"Dementors! They're in the sky! The players are in danger… get them back immediately!"
Lewis heard Penelope shout.
As if to prove her point, Harry suddenly began trembling high above the pitch before plummeting from the sky.
Everyone in the stands saw it.
Dozens upon dozens of Dementors drifted down from the clouds, a black mass even darker than the storm itself.
The bone-chilling cold that seeped into their very souls sent countless young witches and wizards screaming.
"Oh my God! They're really Dementors!"
"Why are they here?!"
"Harry! Harry's falling!"
"Help!"
In an instant, the Quidditch stadium descended into utter chaos.
Screams.
Crying.
Shouting.
Curses.
Every kind of noise erupted at once.
Lewis slowly stood, gazing at the swarm of Dementors overhead, ready to confront them.
Although he had known this scene would happen from the original story, witnessing it in person still filled him with anger toward the Ministry of Magic.
At the end of the day…
This entire disaster was the Ministry's fault.
They had casually dispatched Dementors to hunt Sirius Black without giving the slightest thought to one simple question.
What were the Dementors supposed to eat?
In Azkaban, they had a constant supply of prisoners.
Outside?
It wasn't as if they could order takeout.
So now…
A horde of starving Dementors had discovered Hogwarts—a place overflowing with delicious prey.
If they didn't attack, that would have been the real miracle.
Yes, the Dementors were responsible for attacking children.
But the Ministry had always known exactly what kind of creatures they were.
The Dementors didn't know better.
The Ministry certainly should have.
The joy radiating from today's Quidditch match had become irresistible to the starving creatures.
Combined with the convenient excuse of searching for Sirius Black…
The Dementors simply couldn't restrain themselves any longer.
As for Harry…
Lewis wasn't worried.
Someone else cared even more than he did.
Before Professor McGonagall could react, Harry's fall suddenly slowed.
Lewis glanced toward the Slytherin stands.
Sure enough…
Snape stood there in his black rain cloak, wand raised.
The Arresto Momentum that had slowed Harry's descent had come from him.
A moment later, Madam Hooch swooped in on her broom and caught Harry safely.
Having lost their target, the Dementors became agitated.
But they quickly found new prey.
Every student in the stadium.
Lewis noticed Snape raise his wand again, apparently intending to cast another spell.
Yet after hesitating for several seconds…
He lowered it.
Probably because he didn't want anyone seeing his doe Patronus.
Some reputations were worth protecting.
Fortunately…
He wouldn't need to intervene.
Because this crisis…
Was exactly the practical lesson Lewis had been waiting for.
It would also become the greatest advertisement imaginable for his study group.
Did anyone really think he intended to limit his influence to Ravenclaw forever?
"All Ravenclaws!"
"Stay calm and return to your seats!"
"I guarantee your safety!"
"Trust me!"
"Dementors are no threat before us!"
Enhanced by the Amplifying Charm, Lewis's voice echoed throughout the stadium.
The panic among the Ravenclaws immediately subsided.
Those running around like headless chickens finally found someone to rely on.
They all obeyed without hesitation.
Lewis glanced at Penelope.
Moments ago, the Head Girl had been desperately trying to restore order, yet almost no one had listened.
Now, after receiving Lewis's signal, she immediately resumed directing everyone.
This time…
The Ravenclaws cooperated without complaint.
True order during a crisis could only exist when backed by overwhelming strength.
Lewis continued,
"All study group members!"
"Stand up!"
"Take out your wands!"
"Await my command!"
"Today's lesson will count as an additional practical exercise!"
Almost half the Ravenclaw stand rose to its feet.
Their study group had already completed three training sessions.
Many members had successfully learned the Patronus Charm.
Most of the others could at least produce silver mist.
Lewis had already proven himself as a teacher.
And after those lessons…
His authority within the group had become absolute.
Not a single student hesitated.
They behaved exactly as though they were facing a Boggart instead of genuine Dementors.
Lewis knew better.
Among this group of half-trained students…
Very few could successfully cast a Patronus under such terrible conditions.
If they all failed now…
Their confidence would be shattered.
Fortunately…
Lewis had a cheat.
"Aiwu."
"It's your turn."
"Make everyone happy."
The little dragon flapped her wings and landed atop Lewis's head.
"I've got this!"
Then she hesitated.
"Um…"
"Can I sing the new song you taught me?"
