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Chapter 671: The Dementor in the Principal's Office
Chapter 671: The Dementor in the Principal's Office
"This is certainly unexpected."
As the last class of the morning ended, the students eagerly discussed the lesson in the corridor.
"I never knew there were so many things to pay attention to with a simple Human Transfiguration spell."
"Yeah, that Assistant Professor Tonks is amazing. I bet I could change my appearance before the end of class."
"Stop bragging. You just made your head bigger, that's all..."
Laughter filled the air as they made their way towards the Great Hall, their interest in the new Defense Against the Dark Arts class evident. It was a shame that they only had two such classes a week, as the rest of the time they had to endure Umbridge.
Some students were already waiting in the Great Hall, and they eagerly bombarded the newcomers with questions. "What's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher like? I hope we're not just reading books again."
"No, of course not," the sixth-year students replied excitedly, sharing their experiences in the class and drawing a larger crowd around them.
"Changing our appearance..." Ron mused. "Harry, if we learned this, we could really teach Malfoy a lesson without him knowing it was us. All we'd need to do is turn into Crabbe and Goyle..."
Harry's eyes lit up at the idea.
Being able to beat up Malfoy without revealing his identity had always been his dream.
"Don't even think about it," Hermione said, glancing at the two boys. "This special lesson is probably only for students in their sixth year and above. We'll have to wait until next year to learn it, if Assistant Professor Tonks is still at Hogwarts by then."
"Why?" Ron protested. "Are students below the sixth year not allowed to hide themselves? Or are we expected to stay here forever?"
"Are you even listening to what they were saying earlier?" Hermione turned to him impatiently. "Let me remind you that the prerequisite for changing your appearance is mastering Human Transfiguration. That's advanced Transfiguration magic that students below the fifth year don't get to learn."
"But we're in the fifth year now," Harry said. "And we're currently learning Human Transfiguration." He pulled out his homework and flipped to the Transfiguration section. "Look, our assignment is to discuss the development and changes in Human Transfiguration over time."
"Of course, I know that," Hermione said. "But have you mastered it?"
Harry fell silent at her question.
The answer, of course, was no.
His current level was barely good enough to avoid getting scolded by Professor McGonagall. As for Ron, he was even worse off—in the last Transfiguration class, he had failed to meet Professor McGonagall's requirements and lost two points.
"That's the key point," Hermione continued. "Changing your facial features and skeletal structure is undoubtedly much more complex than turning your arm into a branch. Even if she were willing to teach us, could you really learn it?"
Ron opened his mouth to argue but found he had no counterargument. Finally, he muttered, "It's Defense Against the Dark Arts. Why does it have to involve Transfiguration as well?"
No one answered him, and Hermione acted as if she hadn't heard, continuing, "So, until we've finished learning Human Transfiguration, this kind of lesson will only be for the sixth and seventh years."
"What about us, then..." Harry asked anxiously. "You don't think they'll let Umbridge teach us, do you? I've really had enough of her."
"I don't know," Hermione shook her head. "Maybe there will be different content for us."
She glanced down at her new class schedule. "We won't have Assistant Professor Tonks' Defense Against the Dark Arts class until Wednesday, so we'll find out then."
After finishing their lunch, the trio left the Great Hall.
Meanwhile, Kyle was summoned to the principal's office.
He looked at the Dementor floating in the office, cloaked in tattered black robes, and asked curiously, "Professor, have you decided to get a new pet? If so, I'd be happy to take care of Fox."
"Aside from Azkaban, the Ministry of Magic does not permit Dementors to be present in other places, nor are they allowed to be kept as personal pets," Dumbledore said calmly. "Additionally, taking care of Fox is not a complicated task, and I am capable of doing so myself."
"Then what about this one?" Kyle asked, pointing at the Dementor.
"Do you remember what I told you a few days ago?" Dumbledore asked. "We need to find out if the Dementors have sided with Voldemort."
"Ah, yes, that's right," Kyle recalled. "But wasn't Fudge saying that the Dementors didn't want to leave Azkaban? He came to Hogwarts alone that afternoon. Did the Dementor change its mind?"
"Or perhaps someone else changed their mind," Dumbledore said as he stood up and approached the Dementor. "Interestingly, just as I expressed my intention to go to Azkaban in person, the Ministry brought this one here."
"That is quite a coincidence," Kyle remarked, looking around the office and noticing that aside from himself and Dumbledore, there was no one else present.
