章節 205: Chapter 205: "Dementors and Patronuses"
The Forbidden Forest was eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves and the soft whimpers of a bound werewolf. Neville Longbottom stood alone in the darkness, his wand clutched tightly in his trembling hand. He kept casting nervous glances at the incapacitated werewolf form of Professor Lupin, remembering the ferocity with which the werewolf had attacked earlier. Even knowing it was his professor didn't quell the fear that sent shivers down his spine.
Neville's eyes darted around the clearing, desperately hoping for Harry's return. The forest seemed to close in around him, every shadow potentially hiding another threat. He tried to steady his breathing, reminding himself that he was a Gryffindor, but the fear persisted.
"Come on, Neville," he muttered to himself, "you can do this. You're not useless. You are brave. Harry will be back soon."
Suddenly, a rustling from nearby bushes made Neville jump. His wand arm shot up, a spell on the tip of his tongue.
"Neville? Is that you? Is it safe?" a familiar voice called out.
Neville's heart raced. "Who's there?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "Show yourself slowly!"
Charles Potter emerged from the bushes, hands raised, followed closely by Ron and Hermione. "It's me, Charles," he said, relief evident in his voice. "So, Harry took care of the Death Eaters? He really is strong. Where is he?"
Neville lowered his wand, relief washing over him at the sight of his friends. "Yes, Harry defeated Bellatrix, but something happened, and she escaped. Harry went after her." He frowned. "But why are you here? I thought you'd have run back to the castle for help."
Charles looked sheepish. "Well, we got lost. Somehow, we ended up back here while wandering around." His eyes scanned the clearing. "Where's Professor Lupin?"
Neville pointed to the bound figure on the ground. "There he is."
Charles's eyes widened. "Moony... So that's how he looks. He never showed me his transformation before."
Hermione's eyes lit up with understanding. "So I was right! Professor Lupin is a werewolf. All the clues pointed to it." She turned to Charles, a hint of accusation in her voice. "You knew? Why didn't you tell me?"
Ron gasped. "Professor Lupin is a werewolf? I've been risking my life in all those Patronus and DADA classes?"
Charles shook his head. "Moony is harmless, Ron. Professor Dumbledore knows about his condition. He must have forgotten to take his Wolfsbane Potion today." He looked at the bound werewolf with a mixture of awe and concern. "But Harry managed to subdue him? My brother is stronger than I thought."
Hermione, ever the voice of reason, interjected, "We shouldn't be standing around discussing this. We need to figure out how to get back to the castle safely."
As the four discussed their next move, a sudden chill permeated the air. To their horror as they looked up, they saw hundreds of Dementors gliding towards them from all directions.
Charles was the first to snap out of his fear-induced stupor. "Quick, think of something happy!" he shouted, raising his wand. "Remember the Patronus lessons!"
The four students raised their wands, shouting "Expecto Patronum!" in unison. They hoped their training in the spell would help save their lives. Only wisps of silvery light emerged, but it was enough to keep the Dementors at bay momentarily.
However, the dark creatures soon turned their attention to the unconscious werewolf. Charles watched in horror as they closed in on his godfather's prone form. Desperately, he tried to cast the Patronus again, determined to save Lupin.
The werewolf awakened, whimpering in fear, but remained bound by Harry's spells. As a Dementor lowered its hood, preparing to administer the Kiss, Charles turned to Hermione in desperation.
"Hermione, please, do something! Help my godfather!"
Hermione, moved by Charles's pleas, pointed her wand at the werewolf. "Finite Incantatem!" she cried.
The spell worked, undoing most of Harry's bindings. Fueled by fear and adrenaline, the werewolf broke free of the remaining restraints and bolted into the forest, away from the Dementors.
"Thanks, Hermione," Charles said, relief evident in his voice.
"No time for thanks," Hermione replied tersely. "I don't need to remind you of our situation, do I? Try using the memory of the Professor escaping to cast your Patronus, Charles. It might work!"
The Dementors, enraged by seeing their prey escape, had angrily moved in on the four.
Charles nodded, closing his eyes and concentrating on the relief he felt seeing Lupin escape, imagining his father's joy at knowing Remus was safe. "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted.
This time, a bright silver light erupted from his wand, coalescing into the form of a majestic stag. The Patronus galloped around the clearing, driving the Dementors back.
"Brilliant, Charles!" Ron exclaimed, his face a mixture of awe and relief.
Encouraged by Charles's success and the free space it gave to them, the others redoubled their efforts. After several attempts, Neville managed to produce a silvery badger that joined the stag in repelling the dark creatures.
"I did it!" Neville cried, his face beaming with pride. "I actually did it in front of Dementors!"
Unbeknownst to the four students, they were never in any real danger. As soon as the Dementors had closed in on them, they were being watched. Perched high in the trees, a Thunderbird observed the unfolding scene with keen interest and ready to act if the four were in any real danger. Its gaze alternated between the group of students and the spot where the Lestranges and Wormtail lay bound.
The Thunderbird – Harry in his Animagus form – had been monitoring the situation, curious to see how his brother and friends would handle the danger. He nodded in a show of approval seeing Charles successfully cast the Patronus and save Lupin. Charles was starting to show the traits of a real Potter.
However, Harry's attention was soon drawn to the other side of the clearing. Three Dementors were closing in on the bound Death Eaters. They, however, had no one to help them. The Lestrange brothers struggled futilely against their bonds as the creatures lowered their hoods. Although Harry could not kill the Death Eaters due to the wizarding laws, he was content to stand by and watch the Dementors do it for him.
Harry watched dispassionately as the Dementors administered the Kiss to the Lestrange brothers, their bodies going limp as their souls were sucked away. But as a Dementor approached Wormtail, something unexpected happened.
In a moment of sheer terror, Wormtail managed to transform into his rat Animagus form. This was not Harry's mistake. He had no means to stop Wormtail from transforming into his Animagus. That needed special magic shackles which he did not have. What he did was to do his best to keep Wormtail from waking up and transforming. He did that, but the sudden change, coupled with the fear of imminent death, allowed him to wake up and slip free of his bindings.
Before Harry could react, the rat had scurried into the underbrush and disappeared. Harry felt a twinge of frustration, but he wasn't entirely surprised. He recalled walking in on a prophecy from Trelawney about Wormtail returning to his master a few nights ago. It was similar to the canon, and Harry was not surprised on hearing Trelawney's second true prediction. He hoped to try to stop the prediction from coming true, but he failed.
Turning his attention back to Charles and the others, Harry saw that they had successfully driven off most of the Dementors. Deciding it was time to intervene, he swooped down from his perch and transformed back into his human form. Even if Wormtail escaped, he was satisfied that the Lestranges were taken care of. They were the strongest of Voldemort's inner circle, and the Death Eaters would be much weaker in the future.
With a powerful wave of his wand, Harry conjured his own Patronus – a massive, silver Thunderbird that lit up the entire clearing. The remaining Dementors fled before its radiance, disappearing into the night.
The four students stared in awe at the magnificent Patronus before turning to see Harry emerge from the shadows. Relief and admiration were evident on their faces.
"Harry!" Neville exclaimed. "Thank Merlin you are here. Where is-"
Before anyone could speak further, however, the sound of multiple footsteps approached. Dumbledore led a group of professors and Aurors into the clearing, their wands at the ready.
As the adults took in the scene, Harry knew that the night's events were far from over. Explanations would be demanded, and he needed to think of believable explanations for things like the missing Bellatrix and the dead Death Eaters. But he was not worried.
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