They were Dentors—at least a hundred of them—black and nacing, swarming along the shore like a dark cloud. More and more appeared from all directions, closing in on Kyle and the others, their chilling presence thickening the air.
Kyle shot a look at Black, who was crouched on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, covering his head in terror.
"Change back, quick!" Kyle shouted. "Do you want Harry to die here?"
Hearing Harry’s na, Black’s crumbling spirit steadied just enough. He transford, his body twisting into the form of a large, black dog.
The Dentors closed in, their faces hidden beneath tattered hoods, their withered hands reaching toward Kyle and the others. The air beca colder than ever, as if it wanted to freeze them where they stood.
“Expecto Patronum!” Kyle shouted, waving his wand. A large, glowing silver jellyfish appeared above him, its pulsating tentacles casting a bright light in all directions. The freezing air receded as a ring of warmth spread out from the Patronus.
But there were simply too many Dentors. They hovered just outside the protective circle, reluctant to retreat. One Dentor even extended a bony, decayed hand, trying to push through the Patronus’s light.
Then, suddenly, a thin, silver ribbon appeared—one of the jellyfish’s long, delicate tentacles. It floated forward and wrapped around the Dentor’s arm, tightening in an instant. The Dentor struggled, its ragged breaths rattling in the silence.
Harry watched in awe. The tentacles of Kyle’s Patronus were extending further, wrapping around Dentors one by one. The silver jellyfish remained luminous and beautiful, but there was a strange, unsettling power in the way it ensnared the creatures. Nearly a dozen Dentors hung midair, struggling against the Patronus’s grasp, as dark mist poured from where they were entangled. The sight was even more eerie than watching Professor Lupin transform into a werewolf.
Panicked, the Dentors scattered, retreating frantically to the edges of the light. But one Dentor hovered in place, seeming to act as their leader. It made a strange, rasping sound that Kyle didn’t understand, as though signaling the others.
“Leave!” Kyle commanded, stepping forward, his Patronus’s light intensifying.
The Dentor stopped, its hollow voice echoing coldly. “Leave… wizards…” It tried to edge closer to Kyle, only to be halted by the Patronus.
“Yes, but you must go now,” Kyle said firmly. “And you must not report anything of this to the Ministry.”
The Dentor paused, appearing slightly taken aback, as if surprised Kyle could communicate with it.
“We have our orders… Sirius Black… it is an order.”
“He’s already gone,” Kyle replied calmly. “You can check if you don’t believe .”
The Dentor took a long, rattling breath, then stepped back, conceding. “Let go… let us go…”
“Fine,” Kyle said after a mont. He gave his Patronus a silent command, and the jellyfish’s tentacles began to release the trapped Dentors.
The Dentors drifted away, their cloaks looking even more tattered, their bodies seeming smaller than before. As if sensing an opportunity to escape, they quickly fled into the darkness, vanishing like shadows.
Kyle touched his nose, feeling a mix of surprise and relief. He’d only instructed his Patronus to fend off the Dentors, not expecting it to work quite so effectively.
"You promised not to tell," Kyle reminded the Dentor, his tone firm.
"We… have been injured…" ca the Dentor's cold, emotionless voice.
"Are you trying to back out?" Kyle frowned. "Don’t forget, you were the ones who broke into the school first and tried to attack students and professors. We were only defending ourselves."
“There is… a scent of Sirius Black here… We have orders… to arrest…”
“And where is Sirius now?” Kyle pressed.
The Dentor fell silent, taking another slow, rattling breath, but still failing to detect any trace of Black’s scent.
"So, it seems you’ve been mistaken from the beginning," Kyle said with a faint smile.
"We have orders… to check…" the Dentor responded weakly.
Kyle gave a soft laugh. "Do you think Professor Dumbledore will accept that excuse? By the way, you do know who Dumbledore is, don’t you? One of the most powerful wizards around. Probably stronger than any wizard you’ve ever encountered."
The Dentor visibly shuddered, apparently recalling its last encounter with Dumbledore. After the incident on the Quidditch pitch, Dumbledore had returned in a fury, banishing every Dentor from the school grounds.
"Then feel free to report to the Ministry," Kyle continued, glancing at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were still huddled together, shivering. "The students were terrified, and we were only protecting ourselves. Even the Ministry can’t argue with that."
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "But your case is different… breaking into the school, attacking students and professors? I doubt Professor Dumbledore will let that slide this ti."
Kyle turned to leave, muttering just loudly enough for the Dentors to hear, "That old wizard has quite the temper. If he gets angry enough, he might take down a few hundred Dentors just to blow off steam…"
As he spoke, one of the Dentors floated forward, blocking his path.
"Anything else you’d like to add?" Kyle asked.
The Dentor remained silent, standing motionless in his way.
"Fine," Kyle sighed. "I’ll ignore what happened tonight—on one condition."
The Dentor’s hollow voice rasped, "What… condition…?"
Kyle’s eyes glead as an idea took shape. Originally, he’d only wanted the Dentors gone, but now he saw an opportunity. He thought for a mont and said, "There’s soone nad Bellatrix in Azkaban who has a key. I need you to tell where that key is kept."
"Impossible…" the Dentor replied, its voice colder than before. "It is forbidden… And we do not… understand the key…”
“Is that so?” Kyle said, feigning disappointnt. “Well, it looks like I’ll just have to tell Dumbledore…”
The Dentor floated back in front of Kyle, blocking his way once more.
"That’s all I’m asking," Kyle said simply.
“Tomorrow… a guard rotation…” the Dentor rasped, “I can… take you… there…”
Kyle’s mouth twitched. There was no way he was setting foot in Azkaban—it would be far too risky, and if the Ministry found out, he’d be in serious trouble. But… a rotation?
"How often is the guard rotated?" Kyle asked, curious.
“Every… two days…”
"So, in two days, you’ll be back here?" Kyle clarified.
The Dentor nodded slowly. "There is no… food here… I must… go back."
Kyle’s eyes lit up with an idea. After a quick bit of preparation, he handed the Dentor an envelope and a small vial.
"Mix what’s in the bottle into her food. After she’s eaten it, open the envelope and listen carefully to what she says. Then, when you return, tell everything. And don’t try anything sneaky, or I’ll not only inform Professor Dumbledore about tonight’s little trespass, but I’ll make sure the Ministry hears you purposely let Sirius Black escape. And believe , they’ll believe it."
The confidence in Kyle’s tone was undeniable. Once Sirius was free, he could file a complaint himself, claiming the Dentors had failed in their duties. The Ministry wouldn’t have any choice but to take it seriously.
The Dentor trembled slightly, as if realizing the implications. With a rigid, withered hand, it reached out, grasping the envelope and the small vial slowly before drifting away into the darkness.
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