the brightly lit compartment. Ginny and Neville were both staring at him, their faces pale.
"But I heard screaming—"
A sharp crack made them all jump.
Professor Lupin had snapped a large slab of chocolate into several pieces.
"Here," he said, handing Harry an especially large piece. "Eat this. It'll help."
Harry took the chocolate, but didn't eat it.
"What was that thing?" he asked Sean.
"A Dementor," Sean replied, watching Lupin hand chocolate to everyone. "One of the Azkaban Dementors."
Everyone stared at Sean in shock.
Professor Lupin crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Eat," he said again. "It'll help. Sorry, but I need to go and speak to the driver…"
He walked past Harry, then stopped beside Sean.
"That was an extraordinary Patronus Charm, Mr. Green. A corporeal Patronus—that's remarkable."
Lupin sounded genuinely surprised.
"I'll come with you to speak to the driver," Sean said, glancing at the dark corridor outside. "Not every compartment has wizards who can cast the Patronus Charm."
"Mmm… if it's you… then come along, Mr. Green…"
Lupin hesitated for a moment.
"I'm coming too," Justin suddenly said.
"Mr. Finch-Fletchley, I'm afraid that's not really a good idea," Lupin said awkwardly.
He didn't want to refuse Justin.
"I'm coming too," Hermione said, standing up.
"This…" Lupin didn't quite know what to do.
"Then let's go together," Sean said.
"As you wish," Lupin replied obediently.
So Lupin led the way, and the group disappeared down the corridor together.
As Sean walked forward with his wand raised, he turned over a few doubts in his mind.
Just now, the Dementor had only attacked Harry—or rather, it hadn't specifically targeted Harry at all. Its very existence was an attack on wizards. But Harry had still reacted far more strongly than everyone else.
Sean thought it was probably related to Harry's soul.
Even though Voldemort had been destroyed, the effects he had left on Harry after all these years probably still remained.
"You really alright, Harry?" Ron stayed behind to look after him, and asked worriedly.
"I don't understand… what happened just now?" Harry said, wiping away more cold sweat from his face.
"Well—that thing—that Dementor—just stood there looking around. I mean, I think it was looking around. I couldn't see its face. And then you—you—
I thought you were having some kind of fit."
Ron still looked badly shaken.
"You went stiff, fell out of your seat, and started convulsing—"
"And then Mr. Green raised his wand," Ginny said in awe.
"He said, 'Get out.' Then this silver thing shot out of his wand at the Dementor, and it ran away…"
"It was horrible," Neville said, his voice higher than usual. "Did you all feel how cold it got when it came in?"
"I felt weird," Ron said, shifting his shoulders uneasily. "Like I'd never be cheerful again…"
"But none of you—fell out of your seat?" Harry asked awkwardly.
"No," Ron said, then looked at Harry with concern again. "Though Ginny was shaking like mad…"
Harry couldn't understand it.
He felt weak all over, trembling like he'd just barely recovered from a terrible flu.
And beneath that, he felt faintly embarrassed.
Why had he been the only one to lose control like that while nobody else had?
Sean came back.
Lupin was with him, still looking alert.
Professor Lupin paused in the doorway, looked around at everyone, and said with a slight smile,
"I didn't poison that chocolate, you know…"
"Harry, eat some," Sean said gently.
Only then did Harry take a bite, and he was startled to feel warmth suddenly spreading all the way to his fingers and toes.
"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," Professor Lupin said.
"Dementors feed on a wizard's happiness," Sean explained, then hesitated before taking a steaming pumpkin pie out of the Wizard's Book. "Would you like…"
"I won't say no," Justin said with a smile.
"Oh, Sean, I mean it—having an Undetectable Extension space is incredible!"
Ron edged a little closer, pulling Harry with him.
"Your… Patronus Charm… was…?"
Only Hermione was still thinking about the spell Sean had cast just now.
~~~
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