Chapter 260: Dumbledore absent (Edited)

"Tom, Tom! Are you okay?" Having banished the Dementors, Hermione took Tom in her arms and gently shook him by the shoulders.

Following the glow of light, Tom emerged from the "water" and regained consciousness. He could see the bright overhead light in the compartment and feel the vibration of the train floor—the train was moving again.

The light irritated his eyes once more, and tears welled up uncontrollably. He shivered twice and found himself in Hermione's soft embrace, with Crookshanks rubbing his head against his hand.

He tried to speak but realized his jaw muscles were out of control, and he could only make "uh, ah" noises.

It felt as if his soul had been ripped out of his body and stuffed back in. But the good news was that he could feel his soul quickly readjusting to his body, so this disorientation was only temporary.

Tom's embarrassing state didn't draw much attention since only he and Hermione knew about it, with her holding him in her arms. However, Harry, beside him, made a bit more noise: he was on the floor, convulsing, with sweat beads the size of peas trickling down his face and muttering something softly.

Ron, Neville, and Ginny formed a circle around him—Ron and Ginny with anxious faces, Neville pale and lips slightly trembling.

Hermione saw that Tom had awakened and helped him sit up. Tom sat on the seat like a lump of mud and would have slipped if Hermione hadn't been there to support him.

At that moment, Harry's eyes also snapped open.

"Are you okay?" Ron nervously asked as he pulled Harry back to his seat.

Harry had recovered quickly and looked towards the door. "Where did that monster go? Who was screaming?"

Ron shot Hermione an astonished look. "That bloke just choked Tom, and Granger said something, and a silvery thing came out of her wand and scared it away."

"That's a Dementor, the guard from Azkaban," Hermione said beside him. "Only the Patronus Charm can drive them away. Professor—" she turned to Lupin, hoping for help—despite not having much hope in a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, she instinctively sought assistance from the only adult present.

Turning his head, Hermione saw Lupin pulling out a large chocolate bar from his box and breaking it into several pieces, distributing them among everyone present.

"It will help, she was right, it was a Dementor that just entered." He tucked the chocolate wrapper into his pocket. "Excuse me, I need to speak with the conductor."

He passed by Neville and Ginny, and Hermione tried to pull him back to get a good look at Tom, but Tom used the little strength he had regained to hold her back.

"I'm... fine..." He squeezed the words through gritted teeth, and at the same time, he discovered that his hands were uncontrollably trembling.

Lupin had disappeared down the aisle.

Hermione sat next to Tom and brought the chocolate they had given him to his mouth, except now he was completely unable to chew it and had to let his saliva melt it a little.

The chocolate worked well, flowing down his throat and immediately sending a warm current through his limbs, sticking his loose soul and body together like glue.

After a minute, Tom was able to swallow, and when he had finished the entire bar, he regained almost full mobility, except for a slight and uncontrollable trembling in his hands.

"It was horrible, did you feel the entire carriage getting colder when it entered?" Neville said loudly.

"I feel strange, like I'll never be happy again." This was Ron and Ginny's opinion.

"Dementors feed on people's happiness," said the recovered Tom, his voice hoarse as if his throat had suddenly forgotten how to control his vocal cords. "Bringing back the worst memories, that is, the people who are happier in their day-to-day lives are less affected, and Dementors have a great influence on those who have experienced something or have a weak soul."

So that was it, everyone seemed to have realized. Harry was a bit embarrassed, not even he had realized that he was somewhat relieved that Tom had also passed out, at least he wasn't alone, right?

"Tom..." Hermione approached and hugged the poor boy, unable to imagine what he had gone through to be so vulnerable to Dementors.

Tom lay gently in her arms, feeling the softness and warmth of the back of his head, his nostrils filled with Hermione's pleasant scent.

Thank you, Dementor.

That's what he thought.

As for the reason why he was so vulnerable to Dementors, he had a rough guess: his soul and his body were not a hundred percent compatible, which was one of his flaws.

While Tom lay there, Crookshanks lay on his stomach to provide warmth. Ron raised an eyebrow at Harry and shrugged, while Ginny looked at Hermione with a hint of envy, regretting a bit offering to pick up Harry as well.

When everyone had almost finished their chocolate, Professor Lupin returned.

"We'll be arriving at Hogwarts in ten minutes. It seems like everyone is recovering well. Remember to change into your robes, it's raining and cold outside."

Finally, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and outside there was a cacophony of noise and confusion. Tom patiently waited for most people to get off before disembarking the train and heading towards the path where the Thestral carriage was parked.

Hermione had put on a Hogwarts robe over her pink jumper, which wrapped her up nicely, revealing only her black shoes and gray woolen socks. She had also wrapped a blue scarf around herself for warmth.

When they reached the road, there were only a few carriages left. The four of them filled one carriage, and Hermione and Tom chose the Thestral carriage behind them. Once aboard, Hermione closed the door to prevent anyone else from bothering them.

The carriage rattled as it started, and by the time it stopped, Hogwarts had already arrived.

As they got off the carriage, Tom heard a flurry of footsteps and saw Malfoy strutting towards Harry and the four of them. But when he saw Tom behind Harry, his expression changed, he did a 180° turn, and walked away.

They followed the crowd up the stone steps, through the large oak doors, and down the illuminated entrance hall to the Great Hall, which was already a sea of pointed wizard hats.

As they entered the Great Hall, Tom, like the other young wizards, fixed his eyes on the teachers' table.

There, in the center, was an empty seat.

Headmaster Dumbledore had not attended the opening ceremony.