The train slowly headed north, and the sky gradually darkened. On the windowpane, the scattered raindrops turned into heavy drumbeats, and then into a rushing torrent.
Draco had already changed into his new wizarding robes. Suddenly, silver-grey lanterns lit up the corridor, casting a soft light through the compartment windows. He rubbed his tired shoulders and back, and suddenly remembered the Muggle train that Hermione had introduced him to during the summer holiday, a train called the "high-speed rail."
He asked Goyle thoughtfully as he ate heartily, "Did you know that there are now faster trains in the world that can get you from London to Hogwarts in less than three hours?"
Goyle looked at him with a puzzled expression, making indistinct noises. He had just poured a handful of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans into his mouth, ready to create a chaotic mess.
"Never mind, never mind.... you eat." Draco waved his hand at him, turned his head, and looked at the sky outside the window—it was gradually turning into complete darkness.
The train slowed down, and the noise from the pistons stopped.
Have we arrived at Hogwarts yet?
A commotion arose outside the carriage. Draco opened the door and found that almost everyone in each compartment was looking out. He saw Harry peeking out of the door next to him, seemingly preparing to greet him.
Before Draco could respond to Harry, a sudden jolt caught him off guard. He quickly grabbed the doorframe of his compartment. At that moment, the lights in the corridor went out, plunging the entire train into complete darkness.
A cacophony of screams and shouts erupted from the students, all asking, "What happened?"
Some distant memories were suddenly awakened in the ominous darkness. Draco suddenly remembered what had happened on this train—the Dementors were about to board for inspection!
For some reason, he completely forgot about it and forgot to remind Harry!
Draco hurriedly called out into the darkness behind the carriage, "Harry, can I come over there?"
"Of course," Harry's voice came from nearby. "What happened?"
"I will explain later. Can I bring Crabbe and Goyle along?" Draco asked.
"…All right." Harry hesitated for a moment, but then agreed.
"Do not ask questions, come with me to the next compartment, and take my chocolate! Now!" Draco said urgently to the two dark figures slumped in their chairs behind him.
Crabbe and Goyle certainly would not ask any questions—they were completely subservient to Draco.
"Ron, you need to put that pet basket on the luggage rack. Draco is coming over—" they heard Harry say from next door.
The three of them, under the cold and faint moonlight, carefully felt their way along the walls of the carriage and soon squeezed into Harry's compartment.
Several figures could be vaguely seen in the darkness. Draco quickly said, "It is me, Harry, we are here."
"I think I saw something get on the back of the carriage—" A figure was peering out the window; the voice sounded like Ron.
"Draco, is that you?" Hermione's worried voice rang out from the doorway.
"It is me," he said. And she found him precisely in the darkness and grabbed his sleeve.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice filled with unease and a hint of relief.
"It is Dementors. They want to get in the carriage to check." Draco could not waste time laying the groundwork—Dementors could appear at any moment—so he got straight to the point.
A collective gasp of cold air filled the air.
"Oh no!" Hermione and Ron exclaimed in unison. Goyle and Crabbe, meanwhile, let out a groan of pain through their teeth.
"Dementors? Are they not the guards of Azkaban?" Harry asked, still confused.
"They are here to search for Peter Pettigrew. Harry, you had better stay away from the door." Draco's voice sounded unusually calm in the darkness.
"You stepped on my foot," Harry said painfully.
"Oh, sorry," Draco said dismissively, pulling Hermione along with one hand whilst struggling to reach for his wand in his robes with the other. "Harry, move closer to Professor Lupin. Hermione, you sit down first… Crabbe, Goyle, you two go and sit with Ron."
Another period of chaos ensued, and finally the door was tightly shut.
"Why are they sitting over here!" Ron complained.
"Oh, shut up, Weasley," Goyle said.
"Yeah, do you want to fight?" Crabbe asked with ill intent.
"Stop arguing, look out the window!" Hermione rudely interrupted them.
