novelcrest Chapter 356 The Dementor in the Box
Chapter 356 The Dementor in the Box
Chapter 356 The Dementor in the Box
Daphne struggled to her feet and walked out of the classroom. Looking around, she saw Hermione, Penelope, and Sophia lying nearby, their faces pale.
Taking a deep breath, Daphne tried to calm herself down and slowly walked to Hermione's side, gently shaking her shoulder.
Hermione, wake up.
Daphne called softly, her voice tinged with urgency.
Hermione's eyes trembled slightly before she slowly opened them, still somewhat dazed, as if she had not fully recovered from the terror she had just experienced.
Upon seeing Daphne, she blinked hard to make sure she was truly safe.
"Daphne—that Dementor from before," Hermione's voice was weak and trembling.
"It was—Professor Phillips kept it," Daphne said softly, reassuringly. "We're safe now."
"Professor Phillips?" Hermione murmured to herself, a hint of emotion flashing in her eyes. "Indeed, he's a good man; he saved us once again."
She struggled to her feet, brushed the dust off her clothes, and turned to Daphne. "Anyway, the professor just saved us, we should go and thank him."
Hermione's eyes were sincere and full of gratitude, but Daphne frowned slightly, feeling a sense of helplessness.
Recalling what had just happened, she found it hard to associate Professor Phillips with the word "good person," let alone thank him.
Therefore, Daphne chose to pretend she hadn't heard Hermione's words.
She then walked over to Penelope, bent down and gently patted her cheek. "Penelope, wake up." Penelope opened her eyes groggily, her face showing some fear, but she breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw Daphne.
Finally, Daphne went to Sophia's side and woke her up in the same gentle tone. "Sophia, wake up."
Compared to Hermione and Daphne, Daphne woke Sophia up with remarkable ease.
She simply whispered a name in Sofia's ear, and the other woman woke up.
This feeling... was as if she hadn't been knocked unconscious by the appearance of the Dementors.
The group gathered together, reminiscing about their harrowing experience. The air was thick with the lingering fear of the Dementors. Penelope broke the silence first, asking in a low voice.
"Daphne, what are you planning to do? This time... it seems like we haven't found anything."
Daphne sighed softly, a hint of helplessness appearing on her face.
"Yes, we didn't get much this time," she said slowly. "However, I don't think we can give up now. Professor Phillips' secret is definitely not simple, Hermione. We need to try again next time. Next time, you can seduce the professor, and we'll find a suitable opportunity."
Hermione stood there, stunned, her surprise evident on her face.
She had thought that Daphne would back down or at least have some reservations after this harrowing experience, but to her surprise, Daphne wanted to continue trying and even handed over this dangerous task to her without hesitation.
Hermione shook her head slightly, her brow furrowed, her tone revealing obvious hesitation and worry. "Daphne, we've already taken enough risks. The professor doesn't seem to be harming us; he might just have some secrets he doesn't want anyone to know."
"No, it's just—" Daphne interrupted her decisively, her eyes filled with a cold resolve.
"Go ahead with confidence, we'll back you up." Her tone was relaxed yet confident, as if everything was under control. "With us here, the professor will definitely not do anything bad to you."
Hermione's eyes widened, a flicker of panic crossing her mind.
She clearly hadn't expected Daphne to send her on such a daring mission.
She opened her mouth as if to refute, but her mind was a mess, and she didn't know where to begin. She felt a mix of a faint liking for Professor Phillips and an instinctive resistance to adventure.
Just as she was struggling to organize her thoughts, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her.
"Hey, what happened?" Harry walked over quickly, his eyes filled with confusion and alertness.
He quickly scanned the people present, noticing their pale faces and slightly trembling hands.
Hermione turned around and looked at Harry, who had suddenly appeared there, and asked him with some surprise.
"Harry, what are you doing here?"
Harry hesitated slightly, his eyes flickering.
After a few seconds, he slowly spoke, his voice slightly hesitant: "I—I actually came to see Professor Phillips. He—he's been helping me train with new spells lately, it's a kind of private tutoring." His gaze shifted between Hermione and Daphne, clearly finding it strange, or rather, "uncomfortable," to see two Slytherin wizards together.
Hermione stared at Harry, her brow furrowing slightly, a hint of doubt in her voice: "Harry, the professor helped you train in spells? Why have I never heard you mention it?"
Harry rubbed the back of his neck, forcing a smile to hide his unease. He didn't want to tell anyone about the Patronus Charm that Professor Phillips had taught him... especially since it contained too many unpleasant memories.
"Well, it wasn't really formal training. It was just that we bumped into each other occasionally outside of class, and he was willing to give me some pointers. You know, maybe he felt that I wasn't proficient enough in controlling some spells."
Daphne scoffed dismissively, glancing at Harry with a hint of mockery in her eyes. "You're saying Professor Phillips is training you? What a 'generous' professor." Her tone was clearly sarcastic, indicating she had her own interpretation of Professor Phillips's "generosity."
Yes, I have a deep understanding of it.
Hermione ignored Daphne's sarcasm and suddenly asked, "Did Professor Phillips teach you the Patronus Charm?"
Harry was startled and almost lost his balance; Hermione's question made him freeze instantly.
How did she know? The Guardian Charm isn't a spell that can be taught casually, not to mention that he had never mentioned it to anyone else, not even Ron.
"Hermione, how did you know?" he asked in a low voice, a hint of nervousness in his eyes, as if he were afraid of having some secret exposed.
Upon hearing the words "Guardian Charm," Daphne's expression changed drastically. She instantly realized that the Dementor in the box was related to this—it was the one who had caused her to fall into that terrifying situation!
