It's Dementors, at least a hundred of them, closing in on them along the lakeside like a dark cloud.
Moreover, in the darkness, more and more Dementors were appearing from all directions, surrounding them.
Kael quickly looked at Blake.
He was trembling all over, crouched on the ground, holding his head with his hands, utterly terrified.
"Transform back quickly!" Kael shouted loudly, "Do you want Harry to die here?!"
Hearing Harry's name, Blake's nearly collapsed mind finally cleared a bit.
His body began to twist, turning himself into a large dog.
At this moment, the Dementors arrived.
After discovering Sirius's scent had disappeared, their hooded heads all turned towards Kael's group.
The chilling cold in the air seemed ready to freeze a person solid.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Kael waved his wand, and a silver jellyfish jumped above his head.
Dazzling silver light spread out in circles, driving away the cold.
But there were too many Dementors around, hovering beyond the light, refusing to retreat.
One Dementor even extended a withered hand from beneath its cloak, as if to swat away the Guardian God.
But then, a long, ribbon-like silver thread silently appeared behind it.
The thread gently wound around its body and then suddenly tightened.
In just a moment, the Dementor ensnared by the ribbon was dragged into the Patronus Charm, struggling violently, with heavy breathing audible around.
Harry gasped as well.
He saw clearly the ribbon was all spreading from Kael's Guardian God... those were its tentacles.
At this moment, the giant jellyfish remained beautiful; looking further down, dozens of Dementors hung in mid-air, constantly struggling. The places where they were bound emitted clouds of black mist, the scene eerier than when Professor Lupin transformed into a werewolf.
The Dementors fled madly, but one still lingered, appearing to be a leader.
It emitted a strange noise, which Kael couldn't understand; it should be some kind of signal.
"Leave here." Kael stepped forward and said.
"Release them... Wizard..." The Dementor's voice was icy, devoid of emotion. It attempted to approach Kael, but was blocked by a sheet of silver light.
"I can, but you must leave and cannot report what happened here to the Ministry of Magic."
The Dementor paused, seemingly surprised that Kael could communicate with it.
"We received orders... Sirius Black... these are orders."
"He has already escaped, not here." Kael said, "If you don't believe me, you can check."
The Dementor took a long breath.
Then it stepped back, "Release... we will leave..."
"Alright..."
Kael's mind moved, and the jellyfish loosened its tentacles.
Dozens of Dementors drifted away, their cloaks appearing even more tattered, and their bodies seemingly smaller than before.
Before Kael could speak, they scrambled into the darkness, disappearing from sight.
Kael rubbed his nose; he had only intended for the Guardian God to attempt an attack on those Dementors, not expecting such good results.
"Remember, no snitching." Kael reminded.
"We... were harmed..." The Dementor's voice remained icy.
"Are you trying to back out?" Kael frowned, "Don't forget you barged into the school first, and tried to attack students and professors. We were only defending ourselves."
"There is... Sirius Black's scent here... we are ordered... to capture..."
"Then where is Sirius?"
The Dementor was silent, inhaling again but still not detecting Sirius Black's scent.
"So from the start, it was your mistake." Kael laughed.
"We have orders... to inspect..."
"Do you think Professor Dumbledore would believe you?" Kael laughed, "You should know who Dumbledore is, right? A powerful wizard, stronger than any wizard you've ever seen."
Visibly, the Dementor shuddered uncontrollably... clearly, it had encountered Dumbledore before and dealt with him.
This was likely due to the incident at the Quidditch Pitch, where Dumbledore reportedly threw a fit after returning, driving all the Dementors away from the school surroundings.
"Then go tell the Ministry of Magic people," Kael deliberately said, "You scared the students..."
He pointed at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, still huddled together and trembling. "We were defending ourselves by injuring a few Dementors, which the Ministry of Magic couldn't argue against."
"But you're different... barging into the school, attempting to attack students and professors. I doubt Professor Dumbledore will easily let you off this time."
Kael turned and walked away, muttering softly as he went, "That old wizard has a foul temper; if he gets angry, he might kill hundreds of Dementors to vent his anger..."
Just then, a Dementor suddenly floated over, blocking his path.
"Is there anything else?" Kael asked.
The Dementor didn't speak, simply blocking Kael's way.
"Alright then..." Kael sighed, "If you promise me something, I'll pretend I never saw you today."
"What...?"
"Let me think." Kael's eyes flickered; he mainly wanted the Dementors to leave, pretending neither saw the other.
But he suddenly thought of something...
Kael pondered, then said, "In Azkaban, there is someone named Bellatrix; she has a key. I need to know where it is."
"Impossible..." the Dementor said, "It's not allowed... and we cannot understand keys..."
"Then forget it?" Kael sighed, "Seems I'll have to tell Dumbledore..."
The Dementor floated in front of Kael again, still silent.
"I have only this one request," Kael said.
"Tomorrow there will be a change of guards... I can... take you there..."
Kael's mouth twitched; what a joke, he wouldn't go to such a place. If the Ministry of Magic found him, he wouldn't be able to come out.
However... a change of guards?
Kael asked, "How often do you change guards?"
"Every two days..."
"So, in two days, you'll be back here?"
The Dementor nodded, "There's no food here... must return."
Kael's eyes lit up. With his head down, he busied himself for a while before handing an envelope and a small vial to the Dementor.
"Mix the contents of the vial into her food, wait for her to eat it, then open the envelope, remember what she says, and tell me next time you return.
Don't play tricks, or I will not only tell Professor Dumbledore that you entered the school but also complain to the Ministry of Magic that you deliberately let Sirius Black escape... And I can guarantee, they'll definitely believe it."
Kael's tone exuded deep confidence.
At that time, let Sirius write a complaint letter himself, accusing the Dementors of negligence, and how could the Ministry of Magic not believe it?
Seemingly sensing something, the Dementor shivered, somewhat stiffly reaching a withered hand from beneath its robes to grasp the envelope and the small vial.