"Expecto Patronum!" he shouted, brandishing his wand and pointing towards the doorway.
A massive silver shadow, like smoke, erupted from his wand and hovered in the doorway of the compartment. This cloud of silver smoke temporarily halted the Dementor's advance; startled by the light, it took a step back.
But that was all.
Draco's Patronus Charm was incomplete. He had only studied it for half a month and could barely release a puff of silver smoke—a considerable improvement for a beginner.
However, the drawbacks were also obvious. An incomplete Patronus Charm could not drive away Dementors; it only had a deterrent effect—it could temporarily suppress them for a period of time—but it could not solve the fundamental problem.
The Dementor remained hovering in the doorway, locked in a stalemate with Draco. It refused to leave. It emitted long, hoarse panting breaths and tentatively lunged forward again, its scabbed, sticky grey hand reaching into the compartment, as if something in this small space had piqued its intense interest.
A thick cloud of panic rose in Draco's heart. The silver smoke at the tip of his wand was swaying and growing fainter... He felt no joy, only endless pain... The putrid, deathly chill of the Dementor was assaulting his lungs... He gasped for breath, feeling as if he were about to suffocate.
"Expecto Patronum!" he cried again, but his voice sounded distant and indistinct. Another wisp of silver smoke, even thinner and weaker than before, spewed from the tip of the wand—he felt weak and powerless.
Then he felt a pair of hands tightly gripping his.
It is Hermione.
Hermione introducing herself to him with a smile. Hermione laughing and hugging him on the skateboard. Hermione putting chocolate in his mouth at the Muggle chocolate shop with a sly smile. Hermione perfectly playing the peacemaker, smiling triumphantly at him.
She trembled behind him, unable to speak, but still held him tightly.
"Expecto Patronum!" he called again, his mind filled with all sorts of her smiles. Her smiles at him.
The silver smoke erupted again, this time stronger, causing the Dementor to let out an angry sigh. It retreated, its grey hands temporarily retracting.
Draco gasped for breath, clinging to the wisp of silver mist, secretly hoping it could hold on a little longer.
He was not sure how much longer he could hold out casting the Patronus Charm was an extremely energy-consuming task but he could not back down, at least not until she was safe.
"Professor Lupin!" he heard Hermione scream behind him, her voice still filled with fear. He gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on to his crumbling silver smoke.
His mind was about to collapse, and the Dementor was approaching again; at that moment, a larger silver shield appeared behind him and rushed towards the door.
The man who had been sleeping soundly with his hood up Remus Lupin finally woke up.
The Dementor that had been lingering there became frightened and quickly flew away from the room, which was as full as a feast.
Snap! The overhead lights suddenly came back on. A weak meow came from the overhead luggage rack.
Under the somewhat glaring light, Draco, pale-faced, slumped back in his chair and let out a long sigh. He gestured with his chin towards Crabbe and Goyle, who stood like petrified giants, and said in a hoarse voice, "Share the chocolate with everyone—"
The two big chaps finally snapped out of their daze. They nodded blankly, then pulled out a handful of chocolates from their briefcases and distributed them to everyone in the compartment.
Draco heard Ron whisper to Crabbe, "Thank you."
The rustling sounds of foil being peeled away echoed around them. Hermione was no longer hiding behind him, nor was she clinging to his waist. She pressed herself against his arm, observing his weak and pale expression, and carefully fed him a piece of chocolate.
Draco instinctively took a bite, and a warm current immediately surged through his limbs and bones.
"Thank you." He forced a weak smile and slowly turned to look at her. "Are you all right?"
"It is much better now. But—" Hermione turned back to look at Harry beside her with concern. His eyes were closed, his head was tilted to one side, and his body was stiff, almost sliding off his seat to the floor.
"He has passed out. He is all right, he will wake up in a bit." Professor Lupin gave Harry a quick check-up and announced to the worried students in the compartment, "I reckon he should lie down and rest for a whilst."
But this small wish seemed difficult to achieve the compartment was crowded at the moment.
The seven people were crammed together, plus Hermione's sickly ginger cat.
"Crabbe, Goyle, let us go, let us give some chocolates to the students nearby." Draco waved to them, preparing to leave.
"Actually, you should rest a little longer. I reckon you have not recovered yet," Professor Lupin said gently but firmly to Draco.
He turned to Ron, "Could you go with them and distribute them?"
"Of course," Ron said blankly, his face regaining its colour after he had just finished eating the chocolate.
"Go ahead, Ron, we will take care of Harry. Go and find Ginny, all right? I would wager she is terrified," Hermione said, holding her frightened cat.
Professor Lupin watched silently as the three of them filed out.
After they left, he turned around and looked at Draco, whose face was pale, with his gentle green eyes.
"You are very brave." He gave a tired smile and said, "It is remarkable that a student who is about to be a third-year can cast a Patronus Charm."
Draco stared at Lupin, his mind filled with hesitation.
In his mind, Remus Lupin had always been a dangerous werewolf.
But today, he saved everyone's lives in a critical moment.
"I have not fully mastered it yet," Draco explained to Lupin, softening his tone. "If it were not for the emergency, I would not have wanted to cast the spell."
"You did everything you were supposed to do, and I will explain to them the necessity of the spell you cast," Lupin said. "But what is with these Dementors? They only have the authority to patrol routinely and should not have stayed for so long."
"But it would not leave," Draco whispered. "It wanted to attack us, which is very unusual."
"Why?" Hermione asked. "Is there anything special about this place?"
The compartment fell silent.
The three of them, along with the large ginger cat, all cast worried glances at Harry, who was covered in cold sweat and unconscious.