Chapter 45.

  Around four or five iernoon, a sudden otioed outside the train partment. Hearing several familiar voices and recalling the day's anticipated events, Soren immediately uood what was happening. He stood up and stepped out of the partment, followed closely by Daphne and Meredith, while Luna, without aation, trailed behind the three to see what was going on.

  Just as Soren had predicted, it was his reckless brother Draco. Despite promising their father to stay away from Harry this semester, he had already fotten that promise before even arriving at school. Soren could only shake his head in silent disapproval at his brother's character.

  Draco, along with Goyle and Crabbe, stood proudly in the aisle, fag off against Harry and his friends at the partment door. After a round of verbal sparring, both sides had drawn their wands, and the atmosphere was tense, ready to explode.

  In the inal storyline, Draco would have backed down upon seeing Professor Remus Lupin, but due to Soren's intervention, Draaihere, looking haughty as if waiting for a show.

  During the summer vacation, Draco had spent siderable time practig dark curses, mastering spells like "Slugs-throwing," "Bat-Bogey Hex," and the Snot Curse, all of which he could now cast with precision. His strength had signifitly increased, and all summer he had been looking forward to the opportunity to torment Harry, pletely disregarding Lucius's advice.

  Soren looked out the train window; the sky had darkened. Just then, the train jolted suddenly, its speed noticeably slowing until it came to a plete stop with a k. In the distance, sounds of luggage falling from the racks could be heard.

  Then, without warning, all the lights in the partme out, plunging them into plete darkness.

  "Damn it, what's going on?" Draco screamed, stumbling backward and colliding with Goyle and Crabbe, causing all three to fall. Amid their cries, a faint sound of the train's side door opening could be heard, as if someone was b.

  Soren helplessly rubbed his forehead; although Draco had indeed matured over the summer, it didn't ge the fact that he was still a cowardly and immature little brat at heart.

  Soren stood quietly in pce, motionless, as if waiting for something to happen.

  Daphne and Meredith also felt a bit scared, but upon seeing Soren's imposing figure, they suddenly felt a sense of security. They didn't eve out a single scream.

  A glint of ing fshed in Daphne's eyes as she preteo be afraid and took the opportunity to g to Soren's left arm—smartly avoiding his wand-holding right arm. Meredith, realizing she had missed her ce, could only huff in dissatisfa. Luna, standing behind Soren, blinked her rge eyes, showing no signs of fear, only a hint of curiosity.

  Meanwhile, chaned among Harry's group. Ron tried to peer out the window but actally stepped on Hermione's foot, causio cry out in pain.

  As Harry's group pushed around, their friend Neville approached to ask what was happening, but in the dark, he tripped over Harry's feet. Just then, Ginny arrived, trying to get closer to the partment, only to collide head-on with Hermione, resulting in two more cries of pain.

  Soren shouted, "Everyone, be quiet and don't move!" The tip of his wand suddeed with a bright, moonlight-like, soft white glow that illumihe entire aisle without being blinding to anyone present.

  Daphne and Meredith were already aced to Soren's abilities, but Hermione and Luna looked on with curiosity.

  Luna asked in a dreamy voice, voig the question in the girls' minds, "Is this a Lumos spell? Why is your Lumos different from what I know?"

  Soren turo Luna, smiling, "You sider it my personal improvement on the spell. Would you like to learn? I teach you."

  Luna stared ily into Soren's eyes, and after a moment, she broke into a sweet smile and nodded in agreement. Hearing their exge, Hermio a twinge of disfort, tightly pursing her lips and swallowing back the words she had inteo say to Soren.

  Soren had the three girls stand behind him as he sloroached the middle grouween Harry and Draco, who were still in a standoff.

  A strange sound came from outside the carriage, and it seemed that something roag in the darkness. It was certain that this was definitely not the sound of human footsteps. Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe hurriedly moved closer ihe carriage.

  In the illuminated aisle by the wand in Soren's hand, a cloaked moall enough to reach the ceiling, approached. It seemed to have and was gliding in midair. Its face was pletely hidden uhe hood, and a hand emerged from the cloak, glowing faintly, gray, thin, and crusted, resembling something that had rotted in water after death.

  The monster uhe cloak seemed to sehe gaze of the crowd, and that hand suddenly retreated bato the bck cloak. Then it took a long, slow, shaky breath, as if trying to draw in something other than air from the surroundings. Everyone immediately felt a chill sweep over them, peing their skin and chilling them to their chests as.

  "Finally, we meet," Soren murmured softly, "Dementor." It was plicated, yet in just a few fleeting seds, everyone was surprised to find that Soren had taken a step forward.

  Harry's face turned pale, and his body shook violently. His expression was one of extreme terror, as if he had seen something horrifying. Before anyone could react, he colpsed to the ground with a thud.

