Chapter 304: Dementors (Edited)

As the train moved on, the sky grew darker and darker, and the rain outside grew heavier and heavier, and before long it was pitch black outside the windows, and the magical lights in the luggage racks and aisles turned on automatically to provide sources of light.

By this time Hermione had put away her storybook and was combing Fish's hair with a small comb next to Ginny.

After a few moments, the train slowed down.

"Oh, looks like we're almost there!"

Ron looked out the dark window and rubbed his stomach, "I'm starving, I'm really looking forward to the banquet..."

Fish, who was lying on his back on the table, letting Hermione and Ginny comb his hair, jumped up and landed on the floor in his human form.

"That's great, nya! Fish almost died of boredom! I'll never take the train again, nya!"

?(●`ω′●)?

Hermione reached up to check her wristwatch, pouring cold water on the kitten.

"This isn't the right time, we shouldn't have arrived at the station so early."

"What?!"

∑(●ΦДΦ●)

"So, why did the train stop?" asked Harry curiously, poking his head out the door and looking down the aisle.

Several people from other compartments did the same, and for a moment the aisles were filled with the heads of young wizards peering out.

The slow-moving train finally stopped with a clatter, and there was a loud bang and numerous shouts coming from the adjoining compartment, where, apparently, some students' luggage had fallen off the racks as it was not properly fastened.

Then the lights in the luggage racks and aisles suddenly went out, plunging the train into darkness.

"What's going on?"

Ron's voice rang out as he stood up and headed outside, bumping into Harry, who had pulled his head back.

"Ow!"

"What the hell happened?"

They both rubbed their heads and sat back down, Ron snorted and guessed, "The train didn't break down, did it?"

The flying car he and Harry had been in had broken down once last year, and it seemed possible for a train to break down.

"I think there's something outside the window nya."

(??ˇ?ˇ??)

This level of darkness wasn't enough to cut off Fish's vision, who stared out the window, "It's some guys in black cloaks, they're floating around like Peeves."

"Ghosts? Why are there ghosts here?"

"They're not ghosts nya, their bodies aren't transparent."

"It's like there's someone out there, it's just so dark I can't see..."

Harry and the others squinted and strained to see out the window, but without Fish's night vision they could only faintly make out dark figures that seemed to be approaching the train.

Just then, the compartment door opened and Neville, who was in the compartment next to them, stumbled in.

"Excuse me, do you know what's going on? ouch!"

No sooner had he said that than he tripped over something and fell to the floor.

"Is that Neville? We don't know what happened."

Harry turned around and groped in the darkness, trying to pick up the fallen Neville.

(?ω?)

Fisch looked at the awkwardness of the group and pulled out his wand wordlessly.

(●ΦωΦ●)つ━☆*.

"Lumos."

The white light illuminated the dark compartment, and so did the slightly embarrassed faces of Harry and the others....

They had been hanging around for half a day and none of them had thought of using magic to solve the problem.

"Hahahahaha..."

Harry laughed dryly, before remembering to pick up Neville, who was still on the floor.

"Let's sit here for a while, the driver should be able to sort out any problems."

Reaching to push Neville back into his seat, Harry sat down next to him, looking out the window again, only the dark figures had disappeared,

They seemed to have boarded the train.

"Nya!"

(●`Д′●)

At that moment, Fish's tail suddenly bristled, his ears pinned to his head, and his eyes, glowing green in the dark, stared at the door, as if he was facing a formidable enemy.

"Ha~!"

The kitten held its wand aloft in one hand, while the other grew long, sharp nails and its mouth opened with a row of sharp, jagged teeth.

"Fish, what's wrong?"

They all looked in surprise at the kitten, which suddenly became ferocious, and consciously turned away from the sliding door of the compartment.

With a slight creak, another beam of light illuminated the compartment.

It was Professor Lupin, who had been sleeping, who had awakened at some point, apparently with a flame in his hand, a spell of some sort.

Mr. Lupin shot a complicated look at Fish who bared his fangs and claws, then also held up his wand and looked intently out the door.

Although he wasn't sure why Fish had suddenly become nervous, Lupin trusted Fish's instincts.....

After all, the cat could vaguely detect his werewolf identity, so he couldn't be more careful.

The next moment, the sliding door of the compartment opened and a tall figure in a cloak appeared on the other side of the door.

The tall figure's face was completely hidden under the hood of the cloak, but the grey, slimy, mottled hands sticking out from under the cloak made it clear to Harry and the others that the man was definitely not human.

"Nya~!"

Seeing the Dementor in the doorway, Fish became even more agitated and let out a harsh howl and transformed into a large, half-meter long, tiger-spotted cat.

The huge silver tabby arched its back high and its fur bristled, threatening to lunge at the dementor at the door.

"None of us have Sirius Black under our robes, go away."

Lupin, wand in hand, stepped between Fish and the Dementor, warning in his hoarse but no longer tired voice.

But the Dementor paid no heed to Lupin's warning, its hooded head swiveled from side to side, and then, from beneath the tattered black cloak, a long inhalation sounded, accompanied by a strange rattling sound.

Fish, who had been on guard, instantly felt a shiver, this was the first time he had felt such a stinging chill after receiving that small bead of light.

And then, the sound of the rain seemed to ring in Fish's ears again, and gradually joined the sound of the rain outside the train window.

The sound of rain...it was so familiar....

It was a long, long time ago, when it wasn't as heavy as it is now, and it was pouring like this....

The little cat's eyes gradually grew dazed and his body shrank involuntarily from the strange cold.

In a trance, Fish seemed to have gone back to the days when he was harassed by other cats, unable to find food or shelter, and had to hide in the cold ditch and shiver.

Gone were the good food, the warm bedding, the friends he had made over the years, and Minerva McGonagall, the most important person to Fish.

No...

No...

Fish won't take it!

The shrunken kitten's fur bristled again, and with an eerie gleam in his green eyes, his mouth grew bigger and he let out a yowl that was several times louder than before....

"Roarr~!!!"