The moment that thought crossed her mind, she looked at Harry with a gaze so sharp it seemed she wanted to devour him alive.
Harry felt uneasy under Daphne's gaze, but he still stood there defiantly.
"It's nothing," Hermione shook her head.
At this moment, she also understood why Harry was practicing the Patronus Charm—the events of the last Quidditch match were still vivid in her mind.
However, she was still somewhat worried that Harry dared to use a real Dementor as a training target, so she gave him some advice.
"Harry, I understand why you practiced the Patronus Charm—"
“But training with a real Dementor is far too dangerous. Even to enhance your defenses, you shouldn’t take such a risk.” Hermione’s voice softened, a hint of worry in her eyes. “Harry, this isn’t ordinary spell training. The presence of Dementors instills the deepest fear and pain, and the Patronus Charm isn’t something you can master in one or two tries. A slight mishap could lead you to—”
Before Hermione could finish speaking, Harry impatiently interrupted her.
"Hermione, that's not it! That wasn't a real Dementor, it was a Borgut."
Hermione paused, looking at him with confusion. "A Boggart? You mean—it was just a Boggart disguised as a Dementor?"
Harry nodded and explained, "Yes, Boggarts will become my greatest fear, and to me, that's Dementors."
Professor Phillips specifically found a Boggart to train me, so it could instill my fear, but with far less risk than a real Dementor.
"This cannot be done one by one."
Hermione was about to retort when Sophia gently pulled her arm and dragged her back a step.
To be honest, she was also looking forward to seeing Harry's antics after he found out it wasn't a Boggart but a Dementor.
So how could she possibly let Hermione's mother reveal this at this time?
"Hermione, calm down," Sophie patiently advised Hermione. "Harry is already well aware of the risks. Besides, if Professor Phillips is indeed supervising the training, it at least means he came prepared, so it might not be as dangerous as we think."
Hermione frowned, still somewhat uneasy, but Sophia gently patted her shoulder and whispered, "Harry has always wanted to prove himself, you know that better than anyone. We can't let him always feel isolated and helpless; we need to support him when he needs it."
Hermione glanced at Harry and saw a hint of weariness mixed with his tense expression; her heart softened.
"Alright, Harry," Hermione said gently, "Now that you've made your decision, we'll respect it. But remember,
If anything seems wrong, let us know immediately.
Harry nodded, a grateful smile on his face. "Thank you, Hermione, Sophia. I won't put myself in danger."
Sophia gently patted Hermione's shoulder, gesturing for her to leave with her. "Let's go, Hermione, we should get ready for our next lesson."
Before leaving, Daphne glared at Harry and then followed Penelope out of the History of Magic classroom.
Harry stood in front of Sean, nervously gripping his wand.
Tomorrow is their Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, and he must completely master the Patronus Charm.
"Are you ready?"
"Alright, Professor."
Sean nodded slightly, then whispered something, and with a wave of his hand, a dark shadow slowly emerged from the box, gradually transforming into the appearance of a Dementor.
Even knowing it was a Boggart, Harry could still feel the chill, as if a real Dementor was right in front of him.
A suffocating sense of despair gradually filled the air, Harry's breathing became rapid, and his palms began to sweat.
"Now, Harry!"
Harry gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and tried to recall that warm memory. He waved his wand and shouted, "Palmtops of Protection!"
A faint white light emerged from the wand, but it seemed rather weak in the face of the Boggart Dementor and was almost instantly swallowed up by the chilling aura.
Harry felt his inner strength being drained away little by little, and he became depressed and powerless.
Sean didn't scold him, but comforted him, "Don't let fear control you, Harry. Your true Patronus comes from the deepest part of your heart; only those emotions that truly warm your heart can become your shield."
Harry paused, gripped his wand tighter, and focused his attention again, imagining the moments he had spent at Hogwarts, the warm times he had shared with his friends.
If such a scene were placed in Japanese anime, it would have a specific term: "flashback."
The results of a nostalgia trip are usually quite pleasant.
Harry waved his wand again and shouted, "Palmtops of Protection!"
This time, the white light was brighter than before, gradually coalescing into a warm power that dispelled much of the darkness.
Sean smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Very good, Harry. Remember this feeling, keep it in your heart. During the game, this power will be your most important protection."
Just as the two were training intensely, there was a soft knock on the classroom door.
The two stopped simultaneously, turned around, and saw a familiar face peeking in – it was Qiu Zhang.
"Am I disturbing you?" Cho Chang asked softly, his eyes darting between Harry and Sean, curious about their training.
"Miss Qiu Zhang? Of course not, please come in." Sean smiled slightly, gesturing for her to enter.
Harry quickly put away his wand, a blush creeping onto his face.
Despite his best efforts to remain calm, Qiu Zhang's sudden appearance clearly disrupted the concentration he had just established.
Cho walked into the classroom, her gaze falling on Harry's wand with a hint of curiosity. "Harry, are you practicing the Patronus Charm?"
Harry nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes, the Patronus Charm requires a lot of focus and positive emotions, and I haven't fully mastered it yet. But thanks to the professor's help, I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to success."
Cho Chang's eyes revealed a hint of admiration as he said softly, "I've heard that the Patronus Charm is extremely difficult to master. Harry, you're truly amazing."
Harry was taken aback by her praise, and his blush deepened.
He gently touched the back of his neck and said with a smile, "Well, I'm still practicing, but I've made some progress."
Sean looked at the two people in front of him, a playful smile appearing on his lips.
He cleared his throat at the opportune moment, interrupting their brief exchange. "Harry, if you feel you've mastered the Patronus Charm, then prepare for tomorrow's match. Cho Chang, did you need to see me?"