"Honestly, these Dementors are easily spooked," Dylan muttered, standing in the carriage corridor.
By now, all the Dementors had left.
—They didn't seem to notice their companions were missing.
They just instinctively didn't want to get near this young wizard.
Until the carriage corridor was completely empty.
Dylan had ended up capturing seven Dementors.
—Which was a decent number.
And this number was just right, barely enough.
"Surely Dementors aren't like those Goblins, where you use one and you're one short?"
—Dylan had already used aphrodisiacs on those Goblins as much as possible.
He had tried all sorts of breeding spells, including some Dark magic that required rituals.
But it was only just enough to keep the Goblin race going, to prevent them from going completely extinct in his pet space.
Remembering how those Goblins were already looking sickly, after all the breeding methods he'd used on them through various means—those Goblins even had dark circles under their eyes.
Every single one looked completely worn out.
In the end, Dylan even wanted a male and female to mate.
The males ended up covering their fronts and the females their backs, all trying to escape his control.
Dylan was quite helpless about this.
Fortunately, the Basilisk joined later.
His need for Goblin flesh and blood wasn't as high then.
"Waaah... what was that thing just now!"
Dylan stood in the corridor, listening to the sobbing coming from the carriages, and shook his head.
The Dementors' effect on these young wizards was undoubtedly huge.
—They might even, like they tried with Dylan, stealthily attempt to drain some happy memories from the young wizards.
Even if they didn't actively attack the young wizards.
Their very presence would cause humans near them to suffer emotional suppression and feel low-spirited.
It's just that Dylan couldn't possibly intervene and cast a Cheering Charm on everyone individually.
Anyway, he'd done a round of inspection, and while he'd snatched away some Dementors, he'd also stopped many Dementors from their sneaky draining actions.
So the young wizards in the carriages would basically be fine.
—He didn't need to worry about that.
Just as Dylan was walking back, getting ready to return to his own compartment.
Suddenly, the sliding door of the carriage in front of him slid open.
Two identical heads popped out.
"Dylan?"
"What are you doing here!"
George and Fred exclaimed in surprise when they saw Dylan.
Dylan blinked: "Oh, just taking a stroll."
The twins looked bewildered.
"Uh... you're looking pretty relaxed."
"Never mind that, Dylan, have you seen Ginny anywhere?"
Dylan shook his head slightly.
"Ginny? Didn't see her. Did you two just leave her in the compartment by herself and run off to have fun?"
"No, it's just that Ginny wanted to go for a walk."
"—I guessed she might have wanted to look for you."
"We're going to look for her now."
After Fred and George finished speaking, without waiting for Dylan to reply, they scrambled out of the compartment.
And started searching for Ginny's figure compartment by compartment.
Dylan watched their busy backs, shrugged, and walked back to his own compartment.
Pulling open the sliding door.
Neville inside was startled.
But after seeing it was Dylan, he became excited again.
"Dylan, you're finally back!"
Dylan smiled, closed the compartment door, and sat down next to Neville.
"There shouldn't be any more Dementors coming this way, right?"
"Yes—yes!"
Neville nodded repeatedly.
"It's so strange! I kept feeling like something was watching me just now, and after Dementors drifted past outside the compartment, it seemed like they wanted to come in, but as soon as they got close, they'd float off to the carriage on the other side."
Dylan chuckled: "Probably because they saw you were alone in here and didn't bother searching."
Neville nodded gently: "Must be."
With the Dementors gone, the Hogwarts Express started moving again.
This time, the train arrived at its destination without any trouble.
It finally stopped after reaching the familiar place.
Neville packed up his things.
Seamus also rushed back and grabbed his luggage.
Dylan was still just carrying a small bag and led the two of them off the train.
He didn't see the Weasley twins.
They must have found Ginny by now.
The air was a bit damp and cold at this time.
Even though summer had just ended.
But by rights, the tail end of late summer should still be here.
It's just that this rain seemed to have completely swept away the feeling of summer, bringing a hint of autumn.
The large group of Dementors seemed to have frozen the entire air.
The weather was cold, and with their influence, it was even bone-chilling.
"Thermo Enchantia!" (Fast Body Warming!)
Dylan had used this spell as early as the very beginning of the Hogwarts term.
It was also one of the batch of spells he had mastered right at the start.
He cast a warming charm on himself.
Dylan then flicked one towards Seamus and Neville each.
The warmth pushed back the cold wind that always seemed to want to burrow into their bones.
Neville's pale face gradually improved a bit.
Seamus took a breath, holding his luggage and rubbing his hands together: "Thanks, Dylan—I was really scared just now."
