Chapter 450: Talking Too Much (Edited)

Harry sat on the floor, panting heavily, and Lupin approached him, patted him on the shoulder, and handed him a piece of chocolate.

"Eat it, you'll feel better."

Harry obeyed and swallowed the chocolate.

"We're lucky, just as I expected," Lupin seemed as happy as if he had found a hundred Galleons. "At first, I was a little worried that the Boggart would transform into the appearance of Voldemort when it saw you, but I prefer to believe my other assumption."

Harry was surprised because Lupin had openly mentioned Voldemort's name. So far, only Professor Dumbledore and Sirius dared to do so... oh, it seems that Yodel also dares to say his name.

"At first, I thought the same, but then when I was in front of the box, I couldn't help but remember the Dementors," Harry honestly admitted that they had all come close to facing Voldemort's true appearance.

"So my assumption was correct. Your greatest fear is fear itself, just like your father, Harry," Lupin smiled slightly. "Your performance was fantastic, excellent. Shall we continue?"

Tom and Hermione watched Lupin open the box again and again, and Harry falling to the ground repeatedly. But Harry's progress was visible to the naked eye, from being defeated almost instantly at the beginning to being able to resist for a few seconds afterward, each time enduring longer in front of the Dementor.

In the last attempt, the flash of Harry's wand even made the Boggart transformed into a Dementor step back two paces.

Hoo... hoo...

Harry sat on the floor, tears flowing from his eyes, mixing with sweat, covering his face. His father's voice before he died had just come to his mind.

After sharing what he had heard with Lupin, Lupin's expression became somewhat strange.

"Listen, Harry, I think we should stop here for tonight... at least, let's leave the learning of the Patronus Charm here."

"Let me try one more time!" Harry begged.

Lupin pondered for a moment and nodded as if he had made a difficult decision. "Get ready..."

Harry began to search his memories, looking for one that was especially pleasant. At first, he remembered the feeling of flying for the first time, then the moment he left the Dursleys' house and arrived at Hogwarts... that memory was pleasant, but it lacked something. Now, he remembered Sirius, he remembered the Christmas they spent together, he remembered Number 12 Grimmauld Place... it was quite dirty, but he could consider it his "home."

If memories of being with Sirius weren't considered pleasant, then he didn't know what would be. Harry focused and strained to remember what it felt like to ride on Sirius's motorcycle.

Soon, he felt he was ready. Once again, he stood in front of the box.

"Let's start!"

Professor Lupin opened the lid again, and the Dementor emerged from it once more. The classroom grew cold, and the light dimmed...

In Harry's mind, the screams echoed again, men, women, and malevolent laughter...

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted, at that moment, the voices in Harry's mind became strange, like a radio with poor reception, the voices became blurry, and there was an unpleasant noise. A large silvery shadow shot out from the tip of Harry's wand and collided violently with the Dementor, causing it to stagger.

In that instant, the cold and darkness around him disappeared completely. The Boggart transformed into a Dementor lost its power, and there was no longer that oppressive feeling from the beginning.

"Riddikulus!" Lupin ran and trapped the Dementor in the box. Harry slumped into a nearby chair, panting heavily. At that moment, he felt completely drained, as if the shadow that had emerged from his wand had sapped all his energies.

"Amazing, Harry!" Lupin exclaimed excitedly, pulling out a large piece of chocolate.

"Don't even think for a second that..." Harry began to say something, but Lupin interrupted him as if he were reading his thoughts. "That's enough for tonight. Now we can learn something else... Yodel, Granger, come closer. You've waited long enough..."

Lupin called Tom and Hermione as he cleared an area with his wand.

"Harry, before we start teaching other spells, I want you to see how the best wizards your age fight. Yodel, you can start."

Upon hearing Professor Lupin's praise, Hermione shyly lowered her head.

When Hermione timidly raised her head, Tom saw an opportunity and swiftly drew his wand. "Expelliarmus!"

Dueling protocol? Nonexistent. Surprise attack? Forget about it. Didn't they hear what Professor Lupin said, "You can start, Yodel"?

A dazzling red light entered Hermione's eyes, and suddenly a transparent shield appeared in front of her, blocking Tom's spell.

The transparent shield shattered in the air, and Tom's spell dissipated.

Tom: ...

Damn it! He forgot that he had created several defensive accessories for Hermione, just to protect her from potential villainous attacks...

But who would have thought that today he would fall into that trap himself?

A look of bewilderment appeared on Hermione's face, as if she hadn't understood what had just happened. In the next moment, when she realized what had happened, her eyes showed a flash of indignation. Someone needed a good lesson.

"Avis!" A group of birds flew from Hermione's wand tip and swooped toward Tom. Tom rolled on the ground to avoid the birds.

The next second, a red bolt flew toward his face.

A real fight isn't a turn-based game. There's no need to wait for your turn. After using "Avis," Hermione quickly cast another Disarming Charm, not giving Tom a chance to counter.

"Protego Diabolica!" Tom rolled several times to evade some of Hermione's spells before finding an opportunity to counterattack. First, he created a barrier of blue fire between him and Hermione, blocking her spells, and then protected himself with the Protego Charm.

"Hermione, give up. Against Protego Diabolica, all spells are ineffective," Tom confidently said after shielding himself with "Protego Diabolica."

"The bell hasn't rung," Hermione said disdainfully.

She took two steps, waved her wand, and the birds that had just touched the ground flew toward Tom. But as soon as they hit the wall of fire, they turned into fireballs and fluttered to the ground.

"I told you, it's useless—" Tom tried to say something but was hit by a gust of wind and then felt something collide with him, sending him flying through the air.