Dementor

"They're funny, these books, Evelyn."

"Indeed, they are special, but they remain dangerous."

Marie and I were making our purchases for the upcoming school year, and one of the books stood out. It looked more like a monster than a book.

"What do you think it eats? Can it die? Can it get attached to someone?"

"Marie, I have no idea, so don't ask more questions than we have answers for."

One of the things we planned to do was to tame the book, so we could ensure it wouldn't attack us when we wanted to release it and read its contents.

"Hey, Harry, what are you doing here?"

Turning around, I saw Harry working at an ice cream parlor for his holiday job.

"I ran away from home after blowing up my aunt."

...

"Blowing up in what sense?"

"I made her inflate like a balloon and float away when I lost control of my emotions."

It couldn't have been clearer; at first, I thought he had blown up his aunt in the literal sense, with an image that would surely be censored on the news.

He told us he had been here for a week and planned to stay until the end of the holidays.

He wouldn't be able to see Ron or Hermione in the meantime because neither of them was in the country at the moment.

"I'm happy for the Weasleys, but maybe they should have thought about saving a little."

The thousand of Galleons they won from the lottery disappeared quickly, especially when you factor in school supplies and Ron's new wand.

At this point, they probably only have about 20 Galleons left.

After saying goodbye to Harry, I returned home with Marie.

My grandmother quickly took a liking to Marie, and it's no surprise — she's beautiful, intelligent, competent, and powerful.

On the day of the Hogwarts Express departure, we left early. In our compartment, besides Marie and me, we also had Neville, Luna, and Ginny. Ginny joined us because she hadn't really made close friends the previous year.

Maybe I've unintentionally created a new golden trio — that would be fun, and it doesn't hurt to dream.

As the train moved forward and the horizon darkened, I thought I heard the sound of a clockwork mechanism and the faint ticking of a needle.

This noise quickly vanished as the train seemed to slow down.

"We're not there yet. Why are we stopping?"

All five of us were wondering what was going on when frost began to form on the windows at an unnaturally fast rate.

"Oh no... Expecto Patronum!"

I raised my wand and conjured a corporeal Patronus in the shape of a small dragon.

"What's going on, and what is that?"

"The Dementors will be here any minute, searching the train to see if Sirius Black is hiding onboard. What I just created is a Patronus, an anti-Dementor charm. It'll help protect us from them. I learned how to cast it back when Hagrid was sent to Azkaban. It's a very complex spell, but incredibly effective against those monsters."

I had just finished speaking when the compartment door opened, revealing the monstrous creature that filled me with a deep sense of disgust.

I didn't throw my Patronus at it because, after all, it was only doing its job. However, at the slightest wrong move, I was ready to attack.

"Nobody's hiding Sirius Black here, so get the hell out," I said firmly.

Marie wasn't happy, which was understandable—despite the Patronus protecting us, we could still feel the oppressive effects of the Dementor.

It left without a word, moving on to search another compartment.

I went to my suitcase and took out five boxes of Chocolate Frogs.

"Here, let's each take one. It'll help."

They took them without hesitation, trusting my suggestion, and I noticed their pale complexions gradually returning to a healthier color.