0213 Task Completed

Words : 1925 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Evening fell, and the relentless rain that had begun earlier at Hogwarts showed no signs of lessening. The Dementors that had spent the afternoon conducting their thorough and fruitless search inside the castle had finally withdrawn to the outer perimeter of the school grounds. The sight of them patrolling the edges sent an involuntary shiver through anyone unfortunate enough to catch a glimpse. Clearly, today's search had yielded absolutely nothing In his private office, Adrian sat slumped in his chair, shaking his sore arms and stretching with a long, weary yawn that seemed to come from the very depths of his exhausted soul. On the desk in front of him, black wooden plaques had accumulated into what could only be described as a small mountain of protective charms. These were the protective charms he had carefully prepared for the students at Hogwarts. Due to the severe time constraints, this batch of charms might be slightly less effective than the one he had originally crafted for Hagrid. But even so, creating so many functional charms in such a short timeframe had left Adrian both physically and mentally exhausted in ways he hadn't experienced in years. To properly enchant these charms with the necessary protective spells, he had worked his wand almost to the point of smoking. After Dumbledore had informed the Board of Governors about the urgent need for protective measures, they had immediately approved a substantial sum of money. Adrian had to admit that while the Board of Governors had little visible presence in day-to-day school operations, they certainly didn't hesitate when it came to providing necessary funds. The money he had spent on Firebolt earlier was now instantly recouped, with even bit of a surplus remaining. Thinking about this unexpected windfall, Adrian's mood lightened considerably despite his physical exhaustion. Although he wasn't particularly short of money thanks to his various income streams, who wouldn't appreciate free glittering Galleons appearing in their vault? "Knock, knock, knock." The office door was gently tapped with the precise. "Come in," He called, straightening slightly in his chair and attempting to look less like someone who had just completed a magical marathon. The door opened, and Professor McGonagall walked in. Instinctively, her sharp gaze fell upon the pile of protective charms covering Adrian's desk, and her eyebrows rose slightly in what appeared to be a mixture of surprise and approval. "It seems you've finished, Professor Westeros. I was thinking you might need some assistance with such a large task, but now it appears I was completely overthinking the matter," "Ah, yes," Adrian smiled wearily, raising his coffee cup from the desk. "For the students' safety, I felt compelled to work overtime. Is there anything else I can help you with, Professor?" Professor McGonagall stepped closer to the desk and picked up one of the protective charms, examining it with the careful attention. She held it up to the light, turning it slowly to observe the carved runes from different angles. She could sense some faint but unmistakable magical aura emanating from the charm. Clearly, these charms weren't the kind of fraudulent trinkets that unscrupulous merchants sometimes tried to pass off as genuine protective items. She nodded with satisfaction and said, "Tomorrow I'll personally distribute these charms to the students. Then, I hope you can help me with something else." "What is it?" Adrian asked, showing a puzzled expression. "Tomorrow the students will be returning to school via the Hogwarts Express," Professor McGonagall said, her tone growing more grave. "However, I've received word that the Dementors will be boarding the train with the students to conduct their search." "Your information is correct," Adrian nodded grimly. "I heard Minister Fudge mention that tomorrow the Dementors will inspect the Hogwarts Express as part of their search for Black." Professor McGonagall's lips pressed into a thin line of disapproval. "Considering the potential impact on the students, especially the younger ones who have never heard of such creatures, I hope you can go to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters tomorrow morning to escort the students and provide protection if needed, Professor Westeros." "Oh, alright," Adrian agreed without hesitation. This wasn't a particularly difficult task for him. "I'll be there early to ensure everything goes smoothly." "Excellent," Professor McGonagall breathed a visible sigh of relief. "With you there, I'm confident there won't be any serious problems." Adrian smiled at her confidence in his abilities. He didn't know exactly when it had started, but gradually the other professors at Hogwarts had begun to recognize and rely upon his particular talents. Professor McGonagall, in particular, seemed to look completely at ease when assigning him challenging or potentially dangerous tasks, trusting his judgment and magical capabilities. "Also, Remus will be accompanying you tomorrow," Professor McGonagall added as she turned to leave, her hand was already on the door handle. "He feels that as the newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, he has a duty to protect the students from those evil beings." "That's even better," Adrian said warmly, rising from his chair to see Professor McGonagall off. "Two pairs of eyes are always better than one, especially when dealing with Dementors." It seemed that Remus was taking this matter very seriously, which was both admirable and understandable. After all, Black had once been Remus's close friend during their school years, before the tragic events that had torn their friendship apart and sent Black to Azkaban. Meanwhile, at the Leaky Cauldron The atmosphere at the Leaky Cauldron was considerably warmer and more cheerful than the rain-soaked grounds of