Lupin looked genuinely interested, which instantly won Ron over.
Ron glanced toward the window seat. Sean sat there, quietly biting into his pumpkin pie while reading.
Suddenly every light in the corridor and on the luggage racks flared to life.
The train rattled on, rain hammered the windows, and wind howled outside.
"Wait—are we there already?" Ron asked, leaning past Professor Lupin to peer at the now pitch-black glass.
Before he could finish, the train began to slow.
"Awesome!" Ron said. "You can get off with Sean. But him owing you wages? That's weird… You work at Fred's place?"
"I don't think it's that joke shop," Lupin said kindly. "It's a bookstore."
"Bookstore… You mean Green Book House? Merlin's beard… So you've got the latest Green Notebook?!" Ron's eyes went wide.
"Of course I do," Lupin replied, smiling until his eyes crinkled. He carefully pulled the entire Green Book Series from his shabby but oddly charming trunk. The yellowed pages showed he'd read them more than once.
"Wizarding Magical Chronicles!" Hermione gasped in delight. "Sean said he hadn't finished it yet, and you have the manuscript…"
"Oh, of course. Mr. Green and I have been exchanging letters about magical history for quite a while…" Lupin nodded with a warm smile.
He watched the young wizards crowd around and decided they must be close to his boss. His smile grew even gentler.
It looked like he'd be meeting his employer very soon.
Lupin was quickly surrounded. Ron, stuck at the back, couldn't see the manuscript. He sighed, stood up, and carefully moved to the window to see what was happening outside.
"I'm starving. Can't wait for the feast…"
"We're not there yet," Hermione said, turning with a page of the manuscript still in her hand.
"Then why did we stop?"
The train slowed even more. The wheels grew quiet while the wind and rain slammed the glass louder than ever.
Ron, closest to the door, stood and looked into the corridor. Heads were poking out of every compartment, curious.
The train jerked to a halt. Distant thuds and crashes sounded—luggage tumbling from racks.
Then, without warning, every light went out. Total darkness swallowed them.
"What's going on?" Ron's voice came from up ahead.
"Ow!" Hermione yelped. "Ron, that's my foot!"
"Sorry—I can't see anything—" Ron muttered.
"Think the train broke down?" Harry fumbled his way back to his seat.
"Dunno…"
In the dark came a squeak. Harry made out Ron's shadowy shape rubbing a clear patch on the window.
"Something's moving out there," Ron said. "Looks like someone's boarding…"
"Mr. Green—you were right here all along—"
A low, pleasant voice cut through the tension. It was Lupin. He held up a glowing wand, lighting the manuscript for the black-haired wizard.
"Good to see you, Mr. Lupin," Sean said, surfacing from his sea of magical knowledge with a small smile.
"Doesn't look like he's here for wages," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Anyone could tell that, Hermione," Ron snorted. "The whole wizarding world wants to be connected to Sean… Did I mention the last signed Green Notebook sold for thirty Galleons?"
Ron waggled his eyebrows again. Even in the dark, his exaggerated tone came through loud and clear: "Even if they don't care about Mr. Green, what newspaper or so-called pure-blood family wouldn't want to know Hermes—the owl who came back covered in honors?"
The compartment fell silent for a second.
They always forgot just how big the name "Green" really was in the wizarding world…
"You're right, Ron. But the train really does seem broken…" Harry spoke up suddenly.
"Should we check outside?" He glanced at Sean, who was now chatting easily with Lupin, and suggested.
"Yeah," Ron said eagerly, already opening the door.
The students stepped into the corridor, leaving only Lupin and Sean in the compartment.
In the narrow hallway someone tripped over Harry's legs and fell with a cry.
"Sorry! Who is it? Do you know what's happening? Ow—sorry!"
"Neville, stay close," Harry groped in the dark, grabbed Neville's robes, and pulled him up.
"Harry? Is that you?"
"Yeah, Neville. Come on—"
"We should ask the driver," Hermione's voice said.
Harry felt her brush past, heard a compartment door slide open, then two more pained yelps.
"Who's there?"
"Who's there?"
"Ginny?"
"Hermione?"
"What are you doing, Ginny?"
"I was looking for Ron—"
"Okay, go sit inside—"
"Don't sit here!" Harry said quickly.
"I'm right here! Ow!"
Neville let out another pained howl.
They all stumbled back into the compartment.
It was packed now—seven students and one professor.
"Get behind me."
A serious voice cut through the chaos.
They saw a flash of light from the young wizard by the window. His silhouette vanished from the darkness.
They turned in shock—he was already at the front.
With a soft pop, a shaky light filled the compartment.
Professor Lupin seemed to be holding a handful of flames that lit his tired gray face. His eyes were sharp and alert.
"Everyone stay still," he said in that hoarse voice. He rose slowly, flames in hand.
But before he reached the door, it slid open.
In the flickering firelight a cloaked figure stood there—tall and broad, nearly brushing the ceiling. Its face was hidden under the hood.
Harry, at the front beside Sean, glanced down. What he saw twisted his stomach into knots.
A hand extended from the cloak—gray-white, glistening sickly, covered in slime and spots like something that had rotted underwater after death…
The hand vanished. The cloaked thing seemed to notice Harry's gaze and pulled it back into the folds.
