Chapter 216: I Didn't Mean To

"Ah, so... it's dead just like that!"

George stared at the Dementor turned to ashes, blinking in surprise.

He had only wanted to test if the light magic from Fairy Tail would have any effect on the Dementors—whether it could drive them away like the Patronus Charm, or cause some damage. But he never expected it to be this effective, destroying it in one hit.

"How am I supposed to explain this to the Aurors?"

George scratched his head, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

The Dementors, while considered dark creatures, were still part of the magical department's Azkaban guards. Moreover, this one hadn't attacked them like the one that attacked Harry. It had been on duty, and he had just killed it... It seemed a bit hard to justify.

But then again, it wasn't completely unreasonable.

George suddenly remembered that the Ministry hadn't informed Hogwarts or the students aboard the train about the surprise inspection. So, logically, if he saw a Dementor appear at the door and stretch its head inside, a reflexive counterattack seemed perfectly normal.

Besides, who could really argue that the Dementor wasn't attacking them? After all, it was a well-known fact that a Dementor attacked Harry in the third-year carriage.

It seemed that the Dementor's terrified scream had drawn the others from different carriages.

Dementors were intelligent dark creatures; they could communicate with wizards and had even cooperated with the Ministry to serve as guards at Azkaban, receiving a steady "food" supply. They had even worked with Voldemort to attack Hogwarts.

So, upon hearing the scream of their companion, they naturally wouldn't ignore it.

When they reached the second-year carriage and saw the remains of the Dementor at the door, their round mouths let out an enraged howl and charged forward, attempting to suck the life out of George and the others.

"I suggest you don't act impulsively."

George, seeing the incoming threat, sighed and cast more light magic.

"Light Domain!"

Bright light expanded outward from George, causing the Dementors to recoil in fear of the threat to their very existence. They scattered in panic, fleeing the intense light.

This spectacle caught the attention of the other young wizards in the second-year carriage.

With all the noise from George's side, how could the other students not be curious? They peeked out to see what was happening.

Meanwhile, the Aurors at the front of the train were also alerted to the unusual situation in the second carriage.

Rufus Scrimgeour, the Director of the Auror Office, ordered a few Aurors:

"Go check out what's happening!"

A few Aurors immediately Disapparated to the entrance of the second carriage.

"Minister, you were right! Sirius Black was indeed hiding on the Hogwarts Express!"

A middle-aged witch with a pink hair clip, pink bow, a pink pleated skirt, and a pink umbrella, standing beside Scrimgeour, was elated to see the commotion.

Scrimgeour's face darkened as he responded, "Umbridge, look at the state of the Dementor. It doesn't seem like they've caught Sirius Black."

He was initially opposed to this mission, but the Minister and Deputy Minister ignored his objections, insisting that Sirius would be hiding on the Hogwarts Express. They ordered him to lead the search.

Umbridge's face changed slightly, and she spoke sharply:

"Scrimgeour, remember your place. You're the Director of the Auror Office, not a Hogwarts professor. You only need to follow the orders of the Minister and me.

In the magical community of Britain, the most powerful person is the Minister, not the Headmaster of a school. Understand?"

"Professor Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of this century. His wisdom guides the wizarding world. I hope the Minister and Deputy Minister will sometimes listen to his advice."
Scrimgeour firmly responded.

Umbridge, frustrated but unable to counter his words, could only huff and remain silent.

At this moment, an Auror returned from the investigation.

"Did you find Sirius Black?"

"No... It's... It's..."

"What is it? Speak quickly!"

Umbridge snapped, frustrated that it wasn't Sirius Black. She was so angry she almost wanted to fire the Auror on the spot.

"It's a second-year wizard who killed a Dementor and scared off the others."

The young Auror quickly reported his findings.

Both Scrimgeour and Umbridge's eyes widened in disbelief:

"Say that again? A second-year wizard killed a Dementor? Are you sure your brain isn't broken?"

A Dementor, feared even by half of the adult wizards, was killed? And by a second-year student no less? This seemed completely impossible.

They strongly suspected that the Auror had been tricked.

"Many students saw it, and the captured Dementor confirmed the story."

The young Auror, though doubtful himself, repeated the findings. It wasn't just him; other Aurors had the same information.

"Take us there."

Still skeptical, Scrimgeour and Umbridge followed the young Auror quickly to the second-year carriage.

Upon seeing the remnants of the Dementor and George giving his statement to the Aurors, Scrimgeour recognized him.

"Hello, Mr. Scrimgeour."

George greeted him first.

After a moment of studying George, Scrimgeour seemed to remember something and pointed at him:

"You... You're that little Dorha."

Though George's appearance had changed a lot in the past year, Scrimgeour recognized him, as Tonks often mentioned George, and he had heard about George joining the international Quidditch team and receiving the French Medal of Courage.

"You should be called George now. What happened? Did you kill the Dementor?"

"Mr. Scrimgeour, I swear I didn't mean to..."

George quickly recounted the story he had fabricated. He explained that he hadn't known the Dementors were searching for Sirius. He had assumed they were attacking and had reflexively used his own magic to defend himself.

He hadn't expected the Dementor to be so weak, and it had been killed in the process.

"It's impossible! How could someone your age create magic that can kill a Dementor? Are you in cahoots with Sirius Black? He must have been hiding in your carriage, and after you killed the Dementor, he jumped off the train and escaped!"

Umbridge pushed Scrimgeour aside and began interrogating George.