  Ron hurriedly propped him up on a nearby seat, and the others slumped down on it as well.

  Harry's fainting seemed to act as a trigger, instantly spreading an atmosphere of panid fear. Draco's face turned ashen, uo speak; Ron, Hermione, and the others were not much better off, while Neville had already colpsed to the ground, trembling untrolbly.

  "Everyone, don't panic! Just stay calm, no one will get hurt!" Soren bravely stood in front of everyone, his tone filled with unwavering fidence.

  His posure and ess seemed to i a bit of ce into those present. Although the effect was minimal, at least everyone saw a glimmer of hope in him, even Ron, who usually had a poor retionship with Soren, unsciously pced his hope on this youudent.

  "Expecto Patronum!" Soren calmly pronouhe spell, and his waed a pale white light that firmly blocked the Dementor outside. Soren did not want to reveal his strength too quickly, so he did not summon a fully formed Patronus. He inteo buy some time with this half-formed Patronus until the werewolf professor Remus Lupin orain could e to the rescue.

  Unfortunately, things didn't go as pnned. Before Professor Lupin could arrive, the disturban the carriage attracted another Dementor, which swooped in with a chilling atmosphere that grew heavier. A white mist formed a semicircur barrier, and Soren took a step back as the range of the aura was stantly pressed.

  Seeing that Professor Lupin had not arrived, Soren sighed inwardly, a fsh of determination appearing in his eyes. He tightened his grip on the wand, and the light at the tip of the wand suddenly intensified, expanding the range of the aura, gradually strug a plete corporeal Patronus. The head of the Patronus had just taken shape, looking somewhat like a horned lizard...

  In the sed, he saw a silver wolf leap out from another carriage. The Dementor was knocked back by it and vanished without a trace. The lights ihe carriage returned, and a stranger, a middle-aged man wearing aremely worn-out wizard's robe with several patches, walked in. He looked pale and exhausted, with light brown hair mixed with white.

  "He's Professor Lupin. He was in the same partment with us." Hermione whispered to those around her.

  "A good Patronus!" Soren heard Lupin's appreciative whisper. He took out a rge piece of chocote from his pocket and broke it into small pieces to share with everyone.

  When the chocote was hao Soren, he smiled and shook his head in refusal, casually casting a Cheerful Charm ohree girls behind him, rest the sparkle in their eyes.

  Then Sorehem back to their partment uhe envious gazes of the others. Just before closing the carriage door, they could faintly hear Hermione and Ginny whispering, seemingly discussing the spell Soreo fend off the Dementor.

  Outside the carriage, Draco watched his brother leave with an air of nonce, his expression quite plex. Although he had beeally prepared, experieng the gap between himself and his brother firsthand still left him feelied. He immediately lost i in mog Harry, snorted coldly, a with the two idiots.

  Others were frantically trying to wake Harry up. Harry slowly opened his eyes, looking around in fusion, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

  "Harry, are you okay?" Ron asked nervously.

  "I'm fine!" Harry gowards the door and, seeing that the Dementor had disappeared, let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Where did that monster go just now? Also, who was screaming?"

  "Those monsters were chased away by Malfoy and Professor Lupin, but no one screamed," Ron reted what had happened after Harry fainted.

  "I heard a scream and saw a green light..." Harry stubbornly shook his head.

  "Harry, you should rest a bit!" Lupin looked somewhat worried. He handed Harry a particurly rge piece of chocote. "Here, eat this; it will do you good."

  "Professor, what was that thing just now?" Harry did he chocote; he looked at Lupin, puzzled as to why he knew his name.

  "A Dementor from Azkaban!" Professor Lupin crumpled the empty chocote er into a ball and put it in his pocket. "In fact, before I arrived, that little Malfoy had already done quite well. You all o eat this chocote; I o speak with the driver. Excuse me!" With that, Professor Lupin walked out, disappearing down the corridor.

  "Dementor, Azkaban!" Harry muttered, then awkwardly asked, "Did anyone else faint besides me?"

  "No!" Ron anxiously looked at Harry aed the others' reas.

  Although everyone was scared, no one else had fainted, which made Harry's face even paler. He didn't uand; he had felt weak and trembling just now, as if rec from a severe flu, but why did no one else have that rea?

  The train soon arrived at the station.

  In front of Hogwarts' main gate, Soren and Luna said their goodbyes—Soren, Daphne, and Meredith were to ehe Great Hall from the left side of the entrance hall. Luna followed the Ravencw group towards the tre of the entrance hall.

  Before parting, the two agreed to meet privately when they had the ce to discuss "the Quibbler," or Luna could take Soren to see the famous eagle-shaped bronze knocker of the Ravenon room—access to the Ravenon room was unique; as long as one could correctly ahe logical riddle posed by the eagle-shaped khe door would open for anyone, regardless of which house they came from.

  *****

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