After about ten minutes, the two Dentors finally left after inspecting all the train cars, and the lights in the aisles and on the shelves flickered back on. The dim light seed to chase away the lingering cold, and as the surroundings brightened, voices gradually started up again on the train.
“What was that just now…” Kanna asked, still shaken.
“Dentors,” Kyle replied, placing the luggage back on the shelf. “Guards of Azkaban.”
“I know what a Dentor is,” Kanna said, shaking her head. “I ant the Charm you just used to dispel the cold.”
“Oh, that…” Kyle handed out so more chocolate. “The Patronus Charm. It’s the easiest and most effective way to ward off Dentors. If you can summon a full Patronus, it can even drive them back.”
“Huh? Didn’t you just use the Wand-Lighting Charm?” Fred asked from beside her, surprised. He’d only seen Kyle pull out his wand and then the compartnt had lit up. Wasn’t that just the Lighting Charm?
Kyle didn’t answer him directly. Although the Wand-Lighting Charm and the Patronus Charm both produced light, they were, in reality, very different—though admittedly, if you didn’t look closely, they might seem similar.
“A full Patronus?” Kanna asked, curious. “What does it look like?”
“The light forms into a silvery-white animal,” Kyle explained. “It can run and jump freely in midair, almost as if it were alive.”
“Is it difficult to do?” Kanna asked, wondering. She hadn’t seen any animal appear in the compartnt earlier. While she was eager to learn the Charm, if even Kyle couldn’t summon a full Patronus, it might not be worth the effort.
“It’s challenging, but not impossible,” Kyle said. “If you have a particularly strong, happy mory, it becos much easier to cast.”
He had learned the Patronus Charm from Newt in Romania, focusing on mories that captured his excitent at receiving his Hogwarts acceptance letter. There was also the ti Snape had looked as if he wanted to dig his toes through the castle floor after hearing himself called the “Half-Blood Prince.” The mories had worked well, and he’d mastered the Patronus Charm within two days.
But there was no need for the full charm just now. The Dentors were here under orders from the Ministry of Magic to inspect the train, and the directive ca from the Ministry, not the Dentors themselves. They wouldn’t leave until their inspection was complete; the encounter with the Dentor just now had confird as much.
Forcing them away might only provoke them further. With hundreds of students on board, Kyle wasn’t certain he could protect everyone—even with Professor Lupin’s help. In a situation of extre fear, not everyone would be likely to remain calm or cooperative.
...
After the Dentors left, the train resud its journey. Passengers gradually returned to their seats, chatting about the eerie encounter. George, however, wasn’t so lucky; his teeth were still chattering, producing a relentless “klink, klink” sound. Naturally, this made him the target of everyone’s teasing.
He tried to insist it was just the cold that had gotten to him, but no one was buying it. Whether from shock or the chill, everyone needed a light-hearted distraction to shake off the Dentor’s effects, and George fit the bill perfectly. Fred, as expected, laughed the loudest.
As for George himself… well, the combination of anger and embarrassnt was proving more effective than any chocolate, and in his flustered attempts to defend himself, he quickly forgot all about the Dentors.
Outside, the rain continued to pour as the train moved north.
“Should we go check on Harry?” Fred suggested suddenly, having just finished teasing George. “I think I heard Ron yelling that he fainted.”
“Good idea,” Kyle agreed, grabbing two boxes of chocolate from the table before leaving the compartnt.
Finding Harry’s compartnt wasn’t difficult; it was near the back and surrounded by a crowd. Apparently, they weren’t the only ones who’d heard the shout. But with a professor already inside, the onlookers rely gathered around, craning their necks to catch a glimpse inside.
Fred and George didn’t hesitate. Under the pretense of visiting their brother Ron, they pushed their way through the crowd and went in.
Inside, Harry lay unconscious on the floor, occasionally moaning as if trapped in a nightmare. Hermione and Ron hovered anxiously beside him, calling his na. The professor was seated nearby, penning a letter.
When Kyle and the others entered, the professor looked up briefly, his gaze lingering on Fred and George’s red hair, but he said nothing and continued writing.
“Kyle…” Hermione asked urgently, “do you have any way to wake Harry up faster?”
“That’s not too hard,” Kyle replied after a mont. “If you want to go gentle, just wait for him to co around. If you’re okay with sothing rougher, splash so cold water in his face. Ideally with ice in it—not too much, just a basinful.”
“But where are we supposed to find ice water…” Ron began.
“You’re a wizard, Ron,” Hermione muttered, pulling out her wand.
“No need,” Kyle interjected, waving her off. “I’ve got a better solution.”
By now, Professor Lupin had finished his letter. Kyle walked over and opened the window, letting in a gust of cold, rain-soaked wind that blew directly onto Harry’s face.
Harry shivered violently, his eyes fluttering open in confusion.
“See?” Kyle said, shutting the window again.
Ron and Hermione quickly helped Harry back to his seat.
“You alright?” Ron asked, clearly worried.
“I’m fine,” Harry replied, glancing toward the door where the cloaked figure had been. Now there was only a line of curious onlookers, who quickly pulled back when they realized he was looking at them.
“Where did that… thing go? And who was screaming?” Harry asked, still dazed.
“No one scread,” Ron said.
“But I heard it… a woman, screaming.”
“I think the Dentors stirred up so old mories for you,” Kyle said, handing him a piece of chocolate. “Have so. It’ll help.”
Behind him, Professor Lupin also held out a large piece of chocolate, but after noticing the high-end chocolate in Kyle’s hand, with its elegant packaging and a line of French writing, he hesitated. His own chocolate, simply wrapped and costing just three Sickles, seed rather modest in comparison. Silently, he slipped it back into his pocket.
“That chocolate must cost five Sickles apiece…” he muttered, half to himself. “Why are all the young wizards these days so well-off?”
anwhile, Harry took a bite of the chocolate Kyle had given him, surprised as warmth rushed through his body, easing the lingering chill from the Dentor’s presence.
“Thanks!” he said, looking gratefully at Kyle. “This is really good. Where did you get it?”
“I don’t actually know,” Kyle shrugged. “It was a birthday gift from a French friend—a whole bag of sweets, and this was one of them.”
“French chocolate… must be expensive,” Ron murmured, swallowing.
“Ten Galleons a piece,” Cedric chid in. “I saw that brand in a shop during a trip to France. They’re made with fifty-year-aged golden bee honey and milk from Re’em cows. Incredibly expensive.”
“Clang…”
Behind them, Lupin’s wand slipped from his hand, and he stared at Kyle in shock.
“Ten Galleons… for one piece of chocolate?”
“Kids these days are so damn rich!”
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