Chapter 192: The Patronus Charm

The two Dementors were clearly ravenous. The moment they spotted the two young witches and wizards who dared to wander out of the castle, they swooped in without hesitation, intending to feast on every last shred of their happiness.

Edward immediately shielded Audrey behind him and shouted, "Flying is Prohibited Here!"

In almost an instant, the two Dementors—usually as light and airy as mist—were suddenly pulled downwards by a powerful invisible force. With no means to resist, they crashed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut.

Without hesitation, Edward leaned back, arms outstretched as if preparing to embrace the sun. He was about to cast Light of Holiness—after all, with their grotesque and undead nature, Dementors clearly fell under the category of filth and necromancy. Nothing would be more fitting than purifying them with divine magic.

"Expecto Patronum!"

At that moment, a beam of brilliant white light shot forward, striking the Dementors sprawled on the ground.

"AAAHHH!"

The two Dementors shrieked in unison, a piercing, ghastly sound. They scrambled to crawl away, desperate to avoid the power of the Patronus Charm. But unable to fly, they could only claw and drag themselves along the snow in a pathetic attempt to escape.

A large "bat" stepped forward—it was Snape.

No sooner had Dumbledore given him the warning than Snape had already responded with the Patronus Charm.

He looked at the pair, expression cold and stern. "Weren't you told there are Dementors around Hogwarts? Why are you wandering about?"

Edward quickly explained, "We only wanted to take a look at the snow outside the castle. We didn't think the Dementors would be bold enough to come this close."

"…Avoid going out until they've been withdrawn," Snape said curtly. With a flick of his cloak, he turned and strode off.

"Thank you, Professor!"

Snape didn't respond and soon disappeared down the corridor.

Audrey stuck her tongue out and tugged Edward back inside the castle. "That magic Professor Snape just used—was that the Patronus Charm?"

"That's right."

Edward sighed helplessly at the mention of the spell. "It's one of those spells I just can't seem to master no matter how hard I try."

In the Harry Potter world, the Patronus Charm was primarily used against Dementors, but in the world of mysteries, with the addition of spiritual elements, it might have incredible effects against undead creatures.

And beyond its offensive power, the animal form of a Patronus often had various practical uses as well.

"No worries," Audrey said with a gentle smile, reaching up to ruffle Edward's hair. "I'll work hard to learn it. Next time we run into Dementors, I'll protect you."

"Deal. I'm looking forward to it!"

Audrey clasped her hands behind her back and took a few steps away. "Alright, I'm heading back to the Slytherin dormitory. You go say hi to your friends."

"See you at dinner."

"See you at dinner!"

With a wave, she turned and skipped off toward the Slytherin wing.

Edward took out his enchanted coin and flicked it into the air. "The Dementors being at Hogwarts has something to do with Voldemort."

The coin landed with the number face up—negative.

He flipped it again. "Voldemort is currently hiding at Hogwarts."

The result was the same as before. The coin slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground.

"Still too little information?"

Well, to be accurate...he had absolutely no information. It was pure speculation—divination from thin air.

Rubbing his hair in frustration, Edward made his way to the Hufflepuff common room. "I really wish Voldemort would just show himself already. Then I could finish him off once and for all."

By the time he arrived, the common room was already filled with Hufflepuff students. The presence of Dementors had clearly driven them indoors, forcing them to gather here to chat, play chess, and entertain themselves.

Cedric was frowning in concentration over a game of Wizard's Chess when he looked up and spotted Edward walking in. He immediately pushed the pieces aside and jumped to his feet.

"Hey! Edward, you're back!"

His chess opponent, Ernie Macmillan, rolled his eyes. "Cedric, I was about to win."

"Alright, alright, call it your win."

"What do you mean, call it? I was literally one move from checkmate!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

Cedric hurried over and pulled Edward into a hug. "You were gone for ages!"

"Hahaha, did you miss me?"

Cedric instantly recoiled like he'd been electrocuted, putting on a disgusted face. "As if I'd miss another guy!"

Waving him along, he said, "Come on, go unpack your things."

"What's there to unpack?"

"Heh, since your bed's been empty for so long, I started using it for my luggage."

"You're unbelievable."

Edward tossed him a gold coin. "That's your Christmas present—early delivery. Don't ask me for another later."

"A gold coin?" Cedric was surprised. "Who gives money for Christmas? I'm not taking this."

"Keep it."

Edward patted Cedric on the shoulder. "That's a lucky coin, enchanted to bring good fortune. It might just save your life one day."

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "Why are you giving me this all of a sudden?"

A thought struck him. "Wait—you didn't divine something bad about my future, did you?"

"More or less."

"Can you tell me what it is?"

