https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-672-Dumbledore-s-Counterattack-Kyle-s-New-Job/13012219/
Chapter 671: The Dementor in the Headmaster's Office
Chapter 671: The Dementor in the Headmaster's Office
"This is truly unprecedented."
After the final morning class, the students eagerly discussed the lesson in the corridor.
"I never knew there were so many things to consider for a simple Human Transformation Spell."
"Indeed, that Teaching Assistant Tonks is impressive. I'd say I could change my appearance before the class ended."
"Don't boast; you only managed to make your head bigger..."
The students chatted and laughed as they walked towards the Great Hall, clearly intrigued by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Unfortunately, they only had two such classes per week, and the rest of the time, they still had to endure Umbridge.
In the Great Hall, some students were already waiting, and upon seeing them, they eagerly asked, "How is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? Won't we still have to study?"
"No, of course not." The sixth-year students excitedly shared their experiences from the class, attracting more and more people around them.
"Changing your appearance..." Ron mused, "Harry, if we learn this, can't we give Malfoy a good beating? We just need to transform into Crabbe and Goyle..."
Harry's eyes lit up at the thought.
Beating up Malfoy without exposing their identities had always been his wish.
"Don't even think about it." Hermione glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "This special course is probably only for students in their sixth year and above. We'll have to wait until next year to learn it, assuming Assistant Professor Tonks is still at Hogwarts."
"Why?" Ron protested, "Do students below the sixth year not need to hide themselves? Or can we stay at school?"
"Didn't you even listen to what they just said?" Hermione turned to him impatiently, "Then let me remind you that changing your appearance requires mastering Human Transfiguration, which is advanced Transfiguration magic. Students below the fifth year won't learn it."
"But we're in our fifth year." Harry said, "And we're currently learning Human Transfiguration..."
He took out his homework and showed the Transfiguration section, "Look, our homework is also about Human Transfiguration. We're even writing about its development over time."
"Of course, I know that." Hermione said, "But have you mastered it?"
Harry fell silent at her question.
Had he mastered it? The answer was obviously no.
His current level would, at best, avoid getting scolded by Professor McGonagall. As for Ron... his skills were even worse than Harry's. In the last Transfiguration class, he had lost two points for failing to meet Professor McGonagall's requirements.
"You see, that's the key." Hermione said, "Changing your appearance and bones is undoubtedly more complex than turning your arm into a branch. Even if she teaches it, can you learn it?"
Ron opened his mouth but found himself unable to refute her. Finally, he muttered, "Really? It's Dark Arts Defense, why is it related to Transfiguration again?"
No one answered him, and Hermione continued as if she hadn't heard him, "So, until we finish learning Human Transfiguration, this course will only be offered to sixth and seventh-year students."
"What about us..." Harry asked anxiously, "Won't Umbridge still teach us? I'm truly fed up with her."
"I don't know." Hermione shook her head, "There might be other content as well."
She looked down at her new schedule, "We'll have to wait until Wednesday to attend Assistant Professor Tonks' Dark Arts Defense class. We should know by then."
After lunch, the group left the Great Hall.
Meanwhile, Kyle was summoned to the Headmaster's Office.
He looked at the Dementor floating in the office, wearing a tattered black cloak, and asked curiously, "Headmaster, are you changing pets? If so, I'll take care of Fox."
"Except for Azkaban, the Ministry of Magic does not allow Dementors to appear in other places, nor does it allow private ownership."
Dumbledore calmly said, "Moreover, taking care of Fox isn't a complicated matter. I can do it myself."
"Then what is this..." Kyle asked, pointing at the Dementor.
"Do you remember what I told you a few days ago?" Dumbledore said, "We need to know if Dementors have joined Voldemort."
"Ah, that's right." Kyle remembered, "But didn't Fudge say that Dementors don't want to leave Azkaban? He also came to Hogwarts alone that time.
"Did the Dementor change its mind?"
