Ron and Hermione were utterly confused.
What were Harry and Lupin talking about in riddles?
"Professor Lupin is dangerous too?" Hermione ventured a guess based on the cryptic exchange.
Harry didn't respond. He glanced at Lupin, the protective amulet in his hand still calm and quiet.
Lupin hesitated before speaking. "It's hard for to explain, but I hope you can trust . I'm safe and will do my best to be a good professor."
Hermione looked at Harry, unwilling to trust a man she'd only just t.
Harry nodded.
Following his lead, Hermione said, "Then I trust you too, Professor Lupin."
"So do I," Ron added.
Lupin exhaled deeply, visibly relieved. "Thank you, Harry."
"As paynt, tell : what kind of person is Sirius Black?" Harry leaned forward, staring directly at him. "You were once his best friend. Maybe you know how he escaped from Azkaban?"
Lupin fell silent.
The amulet in Harry's hand began to hum once more.
Harry raised his wand.
Ron and Hermione didn't hesitate either, quickly pulling out their own wands and pointing them at Lupin.
Lupin raised his hands high. "Harry, I swear I an you no harm."
He said so, but the amulet's vibrations persisted.
Outside, the wind howled, and rain drumd against the windows. The train slowed to a crawl.
"Sirius…" Lupin sighed, keeping his hands raised as he began to explain slowly. "I an Black. He was the person your father trusted most."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"He was a classic Gryffindor. At least, to people from other houses, he seed like the epito of Gryffindor values."
"Reckless, impulsive, and brash."
"To be honest, I always found it hard to believe he would betray Jas."
"Not because I thought he was particularly virtuous, but because he lacked the cunning and subtlety for such treachery. He'd have given himself away on the first day."
"But if you're asking whether he could have escaped Azkaban… I suppose it's possible—"
The amulet's vibrations intensified sharply.
At that mont—
CLANG!
The train lurched violently, screeching to a halt.
The lights in the compartnt flickered and then went out completely.
"Stupefy!"
Harry didn't hesitate for even a second. A stunning spell shot from his wand, hitting Lupin squarely. Lupin had no ti to react to Harry's decisiveness and was knocked unconscious by the spell.
The amulet's vibrations continued for two more seconds before gradually subsiding.
Was it really Lupin?
Harry frowned, surprised.
"Harry, what's going on?" Hermione whispered, lighting the compartnt with her wand. "Did Lupin do sothing?"
Harry peered into the corridor. "I don't think so."
From the darkness ca a shrill, grating sound, like rats scratching at tal.
Ron pressed his face to the window, squinting into the stormy night. "It looks like soone's stopped the train. And now they're boarding it."
"This is Hogwarts' train!" Hermione exclaid, pushing Ron aside to get a better look. But she was too late—she only caught the faintest glimpse of a shadow disappearing into a blind spot.
In the other compartnts, the chatter of students began to swell, only to fall eerily silent monts later.
A dark, oppressive, malevolent aura filled the train, growing thicker with each passing second and pressing into Harry's senses.
He slid the compartnt door open.
In the corridor stood a tall, cloaked figure. Its head nearly brushed the ceiling, and it floated forward soundlessly. Wherever it passed, silence followed.
Even the air itself seed to freeze in its presence.
It sucked the happiness, warmth, and vitality from its surroundings with greedy abandon.
Harry recognized it imdiately—a Dentor. The terrifying guards of Azkaban.
"Has Fudge's brain been completely replaced with troll dung?" Harry gritted his teeth, his expression a mixture of anger and disbelief.
Even after last year, when he'd already seen the Ministry's incompetence firsthand, he hadn't expected them to stoop to such levels of idiocy. Allowing Dentors on a train full of children?
He raised his wand and cast the spell.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver lion burst from his wand, roaring as it leapt at the towering Dentor. The lion lunged, biting and clawing, tearing the creature's cloak to shreds and slamming it to the ground.
The Dentor exhaled a plu of black mist.
The lion seized it in its jaws and charged toward the front of the train, scattering Dentors in its path.
Monts later, the train's lights flickered back to life. The whistle sounded, and the train began moving again.
Harry waited by the door for a few monts. When no Ministry official appeared, he returned to the compartnt.
Lupin was still unconscious.
With a wave of his wand, Harry transford an article of clothing from Lupin's suitcase into a rope and securely bound him.
So ti later, Lupin groggily awoke. He blinked at the compartnt lights, disoriented, and tried to sit up, only to realize he was tied.
"Harry?" he asked, bewildered.
As soon as Lupin woke, the amulet began vibrating violently again.
Harry regarded him calmly. "Professor, for everyone's safety, I had to take precautions."
Lupin stared at the lion amulet on Harry's chest. His eyes were sincere, and after a mont of struggle, he nodded with difficulty. "Harry, I swear I have no ill intentions toward you."
Harry t his gaze.
There was no evasion in Lupin's expression. His eyes were steady and, perhaps, even a little warm.
It wasn't the kind of look a malicious person would give.
"I'll untie you once we reach Hogwarts," Harry said flatly, unmoved by the sentint in Lupin's eyes.
Such expressions didn't sway him anymore.
He had seen them before—only to be stabbed in the back.
The only thing one could trust was evidence and experience.
"Maybe we can continue our earlier conversation?" Harry asked. "How exactly did Sirius Black escape Azkaban?"
The amulet began to hum more intensely, vibrating sharply.
Lupin opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, the compartnt door slid open roughly.
An Auror stepped inside, scanning the occupants with a frown. "Who cast that Patronus just now?"
"That was ," Harry replied coolly.
Hermione's expression twisted slightly.
She couldn't help recalling their earlier encounter with the Aurors.
The man's gaze landed on Harry's distinctive eyes, and he took a step back, his tone softening. "Mr. Potter?"
"That Patronus was remarkable—clearly your work."
"But those were Ministry staff, deployed to—"
Harry cut him off impatiently. "Has Fudge lost his mind? Have you lost yours?"
"Putting Dentors on a train full of children—what were you thinking?"
The Auror lowered his head, speechless.
"Dentors? On the train?" Lupin asked, surprised.
"I've already dealt with them," Harry replied curtly.
The Auror fidgeted awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
The train slowed again, finally coming to a halt.
They had arrived.
The Auror let out a sigh of relief. "We've reached Hogwarts, Mr. Potter. I'll leave you now."
He scurried out of the compartnt, hastily shutting the door behind him.
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Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: /michaeltranslates
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