0208 Hostility

No one could have imagined that the Quidditch preliminaries they had been eagerly anticipating for half a year would end in such a shocking and unexpected way. Hufflepuff won the victory, but there was not much joy or celebration on their faces. Gryffindor lost their first match, but they had no energy or spirit to be sad or disappointed. Even Slytherin forgot to mock and ridicule the Gryffindor team that suffered a humiliating defeat. The young wizards of the four houses mostly gathered in their own common rooms, discussing the astonishing scene that appeared on the playground with curiosity and fear. 

The young wizards learned from the senior students who were about to graduate that the magic Professor Watson performed was called 'Patronus Charm', which was a very profound and advanced white magic, specially used to deal with the terrifying Dementors that could suck out one's happiness and soul. 

"Deal with?" In the cozy and earthy Hufflepuff common room, Justin Finch-Fletchley chattered to the students around him, his voice full of disbelief, 

"I thought that monster snake was the master of the Dementors!"

"Don't say that, Justin–" 

Hannah said with a reproachful and gentle tone, "We can't make the same mistake, can we? Last year, in the dueling class of that charlatan Lockhart, Potter used his Parsel-tongue to stop the snake that Malfoy conjured from attacking you. Today's situation is similar to that. The professors have already said that Professor Watson just used a modified Patronus Charm to deal with the Dementors, but the spell was not tested in battle, so it looked a bit weird and different." 

"I feel like this is just a way of fobbing us off, Hannah." Justin said stubbornly, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. 

"But at least–" Ernie shrugged his shoulders to express his opinion, "At least after Professor Watson conjured the Patronus, I didn't feel cold and hopeless anymore. After this, I would rather die than go to Azkaban, the prison guarded by those horrible creatures." 

There were many similar discussions in the other houses. 

"Profound white magic, do you believe this kind of nonsense? In my opinion, that is a very profound and powerful dark magic!" 

In the green-lit and gloomy basement of Slytherin, Draco said excitedly, his face glowing with admiration, "I knew he had this ability, I dare say, even the Dark Lord may not be able to do this!" 

At present, in the Slytherin house, there were many young wizards whose parents were loyal followers of Voldemort. Among these young wizards, most of them still believed that the Dark Lord was the savior who could bring unprecedented glory and supremacy to the pure-blood families. 

Therefore, Draco's evaluation did not get the flattery and agreement he expected, even his two loyal cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, seemed hesitant and doubtful to speak. 

In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey sent away the Gryffindor team captain who came to visit Harry, and was cleaning the mud and blood on the floor with a displeased and annoyed face. 

After a period of reflection and Professor Watson's explanation, Hermione and Ron finally stood together again, although the matter of Scabbers, Ron's pet rat, was still an unresolved knot in their hearts, but they tacitly ignored this matter for now. 

"You can't imagine how big that thing is, Harry!" 

Ron opened his arms and tried his best to gesture to Harry, he looked fascinated and awestruck, and said with an awe-inspiring and breathless tone, 

"That big snake is as tall as the Gryffindor tower, with a pair of wings on its back. They were silver-white at first, but later one of them turned black for some reason, and those Dementors. They flew around the black wing like affectionately." 

Ron seemed to want to find a metaphor to describe the appearance of the Dementors around the wing, but he racked his brains and couldn't find any appropriate adjective. In the end, he could only throw out the word 'affectionate', which sounded very absurd and ridiculous. 

"This is not normal, is it?"

Unlike the excited and amazed Ron, Hermione looked worried and concerned, "Professor Watson's magic looks like the same as Professor Lupin's on the train to deal with the Dementor that came to search. They are both silvery creatures, and they can spray silver mist, but their effects are completely different and opposite." 

"Maybe Professor Watson has a higher level of mastery and skill in this spell." 

Ron shrugged his shoulders and said with a matter-of-fact and casual tone,

"It's obvious, isn't it? Just look at the difference in the size of the things they conjured." 

Harry felt a rare flicker of happiness after today's encounter, seeing that Ron and Hermione had stopped quarreling and were able to talk normally again. He lay on his bed, wrapped in a thick blanket, and listened quietly to his friend's animated discussion about Professor Watson's Patronus. 

"Those Dementors-" 

Ron's vivid description gave Harry a rough idea of what a spectacular sight Professor Watson had created, but Harry had no interest in being amazed by it. He was still haunted by his failure in front of the Dementors, which had cost Gryffindor the crucial match, and by the faint voice he had heard in his head.

"What happened to those Dementors?" Harry asked in a low voice, interrupting Ron's enthusiastic praise. 

"They were all locked up. Professor Watson was furious, I've never seen him so angry before–" 

Hermione said with a trembling voice, "He probably felt that he had let everyone down. When he flew down from the hoops, Professor McGonagall asked him how he was going to handle the Dementors. He said he wouldn't do anything until Fudge came personally and explained why those Dementors had gone rogue." 

Harry pursed his lips and nodded, his mind once again filled with that pitiful voice. 

A fierce gust of wind broke into the room through the gap of the window sash, making the curtains flutter. 

Ron hurried over to close the window, shivering from the cold, and when he came back, Harry finally raised his head again and asked, "What about my broom, did you guys manage to get it for me?" 

Ron's face fell, and Harry's heart sank with it. He asked anxiously, "What's wrong, did it break?" 

"It's not that–" Hermione said hesitantly, biting her lip, "It's just that, when you fell, it was blown away by the wind. Everyone was too scared by Professor Watson's Patronus to notice, so, well. You know the Whomping Willow is right on the edge of the pitch." 

(Headmaster's office)

Fawkes held his head high, and his ruby-like eyes reflected a swaying 'silver dragon'. The portraits on the wall whispered among themselves, and their main topic of conversation was also the winged snake with black and white wings that roamed around the office, occasionally hissing softly. 

Dumbledore's expression was more serious than ever, his blue eyes were brighter than any previous moment, as if they were emitting light, and his aura also brought some pressure to Bryan who stood beside him. 

"That's enough, Bryan–" After a while, Dumbledore sighed and said wearily. The whispers in the office seemed to die down after Dumbledore finished this sentence, even the portraits fell silent for a while, waiting for him to give them an answer. 

"Did you find anything, Headmaster?" Bryan waved his hand to dismiss the Patronus, and his expression was calm and composed. 

"Sit down and talk–" Dumbledore returned to his desk and gestured for Bryan to sit down. The eyes of the two different colors met in the office, but neither of them could read anything from the other's eyes, because both of them used Occlumency. 

"Before we let our imagination run wild and make those fanciful guesses, Bryan, I have to ask you a question first." 

Dumbledore put his hands on his chin and said gravely, "Is there anything you want to tell me? I mean, some of your experiences may help our speculations get closer to the truth." 

'Some experiences….?

The prophecy of the ancient Druid religion that had somehow involved him?

The collapsed Avalon Island? 

The legendary Godric Gryffindor who had appeared in front of him across a thousand years of time? 

Or the twin serpent staff that had been prophesied to be picked up by him, but somehow voluntarily slipped out of his control, and vanished with that mysterious woman named Cliodna?'

Bryan sighed in his heart 'Why is this world so hostile to the transmigrators?'

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