When Hermione made her decision, Glenn had already resolved not to let these Dementors return to the Ministry of Magic. He was prepared to deal with them on the spot.
And not a single one would be spared, to eliminate any future threats.
Glenn disliked unstable, uncontrollable elements. They gave him a sense of crisis and unease. Creatures like Dementors, driven by a sliver of rationality and an overwhelming hunger, were, in his opinion, something he wanted no part of.
If he had to deal with them, he would sever that connection—physically.
As Glenn pondered his course of action, the train beneath his feet came to a complete stop.
Moments later, a soft, ethereal silver light began to radiate, spreading rapidly from the rear of the Hogwarts Express toward the front. Along with it came the sound of objects colliding and pressing against the train walls.
It seemed Hermione had begun casting the Patronus Charm. However...
Glenn carefully listened to the commotion within the train, his expression blank.
As expected, just as he had anticipated, Hermione had conjured her corporeal Patronus.
That wasn't necessarily the right choice.
If Glenn were in Hermione's place, casting the Patronus Charm with a fully corporeal Patronus at his disposal, and faced with the same situation—driving off all the Dementors to protect everyone on the Hogwarts Express—he would have chosen not to conjure a corporeal Patronus.
An incorporeal Patronus would have been sufficient in the confined space of the train to achieve the same goal.
It wasn't that Hermione's approach was wrong. The young girl simply lacked a clear understanding of her own abilities. It was her first time using the Patronus Charm against Dementors, so she gave it her all.
However, corporeal Patronuses are highly symbolic and representative. If seen by others, it would make it easier to identify the caster in the future whenever they used the Patronus Charm again.
Although Hermione had retreated to their compartment before anyone could see her, her stuffed cat Patronus would undoubtedly have been witnessed by most of the passengers.
If it were Glenn, he would have avoided this entirely.
Unfortunately, Glenn's progress in learning the Patronus Charm was excruciatingly slow. Despite starting to learn it alongside Hermione, he still couldn't produce even the faintest wisp of silver mist.
This was largely due to the requirements and prerequisites for learning and casting the Patronus Charm, as well as Glenn's own circumstances.
When it came to emotions and feelings, Glenn was at a loss.
The love his family gave him, the love Hermione gave him—he kept these feelings well-guarded in his heart, waiting to slowly understand and digest them.
But as for how to channel these feelings and combine them with magic to form a magical circuit, Glenn had no clue.
Over the years, he had accumulated a fair amount of positive emotions in his heart.
But compared to the seventeen years of his previous life and nearly fourteen years of this life, during which he absorbed and generated negative emotions, those positive feelings were but a drop in the ocean.
As a result, despite his extraordinary magical talent, Glenn's progress with the Patronus Charm was painfully slow, earning him frequent comfort from Hermione.
To succeed in casting the Patronus Charm, Glenn knew he would have to keep working at it in the days to come.
Fortunately, he didn't need the Patronus Charm today, so it was a minor issue.
It was common knowledge that Dementors couldn't be destroyed, only driven away. Even their natural enemy, the Patronus Charm, could only repel them within its range of influence, but couldn't harm their bodies in any way.
This was why the Ministry of Magic appointed these creatures as the guards of Azkaban.
There was no other choice—they couldn't be killed, only driven off. Allowing them to roam freely across the world was out of the question, so the Ministry "contained" them in Azkaban at the cost of the prisoners' souls and emotions.
But as a killer, Glenn didn't believe in the existence of indestructible creatures.
If such creatures existed, it was only because the correct method hadn't been discovered.
He had already resolved that if the spells he was about to use couldn't kill the Dementors, he would capture them all in alchemical containers and bury them in a secret, inescapable location until he found the right solution.
A loud crash echoed from the front of the train as five Dementors were flung away by the silver light. They circled in the air before charging again, but couldn't get inside.
Glenn didn't act rashly. He silently lay in wait on the roof of the train, watching as the Dementors were repeatedly repelled.
Seemingly sensing that something was amiss, the Dementors floating in the distance began to move anxiously. One of them flew straight toward its companions lingering near the train doors.
Upon its arrival, the Dementors at the train doors fell silent, clustering around it and exchanging silent glances.
"Are they communicating?"
It was said that Dementor groups had leaders or similar figures with higher intelligence.
Because their companions were generally too dim-witted, interactions with humans were often handled by these more intelligent Dementors. The one that had just arrived was likely such a leader.
After a silent exchange, the leader Dementor attempted to break through Hermione's Patronus Charm several times but ultimately failed. It turned to its companions, exchanged a glance, and flew back to the group of Dementors in the distance.
Above, as the Dementors that had approached the train rejoined the larger group, a heated dispute seemed to break out among them. Beneath the curtain of rain, the dark mass of creatures began to stir.
But this had nothing to do with Glenn. All he needed to do now was keep those creatures in his sight.
With the Dementors no longer blocking the way, the Hogwarts Express quickly resumed its journey. Meanwhile, the Dementors in the sky finally reached a consensus and began flying in a certain direction.
Glenn silently watched them leave. He stood up, hesitated for a moment, then kicked off the train roof, partially transforming into his half-demon form, and took to the air, pursuing the retreating Dementor group.
…
In the last compartment of the Hogwarts Express, Hermione, maintaining her Patronus Charm, heard a faint tapping sound.
It came from the alchemical golem beside her, disguised as "Glenn."
"Tap—tap—tap-tap-tap—tap-tap—tap-tap-tap—tap-tap—tap-tap."
"Glenn's" left hand had somehow fallen to its side, and its fingers were rhythmically tapping against the compartment wall.
Hearing this, Hermione dismissed her Patronus Charm, exhaling deeply as she leaned back on the sofa.
She glanced out the window with a hint of worry but said nothing.
Since Glenn chose to trust and understand her, she could choose to trust and understand Glenn.
M, Y, T, U, R, N.
"My turn…"
Hermione softly read the message Glenn had conveyed.
It's my turn.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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