Hogwarts: I'm Truly a Model Wizard

The rain continued to pound against the train, turning the windows into a murky sheet of grey. Before they knew it, darkness had completely fallen outside.

The compartment door slid open again, and Fred and George slipped in, trying to be inconspicuous in the dim light.

"Percy didn't come after us, did he?" George whispered.

"No," Cedric replied, eyeing them curiously. "But really, why isn't he letting this go? It's just a badge prank—it's not like it's a huge crime."

"Well, maybe it's because he hasn't actually caught us yet," George replied, grinning as he closed the door behind him. "We spent a good part of the trip dodging him all over the train."

Cedric's brows rose in disbelief. "You're joking, right?" The train was only so big, with a single aisle running from front to back. And since the compartment doors were glass, Percy should have easily spotted them by now if they'd been on the run.

Kyle seemed equally skeptical. "Did you use a Disillusionment Charm?" he asked. "Or maybe Harry lent you his Invisibility Cloak?"

"Neither," George said with a smirk, sliding into the seat next to Cedric. "We hid in the snack trolley. It's hollow underneath with a false bottom—just enough space for two people to squeeze in."

"Percy walked right by us three times," Fred added proudly, "and he didn't even notice."

"He even stopped once to buy a Liquorice Wand and a piece of Cauldron Cake," George laughed. "We recognized his shoes."

"So, you've been hiding in the snack trolley this whole time?" Cho asked, looking at her watch incredulously. "That's been, what, five hours?"

The trolley was barely the size of a small table—just imagining two people crammed in there for hours was almost unbearable. If it had been her, she'd have chosen a scolding from Percy over that kind of confinement.

"Of course not," Fred replied. "After the trolley made its rounds, it stops by the driver's compartment up front, so we stayed there for the rest of the time."

As they spoke, the lights in the aisle and on the luggage racks suddenly blinked on, flooding the compartment with a warm, dim glow that made the darkness outside seem even deeper.

"Does that mean we're almost there?" Ginny asked.

"Almost," Cho answered. "Maybe an hour left."

"I sure hope so," Fred groaned, rubbing his stomach. "I'm starving—I can't wait for the feast…"

Just as he finished speaking, the train unexpectedly began to slow down.

"Wish granted?" Fred said, surprised, pressing his face against the window to get a better view outside.

"That's impossible!" Cho glanced at her watch again. "We're still a full hour away."

"Maybe the driver decided to speed us along to dinner," George joked, grinning.

"No, George, I don't think we're speeding up."

Fred's smile faded as he looked out the window. "It's not Hogsmeade station… this place looks completely unfamiliar."

The train continued to slow, the clattering of the wheels becoming fainter until all they could hear was the relentless wind and rain pounding against the windows.

With a harsh clunk, the train came to a full stop, as though someone had slammed on the brakes. A large suitcase tumbled from the luggage rack, narrowly missing Luna.

"I'm the Head Boy! Everyone get back to your compartments and stay calm!" Percy's voice called out from somewhere down the corridor.

But in this moment, his title felt oddly insignificant—especially as the train lights abruptly went out, plunging them all into darkness. Panicked voices rose around them, a mix of startled cries and nervous whispers.

"Is it just me, or is it getting colder?" Fred asked, rubbing his arms. He pointed at the window. "Look here."

A thin layer of ice had frosted over the glass, creeping across the pane in delicate, glistening patterns.

"It's September!" Cedric muttered, frowning. If it was this cold already, winter would be brutal.

"They're Dementors…" Kyle said, peering at the indistinct shadows moving outside. "They must be here to check if anyone's harboring Black."

"No… that's impossible…" Ginny huddled in a corner, shivering. "Monsters from Azkaban? Dumbledore would never allow this on the train…"

"I think Kyle's right," Cho whispered, her face pale as she looked out the window. She had glimpsed a figure at the far end of the corridor, draped in a tattered cloak and hovering just above the ground like a ghost.

"There's one on each side…" Cho backed away quickly. "They're searching the train!"

Silence fell over the compartment. Growing up in wizarding families, they'd all heard of Dementors, but none of them had expected to encounter these nightmarish creatures on their way to Hogwarts. Fear gripped them all.

Kyle took a deep breath and stepped forward, drawing his wand. With a slight wave, a faint silvery glow appeared at its tip, casting a soft, soothing light that bathed the compartment. The glow was subtle, much dimmer than a standard Lighting Charm, but its effect was calming. The others didn't seem to notice, except for Kanna, who tilted her head curiously, noticing that the biting chill seemed to dissipate slightly.

The quiet was broken by a horrible, rattling breath from the hallway. One of the Dementors had reached their compartment.

The creature's ragged breathing was a low, grating sound, and to most, it was meaningless noise. But Kyle heard it repeating fragments of a name in a strange, garbled mutter: "Brian… Bleka… no, Bracken…" It couldn't seem to remember, repeating the name with slight variations each time. Clearly, the Dementor was not particularly intelligent—then again, it didn't even have a brain.

The Dementor reached out with a skeletal, deathly pale hand and gently tugged at the compartment door. It slid open, and the Dementor started to enter, but the soft light from Kyle's wand spilled into the corridor, making the creature recoil and cling to the edge of the door, its decayed hands shaking.

"There's no one here that you're looking for," Kyle said firmly. "None of us are hiding Black, so you can leave."

The Dementor's hooded head tilted toward him, emitting another harsh, gurgling noise. "I… must… check… orders…"

"No. I repeat—there is no Black here!" Kyle waved his wand slightly, making the silvery light brighten a bit more.

The Dementor shrank back as if hit with something foul, its body sagging with an almost pitiful reluctance. Yet it stubbornly lingered, its rattling breath a reminder of its discomfort.

"Check… command…" it muttered.

"Go!" Kyle repeated, his voice sharper now.

"No… go…"

"Go!"

"No…"

Kyle clenched his jaw, his expression caught somewhere between frustration and guilt, wondering if he was bullying this strangely dim-witted creature. "This is ridiculous," he muttered.

The light surrounding them slowly thickened, forming a misty aura that enveloped Kanna and the others, protecting them from the chilling atmosphere.

"Inspection only," Kyle said in warning, his wand pointed at the Dementor. "If you do anything else—if you drain any emotions—I'll make sure you're expelled."

"Command… inspection… no food…" the Dementor rasped. With a final shudder, it floated up cautiously, entering the compartment and taking a deep, rattling breath.

A cold wave spread over them, chilling them all, but the sensation was bearable—it was just the icy temperature, nothing more.

"No… Bonnie… scent…"

The next moment, the Dementor drifted out, heading down the corridor.

"Yes, Black," Kyle called after it, as he closed the door. At least get the name right.

"Black… Blacka…" it mumbled, already getting the name wrong.

Kyle sighed. This one must be particularly dense. I wonder if all Dementors are this clueless, or if this one's just special.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the corridor. Kyle heard panicked voices rising above the muffled noise outside.

"Harry!"

"Professor, Harry fainted!"

"Help! Help…" It was Ron, Hermione, and even Neville, by the sounds of it.

A surge of bright, silvery light suddenly lit up the corridor, sending the Dementor scuttling back toward the compartment door as if desperate to escape. Kyle quickly shut the door, leaving the creature trapped between the closed compartment and the approaching glow.

Kyle almost thought he saw a glimmer of helplessness in the Dementor's faceless hood.