By the fading light of the lightning flashes, several dark shadows descended from the sky, landing in two neat rows right in front of Owen.
"You lot aren't guarding Azkaban? What are you doing running around here?"
One Dementor glided forward. Owen recognized it immediately—it was the same one he had slapped before. Seeing it again actually felt strangely familiar. He reached out and gently patted its hooded head. "You leading the squad?"
The Dementor nodded and made a rattling, rasping sound. Owen frowned as he listened. "Coming onto the student express to check for prisoners? The Ministry really has some nerve. Alright, you guys wait here. I'll go have a word with the humans."
The Dementor drifted back into the formation. With a soft crack, Owen vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he wasn't facing Dementors, but a squad of Aurors.
"Gentlemen, I won't even ask whose brilliant idea it was to let Dementors inspect a student train. But I can tell you with absolute certainty: Sirius Black is not on this train."
Some Aurors fell silent, but one objected, "Mr. Corlett, we are just conducting a check—"
"Checking for what?" Owen looked directly at the speaker. "If Dementors could detect an Animagus, Black wouldn't have escaped in the first place. And if he transformed to board this train, well, he wouldn't be able to hide from my big cat!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Molly appeared behind Owen. The once-tiny kitten was now fully grown, standing over four feet at the shoulder and stretching nearly nine feet in length. She stood close to Owen, radiating a pressure that the Aurors felt immediately.
A Wampus Cat—a XXXXX-class dangerous creature.
Owen draped an arm casually around the big cat's neck and addressed the Aurors. "Before I boarded, I swept the entire train. No strangers, no strange pets. Ironically, by forcing the train to stop halfway, you are the ones giving Black a chance to board. Are you sure you're here to catch him, or are you trying to help him?"
"Mr. Corlett, watch your tone! We are acting on orders from the Minister of Magic—"
"Save it. I know Minister Fudge; he's a cautious man. Sending Dementors to search a train doesn't sound like his style—it sounds like a suggestion someone else made. Which means this mistake shouldn't fall on Fudge's shoulders. Alright everyone, it's getting late. Let the train pass."
With that, Owen and the Wampus Cat vanished without a sound.
"This..."
"It's fine. We'll just report exactly what happened."
No one wanted a conflict with Hogwarts. One reason was Dumbledore. The other was the students—they weren't just kids; they represented every major family, class, and faction in the wizarding world.
The train started moving again, but the inspection didn't stop. Owen took the big cat from the engine to the caboose and back again. Only after confirming there were no new scents did he finally relax. Still, something didn't add up: Sirius Black escaped, so why was the Ministry fixated on Hogwarts?
There had to be something he didn't know yet.
---
"First years! First years, gather over here!"
Year after year, Hagrid continued his duty as the guide for new students. Owen followed the first years, squeezing onto one of the four-person boats.
"Um... you don't look like a first year?" asked a young wizard on the same boat, eyeing Owen, who was clearly a head taller than everyone else.
Owen laughed. "You're right, I'm not. Don't worry, I'm just tagging along to make up the numbers. And, of course, to say hello to some old friends."
When the boat reached the center of the Black Lake, Owen stood up and simply stepped off the edge. The young wizards on board gasped, drawing the attention of the other boats.
His toes tapped lightly on the water's surface, and he hovered in the air. Simultaneously, the lake water churned. The Giant Squid surfaced, surrounded by countless Merpeople popping their heads out of the water.
Owen flew over, and the Giant Squid extended a tentacle, providing him a perfect landing platform.
"Everyone, long time no see. I have a favor to ask. If any strangers try to enter Hogwarts through the lake recently, please keep an eye out and let me know."
The Merpeople nodded. The Giant Squid extended another tentacle, and Owen high-fived it before flying back and landing gracefully on the boat. Looking at the three stunned first years, he smiled. "Hogwarts is full of wonders. take your time exploring it."
The Black Lake was huge, but they couldn't keep the new students out all night. Soon, they arrived at the boathouse beneath the castle. Professor McGonagall came out, led the students to get ready, and then handed a roll of parchment to Owen. "My dear, you'll be presiding over the Sorting Ceremony this time."
"You got it."
It was just reading names and putting an old hat on kids' heads—easy work.
The Sorting went smoothly, though the Hat's song was as raspy and terrible as ever. The first years were surprised to see the "guy from the lake" hosting the ceremony. But the bigger shock came later when they learned that every single House table had a reserved seat for him.
The Prefects briefed the new students:
"Show respect to Mr. Corlett. He is the Teaching Assistant for all subjects. If you have questions after classes start, you can find him after dinner. He'll answer them."
"We Slytherins have a tradition of morning runs—a regimen designed by Mr. Corlett. So, get to sleep early tonight. Someone will wake you up tomorrow. You'll soon realize that being sorted into Slytherin was the best luck of your life."
"Do not disturb Mr. Corlett when he is reading. The consequences are... terrifying."
"That is Mr. Corlett's dedicated seat. Do not sit there. And if you do sit there by mistake, definitely don't eat his food."
After dinner, Owen made a trip to the perimeter of the Forbidden Forest. He didn't go deep, just circled the edge to pass the same message he had given the Squid and Merpeople. Finally, he headed to the Headmaster's office and reported everything that had happened on the train.
When Dumbledore heard Owen distancing Minister Fudge from the incident, the old wizard was quite surprised. "Owen, as far as I know, this was entirely Fudge's idea. Why would you..."
"Headmaster, let me handle this part," Owen said knowing exactly how the game was played. "I think... I know exactly what Minister Fudge is trying to do."