"Or someone else changed their mind." Dumbledore walked to the front of the Dementor, "Coincidentally, I just expressed my intention to visit Azkaban personally to Fudge, and the Ministry brought it here."
"That's quite a coincidence." Kyle said, looking around the office and noticing that besides himself and Dumbledore, there was no one else.
"Did it come here on its own?"
"Of course not." Dumbledore shook his head, "The person who delivered it ate something bad and is now in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey should have them cured in a couple of hours.
"I'm going to visit them in the Hospital Wing now, so I'll leave this to you. Is that okay?"
"Yes, Professor," Kyle nodded.
"Good," Dumbledore said.
He then left, leaving Kyle and the Dementor in the office.
The fire in the fireplace was roaring, but Kyle couldn't help but wrap his thick robe tighter around himself. Even with the fire, the presence of the Dementor made the room feel unbearably cold, no matter how many warming methods were used.
These creatures could drain the warmth from their surroundings simply by hovering, especially in such a confined space.
Summer was bearable, but winter was a different story.
Just then, Fox flew onto Kyle's shoulder, dispelling the bone-chilling cold.
The Dementor retreated as if afraid of the phoenix's proximity.
Well, Kyle thought, the phoenix had another use—to ward off Dementors. He couldn't help but feel envious of Dumbledore.
Kyle looked up, trying to recognize the Dementor in front of him, wondering if it was one he had encountered before.
However, Dementors all looked similar, at least in Kyle's eyes. He examined it for a while but couldn't find anything particularly familiar.
Unconsciously, Kyle took a step forward, and the Dementor retreated further, pressing itself against the wall.
"Don't be afraid. I just want to ask you a few questions," Kyle said, holding Fox in his hand and feeding it a pod that Professor Sprout had given him from his pocket. "Do you remember the day when the prisoners escaped?"
The Dementor didn't speak, and Kyle didn't rush it. He patiently waited.
Several minutes later, the Dementor finally made a dull sound, like an old-fashioned radio with a "crackle" noise.
"That... one time..."
"The time when ten people escaped," Kyle said.
"I remember..."
"Good," Kyle nodded. "Can you tell me what happened that day?"
The Dementor glanced at Fox in Kyle's arms.
"Don't worry. Just speak, and it won't harm you."
The Dementor tried to retreat further, but it was already against the wall. After a few attempts, it could only hover in place.
"That day... many people came... they... opened the prison doors..."
"Didn't you stop them?" Kyle asked. "Isn't it the Dementors' responsibility to guard the prisoners?"
"Couldn't stop..."
"Why not? Weren't you strong enough?"
"Couldn't stop..." the Dementor repeated. "Not allowed... we... blocked..."
"Who blocked you?" Kyle asked. "Was it the people who opened the doors or other Dementors?"
The Dementor remained silent, but Kyle had already guessed the answer. He rephrased his question, "Can you tell me? How many Dementors left Azkaban after that incident?"
"Oh, don't worry. I swear on Dumbledore's name that nothing will be reported to the Ministry while I'm here."
The Dementor remained silent for over ten minutes before answering in a raspy voice, "Three groups..."
"Three groups of Dementors?" Kyle furrowed his brow. "How many is that?"
"Sixty," a voice came from the wall.
It was a witch with her hair in a bun. When Kyle had entered, she had been sleeping with her eyes closed, but now she appeared in the nearest painting.
The witch explained, "When Azkaban was first established, there were five areas holding different levels of criminals. Each area was guarded by twenty Dementors, who were rotated every three days with another twenty to facilitate the Ministry's management. This number was set for convenience."
"I see," Kyle realized.
Sixty Dementors chose to follow Voldemort... Kyle couldn't determine if this number was large or small.
The only certainty was that some Dementors had indeed rebelled.
"Tsk, trust Dumbledore." Phineas scowled, "His students are far more dangerous than when I was Headmaster. Hogwarts is practically a breeding ground for the Dark Lord."
