Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0211 Death?

Bryan felt a surge of nostalgia as he listened to Dumbledore's question. He had been lost in his memories of the desolate island of Avalon, where he had explored the ancient Greek temple at the heart of the island and marvelled at the nine splendid murals that adorned its walls. The murals depicted the epic battle between the legendary King Arthur and his faithful wizard Merlin on one side, and the treacherous Queen of Avalon, Morgana le Fay, on the other. It was a battle that had shaken the foundations of the wizarding world but few knew, and had left only one survivor: Merlin himself. 

King Arthur and Morgana le Fay, the mortal enemies who also appeared in the Muggle legends, had both perished in the clash, and the fate of Merlin and the dark shadow that had possessed Morgana was shrouded in mystery. 

Bryan shuddered as he thought of the dark shadow, a sinister force that had corrupted Morgana. 

He glanced at the bottle on the desk in front of him, and wondered silently. 

'Morgana le Fay was known as the Witch of Avalon, and was affiliated with the ancient Druid sect that had flourished at that time. This was recorded in both the Muggle and wizarding histories.

But the dark shadow within Morgana was mentioned in those murals only. Where did it come from, and where did it go? Was it imprisoned by Merlin in the Black Stone Tower, the mysterious structure that stood deep in the Knockturn Alley? 

And what about the Twin-Serpent Staff, the powerful artifact that the dark shadow had hurled at Merlin in a final act of defiance?'

… Dementors-Azkaban.'

The words flashed in his mind, and he snapped out of his reverie. He looked at Dumbledore, who was waiting patiently for his answer. 

"Do you know the exact location of Azkaban, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Bryan asked, his face expressionless, hiding the turmoil in his heart. 

Dumbledore was not surprised that Bryan wanted to go to Azkaban to investigate, after all, he had a personal reason to do so. The Dementors, the foul creatures that had altered his patronus, had been first discovered there. 

"I'm sorry, Bryan–" Dumbledore shook his head and said, "The location of Azkaban is a top secret in the wizarding world, it is protected by the Unbreakable Vow and the Fidelius Charm by the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries, passed down from generation to generation. I'm afraid even Cornelius doesn't know which Unspeakable holds the secret." 

"How does the Ministry of Magic manage to imprison the criminals there?" Bryan wondered. 

"Portkey–" Dumbledore smiled with a complex expression, "Once the Wizengamot decides that a wizard should be sent to Azkaban, the Hit Wizards will escort him through a two-way Portkey set up in the Ministry of Magic directly to Azkaban. If-" 

Dumbledore paused, as he looked at Bryan who was listening intently. He suddenly imagined a possibility: The notorious bounty hunter in the underworld, Golden-Viper, had broken into the Ministry of Magic, incapacitated all the security forces there, and stole the Portkey to Azkaban. At present, the Ministry of Magic had not yet learned what the purpose of Golden-Viper's heinous crime was, but it was not ruled out that Golden-Viper might have accepted a commission to rescue a certain prisoner who was locked up in Azkaban. Thinking of this, Dumbledore felt a shiver in his heart, he knew that Bryan had the courage and the skill to do so. 

"If you need to go to Azkaban," Dumbledore looked at the young man who seemed to be contemplating something, and said with a grave tone, "I can apply for you to Cornelius with some pretext like a research project on the Defense Against the Dark Arts, I believe Cornelius will not refuse my request, but I think he will ask me to accompany you, or at least, he will probably let Rufus or Barty go with you." 

Bryan frowned, he wanted to investigate these things, each of which could cause a huge commotion if exposed, and he couldn't do anything with so many people watching him. 

"Thank you for your kindness, Headmaster Dumbledore," Bryan nodded gratefully, "I'll find a way myself." 

"Bryan." Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, his blue eyes shooting a stern look, and his tone also conveying a warning.

"I understand what you are concerned about, Headmaster Dumbledore." Bryan smiled, "Don't worry, I'm not such an impatient wizard, I will wait for the right opportunity, and I won't make it known to the world, and make people panic."

The discussion about how to infiltrate Azkaban came to a halt, as Dumbledore realised that he could not dissuade Bryan from his perilous plan. He tried to impress upon him the grave consequences that would ensue if the wizarding world discovered that the Ministry of Magic had lost its grip on the notorious prison, where the most vile criminals were locked away. then, for the residents of the British wizarding world, it would be a dreadful thing.

"Dementors, these abominable creatures–" Bryan would probably do those things, Dumbledore knew it well, so he said about them directly, "Since they were first encountered more than a few centuries ago, wizards have never ceased to study them. When I was young, I also attempted to unravel their mysteries for a while, of course, only through the documents. As the common wisdom goes, they cannot be killed, the only thing that can repel them is the Patronus Charm–"

"Even you can't kill them?" Bryan interrupted, narrowing his eyes. "I mean, with all your strength?"

Dumbledore noticed that Bryan's cup of tea had gone cold, and he waved his wand to refill it with a flick of his finger. He met Bryan's gaze with a helpless smile, but did not answer his question.

Dumbledore's silence was itself the answer. 

But it was indeed a curious thing, wasn't it?

Bryan blew away the tea leaves that floated on the surface of his cup, and took a sip of the hot beverage. He pondered the paradox of the dementor's existence.

'Where There is life, there is death, this was the law of nature, and the law of the universe. Even with the aid of magic, one could not escape this iron-clad law.

If there was a creature that had a very long lifespan, and that had no known way of being killed, then why did so many dark wizards and ambitious people throughout history try to devise various methods to prevent their own death, even at the cost of splitting their souls and creating horcruxes?

Wasn't that a foolish thing to do? Why didn't they rush into Azkaban and study how to transform themselves into dementors?

Unless, dementors were not a kind of life at all.'

"Do dementors have souls?" Bryan asked, after a moment of contemplation. He blinked his light purple eyes, which contrasted with his light grey hair.

"You have grasped the core of the problem–" Dumbledore said, impressed by Bryan's insight. 

The dementors that ordinary wizards feared and loathed, for Dumbledore and Bryan, were actually nothing. Besides being unkillable, these things could not pose a threat to them. 

With a hint of appreciation in his deep blue eyes, Dumbledore smiled and said, "Like you, Bryan, my main way of studying dementors is to consult literature, and many years ago, a dear friend of mine seemed to have done some real research, and in the letter he gave me, he mentioned an interesting point."

The person who was hailed by Dumbledore as a dear friend, actually went to study the dementors, a creature closely related to dark magic, in person. Bryan raised his eyebrows, and then thought of some unverifiable rumors about Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the present age, when he was young.

"He believed that the soul of the dementor was its body, a kind of 'spirit-flesh' unity creature, the dementor used 'evil thoughts' as its body, and that there was a mysterious connection between individuals. Perhaps their life force was connected." Dumbledore said, quoting Grindelwald's letter.

"So, dementors are not unkillable, but they can't be killed individually. Mr. Grindelwald is indeed a genius." Bryan said, nodding thoughtfully. He was intrigued by Grindelwald's theory, and wondered if it could be tested and verified.

In Dumbledore's bitter smile, Bryan detected a trace of sadness and nostalgia. 

"What else, did Mr. Grindelwald mention anything else? For example, the reason why this creature was created or the method of making it?" Bryan asked, hoping to learn more from Dumbledore.

"Some things happened and later–" Dumbledore said, his old face twitching with a fleeting bitterness. 

"We completely cut off our private contact." He said, ending the conversation.

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