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The Dementor finally submitted.
The tattered figure floated out of the cage with extreme reluctance, hovering in mid-air with an attitude of "do whatever you want with me."
Even the cold air it emitted had weakened significantly, carrying a thick sense of grievance.
"Expecto Patronum!"
This time, what burst from the tip of the wand was no longer a flickering silver light, but a stable, significantly brighter silver beam.
The beam surged forth, and although it hadn't yet taken shape, it carried an unstoppable momentum, charging straight at the dejected Dementor.
"Aba?!"
The listless Dementor was startled and instinctively tried to dodge, but its movements were half a beat too slow.
The silver sphere of light struck it!
While it didn't have the power to directly dissipate the creature like Lynn's Patronus, the Dementor let out a hiss of pain as if it had been burned.
Its body shook violently as it retreated in a panic, actively scurrying back into the cage and shrinking into a corner, refusing to come out again.
The silver light at the tip of Ollie's wand persisted for a full three seconds after hitting the target before slowly fading away.
Ollie panted heavily, looking at his wand in disbelief, then at the terrified Dementor in the cage.
A satisfied smile finally appeared on Lynn's face. He walked over, closed the cage door, and patted Ollie on the shoulder.
"Beautifully done, Ollie. Although it hasn't taken form yet, you've successfully used the power of the Patronus Charm to repel a Dementor. This is a qualitative leap."
Inside the cage, the Dementor curled itself up even tighter, with only one thought in its mind:
Aba... (This apprentice is too ruthless, and the mentor is even worse... I want to go back to Azkaban... It's boring there, but at least I don't have to be used as a punching bag and a teaching aid...)
Seeing Ollie finally succeed in repelling the Dementor, Lynn rubbed his chin, his thoughts becoming active again.
"Hmm... I recall that Edgar and William don't know the Patronus Charm either?" He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also seeking an opinion. "Ollie has just started, and the results are outstanding. Should I call them over for some 'special training' too? The more, the merrier—and it creates a better learning atmosphere."
He didn't speak loudly, but everyone present heard him clearly.
The Dementor, which had just finished its "teaching session" and was shrinking in the corner of the cage, licking its spiritual wounds, gave a violent shudder upon hearing this, its cloak trembling three times.
It cautiously interjected:
"Aba... Aba aba? (That... I think... that won't be necessary, right?)"
It was trying to get this devil to show some mercy.
Lynn rubbed his chin, putting on an air of serious consideration, then nodded in agreement. "Hmm... you have a point."
Just as a faint light of hope rose in the Dementor's heart...
Lynn continued, "Teaching resources might indeed be spread too thin, affecting the results. That's all the more reason to call them over. They can take turns, improving the utilization rate of the 'teaching aid.' They can even observe and learn from each other, creating healthy competition! Great idea! I'll make the call right now!"
Dementor: "..."
The next few days, for this unfortunate captured Dementor, could be described as the most "fulfilling" yet "darkest" time in its long life.
---
In the small special training area, similar scenes played out in rotation:
Lynn was responsible for opening and closing the cage door, safety supervision, and necessary "teaching assistant" strikes. Ollie, William, and Edgar took turns, using the Dementor as a target, desperately squeezing out their happy memories and firm will to try and summon a Patronus.
After his initial breakthrough, Ollie's progress was significant.
His Patronus gradually solidified from an unstable beam of light, eventually successfully taking form—an elephant.
William, as a top student, had a solid theoretical foundation and a calmer mindset.
Although he also felt fear when facing the Dementor, he could adjust his state faster, and his Patronus was an octopus.
Only Edgar... hit a bottleneck.
His happy memories always seemed to be mixed with too much "carelessness" and "fleeting joy."
Therefore, his Patronus always struggled to take shape.
Finally, after undergoing many more rounds of "special training" and countless failures than Ollie and William—just as the Dementor was becoming numb to Edgar's "attacks"—
"Expecto Patronum!"
Silver light surged! This time, it didn't scatter but rapidly condensed and took shape.
An animal that looked somewhat silly, with branching antlers and a short tail, appeared in the air.
It looked around curiously, then trotted toward the Dementor with its four legs, its posture... somewhat foolishly cute.
"I did it! I did it!" Edgar jumped up in excitement, pointing at his Patronus. "Look! What kind of animal is this? Is it some kind of magical creature I've never seen before?"
Lynn watched the silver creature bouncing over to touch the cage, his lip twitching slightly. He said, somewhat uncertainly, "Uh... if I'm not mistaken, it looks like a... roe deer?"
"A roe deer? What's that? Is it powerful?" Edgar was still cheerful, thinking the name sounded quite unique.
Lynn tried his best to explain in objective terms:
"It's a type of animal with... well, unique reactions, extreme curiosity, and it sometimes does things that look very 'dim-witted' to predators.
For example, it might freeze when startled, or even run away only to come back out of curiosity to see what scared it... so it's colloquially known as the 'silly roe deer.'"
