0266 Azkaban

According to Dumbledore, the transformation of the Patronus Charm came from the influence of the soul. When he used the charm, something in his soul that did not belong to him resonated with the Dementors, causing those changes to occur.

Stone pillar – temple – ruins – Dementors – Twin Serpent Staff – These seemingly unrelated series of things actually had a deep connection, and the core of all the secrets was the dark shadow within Morgan Le Fay’s body.

There was something that Bryan had been wondering about since he saw the nine murals in the temple.

At the end of the devastating battle that caused huge damage to the magical environment centuries ago, since Morgan Le Fay and the darkness within her had already failed, and they should have known that Merlin would not show mercy, why did they go to such great lengths to hide the staff?

‘What did the Twin Serpent Staff really mean? What did it mean that he could pick it up? Why did the four Hogwarts founders get involved in this matter centuries ago, and why did they leave behind clues so deliberately?’

“Bryan?”

After a while, Sirius finally shook off the bad mood brought by the painful memories. He looked up and saw Bryan with a look of deep thought and confusion in his eyes.

“What’s wrong with this stone pillar? Are you wondering why the pillar in Azkaban looks exactly like a Muggle attraction?”

“Oh–”

Bryan suddenly came back to his senses and smiled faintly at Sirius, who was looking at him with concern and curiosity, but he didn’t answer his question. This also made Sirius realize that this matter was not so simple, and the broken pillar on Azkaban Island probably hid some incredible secret.

But that pillar had been there for so many years, and the Ministry of Magic, which controlled the Dementors, had surely studied it thoroughly. The final conclusion must be that the pillar was worthless, otherwise they would have pulled it out and brought it back for careful examination and preservation. It was just a piece of ancient architecture, nothing more.

Because of Bryan’s attitude, Sirius looked at the cover of the picture book in his hand again, trying to find some clues. And at this moment, Bryan suddenly asked,

“The stone pillar in the ruins, um… have you carefully observed it? I mean, does it have any special features that caught your attention?”

‘Any special features?’

This question stumped Sirius. During his years in Azkaban, he had been tormented with great regret and hatred, and every day was a torture for him. He had endured the worst pain imaginable, the loss of his best friends and his freedom. How could he have the mood to study what special functions an ordinary stone pillar had? And those Dementors–

‘Dementors!’ Sirius suddenly widened his eyes, showing a look of uncertainty, and seeing his expression, Bryan immediately knew that something was wrong.

“What’s wrong? Did you remember something?”

Bryan asked in a deep voice, hoping that Sirius had some useful information.

“I’m not sure,”

Sirius hesitated, seemingly unsure of his own words,

“On the island where Azkaban is located, there are at least hundreds of Dementors. Those disgusting creatures don’t stay in the prison all the time. If that were the case, there would be no living person in the tower. Most of the time, most of the Dementors stay outside, hovering over the island like a dark cloud. They only enter the prison when they feel hungry… they take turns to feed on the prisoners. 

The Dementors made the island look like the end of the world. They roam around the island, in case any brave wizard dares to swim from the sea to the island. They turned the sky into a dark gray color, blocking out any sunlight or stars. But… um, I’m not sure, Bryan, but in our memories, they seemed reluctant to approach the area near the pillar and ruins when they emerged from the tide–”

Bryan nodded, then fell into silence.

He thought that this was very strange. Why would the Dementors avoid that area? Was there something there that repelled them? Or was there something there that attracted them, but they were afraid of it?

Sirius also remained quiet. He knew that Bryan might have some secrets, that was natural, as who didn’t have secrets in their hearts? But what this young wizard knew was probably something extraordinary, and he also guessed what Bryan might say next.

In the face of this, Sirius struggled fiercely in his heart.

Azkaban was definitely a nightmare that no wizard in the British wizarding world wanted to face. He had spent so many years there and deeply understood the prison’s reputation, which was well-deserved. It was a place of horror and despair, where no hope or happiness could survive. After many wizards who had committed crimes escaped or were released from there, they never wanted to mention a word about their life there.

Sirius was not foolish. He saw Bryan’s hesitation and, after sighing softly, Sirius said in a low voice,

“Do you want to secretly sneak into Azkaban to see that pillar?”

Before Bryan could respond, he continued,

“To be honest, I don’t remember the exact location there. After I escaped, I headed north towards the mainland and swam for at least twenty days before I saw land. It was a long and exhausting journey, and I barely survived. If it weren’t for the belief in seeking revenge on Peter, I wouldn’t have been able to hold on. But if that stone pillar is really important to you, Bryan, I can accompany you to take a look. I can roughly determine the direction based on the position of the stars.”

“Just take me to the location where you landed and give me a direction–”

Since Sirius had already brought it up, Bryan no longer concealed anything,

“Azkaban is not a pleasant paradise for you, Sirius. You don’t have to risk it for me.”

“You helped me find Regulus, Bryan, and that’s worth repaying with my life–“

Sirius smiled and said,

“And, if possible, I hope you can treat that island the same way you treated the cave last night. Trust me, there will be many wizards who would love to see Azkaban and those devils guarding it sink into the sea together!”

