Chapter 438: The Escaping Dementor
Chapter 438: The Escaping Dementor
Kyle's words instantly plunged the entire Headmaster's Office into silence.
Dumbledore, having witnessed many grand occasions, suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Even the portraits on the walls shared the same sentiment.
In one of the portraits, a thin male wizard stared at Kyle, his expression constantly shifting as if he wanted to speak but held back.
Dumbledore had a portrait of him at the Ministry of Magic, where he often visited to catch up on the latest news in the wizarding world.
Consequently, he was somewhat familiar with Cornelius Fudge... But no matter how he tried, he couldn't associate the man who was keen on political maneuvering and networking with Kyle's previous statement.
Phineas, on the other hand, was more direct.
"Albus..." He addressed Dumbledore without hesitation in front of Kyle, "You should check him; I think this kid must have been hit by a Soul-Sapping Curse."
Phineas also knew Fudge, and in his own words... "Millicent was already bad enough, but he's even worse."
Millicent was the Minister of Magic one hundred and fifty years ago, and during her term, she passed many unnecessary bills, such as the angle of wearing wizard hats.
At that time, wizards had to spend twenty minutes checking their attire every time they went out to ensure nothing was amiss.
However, after meeting Fudge, Phineas suddenly felt that Millicent wasn't so bad after all. At least she passed several practical bills each year.
As for Fudge, in the few years since he took office, the only notable achievement he could claim was last year's Muggle Protection Act.
"Phineas... I believe that no one in the school would use the Soul-Sapping Curse on a student," Dumbledore said calmly.
"Then why is he talking nonsense?" Phineas asked.
"I can find someone to check on him," another female witch spoke up.
Delores Umbridge, Hogwarts' principal two hundred years ago and a renowned healer, had her portrait hanging in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Dumbledore shook his head, ignoring their suggestions, and instead looked at Kyle with interest.
"I knew you'd always bring me some surprises... Would you mind sharing your thoughts with me?"
"If the Minister of Magic were someone else, like Barty Crouch, Sirius would have a hard time overturning his sentence. But with Fudge... this matter would be much easier.
"But before that..."
He turned to Sirius, "Do you know of any Death Eaters who haven't been caught yet?"
Sirius shook his head, looking perplexed.
Most of the people he knew had been cleared, and he hadn't had time to investigate whether there were any who had slipped through the net.
"I do have some information on that," Dumbledore suddenly said. "Two Death Eaters have changed their identities and have been operating in the shadows, but they aren't important figures."
"That's enough," Kyle said. "As long as we can confirm they're Death Eaters."
"What are you asking for?" Sirius asked curiously.
"To give a gift, of course," Kyle replied matter-of-factly. "You should bring something for someone who helped you so much."
Dumbledore paused for a moment, then seemed to have an idea, his eyes lighting up.
"I knew you'd always bring me surprises!" he said again.
...
The next day, Dumbledore left the school, and Sirius was nowhere to be found.
Harry came several times to inquire about the situation but couldn't find anyone, which left him unable to eat.
Kyle, on the other hand, was enjoying his meals, and his appetite seemed to have increased.
When Harry asked, he just shook his head, indicating that he didn't know where Sirius and Dumbledore had gone.
Kyle genuinely didn't know.
He wanted to follow, but Dumbledore didn't take him.
However, this is also good...
Two more days passed, and they still hadn't returned.
Kyle woke up early that day, and after breakfast, he made an excuse and went to Hogsmeade through the hunchbacked witch statue on the fourth floor.
Today was the agreed-upon day, and he was going to find a Dementor to retrieve something.
Hogsmeade was peaceful.
Kyle searched for a long time before finally spotting a familiar black robe between Hogsmeade and the school...
It was a Dementor, but he couldn't be sure if it was the one from that night, as all Dementors looked the same to him.
Kyle was about to approach and ask, but just as he got close to the Dementor, it flew away like a cat with its tail stepped on.
Kyle was taken aback and quickly chased after it—he couldn't let the only Dementor in the area get away.
Although Dementors could fly, they seemed unable to leave this area, and Kyle soon caught up...
Kyle found it strange that this Dementor was smaller than the ones he had seen before, and its robe was more tattered, with the hooded cloak almost turning into a jacket.
"Why are you running..." Kyle said, "I just want to ask you something..."
The Dementor didn't speak but tightened its already tattered robe.
"Where is your leader..." Kyle thought for a moment and added, "Not the one from the Ministry of Magic."
The Dementor stretched out its hand and pointed towards the castle. Due to its missing sleeve, its arm looked exceptionally unsightly under the sunlight, with patches of black and white resembling a sunburn.
"Is it on the castle side?" Kyle asked again.
The Dementor nodded.
After getting the answer, Kyle immediately headed towards the castle, but before leaving, he threw a piece of deep blue cloth to the Dementor, asking it to mend its sleeve as a reward for helping him find his way.
Kyle had prepared this cloth for the Quidditch World Cup souvenirs, but since he didn't have black, he had to make do with deep blue.
The Dementor probably wouldn't mind this small detail.
...
Hogsmeade was not far from the castle, and within a few minutes, Kyle had already reached the castle gates.
Two Dementors were guarding there.
This time, there was no need to ask. Upon noticing Kyle, one of the Dementors immediately approached him.
"You must have seen it. Dumbledore hasn't caused you any trouble, so what did she say?" Kyle asked directly.
The Dementor was straightforward, "In the basement of the Manor... in the portrait... behind the third brick on the wall..."
"Which Manor?"
"I don't know... She didn't say..."
"I don't know... She didn't mention it..."
Kyle nodded and reached out, "I gave you this before. Here's the envelope and an empty bottle."
In exchange, Kyle gave it a few pieces of chocolate.
"These are things that can make you feel good. Consider it a reward for the information. You can take them back to her... Maybe you can even get an extra meal." Kyle said with a smile.
The Dementor didn't understand, but it seemed to comprehend the idea of an extra meal. It took the chocolates and left.
After this, Kyle finally entered the school gates.
However, he didn't return to the castle directly. Instead, he found a secluded spot and used his wand to ignite the envelope.
A murmuring voice, barely audible, came from the envelope.
"Gringotts... Vault..."
Kyle then took out the already empty bottle.
"Shatter!"
The bottle exploded into fragments, mixing with the ashes of the envelope.
"Water Spring!"
"Cleanse All!"
With two consecutive spells, the ground was left spotlessly clean, without a trace.
(End of Chapter)
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