Chapter 438: The Escaped Dementor
Chapter 438: The Escaped Dementor
Kyle's words plunged the entire Headmaster's office into silence.
Albus Dumbledore, a man who had experienced many grand occasions, suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Even the portraits on the walls were silent.
Among them, a thin wizard in one of the portraits stared at Kyle, his expression shifting as if he wanted to speak but couldn't quite find the words.
This wizard also had a portrait at the Ministry of Magic, and he often visited to keep an ear to the ground on the latest developments in the wizarding world.
Thus, he knew a thing or two about Cornelius Fudge... but try as he might, he couldn't reconcile the image of the power-hungry, socially ambitious minister with what Kyle had just revealed.
As for Phineas, he was more direct.
"Albus," he said to Dumbledore, unconcerned about Kyle's presence, "you'd better check this boy for the Imperius Curse. I'm sure he's been put under someone's control."
Phineas was also familiar with Fudge, and in his own words, "If you thought Millicent Bulstrode was bad, Fudge takes the cake."
Millicent Bulstrode had been the Minister of Magic a hundred and fifty years ago, and during her term, she had passed numerous unnecessary bills... such as regulating the angle at which a wizard's hat should be worn.
Back then, wizards had to spend twenty minutes checking their attire before leaving the house.
But after witnessing Fudge's tenure, Phineas had come to think that Bulstrode wasn't so bad after all. At least she had passed some practical legislation each year.
As for Fudge, in his several years in office, the only notable achievement was last year's 'Muggle Protection Act'.
"Phineas... I believe that within the school grounds, it's impossible for anyone to cast the Imperius Curse on a student," Dumbledore said calmly.
"Then how do you explain his nonsensical ramblings?" Phineas countered.
"I could have someone examine him," suggested another witch among the portraits.
It was Dilys Derwent, a former Headmistress of Hogwarts some two hundred years ago, who was also a renowned healer with her portrait hanging in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Dumbledore shook his head, ignoring their suggestions as he studied Kyle with great interest.
"I knew you would always bring me surprises... Care to share your thoughts with me?"
"If the Minister of Magic were someone else, like Bartemius Crouch, then Sirius' case would indeed be difficult to overturn. But with Fudge... it's a whole different story.
"But before that..."
He turned to Sirius, "Do you know of any Death Eaters who have been confirmed but not yet captured?"
Sirius shook his head, looking perplexed.
Most of the people he knew had been his neighbors for twelve years, and the rest had been cleared of all charges... As for any who might have slipped through the net, he hadn't had the time to investigate.
"I might have some information on that," Dumbledore suddenly interjected. "There are two Death Eaters who have changed their identities and have been operating in the shadows, but they're not significant figures."
"That's good enough," Kyle said. "As long as we can confirm they're Death Eaters."
"What do you intend to do with that information?" Sirius asked, curious.
"Gift-giving, of course," Kyle said as if it were obvious. "If someone does you such a big favor, it's only polite to bring a gift."
Dumbledore pondered for a moment, and then his eyes lit up as if he had just thought of something.
"I knew you would always bring me surprises!" he exclaimed.
...
The next day, Dumbledore left the school, and Sirius disappeared with him.
Harry came by several times to inquire about the situation, but he couldn't find anyone, which left him so worried that he couldn't eat.
However, Kyle's appetite seemed to have improved, and he was even eating more than usual.
When Harry asked him about Sirius and Dumbledore's whereabouts, Kyle could only shake his head, indicating that he didn't know either.
And he truly didn't know.
Another two days passed, and they still hadn't returned.
Early in the morning on the third day, Kyle rose and ate breakfast before making an excuse to leave. He ventured out to Hogsmeade via the humpbacked witch statue on the fourth floor.
Today was the agreed-upon day to meet with the Dementor and retrieve something from it.
Hogsmeade was peaceful.
It took Kyle a while to search, but finally, between Hogsmeade and the school, he spotted a familiar black-robed figure...
It was a Dementor, but he couldn't be sure if it was the one from that night. In his eyes, all Dementors looked the same.
Kyle prepared to approach and ask, but just as he drew near, the Dementor floated away like a cat with its tail stepped on.
Kyle was taken aback but quickly gave chase. He couldn't let this be the one Dementor in the area get away.
Although the Dementor could fly, it seemed unable to leave this particular area, and Kyle soon caught up...
Kyle found it odd that this Dementor seemed smaller than the ones he had seen before, and its robe was even more tattered, the hooded cloak barely resembling its original form.
"Why are you running...?" Kyle asked, "I just want to ask you something..."
The Dementor didn't speak, only clutching its tattered robe tighter around itself.
"Where is your leader...?" Kyle thought for a moment and added, "Not the one from the Ministry."
The Dementor extended its hand, pointing toward the castle. Its arm, exposed due to the missing sleeve, looked unsightly in the sunlight, with patches of black and white that resembled a severe sunburn.
"In the castle over there?" Kyle asked again.
The Dementor nodded.
With the answer he needed, Kyle immediately set off toward the castle. However, before leaving, he tossed the Dementor a piece of deep blue cloth to mend its sleeve, as a token of gratitude for the directions.
Kyle had prepared this cloth for making Quidditch World Cup souvenirs, but since he didn't have any black cloth, he had to make do with the dark blue one.
Perhaps the Dementor wouldn't mind this minor discrepancy.
...
Hogsmeade wasn't far from the castle, and within a few minutes, Kyle stood before the grand castle gates.
Two Dementors stood guard.
However, there was no need to ask questions this time. As soon as they noticed Kyle, one of the Dementors floated over.
"You must have seen that Dumbledore didn't cause any trouble for us..." Kyle cut straight to the point. "So, what did she say?"
The Dementor was just as blunt, "Basement of the old mansion... painting... behind the third brick on the wall..."
"Which old mansion?"
"Don't know... She didn't say..."
"Alright." Kyle nodded and held out his hand. "What about the things I gave you before?"
The Dementor held out its hand, revealing an envelope and an empty small bottle.
In exchange, Kyle gave it several chocolate bars.
"These are things that can bring happiness," Kyle said with a smile. "Consider them a reward for the information. You can take these back to her... Maybe you'll all get an extra meal out of it."
The Dementor didn't quite understand, but it did understand the part about an extra meal, so it pocketed the chocolates.
After concluding his business, Kyle finally entered the school grounds.
However, instead of heading directly back to the castle, he found a secluded spot and used his wand to ignite the envelope.
During this process, a soft, murmuring voice could be heard from the envelope, as if someone were whispering.
"Gringotts... Vault..."
Kyle then took out the now-empty small bottle.
"Shatter!"
The bottle exploded into shards, mixing with the ashes of the envelope.
"Clear as a Spring!"
"Clean as New!"
With two consecutive spells, the ground instantly became spotless, leaving no trace of what had just transpired.
(End of Chapter)
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