*Scenebreak*

Only two days remained until the start of the second half of the term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The vast majority of the faculty had already returned to their positions, eager to resume their teaching duties and welcome back their students. Some of the young wizards who had gone home for Christmas had also sporadically returned to school, bringing back the lively atmosphere that had been absent for two weeks.

Bryan and Remus also returned to school on the morning of the second day before the start of the term.

Sirius had temporarily placed Regulus’s body in the Black family’s old Manor. He ordered Kreacher to take care of Regulus and then transformed into his cat form to follow Remus back to Hogwarts.

Perhaps the pleasant Christmas holiday had made the young wizards lazy, or maybe they were still enjoying the last moments of freedom before the term began. It was breakfast time, but the Great Hall was empty, without a single student in sight. Only Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff and the Herbology teacher, and Madam Pomfrey, the matron of the hospital wing, were chatting casually at the staff table. They were both early risers, accustomed to waking up before dawn to tend to their plants and patients.

“This scene has been rare in recent years—” Professor Sprout remarked, as she saw Bryan and Remus enter the hall. They were walking side by side, smiling and waving from a distance to wish their colleagues a happy new year. Professor Sprout, wearing a wizard hat covered in wet mud, chuckled and said, “I mean, having both professors of Defense Against Dark Arts appear at the same time.”

The position of Defense Against Dark Arts had been notoriously cursed for decades, ever since Tom Riddle, who would later become Lord Voldemort, had applied for it and been rejected by Dumbledore. Since then, no one had managed to keep the job for more than a year, and most of them had met with unfortunate accidents or worse fates.

“I’m probably not the special one, Pomona—” Remus said modestly, as he and Bryan approached the staff table. Remus, whose smile had been increasing recently, looked at Bryan and said, “Seriously, Bryan, I’ve been thinking lately. You must have some secret to staying in this position for a longer time. I quite like this job, so-“

“It’s wise to get out early—” Bryan shrugged, smiling lightly. “If I had continued back then, I might have ended up like my predecessor.”

“Your predecessor was Gilderoy Lockhart, that charlatan. He deserved to be sent to Azkaban. You wouldn’t have ended up like him.” 

Thinking of Gilderoy Lockhart, Professor Sprout shook her head as if shooing away an annoying fly. She changed the subject and asked Bryan and Remus about their plans for the second half of the year.

After exchanging pleasantries, Bryan and Remus went straight upstairs. They had a lot of work to do, as they both needed to prepare for the teaching of the second half of the year. Remus returned to his office alone, where he had a pile of books and papers waiting for him. 

Bryan, on the other hand, continued walking with Tom, his loyal cat, who was actually Sirius in disguise. After arriving at the Student Safety Office, Bryan turned Sirius back into his human form, making sure that no one was around to see them.

The morning passed in casual chatting. Bryan continued to study the stack of manuscripts related to the Blood Magic&Curse, a dark and ancient branch of magic that he had been researching for years. 

Sirius, meanwhile, was telling Bryan about the various details of infiltrating Azkaban.

“At the very least, we need a boat.” Sirius said, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. He had a serious expression on his face, as he explained the difficulties of their mission. “Since you’re not willing to enter Azkaban through official channels, and I can only identify the approximate direction, it means we may have to drift on the sea for quite a long time. You need to prepare a sturdy enough boat, Bryan. For some reason, the sea around the island is always shrouded in thunderstorms and typhoons. That’s a natural barrier. Without adequate preparation, don’t even think about getting through.”

“Then how did you come here?” Bryan asked, curious about Sirius’s escape. 

“I was using Animagus form at the time. Thunderstorms and typhoons didn’t affect me much, and I was lucky enough to find a large piece of deck washed ashore by the waves. I guess it might have been left by a Muggle ship that accidentally deviated from its course. Tsk-Tsk, Those unlucky guys-” Sirius said, with a hint of pity in his voice. 

Bryan nodded slightly. He understood the situation that Sirius had described. The prison was located on the sea far from the mainland, in a remote and desolate area. If Muggles lost their sheltering ship, they would have only one dead end. They would either drown in the water, or be consumed by the Dementors, who fed on human happiness and left their victims in a state of despair. Although wizards had more means at their disposal, such as magic and brooms, the vast majority of ordinary wizards would probably just wait to die in such harsh conditions. Only a few, like Sirius, had the courage and the skill to escape.

Bryan knew that apparating back to the mainland with Sirius was an option if they encountered extreme situations during their trip to Azkaban. However, aside from the fact that long-distance Apparition consumed high magical power, the key was that the previous long search would have been in vain. 

“I’ll consider it carefully.” Bryan said, after giving it a little thought. He was not one to act rashly, especially when it involved such a risky and important task.

Before retracting his gaze, he casually glanced at the monitoring screen opposite, which showed the live feed of various locations in the castle. He gently furrowed his eyebrow, as he noticed something unusual.

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