Dylan smiled slightly, raising his wand again.
Instantly, a stream of magical power surged out, gathering above the heads of the three of them.
The fine strands of rain were separated by the magic.
This was the power of a hovering charm.
"Alright, let's hurry back to school, don't delay too long on the way."
After the students got off the train.
They all climbed into the school-provided horseless carriages.
And headed back to Hogwarts.
Dylan and Neville got off the carriage.
Just as they reached the Great Hall doors.
They saw Professor McGonagall standing by the entrance from a distance—looking like she was waiting for someone.
As soon as she saw Dylan.
Professor McGonagall immediately beckoned him over.
Dylan walked over, and Professor McGonagall quickly pulled him behind her.
"Come with me in a moment."
Dylan blinked, but didn't say anything, just nodded.
He looked at Neville: "You two go on inside."
Neville got along very well with Professor Sprout, but that didn't mean he was the same with Professor McGonagall.
In fact, he was even a little afraid of Professor McGonagall.
So when he saw Dylan being beckoned away, he just nodded.
Then he quickly pulled Seamus and hurried into the Great Hall.
After waiting a little while by the Great Hall entrance.
Soon Dylan saw Harry and Hermione.
—Ron wasn't there.
Professor McGonagall apparently didn't plan on calling Ron along either.
She just took the three of them and turned towards the Deputy Headmistress's office.
Walking through the corridors.
They arrived at Professor McGonagall's office.
Professor McGonagall tapped her wand, and the door opened.
The four of them stepped inside.
The office was filled with the familiar scent of old books and parchment that Dylan knew well.
The warm yellow light flickered gently.
As soon as Dylan stepped over the threshold, his gaze was firmly drawn to something unusual.
He unconsciously slowed his steps, falling behind the other three.
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes slowly sweeping across the walls.
Sure enough, among the row of familiar magical portraits, and the hanging texts and tapestries.
Dylan immediately spotted an extra portrait.
—It was a bust of Professor McGonagall.
The only difference from the other portraits was that while the Professor McGonagall in this painting had a lively expression, it only gave a feeling of being spirited, and she didn't move.
Dylan blinked his eyelashes, looking at Professor McGonagall.
At that moment, she was also standing in front of her desk, and upon noticing Dylan's gaze, Professor McGonagall turned her head and gave him a faint smile.
Then, Professor McGonagall's gaze fell upon Harry.
"You met Professor Lupin on the train, didn't you? His owl flew ahead to report that you encountered some trouble while taking the train and it affected you quite badly?"
Dylan paused slightly.
Professor McGonagall called them over just to talk about this?
Wouldn't it have been enough to just call Harry?
Why call him as well?
Could it be...
Dylan shook his head inwardly.
No.
Even Lupin couldn't have observed traces of him using magic on the train.
—Because he hadn't seen Lupin at all.
He had only walked a short distance of the train, not the whole way back and forth.
He hadn't even run into Harry and the others.
So without even meeting him, was Lupin secretly observing him from somewhere?
That didn't seem very likely either.
Dylan stood to the side and didn't say anything.
Harry opened his mouth, about to answer.
"Knock, knock."
Someone suddenly knocked on the office door at that moment.
Professor McGonagall gave a light flick of her wand, and the door opened.
Madam Pomfrey walked in in just a couple of strides.
Harry blinked, but still responded to Professor McGonagall: "I don't think I'm having any problems."
However, Madam Pomfrey walked up to Harry, her brow furrowing slightly.
After carefully examining Harry's face for a good while, Madam Pomfrey's eyes shifted.
"What dangerous thing have you been doing now? You look like you've had a very strong shock."
Madam Pomfrey's gaze shifted, sweeping over Dylan and Hermione.
"Strange, two out of three of you are like this... so what dangerous things have you two been up to now?"
—Well, look at that, she's got a stereotype already.
Dylan chuckled.
Harry opened his mouth again, but didn't know how to reply.
Professor McGonagall slowly said in a deep voice: "Poppy, it wasn't something they did, it was Dementors."
"These things again..."
Madam Pomfrey's eyebrows instantly twisted into a knot, the corners of her mouth turned down, and clear displeasure appeared on her face.
"How dare they send Dementors around the school? It's simply beyond understanding, I can't believe it!"
Madam Pomfrey gently massaged Harry's temples: "This will make you feel a bit better."
As her hands massaged.
Madam Pomfrey muttered softly.
"Are they mad? Who knows how many students will be affected by those things."
"Oh, dear, child, look at you, you're freezing cold, did you have close contact with those things?"
