The rain was getting heavier and heavier, turning the outside of the train window into a watery gray, and unknowingly, the sky was completely dark.
The compartnt door opened once more, and Fred and George took advantage of the dim light to stealthily sneak in.
"Percy isn’t here yet, right..." George asked.
"No," Cedric looked at the two, curiously, "It’s been such a long ti, is he still not done with you guys? It’s just a badge change, it shouldn’t be such a big deal."
"You should say he’s never caught us," George shut the door and turned to say, "We’ve watched him make several rounds in the train."
"You’re kidding," Cedric’s first reaction was disbelief, thinking they were just trying to save face.
The train is only so big, with an aisle running from the front to the back without even a turn in between, and the compartnt doors all have glass where you can see what’s inside.
If Percy was patient, he should be able to find them.
Kael thought so too.
"Did you learn the Disillusionnt Charm?" he asked, "Or borrowed Harry’s Invisibility Cloak."
"Neither," George sat down next to Cedric and said proudly, "We hid in the snack trolley. It’s hollow underneath, with a partition just right for two people to hide."
"Percy passed by us three tis and didn’t notice."
"Once, he even stopped to buy sothing, a Licorice Wand, and a Cauldron Cake."
"We recognized his shoes..."
"So, you’ve been hiding in the trolley all this ti?" Cho checked the ti, asking incredulously, "Wow, five hours."
The snack trolley isn’t big, about the size of the table in the compartnt.
Two people crouching under a table for five hours... honestly, if it were her, she’d rather be hit by Percy.
"Of course not," Fred said, "After the trolley makes a round, it stops at the front, which is the compartnt where the driver is, we stayed there."
As they spoke, suddenly the lights in the aisle and on the luggage racks turned on.
The dim yellow light illuminated the compartnt, making the outside even darker.
"We must be almost there," Ginny asked.
"Almost," Cho said, "About an hour left."
"I wish it would hurry," Fred patted his stomach, "I’m starving, I can’t wait for the banquet..."
As he finished speaking, the train suddenly began to slow down.
"Did my wish co true?" Fred stood up in surprise, pressing his face against the window to see the situation outside.
"That can’t be right!" Cho looked at the ti again, "There’s still an hour till arrival."
"Maybe the driver wants us to eat the banquet sooner and sped up the train," George joked.
"No George, I don’t think the train sped up."
Fred lifted his head from the window, "Outside is not our familiar Hogsade Platform but a completely unknown place."
As the train slowed, the sound of the wheels beca inaudible, with the wind and rain pounding louder against the windows.
With a "thunk", the train seed to be slamd to an abrupt halt.
A large box fell off the rack, nearly hitting Luna’s head.
"I’m the Head Boy, everyone return to your compartnts, don’t panic!" Percy’s voice ca from outside.
But at this ti, the title of Head Boy seed sowhat insufficient.
Especially after all the lights inexplicably went out, plunging the train into chaos, with screams echoing one after another.
"Do you feel like it’s getting colder?"
Fred rubbed his arms, pointing to the window, "Look here."
At so unknown point, a thin layer of ice had ford on the glass.
"It’s September now!" Cedric frowned.
Ice forming in September, how will winter be?
"Probably Dentors..." Kael looked at the looming figures outside, "They’re probably here to check the train for Blake."
"No, it can’t be..." Ginny curled up in the corner, trembling, "Those monsters from Azkaban? How could they be on the train, Headmaster Dumbledore wouldn’t allow it..."
"I think Kael is right."
Cho’s face turned white as she pulled back from peering outside, she saw a figure at the end of the dark corridor, wearing a tattered cloak, floating in mid-air like a ghost.
"One on each side..." Cho quickly retreated, "They’re checking the compartnts!"
The compartnt fell into silence.
Kids from wizard families, more or less, have heard of Dentors.
But they never imagined encountering these creatures on the train to Hogwarts.
Saying they weren’t nervous was certainly false.
Kael instinctively moved to the front.
He lightly waved the wand, and soon a silver-white glow appeared at its tip.
This light was dimr than the Lighting Spell, but softer, and its range was wider.
But due to the tension, those around him didn’t notice it, only Conna curiously tilted her head.
She found, suddenly, it didn’t feel quite so cold around her.
However, it wasn’t appropriate to ask questions now, so she remained silent.
Soon, a Dentor reached their compartnt.
They could even clearly hear the rattling sound coming from its throat.
To everyone else, it was just a aningless sound, but what Kael heard was different.
[Bryan... Braka... No, it’s Brake...]
It repeatedly muttered a na, but couldn’t rember it, saying it differently each ti.
Showing it wasn’t very intelligent.
Though this was expected, after all, they don’t even have brains.
It stood at the compartnt door and reached out a gray-white, eerie hand to hook...
The compartnt door slowly opened.
But the light from the room also spread out, just enough to shine on it.
The Dentor imdiately recoiled, its body involuntarily backed away, sticking firmly to the back of the compartnt.
"The person you’re looking for isn’t here," Kael said, "None of us have Blake hidden under the robes, leave."
The hooded head turned and made another rattling sound at Kael.
[I want... check... order...]
"No, I’ll say it again, Blake isn’t here!"
Kael waved the wand again, making the white light even brighter.
The Dentor struggled again as if hit by a pile of Dungbombs, uncomfortable and helpless...
But despite this, it stubbornly didn’t leave the compartnt.
[Check... order...]
"Get out!"
[No... leave...]
"Leave!"
[No leave...]
Kael’s mouth twitched.
For so reason, he suddenly felt guilty for bullying the weak—but here the weak refers not to strength, but to intellect.
"This is ridiculous," Kael muttered softly.
The white light around them gradually gathered, finally turning into a mist, enveloping Conna and the others.
"Only check," Kael pointed the wand at the Dentor, reminding it, "If you dare to do anything else, or absorb any emotion, I’ll drive you out."
[Order... check... not eat...]
Without the white light, the Dentor floated and slowly took a breath inside the compartnt.
Everyone felt a chill, but only that.
[No... Braian... flavor...]
Next mont, the Dentor quickly left the compartnt, turned and drifted away.
"It’s Blake," Kael couldn’t help but correct as he closed the door.
[Blake... Blaka...]
"..."
Indeed, this one had little intellectual capacity, misrembering within seconds; it’s unclear if all Dentors were like this or if Kael encountered a fool.
Suddenly, a commotion arose from the previously silent corridor.
Kael faintly heard soone shouting...
"Harry!"
"Professor, Harry fainted!"
"Help, help..."
Ron and Hermione’s voices, followed by Neville...
Soon, a silver light appeared in the corridor again.
The Dentor that had just left tried to retreat back inside, but Kael had already closed the door.
On one side the compartnt door was firmly shut, on the other, the silver light was getting closer, and whether it was an illusion or not, Kael felt a hint of helplessness from that Dentor...
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