Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 283 Hufflepuff in Action

They sensed something was wrong and tried to evacuate the train, but a cold laugh echoed in the corridor.

If you didn't want to leave just now, then you might as well stay!

Dark creatures cannot be killed, but that doesn't mean wizards are helpless against them. There are always some kind of spells that can be used to deal with them, banishing them or even putting them into a state of dormancy and rebirth. Since the monster before us has a physical form, there is a very direct way to deal with it…

A tangible magical power erupted from their bodies and coiled around the three monsters.

The monsters, realizing something was wrong, struggled desperately, but the magical forces were like a swamp, entangling them and causing them to sink deeper and deeper.

Seeing that things were going badly, one of the monsters quickly pulled a roll of parchment from its pocket and repeated the word "Ministry of Magic" in a very strange tone. But it had come to this point, and unless they muttered a word like "Godric," Rice wouldn't stop.

He raised his hands to chest level, then made a tearing motion. The next moment, magic erupted, and the monsters were torn to pieces by Rice's magic.

A filthy, malevolent aura emanated from their torn bodies, but Rice was prepared. Magic shifted again, enveloping the filthy creatures within its power.

Rice looked up at the ceiling of the corridor and found that there was a skylight right above her head.

He waved his hand, and the skylight popped open. He wrapped the monsters' severed limbs in magic and threw them out through the skylight, where they gradually turned into black smoke and dissipated in the cold rain.

The only traces of the three-headed monster's existence are the faint stench of decay lingering in the air, the lingering chill, and a piece of parchment lying on the ground.

Rice knew they would resurrect from somewhere—most likely their lair—but would the three monsters that resurrected be the same three monsters as before?

Like the Ship of Theseus, are they still the same after they are resurrected?

Rice felt this was a philosophical question. As a wizard, he wasn't very good at thinking about these things; what he was good at was sending these monsters to resurrect.

He closed the skylight to prevent rainwater from getting in and wetting the floor. Rhys bent down and picked up the roll of parchment, noticing the Ministry of Magic's mark on it.

The parchment was a letter of authorization from the Ministry of Magic, authorizing the Dementors to search the Hogwarts Express and hunt down the fugitive Sirius Black.

Now Rice realized that the monster he had just torn apart was called a "Dementor," and he also understood why no train staff had come out to stop them—it was at the behest of the Ministry of Magic.

This is outrageous!

Searching a train to catch a fugitive isn't entirely incomprehensible, but where were the Ministry of Magic's staff? Just letting a few dark creatures board a train full of students without any precautions?

Who knows what would have happened if Helga and I hadn't been in the car. Does the Ministry of Magic even realize that wizards are on the Dementors' menu? And that they can't seem to deter them enough?

A sense of dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Magic rose in Rice's heart.

Just then, a very loud explosion came from the back of the carriage. Rice knew that this was most likely Helga's doing. He shrugged and returned to his compartment.

Meanwhile, Hufflepuff stood grimly at the back of the train, next to a huge hole. Cool, fresh air mingled with raindrops, filling the carriage and suppressing the stench emanating from the Dementors' destruction.

Hufflepuff sighed: "I never imagined that a thousand years later, wizards still wouldn't be free from the harassment of dark creatures." At this moment, Hufflepuff was unaware that these Dementors were sent by the Ministry of Magic…

With a flick of her wand, she repaired the shattered wall, then turned and opened the door to a compartment near the back of the train. Inside were three young wizards; one red-haired boy seemed only slightly frightened, while the other two were in a worse state.

A little red-haired witch huddled in the corner of the box, trembling all over. Another black-haired boy lay unconscious on the floor, his face pale and covered in sweat, looking as if he were going through something extremely painful.

The three people in the box were Harry, Ron, and Ginny.

"Professor, you—" Seeing that Hufflepuff had dealt with the monster that had broken in, Ron looked up, his face full of anxiety: "Look, Harry—"

"Excuse me," Hufflepuff said gently to the red-haired boy, and then picked up Harry, who was lying on the ground.

After briefly checking Harry's physical condition, Hufflepuff found that he was fine, but the dark creatures had had such a strong effect on him that he had fainted.

She pulled a small crystal bottle from her bosom, forcefully pried open Harry's tightly closed lips, and forced it down his throat.

Harry's expression immediately calmed down, but Ron still looked anxious.

"The calming potion is so-so, but it's very mild—he's like he's asleep now." Hufflepuff took out his wand again, pointed it at Harry, and the cold sweat that had just broken out on his body disappeared, and even his clothes dried.

"A clever life spell, I'll teach you later," Hufflepuff soothed the young wizards in the carriage with a gentle voice.

After confirming that Harry was alright, Hufflepuff helped him to a chair and then gently comforted the trembling red-haired girl. Her voice had a magical quality that could quickly calm people down. Once the girl had returned to normal, Helga then woke Harry up.

"What...what just happened?" Harry opened his eyes, a look of confusion in them.

Ron briefly explained what had just happened. After listening, Harry turned his gaze to Hufflepuff, who was standing to the side.

"Smith White, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Helga said with a slight smile as he introduced himself to the three of them.

Upon hearing the term "Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor," Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, a strange glint in their eyes.

It's a real shame that someone like that is chosen to be a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"Here, drink this." Hufflepuff took a cup from his robe and, without doing anything, filled it with a dark red liquid.

Harry took the cup and drank the liquid in one gulp. He immediately felt warm all over, but that didn't stop him from thinking that the contents of the cup tasted strange.

"Red wine, boiled with various spices, and with a few magic potion ingredients—it's a recipe a friend gave me. It can warm you up, detoxify and beautify your skin, and also soothe your mood."

Seeing Harry's strange expression, Hufflepuff gave him a brief explanation of the composition of the liquid in the cup.

Harry nodded blankly, thinking to himself that this professor knew quite a lot.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Here's the second update, goodnight everyone~

I personally hope to update tomorrow around noon.

(End of this chapter)