Hogwarts. The pub buzzed with the comfortable sounds of conversation, clinking glasses, and the occasional hoot of an owl delivering late-evening post. After Harry, Ron, and Hermione had methodically purchased everything they needed for the upcoming school year in Diagon Alley, they had spent the entire day browsing through the magical shops. However, despite their thorough exploration of the magical shopping district, all three still looked like they hadn't had nearly enough time to see everything Diagon Alley had to offer. Harry had spent some of his money on a complete set of Gobstones—a popular game in the wizarding world that had some resemblance to marbles but with a magical twist. The game pieces were smooth, rounded stones that had a rather unpleasant characteristic: whenever someone lost a point during play, the little stones would spray foul-smelling liquid at that person as a form of magical punishment. It seemed that in the wizarding world, people had developed a peculiar fondness for foods or games with unpleasant side effects. Harry didn't mind the game's less pleasant aspects though—the challenge and unpredictability made it more exciting than ordinary marbles. Ron bought several bottles of Rat Tonic after noticing that his pet Scabbers seemed unwell. Lately, Scabbers had been showing concerning symptoms: he appeared somewhat malnourished despite regular feeding, his fur had lost its healthy gleam, and he wasn't sleeping well at night, often scratching frantically at his cage and making distressed squeaking sounds. Hermione had bought a cat named Crookshanks from the magical creature shop. Actually, she had originally intended to buy an owl to help with her letters and mails, but the shop clerk had been overwhelmed with customers all day, and she never found an opportunity to have the hassled employee introduce her to a suitable owl. The owls available had either been too expensive, too temperamental, or already spoken for by other customers. So, while browsing through the shop's other pets, she had immediately taken a strong liking to Crookshanks. The shop clerk had mentioned that Crookshanks even had some Kneazle blood in his lineage, which explained his unusual appearance and remarkable intelligence. At this moment, the three friends were resting comfortably in Harry's small cozy room at the Leaky Cauldron. Ron was frantically working on catching up with his Potions homework. He had somehow misheard Snape's assignment of a twelve-inch essay as ten inches, leaving him two inches short of the required length and scrambling to add more content without making it obvious that he was padding his work. While Ron wrestled with his parchment and ink, occasionally muttering under his breath about that bat's impossible standards, Harry was carefully examining his magnificent new broomstick. He was wondering what the Slytherins' reaction would be when he revealed his Firebolt in front of them. "You've been staring at that broomstick for half an hour, Harry," Hermione said helplessly while gently petting Crookshanks, who was curled cheerfully in her lap. "You haven't done anything else this entire time except admire it." Ron looked up from his parchment, and Harry noticed that there was still a smudge of black ink on the tip of his nose. "Tomorrow, you can let Malfoy get a really good look at it," Ron said with vindictive satisfaction. "I bet even if his father spoils him rotten and buys him everything he wants, he won't buy him such an incredible broomstick." "Well said," Harry finally agreed, reluctantly setting his Firebolt aside and leaning it carefully against the wall where it would be safe from accidental damage. At this moment, Crookshanks suddenly became restless in Hermione's arms, his ears perking up and his body tensing as if he had detected something interesting. Without warning, he leaped down from Hermione's lap and ran directly to Ron's feet. "Hey, Hermione, control your cat!" Ron exclaimed, jumping up from his chair so quickly that his ink bottle nearly tipped over. "Oh, good boy, settle down," Hermione said quickly, reaching down to scoop up Crookshanks and hold him in her arms again. The cat struggled briefly before settling back into a comfortable position, though his yellow eyes remained focused on Ron with intensity. "You really shouldn't have bought this cat," Ron said with lingering fear in his voice, his heart still racing from the sudden encounter. "In the shop, it almost caught Scabbers—nearly got him right out of my pocket. I don't dare let Scabbers show his face in front of that cat now." "Are you still worried about that?" Hermione shook her head, lifting Crookshanks up to look directly into his intelligent yellow eyes. "He was just being curious. After all, Scabbers is a rat and Crookshanks is a cat—it's only natural instinct. But Crookshanks is the smartest cat I've ever seen. He won't actually hurt Scabbers, will you, good boy?" Crookshanks immediately began purring. "Oh, finally!" Ron suddenly exclaimed, throwing down his quill with relief and stretching his cramped fingers. "I've finally finished catching up with this impossible essay." "Good thing I helped you check it for errors," Hermione said, looking at Ron. "Otherwise, Professor Snape would definitely deduct a large number of points from Gryffindor. I don't want our house points to go negative on the very first day of school." At her words, Ron's mind immediately conjured up the terrifying image of Snape in one of his particularly vindictive moods. "Thanks, Hermione," Ron said weakly. Hermione snorted and turned her head away. "By the way," Ron said suddenly in a whisper as he crawled over to Harry's side of the small room. "About that dangerous criminal named Black that's been in all the newspapers... I overheard my dad talking to my mum, and he mentioned that Black might actually be heading to Hogwarts..."

0213 Task Completed

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