"It's a matter of life and death."

Without hesitation, Cedric clenched the coin tightly in his hand. "I'll take it. How do I use it—drill a hole and wear it around my neck?"

"Carry it however you like. Just don't lose it."

"Got it." Cedric gave him a thumbs-up and grinned. "At least those two years of sleeping next to you weren't wasted. Thanks! Next time I go to the Quidditch World Cup, I'll try to snag you an autograph kiss from one of the Veela."

"…"

Edward's mouth twitched. "You've got a thing for Veela now? What about Cho Chang—have you won her over?"

Cedric's smile vanished instantly. "She told me to stop distracting her from her studies."

Ouch. Classic Ravenclaw.

The two of them walked into the dormitory. Having been away for more than a month, Edward actually felt a little nostalgic. He took a couple of laps around the room where he'd lived for over two years.

Cedric waved his wand with practised ease, clearing off the pile of his belongings from Edward's bed and tidying everything up. "There. Just like you left it."

"Has anything happened at Hogwarts while I was gone—aside from the Dementors?"

Cedric pulled a tin of candy from the cabinet and handed it over. "Well, Professor Dumbledore is running for Minister of Magic."

"Yeah, I heard about that."

"Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup this year."

"Professor Snape held a few more hands-on Defence Against the Dark Arts sessions. Over a dozen upper-year students got injured. There were so many complaints from parents, it nearly cost him the position again—if there had been anyone else to replace him, that is."

"There's a magic academy visiting Hogwarts next week for an exchange."

"Oh, and a couple of dark wizards snuck into the castle two weeks ago."

Edward was startled. "What? Who had the guts to do that?"

"No idea." Cedric shrugged. "Headmaster Dumbledore discovered them in time, but he wasn't able to catch them."

Edward's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Even Dumbledore couldn't stop them?

Could it have been Grindelwald?

"That's about it," Cedric said with a shrug. "Classes, homework, spell practice, Quidditch training—pretty dull, honestly."

He sighed. "Now that it's snowing, we can't even play Quidditch anymore."

Edward sat down, leaning back on his hands. "Cedric, if you had the chance to learn a kind of power similar to magic—but not exactly magic—what would you want to learn?"

"Similar to magic, but not magic?" Cedric scratched his cheek and thought for a moment. "Hmm…I think I'd want to fly."

He spread his arms slightly. "I love flying. That's why I love Quidditch. But flying on a broom has too many limitations. I want to fly like a bird—truly free."

Flying, huh?

In the Sailor Pathway, once you reached Sequence 6, you'd gain temporary flight, and as a demigod, you could control the wind and fly freely.

Just then, Cedric stuck out his tongue to reveal a green leaf pressed underneath it. "So I've been trying again with the Animagus transformation. By the way—how's your Animagus progress going?"

Edward thought for a moment. "I'm still waiting for a storm."

If he told Cedric he'd already completed it, Cedric would definitely pester him to demonstrate.

"Hah, maybe we'll end up finishing the transformation during the same storm."

"You just focus on getting through the first step."

Cedric grinned. "This time, I'll definitely pull it off."

———

[Slytherin Common Room]

When Audrey entered, the previously rowdy room suddenly fell silent for a few seconds—then the upper-year boys erupted into cheers and whistles.

"Whoa~ our most beautiful junior is back!"

"No—Slytherin's most powerful duelling queen has returned!"

Audrey greeted everyone with a smile, then quickly spotted the Malfoy trio—Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle—trying to sneak out unnoticed.

"Malfoy, Goyle, Crabbe—where are you three off to?"

Malfoy immediately yawned. "Tired. Going to bed!"

"Yeah! Bedtime!" the other two echoed.

Audrey nodded. "Alright, it's not like a few more minutes will matter. See you tomorrow then?"

Malfoy's steps faltered. He gritted his teeth hard. Damn it. Why is that she-demon back again? Couldn't she just stay gone forever? That way, no one would keep bringing up those nightmares I had...

With that thought, he turned sharply and made for the exit. His two sidekicks scrambled after him. "Malfoy, where are you going?"

"Out for a walk. Don't follow me."

He glanced at Audrey, lowered his head, and quickened his pace. He was heading for the owlery—to send a letter home. His father, Lucius, had explicitly instructed him: the moment Audrey returned to Hogwarts, he was to inform him at once.

Malfoy's emotional shifts didn't escape Audrey's notice. Her curiosity about his secret only deepened.

Last time she was back, she'd only been a Telepathist. She had to interpret shallow thoughts based on people's behaviour, emotional hues, and auras. But now? Now she was a bona fide Psychiatrist. She could directly connect to a target's mental body.

"We'll see…if you're still able to lie next time we talk."

———

[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.