They saw frost forming on the transparent windows, and frost patterns gradually appeared on the smooth glass as the air began to grow cold.
Now, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle all fell silent. They huddled together, trembling.
"Harry, could you please wake Professor Lupin?" Draco said to Harry across Hermione.
Although Draco kept his distance from Lupin, the werewolf, he had to assess the situation at this moment. Lupin was a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and as long as it was not a full moon, what he could do whilst awake was definitely better than doing nothing whilst asleep.
"Of course," Harry said.
Hermione could feel Draco's warm breath on her ear. It was only early September, yet the weather was unusually cold. This was definitely not normal.
As Harry called out to the weary professor, Hermione whispered to Draco, "Draco, are those Dementors scary?"
Draco did not have time to answer her. He heard the door sliding open softly, and a blast of cold air came from its direction.
Snap! A beam of light, as bright as day, shot from Draco's hand towards the compartment door.
"What kind of spell is this?" Ron asked in surprise. "It is so bright—"
"Oh, do not be silly! That is the Muggle torch I gave Draco during the summer holiday." Hermione's tone was somewhat pleased. "I did not expect you to still have it with you—" She peeked half her head out from behind Draco and cautiously looked into the compartment door.
Through the bright light, everyone in the compartment saw a cloaked shadow.
A greyish-white, decaying hand emerged from beneath the cloak. The hand rested on the doorframe, gleaming eerily. The shadow beneath the cloak peered into the compartment, seemingly searching for something.
"Do not be nervous," Draco heard his own voice sound icy. "It is just a routine patrol."
Goyle and Crabbe were huddled together, trying to minimise their presence in their seats. They squeezed towards Ron, seemingly wanting to get as far away from the compartment door as possible.
Ron did not complain; he was too frightened to speak.
"Draco, Harry seems very unwell—" Hermione said anxiously, clutching the hem of his robe. "He is having convulsions."
At this moment, Draco realised that Harry's calls for Professor Lupin had stopped.
Draco understood that something was wrong with Harry; he also felt extremely cold and uncomfortable.
As the Dementor drew closer, fragmented images began to flash before his eyes: a tower struck by lightning... the sitting room floor of Malfoy Manor... countless chaotic and terrifying memories from his dreams flooded his mind at the same time, and he was almost overwhelmed by these horrifying emotions.
"Draco—" Hermione called him again in his ear, her voice trembling.
Merlin, he has to do something.
"Hermione, wake Professor Lupin." Draco gritted his teeth and shielded her from his gaze—he could feel her trembling as she leant against his back.
He struggled to control his own trembling body and shouted to the dark figure, "We do not have Peter Pettigrew here, please leave!"
The Dementor did not move.
A long, drawn-out breath came from the other side of the door, as darkness, like water engulfing him, was assaulting him who was closest to the door.
A feeling of despair began to grip his heart... This was definitely not a good experience.
For a moment, Draco was plunged into a state of numbness, both physically and mentally. Darkness veiled his eyes like a thin layer. He was unable to move, forced to passively endure the all-encompassing chill.
The girl behind him suddenly hugged his waist in fear. Hermione realised that she was breathing out fearful sounds, and her face was automatically buried behind the boy's shoulder. She, too, was swept away by that inexplicable, bone-chilling cold; she could see nothing, grasp nothing, only he in front of her was real—he was the only barrier in her subconscious that could protect her.
Her voice and movements awakened him from his near-numbness. Draco grasped her hands, clasped in front of him, as if grasping a lifeline—those soft hands provided him with a warmth. Her warm touch rekindled his will to live amidst the extreme cold.
She is scared. She is trembling.
She cannot be hurt—she cannot!
He perked up, knowing he could not just sit and wait to die.
Draco did not have many options. Before even reaching Hogsmeade Station, a Hogwarts student casting a spell on the Express could cause trouble; but at this moment, survival was more important.
"Expecto Patronum!"