Then the figure—whatever it was—drew a long, rattling breath, as if sucking in more than air.
A bone-chilling cold swept over them.
Harry felt like he couldn't breathe.
The cold sank into his skin, into his chest, straight into his heart…
Harry's eyes rolled back. Everything went black.
He was drowning in cold. His ears roared like he was underwater.
Something dragged him down. The roar grew louder…
Then he heard screams from far away—terrible, terrified, pleading screams.
He wanted to help. He tried to move his arm, but he couldn't…
Thick white mist swirled around him, inside him—
"Leave!"
Harry heard a sharp command.
A cat—silver, glowing—leaped out from beside him.
It sprang gracefully toward the black-robed figure, which fled like a mouse from a cat.
"Harry! Harry! Are you okay?"
Someone patted his face.
"Wh—what?"
Harry opened his eyes. Lights were back on overhead. The floor vibrated—the Hogwarts Express was moving again, lights restored.
He had slid off his seat onto the floor.
Ron and Justin knelt beside him. Neville, Ginny, Hermione, and Professor Lupin stood behind them, all watching.
Harry felt awful. When he pushed his glasses up, his face was slick with cold sweat.
A hand reached out.
"Harry, you need to rest," said the same voice that had given the command.
"Sean…"
Harry's head was foggy, but he would never forget that voice.
Sean helped him back into his seat.
"You okay?" Ron asked, tense.
"Yeah," Harry said, quickly glancing at the door.
The cloaked figure was gone.
"What happened? Where did that—that thing go? Who was screaming?"
Harry asked, confused.
"No one screamed," Ron said, looking even more worried.
Harry looked around the bright compartment. Ginny and Neville were staring at him, both pale.
"But I heard screaming—"
A crack made them all jump.
Professor Lupin had broken a large bar of chocolate into pieces.
"Here," he said, handing Harry an especially big chunk. "Eat this. It'll help."
Harry took it but didn't eat yet.
"What was that thing?" he asked Sean.
"A Dementor," Sean answered as Lupin passed chocolate to everyone else. "An Azkaban Dementor."
Everyone stared at Sean in shock.
Lupin crumpled the empty wrapper and stuffed it in his pocket.
"Eat," he said again. "It'll help. Excuse me—I need to speak with the driver…"
He moved past Harry and paused beside Sean.
"Brilliant Patronus, Mr. Green. A corporeal one… that's incredible."
Lupin sounded genuinely surprised.
"I'll go with you to talk to the driver," Sean said, glancing at the dark corridor. "Not every compartment has someone who knows the Patronus Charm."
"Um… if it's you… let's go, Mr. Green…"
Lupin paused.
"I'm coming too," Justin said suddenly.
"Mr. Finch-Fletchley, that's not a good idea," Lupin said, hesitant.
He didn't want to refuse Justin.
"I'm coming too," Hermione stood up.
"This…" Lupin looked torn.
"Let's all go then," Sean said.
"As you wish," Lupin replied obediently.
He led the way, and the group disappeared down the corridor.
Sean walked forward with his wand raised, turning over a few details in his mind.
The Dementor had only targeted Harry—or rather, its mere presence attacked every wizard, but Harry's reaction had been overwhelming.
Sean suspected it had something to do with Harry's soul.
Even after Voldemort's fragment was destroyed, the years of influence on Harry were clearly still there.
"You really okay, Harry?" Ron stayed behind to watch him, asking worriedly.
"I don't get it… what happened?"
Harry wiped more cold sweat from his face.
"Well—that thing—the Dementor—it just stood there looking around. I mean, it seemed to be looking left and right, but I couldn't see its face—then you—you—"
Ron looked shaken. "I thought you were having a seizure. You went stiff, fell off the seat, started twitching…"
"Then Mr. Green raised his wand," Ginny said, voice full of admiration. "He said 'Leave.' Something silver shot out and hit the Dementor, and it ran away…"
"Terrifying," Neville said, voice higher than usual. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"
"I felt weird," Ron said, shrugging uncomfortably. "Like I'd never be happy again…"
"But none of you fell off your seats?" Harry asked, embarrassed.
"No," Ron said, still watching him worriedly. "But Ginny was shaking like crazy…"
Harry couldn't figure it out.
He felt weak, shivering all over, like he'd just recovered from a bad flu.
He also felt a little ashamed—why had only he lost it while everyone else was fine?
Sean returned.
Lupin walked beside him, still alert.
When the professor stepped inside, he paused and looked around with a small smile.
"I promise there's no poison in the chocolate…"
"Harry, eat some," Sean said gently.
Harry finally took a bite. A rush of warmth flooded to his fingertips and toes.
"We'll be at Hogwarts in about ten minutes," Professor Lupin said.
"Dementors feed on happiness. Sweet things help lift your mood," Sean explained. He hesitated, then pulled a steaming pumpkin pie from the Wizard's Book.
"Anyone want…"
"Don't mind if I do," Justin grinned.
"Oh, Sean—having an undetectable extension charm is the best!" Ron added, scooting closer and helping Harry settle in.
"Your… Patronus Charm, was it?" Hermione asked. She was still thinking about the spell Sean had cast.