"Of course."
"Sing whatever you like."
A Carnival Dragon wasn't merely a dragon.
It was also a born performer.
Young Aiwu naturally dreamed of becoming a great artist.
Lewis wholeheartedly supported his little dragon's musical ambitions.
So he'd often taught her songs from his previous world.
Today…
She chose one of them.
"My little wooden box…"
"Filled with withered flowers…"
"No room left…"
"For sunlight, earth…"
"Or brand-new wishes…"
"If I could fly…"
"To somewhere high above…"
"I would cast a net of dreams…"
"To gather every echo of love…"
Aiwu's sweet, childlike voice drifted across the storm-darkened stadium.
It was as though a ray of life had pierced the suffocating darkness.
Every Ravenclaw suddenly felt as if countless tiny fairies no taller than their knees had begun dancing around them.
The emptiness…
The despair…
The numbness brought by the Dementors…
All were slowly washed away.
Only the pure happiness of childhood remained.
Lewis raised his wand.
"Now…"
"Together with me!"
"Expecto Patronum!"
A magnificent silver adult Carnival Dragon erupted from his wand.
Unlike the miniature version he'd demonstrated during class…
This one was enormous.
Over thirty feet long.
With a wingspan approaching twenty-five feet.
Compared to the Dementors…
It was a true giant.
Even alone against hundreds of Dementors…
It radiated overwhelming dominance.
The appearance of Lewis's Patronus filled every Ravenclaw with confidence.
One after another, they followed his lead.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Thanks to Aiwu's song…
Nearly half the students successfully summoned full Patronuses.
Most of the rest produced streams of shining silver mist.
The Ravenclaw stands instantly transformed into a magical zoo.
Swans.
Rabbits.
Foxes.
Stags.
Eagles.
Countless Patronuses filled the sky before gathering behind the great silver Carnival Dragon.
Together…
They charged.
Every eye in the stadium was drawn toward the vast silver tide.
The Dementors collapsed almost instantly.
Lewis's dragon opened its jaws.
A torrent of silver breath erupted.
The silver dragonfire swept through the swarm.
The Dementors scattered in terror.
Two failed to escape.
The breath engulfed them.
Their bodies dissolved into rippling waves before vanishing completely.
The Carnival Dragon's Patronus…
Had actually killed Dementors.
Creatures that were never supposed to die…
Had been destroyed.
The sight stunned every professor who understood what Dementors truly were.
The remaining Dementors were terrified.
They abandoned the hunt entirely.
Fleeing the stadium as fast as they could.
The Ravenclaw section was completely cleared.
But Lewis wasn't finished.
He directed the great Carnival Dragon toward the other stands.
The Ravenclaw Patronuses followed behind like an army.
Back in the Ravenclaw section…
Students who had failed moments earlier watched this incredible scene.
Inspired, they tried again.
And again.
One after another…
More Patronuses appeared.
Joining the growing legion.
Exactly as Lewis had expected.
Casting a spell wasn't only about incantations and emotion.
Confidence mattered just as much.
Only a wizard who truly believed they could succeed…
Would succeed.
In a group…
One person's success naturally inspired another's.
The Patronus army grew larger and larger.
The Dementors fled faster and faster.
As the silver procession swept over each section of the stadium…
The frightened students felt warmth returning to their hearts.
Their panic steadily melted away.
Meanwhile…
Aiwu's song reached its climax.
"Is it you…"
"Lighting every flower…"
"With moonlight on the road back home…"
"Is it you…"
"Playing ancient melodies…"
"Driving away every nightmare…"
"Until I fall asleep…"
"Is it you…"
"Weaving all the falling rain…"
"Into a blue rooftop above…"
"We promised…"
"When we've both grown up…"
"We'll adventure once again…"
"And chase our dreams together…"
"Who crossed the sea of flowers?"
"Who keeps walking toward me?"
"Who still remembers…"
"The wish I never fulfilled…"
As the final notes slowly faded…
Every last Dementor had fled.
Led by the magnificent silver Carnival Dragon…
The countless Patronuses circled the stadium once like a grand victory parade.
The cheering of the students shook the entire Quidditch pitch.
Only then did the silver creatures gradually dissolve into sparkling light.
At that very moment…
The storm clouds above finally began to part.
A shaft of golden sunlight broke through the darkness…
Bathing the stadium in the warm light of hope.
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