"Did it come here on its own?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore shook his head. "The Auror who was responsible for bringing it here had an upset stomach and had to go to the school hospital. Madam Pomfrey should have them cured within a couple of hours."
"Good." Dumbledore said.
Soon after, he left, leaving Kyle alone in the office with the Dementor.
The fire in the fireplace was blazing, but Kyle still wrapped his thick robe tighter around himself. He had to admit, with a Dementor in the room, no amount of warmth seemed to help.
These creatures could absorb all heat from their surroundings, especially in such a confined space, even if they did nothing but hover in place.
It was bearable in the summer, but during winter, it was a different story.
Thankfully, Fox flew to Kyle's shoulder, dispelling the bone-chilling cold.
The Dementor retreated further back, seemingly afraid of the phoenix's proximity.
Well, it seemed like phoenixes were now useful for scaring away Dementors, and Kyle couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy for Dumbledore.
He lifted his head, trying to discern the Dementor's features before him, wondering if it was one of the ones he had encountered before.
However, all Dementors looked alike to Kyle, and after a while, he gave up, unable to spot anything particularly familiar.
Kyle subconsciously took a step forward, and the Dementor retreated further back, pressing itself against the wall.
"Don't be afraid," Kyle said, holding Fox in his hand and taking a Sprout pod from his pocket to feed it. "I just want to ask you a few questions."
The Dementor remained silent, and Kyle didn't rush it, patiently waiting.
Several minutes passed before the Dementor made a dull, crackling noise, like an old radio with poor reception.
"Wh...ich... time..."
"The time ten people escaped," Kyle clarified.
"Remember..."
"Good." Kyle nodded. "Can you tell me what happened that day?"
The Dementor glanced down at Fox in Kyle's arms.
"Don't worry, just speak. Fox won't do anything to you."
The Dementor tried to retreat further, but with its back already against the wall, it could only hover helplessly in place after a few attempts.
"That day... many people came... they... opened... the prison doors..."
"Didn't you stop them?" Kyle asked. "Isn't guarding the prisoners the responsibility of the Dementors?"
"Couldn't stop..."
"Why not? Were you outnumbered?"
"Couldn't stop..." The Dementor repeated, "Not allowed... to stop them..."
"Who stopped you?" Kyle pressed. "Was it the people who opened the prison doors, or other Dementors?"
The Dementor remained silent, but Kyle had already guessed the answer. So, he rephrased his question.
"Can you tell me? How many Dementors left Azkaban after that incident?"
He added, "Oh, and don't worry. What you say here won't be reported to the Ministry of Magic. I swear on Dumbledore's name."
This time, the Dementor remained silent for over ten minutes before responding in a hoarse voice, "Three groups..."
"Three groups of Dementors?" Kyle frowned. "How many is that?"
"Sixty," a voice echoed from the wall.
A witch with her hair in a bun had been dozing off in one of the portraits when Kyle entered. Now, she appeared in the frame closest to them.
The witch explained, "When Azkaban was first established, it had five zones, each housing criminals of varying severity. Each zone was guarded by twenty Dementors, who would be rotated every three days with another set of twenty, to facilitate the Ministry's management and statistics. This number has since been fixed."
"I see," Kyle said, understanding.
Sixty Dementors choosing to follow Voldemort... Since Kyle didn't know the total number of Dementors, he couldn't be sure if this was a significant number or not.
The only certainty was that some Dementors had indeed defected.
No wonder, during the Death Eaters' escape, the Ministry had only mentioned sending Hit Wizards and Aurors to recapture them, with no mention of Dementors. This was unlike their usual modus operandi.
After all, two years ago, when Sirius Black escaped, nearly a hundred Dementors had been dispatched to Hogwarts, and the entire manhunt had been led by the Dementors, with the accompanying Hit Wizards playing a supporting role.
Evidently, the Ministry had known about the Dementor defections but had kept it from Dumbledore.
"Kid!"
As Kyle was deep in thought, a voice rang out from the portrait, "Can you speak to Dementors?"
It was Sirius Black's grandfather, Phineas Black, peering at him curiously from the edge of the frame. His tone implied that he already knew the answer. "That's an incredible ability. Even if you were locked up in Azkaban one day, you could escape using this skill... or even take control of that wizard prison."
"That would make you far more dangerous than that Voldemort fellow, huh?"