"It's simply awful—don't these dreadful things know how to keep their distance and some sense of proportion!"
"Oh, well—but they certainly have a more severe effect on people who are already fragile, helpless, and delicate."
Madam Pomfrey massaged Harry while also examining him.
And she kept muttering, not sure if she was talking to herself or to Harry.
Harry protested: "Madam, I'm not delicate! And I'm not fragile!"
"Yes, yes, yes—of course, what you're saying is perfectly alright."
Madam Pomfrey replied casually, then placed her hands firmly on Harry's shoulders, her movements swift and unyielding.
In an instant, she turned Harry around.
Next, she reached out and gently but steadily took the back of Harry's head, and started massaging.
"No wonder you called me so urgently—don't worry, he's fine. I think this young man and this young lady just need some bed rest."
Madam Pomfrey was kneeling on the floor, looking up at Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall's expression relaxed slightly.
"They just need to rest quietly?"
"Yes, he's just had a fright—children are always delicate, let him stay in the hospital wing for a night."
Madam Pomfrey said: "This young lady, however, doesn't need to—she seems a bit tougher than this young man."
"Hey, I'm not fragile! And I'm fine, I don't need to rest!"
Harry argued again.
—It's just that when he faced those Dementors, he felt like something was trying to burrow into his head.
This made him recall memories, whether real or not, he didn't know.
—He had seen his mum and dad killed by Voldemort with a wicked curse.
This scene had also surfaced in his mind many times before.
Harry felt it was something he had witnessed himself.
—But he just felt uncomfortable because he saw the scene of his mum and dad being killed.
How did it end up sounding from Madam Pomfrey like he was completely helpless and got severely bullied by the Dementors?
—Although he admittedly didn't seem to have any way to deal with those black, shadowy things.
But it's not like he'd completely fall apart just from them getting close!
He wasn't some delicate little baby!
Dylan looked at Harry's expression and tutted.
He took out a sweet from his pocket again.
—It was the same kind he'd given Neville.
"Have a strawberry-filled sweet, it'll make you feel better."
Harry paused, wanting to say he felt perfectly fine now.
But saying so felt really odd.
In the end, he still took the sweet from Dylan's hand.
"It's very sweet."
Harry unwrapped the sweet, and as soon as he put it in his mouth, his eyes lit up.
"Hermione, you have one too, this one should be blueberry flavour."
Dylan also popped a sweet into Hermione's hand.
"Thanks."
Hermione nodded: "Professor Lupin gave us chocolate on the train."
Madam Pomfrey nodded with satisfaction: "Fancy that, Dumbledore's actually found a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor with some actual substance—at least someone half-decent at last."
Professor McGonagall also nodded gently: "I'd very much like to say I hope nothing else happens this school year, but as it is..."
Madam Pomfrey paused, then sighed: "Trouble has already started now."
She stood up, looking at Harry who was sucking on his sweet, and Hermione who was examining what material the sweet wrapper was made of.
"My assessment is that the two of you aren't in too much trouble—just affected by the Dementors getting close."
She checked again: "Apart from feeling a bit out of sorts, do you have any other discomfort?"
Both Harry and Hermione shook their heads: "No, Madam."
Madam Pomfrey nodded, then looked at Dylan, seeing his rosy complexion and calm expression, and blinked.
"Odd, child, didn't you encounter any Dementors on the train?"
Dylan tilted his head: "Yes, Madam, I did."
"Then how come..."
"That ghastly-looking thing just glanced at Neville and me and left, it didn't come near us."
Madam Pomfrey nodded slightly: "Alright, well, that's good then."
She then turned her gaze to Professor McGonagall: "I imagine there's nothing more for me to do here."
Professor McGonagall's lips curved faintly: "Alright, thank you for your trouble. Could you take Harry and wait outside for a moment? Miss Granger, Dylan, and I need to discuss some timetable matters, we won't be long."
Madam Pomfrey nodded, then took Harry by the hand and they left the office together.
Until the door closed again.
Only then did Professor McGonagall turn back to look at the two people before her.
"Starting from the third year, there are optional subjects, however, you've checked every single subject, which will cause clashes in some classes on your timetables, you're aware of this, aren't you?"
Dylan knew this, of course, and nodded.
Hermione, however, looked slightly nervous.
—Not sure if she was worried that Professor McGonagall would choose to only apply for a Time-Turner for Dylan.
Or if she was worried that Professor McGonagall would cancel some of her classes.
"Given this situation, I can tell you for certain—I have helped you apply for something that will allow you to manage all your subjects."
"But..."
(End of Chapter)