The smile on Edgar's face gradually vanished.
Lynn added, "But as a Patronus, the form isn't important. What matters is that it appeared and is very solid, which shows your happiness and determination are real. Plus... it looks quite energetic."
"I..." Edgar was on the verge of tears...
With the special training concluded, all three had made great strides with the Patronus Charm, at least gaining the basic ability to protect themselves and repel a single Dementor.
That day, Edgar found Lynn with a serious expression. "Lynn, when do you plan to go to Azkaban? Doesn't Ollie want to... well, 'visit' those two werewolves?"
Lynn checked the time. "School is about to start. For things like this, the sooner the better. Let's make it tomorrow."
"William and I also—" Edgar was about to say he wanted to help, but Lynn interrupted him before he could finish.
"You and William stay home. Do you think Azkaban is the Ministry of Magic or Diagon Alley? A place you can just come and go as you please? Besides..."
Lynn paused, not going into detail about his preparations and confidence. "Too many people will make us easier to spot. If you go and something happens, I'll have to be distracted looking after you."
Edgar: "..." Although he knew Lynn was right, being so bluntly "rejected" still hurt a little.
After sending Edgar away, Lynn walked toward the specially made cage.
The Dementor inside looked wilted after several days of "high-intensity work." Noticing Lynn's approach, it instinctively shrank back.
Lynn looked at it and suddenly revealed a smile that, to the Dementor, looked incredibly "kind." Then, he raised his wand.
The silver Phoenix appeared again and, without a word, slapped the Dementor inside the cage with its wing!
"Aba?!"
The Dementor was dazed by this unprovoked strike.
Lynn pulled back his smile. "I have a question for you. Answer honestly. Where exactly is Azkaban located?"
The Dementor immediately became wary. Though it had been forced to be a teaching aid, the fundamental issue of betraying the prison's location still caused it to resist.
It shook its head, indicating "I don't know."
Want it to betray its comrades? No way! It had "professional ethics"!
"Oh?" Lynn simply raised his wand again.
"It seems the previous 'teaching' was still too gentle. Let's see how a Patronus Charm with a little extra something tastes."
"Expecto Patronum (Curse Special Edition)!"
The Patronus flew out again, but this time, the edges of its glow seemed shrouded in an ominous shadow. What it emitted was no longer pure, warm protection, but a strange power that mixed purification with erosion.
"Abaaaaa—!! (Sir! Don't do it! I'm one of yours! I know the way! I'll take you there! The base... no, Azkaban is right over there! Follow me! Follow me!)"
Late the next night.
Lynn and Ollie followed the Dementor, which Lynn had temporarily "restrained" and masked with magic, as they took flight from a remote and desolate coastal cliff.
Lynn flew by himself, while Ollie rode a broom.
They crossed the surging, pitch-black sea. After flying for an unknown amount of time, a blurry dark shadow on the distant horizon gradually became clear.
It was an island.
Even in the dead of night, one could feel its gloom.
The island was shrouded in a layer of persistent dark clouds, obscuring the starlight and moonlight.
It was filled with jagged rocks, with no sign of green—only the outlines of stone and a massive fortress-like building.
Around and above the island, several slowly floating black figures were faintly visible.
"Only these few Dementors on patrol?" Lynn asked the Dementor leading the way.
The guard density was significantly lower than he had imagined.
"Aba... (Most... are out catching fugitives... haven't returned yet...)"
The leading Dementor answered honestly.
Lynn understood.
It seemed the Ministry of Magic had indeed diverted a large portion of Azkaban's security forces to hunt down Sirius Black.
They carefully lowered their altitude, using the cover of night and the Disillusionment Charm to approach from a side where the island's defenses were relatively weak.
Below, near a crude sentry post by the coast, the sound of conversation could be faintly heard.
Two rather lazy-looking Aurors were leaning there on guard, but their minds were clearly not on their post.
"...Sigh, when do you think these miserable days will end? When can I finally be transferred out of this hellhole?" one voice complained.
"I don't know, probably not until those Dementors out searching for Black return, right? Once they're back to full strength, maybe we can apply for a rotation."
The other voice replied, equally lacking in motivation.
"Sigh, you know, if something else were to happen here," the first voice suddenly lowered, sounding a bit fanciful, "like... someone else escaping, or a big mess breaking out... could we use 'insufficient capability,' 'need for intensive training,' or 'poor on-site handling' as reasons to be transferred immediately? Even going back to headquarters to write self-reflections would be better than staying here."
The second voice was silent for a moment, then actually followed with a low chuckle:
"You know... it's not entirely impossible. I've even thought of the reasoning for the higher-ups:
'Given the recent consecutive security incidents at Azkaban, which have exposed shortcomings in the experience and capabilities of the current personnel, it is recommended that XXX and XXX be transferred from their current posts for further training and assessment...'"
"Hehehe..." The two let out a burst of light laughter.