"Phineas, if you continue like this..." The witch rolled up her sleeves, "I don't mind giving you a taste of your own medicine."
"What are you going to do?" Phineas immediately shut his mouth, "I'm just looking out for Hogwarts. I warn you not to mess with me; my punches pack a real punch!"
"Headmaster Black." Kyle interrupted at this point, "Can I ask you to keep this matter confidential?"
"Huh?" Phineas rubbed his ears, feigning ignorance, and dodged the witch's fists, gradually moving away.
Kyle sighed and approached the wall, where he found a portrait of Phineas with his name on it.
"Fox, I'll give you ten Mandrake roots. Can you help me burn this ugly portrait?"
Fox immediately looked up and smacked his lips.
"I know this is the Headmaster's Office, but isn't Professor Dumbledore away at the moment? You can just say that a Dementor tried to attack me."
"In that case, I'll give you twenty Mandrake roots, plus..."
"Hey, what are you doing!"
At this moment, Phineas, who had previously moved away, reappeared, looking at Kyle in disbelief, "This is the Headmaster's Office."
"I know, but there's no other way. You discovered my biggest secret, after all." Kyle shook his head, "Sorry, Professor Black."
"Wait, wait, we can discuss this." Phineas pleaded, "Please rest assured, I will never tell anyone. After all, I've been a Headmaster too, and protecting students' secrets is part of my duty."
"Hmm... still not convinced." Kyle shook his head after a moment of thought.
Fox cooperated by extending his claws.
"No, please don't. You have to trust me..." Phineas was genuinely panicked, "My great-grandson is close to you, so even if you don't trust me, you should trust him."
"And you guys, stop just watching. Help me persuade him..." He turned to the nearby portraits and roared, "My portrait is being destroyed, and yours won't escape either. Stop standing there, come and help me..."
"Stop it, you fool. The portraits are part of the castle, so..."
Before he could finish, he was kicked to the side and lay on the ground, groaning.
As if a switch had been flipped, people suddenly swarmed in from all directions, punching and kicking him with well-rehearsed precision.
"Don't get the wrong idea, kid." The wizard who kicked him straightened his clothes and spoke seriously, "We, as past Headmasters, are all quite normal. Phineas is just an exception; his intelligence doesn't represent everyone."
"The least popular Headmaster, I understand." Kyle said with a smile.
The man relaxed and continued, "You can rest assured that we would never disclose anything here. In fact, Fox's reaction speaks volumes. Phoenixes don't approach people with dark hearts."
"I know, of course."
"But I have a question. Are these portraits so easily destroyed? I always thought even the Fiendfyre Spell wouldn't work."
"If it can destroy the entire castle, it's possible." The man said.
"So, can a Phoenix do it easily?"
"Not even a Phoenix, unless it's the current Headmaster."
"Then why was Headmaster Black so worried just now?"
"Obviously, that fool forgot..." The man paused, "Well, you carry on. I'll go and stretch my legs."
After saying this, he joined the fray, kicking Phineas right in the face.
"Ugh... damn, you haven't washed for centuries."
"Have you ever seen a portrait wash its feet?"
The Headmaster's Office instantly became lively, with Phineas's screams echoing everywhere.
"Oh, it's lively here." Kyle turned around and saw Dumbledore entering from outside.
"What's going on here?"
"Just stretching our legs." Kyle said.
"And where's Phineas?"
"Hmm... you could say he's the organizer of this activity."
"So he really is the host." Dumbledore said, "Well, any results?"
"At least sixty Dementors have defected." Kyle said, "Maybe more. What are you planning to do, Professor?"
"When such dangerous creatures are unrestrained, it's best to resolve it quickly." Dumbledore said expressionlessly, waving his hand and immediately leaving.
"You've worked hard." Kyle looked at the Dementor, which had been shivering since Dumbledore's arrival. "How will he handle it..."
"Of course, they shouldn't be anywhere other than Azkaban." Dumbledore said meaningfully.
"I was thinking the same." Kyle muttered.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
