Harry Potter: Who cares about belated motherly love?

Hogwarts Express compartment

Apart from the witch pushing a cart selling snacks, there were almost no other adults in the compartment on the Hogwarts Express. However, in this compartment, there was an obviously adult man sleeping, which surprised Harry and Hermione. But there were no other empty seats on the entire train, so we had to choose this one.

The number of compartments on the Hogwarts Express is usually precisely matched to the number of passengers using an expansion spell, so it is not uncommon to share a compartment with a stranger. It is just that it is relatively rare for someone to fall asleep shortly after departure. Although it is not polite to take a seat without asking for permission from your companion, the three of us nodded to each other, decided not to wake him up, and walked in quietly.

After closing the car door, we carefully placed our luggage on the rack and then sat down quietly.

"Who do you think he is?" Harry whispered.

"Professor Lupin," Hermione answered immediately.

"How did you know?" Harry asked in surprise. Hermione chuckled and pointed to the luggage rack above her head.

"Look at his luggage. It has his name on it."

We looked in the direction she pointed and saw a nameplate on the old and somewhat tattered suitcase with "RJ Lupin" clearly written on it.

Hermione's observation skills are as sharp as ever. Her attentiveness makes me feel that no matter how big the challenges in the coming school year are, as long as she is there, we will be able to cope with them. Of course, it also makes me more fortunate that she is our friend, not our enemy.

"What classes will he teach?" Harry asked curiously.

"There is only one possibility." I answered excitedly, "He should be Lockhart's replacement."

It reminded me that this class was considered to be extremely interesting in the "original books". I couldn't help but look forward to it - it would probably be a huge improvement over Lockhart's class.

“I can’t wait. Last year’s class was terrible, this one is going to be a lot more fun,” I said with a smile.

"Oh? Why do you think so?" Hermione tilted her head in confusion.

"Because he may be one of the original pranksters - one of the creators of the Malfoys map." I explained, "Harry, I think he may be one of your father's close friends. Sirius showed us a photo, and I remember he should be 'Moon Face'."

This is what I learned during my month at the Black mansion. Sirius often took time to chat with us, sometimes showing us school photos and telling us stories. Although he always mentioned "Wormtail" (Peter Pettigrew) with disgust, his memories of "Moon Face" were full of tenderness.

"What?!" Harry raised his voice in shock and immediately turned to look at Professor Lupin.

"Shhh—" Hermione and I quickly made a gesture to keep quiet.

"Ronnie, are you serious?!" Harry asked in a low voice.

"That's probably right. You and I saw the photo together, don't you remember?"

Although I can't see his eye color now, his face has basically not changed. I recognized it at a glance. In addition, Harry should have heard of the name "Remus Lupin", but the nickname "Moon Face" may be more impressive.

"To be honest, I only remember what my father and Sirius looked like..." Harry scratched his head and said embarrassedly.

"Well, that's not surprising. After all, they are just people in the photos. You haven't seen them with your own eyes." I comforted him.

After that, we chatted in a low voice, so as not to wake up Professor Lupin. Hermione also introduced us to her new pet, Crooked Bobcat. We chatted for a long time, and when the witch who was selling things in the car pushed a cart past, we debated whether to wake up Professor Lupin, but finally decided to let him sleep and buy lunch and continue chatting.

When we talked about our summer vacation experiences, we naturally talked about the prison break. When I mentioned this topic, I clearly felt my expression stiffen for a moment. As if he noticed my strangeness, Harry quickly interrupted the topic and said, "Hogwarts is absolutely safe, don't worry." Although Hermione showed a puzzled expression for a moment, she seemed to understand something and chose not to ask any more questions. The atmosphere was a little awkward for a while.

Just then, an accident happened.

The sky gradually darkened, and it was pitch black outside the window. The Hogwarts Express suddenly began to slow down.

"what happened?"

"Are we there yet?" Harry asked.

"No, probably not yet." Hermione shook her head, a hint of uneasiness in her tone.

I couldn't help but look at Hermione, remembering the watch she was wearing, and she also looked down at her watch with a frown.

(Could it be…?)

Suddenly, a scene from the "original book" flashed through my mind.

Harry stood up, opened the door of his box, and looked out into the corridor. Students from other boxes also poked their heads out, obviously curious about what was going on.

At this moment, the express train suddenly shook and stopped completely. Then, the lights in the carriage went out instantly, and the entire space fell into darkness.

"What happened...? What on earth is going on...?"

I suppressed the fear in my heart, but my voice still trembled.

I reached for my wand, but suddenly remembered that it was still in my suitcase because I hadn't changed into my school uniform yet. Realizing this, I couldn't help but feel annoyed at my negligence.

(Why…why didn’t I think of this happening in advance!!!)

As I was feeling regretful, the situation got worse.

The temperature in the car dropped rapidly. After my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, I saw frost beginning to form on the windows. The cold air seemed to be coming from all directions.

"H-Hermione..."

I couldn't help but grab Hermione's hand beside me, trying to get comfort from this reliable friend.

"Don't worry, Ronnie...it'll be fine." Hermione comforted me with a trembling voice and held my hand tightly.

At this moment, a deep voice suddenly sounded: "Quiet!"

Then, accompanied by the sound of something moving, there was a soft "click" and a small ball of warm light appeared in the box.

The warm firelight made me breathe a sigh of relief.

Professor Lupin stood in the light with flames burning in his palms. He had a comforting smile on his face, but his eyes, staring at the door, were alert and vigilant, as if he had anticipated the danger.

"Do not move."

His voice was slightly hoarse, obviously he had just woken up. He slowly stood up and walked towards the door of the box. However, before he reached the door, the door slowly opened by itself...

……

The flame in Professor Lupin's hand illuminated the dark figure standing at the door.

A biting cold instantly filled the entire box, making it almost impossible to breathe.

That's a Dementor.

——The moment I realized what it was, the memories before summer vacation came flooding back like a tide, madly invading my brain.

"Ronaldin Weasley! What on earth have you done?!"

Mother Molly Weasley's roar seemed to echo in my ears, the sound sharp and piercing.

"You actually pushed your own sister to that extent...!!! I never taught you to be such a child!!!"

It was me...it was me who pushed her to that point.

If I had handled it better, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this...

"Poor Ginny!!! She was locked up there and even had to be suspended from school...!!!"

Ginny, Ginnybala, my sister.

"Why can't you get along well with your sister? ! ! "

Ginny, Ginny...Did I ruin her future?

"You are no longer our child!!! Don't come back!!!"

Molly...Mom.

Am I an unwanted child?

My mother's voice kept echoing in my mind, and I tried to cover my ears with my hands, trying to block out the harsh accusations.

But no matter what, the sounds did not stop.

“Ah, ah, ah…”

"Ronnie?! Ronnie! Cheer up!!"

Hermione's voice came faintly, but it seemed to come from far away.

"No--!!!!"

With a desperate scream, my consciousness fell into complete darkness.