"Phineas!" The witch from before glanced at him. "You should trust Albus. He's the Headmaster now.
"What are you going to do?" Phineas immediately shut his mouth, "I'm just thinking about Hogwarts' well-being. I'm warning you, don't try anything funny, my punches pack quite a punch!"
"Headmaster Black," Kyle interrupted them, "Can I ask you to keep this matter a secret?"
"Huh?" Phineas rubbed his ears as if he hadn't heard a thing, dodging the witch's punches and slowly backing away.
Sighing, Kyle walked over to the wall and found the portrait with Phineas' name on it.
"Fox, I'll give you ten potted Mandrake plants if you help me burn this ugly portrait."
Fox immediately lifted its head and chomped its beak.
"I know this is the Headmaster's office, but isn't Professor Dumbledore away at the moment? If anything happens, just say that the Dementor tried to attack me."
"In that case, I'll give you twenty Mandrakes, plus..."
"Kid, what are you up to!"
Before he knew it, Phineas, who had wandered off earlier, reappeared and stared at Kyle in disbelief. "This is the Headmaster's office!"
"I know, but I have no choice. You did discover my biggest secret, after all." Kyle shook his head, "Sorry, Headmaster Black."
"No, no, let's talk this through." Phineas waved his hands frantically, "You can trust me, I used to be a headmaster too, and protecting students' secrets is part of the job."
"Hmm... I'm still not convinced." Kyle frowned after a moment's thought.
Fox played along, extending its claw and placing it on the portrait.
"No, no, don't! I beg you..." Phineas was truly panicking now, "My great-grandson is on good terms with you, so even if you don't trust me, you should trust him, right?
"And you lot, stop just standing there! Come and help me persuade him..." he turned to the nearby portraits and shouted, "If his portrait is destroyed, yours will be too! So stop dawdling and come and beg him with me..."
"Shut up, you idiot! Portraits are one with the castle, so destroying them is like destroying the castle itself!"
Before he could finish his sentence, someone kicked him to the side, leaving him groaning on the floor.
It was as if a switch had been flipped, as a group of people suddenly rushed in from all directions and started punching and kicking him, as if they had rehearsed it countless times.
"Don't get the wrong idea, young man." The wizard who had kicked him straightened his clothes and said solemnly, "We headmasters are actually quite normal, Phineas is just an exception, his intelligence doesn't represent the rest of us."
"I understand, least popular headmaster." Kyle smiled.
The wizard heaved a sigh of relief and continued, "Rest assured, we will never reveal what happens here. In fact, Fox's reaction is proof enough. Phoenixes don't befriend those with dark hearts."
"Of course, I know that."
"But I do have a question," Kyle said, "Are these portraits so easy to destroy? I always thought they couldn't be destroyed even by powerful fire spells."
"If you could destroy the entire castle, then yes." The wizard replied.
"So only a phoenix could do it?"
"Not even a phoenix, unless it belongs to the current headmaster."
"Then why was Headmaster Black so worried earlier?"
"Obviously, that idiot forgot... Alright, you carry on then, I'm off to join the fun."
After saying that, he joined the fray, landing a kick squarely on Phineas' face.
"Ugh... Damn it, when was the last time you washed your feet, it's been centuries!"
"Stop blabbering, have you ever seen a portrait wash its feet?"
The Headmaster's office suddenly became lively, filled with the sounds of Phineas' cries and wails.
"Oh, this is quite a scene."
Kyle turned around and saw Professor Dumbledore walking in from outside.
"What's going on here?"
"They said they wanted some exercise." Kyle replied.
"And where's Phineas?"
"Well... I guess he's the organizer of this little event."
"How generous of him." Dumbledore said, "Anyways, have you found anything out?"
"At least sixty Dementors have defected." Kyle said, "Maybe more, Professor, what do you plan to do now?"
"When such dangerous creatures are unrestrained, it's best to deal with them as soon as possible." Dumbledore said expressionlessly, waving his hand to summon Fox.
"You've done well."
"It was nothing, just a few words." Kyle glanced at the shivering Dementor, which had been silent since Dumbledore entered, "So, Professor, what will happen to it..."
"Of course, we'll have the Hit Wizards take it back to the Ministry." Dumbledore said meaningfully, "They shouldn't be anywhere near Azkaban."
"Indeed, I think the same." Kyle muttered.
(End of Chapter)
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