From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 223 Azkaban
The sun was setting, and orange-red waves were rippling on the calm sea. A small wooden boat was creating ripples and sailing under the golden clouds.

This small wooden boat was very strange. It had no oars, no sails, and no rumbling machines like those made by Muggles. Instead, it was guided by a wizard standing on the bow holding a small wooden stick.

Behind the wizard, a couple, both wrapped in thick robes, sat on a small wooden boat.

My husband had long light blond hair and a pale, pointed face. His grey eyes were staring intently at the sea, without blinking.

His hands were clasped tightly with his wife's beneath his robe, causing wrinkles on his expensive mink gloves.

A gust of cold wind blew, and Lucius came to his senses and helped his wife tighten her robe.

Narcissa pursed her lips tightly, and there was only uneasiness on her beautiful face that always showed arrogance, because she came here to complete a mission, for the key to the Lestrange family vault in Bella's hand.

It suddenly became dark around us, but it was clearly not time for the sun to set yet.

Lucius looked at the mist that quietly appeared around him and sighed deeply: "Narcissa, if..."

Narcissa squeezed his fingers as she clasped her hands with his, and Lucius fell silent.

"I can do it..." Narcissa's voice was as soft as a mosquito's. "For Draco, and for you..."

The fog around them grew thicker and thicker until everyone on the small wooden boat saw a black shadow rising out of the fog.

It was an isolated castle standing on a black reef. It had no windows and no fluttering flags. It just stood there eerily, as if absorbing all the darkness around it.

The small wooden boat docked at a simple pier made of a few wooden boards, and a figure with a lighted lantern approached.

The wizard standing at the bow tapped his wand, and the rope on the boat immediately tied itself to the wooden piles of the dock, and meticulously tied it into a beautiful bow.

"Please come in, Mr. and Madam Director." The Auror's face was hard. No one would like to get close to this miserable and sad place, even if he sometimes had to come here to work.

Lucius nodded silently without making any other sound.

"Please note that the visiting time must not be delayed until the sun sets completely. There are no wizards on duty in Azkaban at night, and the Dementors will not allow wizards to carry out nocturnal activities on the island."

The figure holding the lantern was another Auror. He looked like he couldn't wait to leave here. Long white air spurted out of his mouth and he jumped onto the wooden boat in two steps. "Great! Why are you here so early today? Let's start the boat!"

"No, you still have a quarter of an hour to finish your work for the day, and I'm not here just to pick you up." The Auror driving the boat whispered to his companion.

"You heard it, both of you. A quarter of an hour. We will not wait even a second longer." The Auror did not care about Lucius' position in the Ministry of Magic, because he knew that the Dementors would not care either. "Bellatrix Lestrange's cell is at the very back. Just keep going straight in!"

Lucius and Narcissa said nothing as they hurried across the pier and up the steep stone steps.

"I remember that was the new director of the department? A high-ranking official." The Auror, who had already huddled in the wooden boat, started chatting with his companion.

"They were once Death Eaters." The Auror who escorted the Malfoys ashore sneered.

"Really?" The Auror on the wooden boat stood up. "Shouldn't we go over and take a look? You know, in case..."

"Are you stupid?" The Auror standing on the dock poked the flame of the lantern with his wand. "Dementors will not leave their own food behind."

"Too."

The incomplete walls of Azkaban were filled with Dementors, with skinny fingers extending from under tattered black robes, as if trying to catch the last bit of happiness and sanity left in the wind.

Lucius held his wife's hand tightly, and at the same time secretly clenched the phoenix feather hidden in his arms.

The Dementors just watched silently and made no attempt to stop them from entering.

Passing through the dark and deep cells, the cold air inside Azkaban penetrated the skin of the Malfoys little by little, as if they were not wrapped in heavy robes, but were running naked in the snow.

"Lucius..." A hoarse voice suddenly sounded, "Our old friend, what are you doing here?"

Lucius turned his head and saw Antonin Dolohov, one of Voldemort's staunch supporters.

"Where's Bella?" Lucius asked. "Dolohov?"

"Why should I answer your question ..." Dolohov laughed, showing his ugly yellow teeth. "Answer a traitor's question!"

The Malfoys did not stop and continued to walk inside.

"Come back!" Dolohov threw himself on the iron railing and roared at the Malfoys, "I told you to come back!"

Narcissa shuddered, and Lucius pulled his wife toward him.

"Look! Our old friends are here! Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy!" Dolohov shouted loudly, and many Death Eaters who still had some sense climbed to the railings, and the previously lifeless cell suddenly became lively.

These ragged and disheveled Death Eaters slammed the railings, howled and cursed desperately, and even spit everywhere.

The Malfoys walked further in until they saw Bellatrix Lestrange sitting on a stone bed.

Lucius patted his wife's back wordlessly and turned to stand guard for them.

Narcissa, on the other hand, approached the cell and crouched on the floor, looking at her sister.

The three Black sisters are all considered beauties. Although Bella's skin is not as white as her sister Narcissa's, their facial features are surprisingly similar. Long-term imprisonment has made her cheeks sunken and haggard, and she looks no different from a skeleton, but one can still see some of her former charm.

"Sissi?" Bella's voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of madness. "Am I dreaming? Otherwise, how could I see you and your cowardly husband in this damn place?"

"We need your help, Bella." Narcissa's cheek twitched, and she walked over and whispered.

"Why do you think I would lend a helping hand?" Bella tilted her head, her venomous eyes looking at Narcissa through her messy hair.

"Listen carefully, Bella." Narcissa looked around warily, and her voice lowered unconsciously, "This is for the Dark Lord."

"He...he's back?" Bella asked tremblingly, and lowered her voice involuntarily.

"No, not yet." Narcissa stared into her sister's eyes, not letting up at all. "But we need him back."

Bella looked unconvinced: "Why now? Where have you been enjoying yourself all these years?"

"Because it was not until recently that we were sure that the Dark Lord was still alive. Before that, we always thought that he had left completely." Narcissa's words had been carefully choreographed. Even if Bella could use Legilimency without a wand, she could only conclude that her sister was telling the truth.

"Who did you hear this from?" Bella began to get excited, thinking of all the possible people. "McNeil? The Carrows? Travers? Or Selwyn?"

Facing her sister's expectant gaze, Narcissa shook her head and said, "Neither, it's Dumbledore."

Bella looked like someone had grabbed her throat, and after a long while she yelled, "This is impossible!"

"My husband saw a letter from Dumbledore to the current Minister at the Ministry of Magic, which mentioned this." Narcissa said, "Dumbledore is the most vigilant opponent of the Dark Lord. Anyone could lie about this, except him."

Bella tried to protest but finally nodded in frustration.

The people who know you best are often not your friends or relatives, but your enemies.

This sentence is very appropriate for Dumbledore and Voldemort.

Just think about it, apart from Dumbledore, who else would mobilize all kinds of connections, write letters day after day for decades, make field visits, and extract memories from the brains of those who had seen Voldemort with their own eyes, just to understand his greatest opponent a little better?
The same thing happened to Voldemort. After his resurrection, he dug deep into Dumbledore's entire past. He even instructed Rita Skeeter to write a book specifically to slander the old wizard after his death. He really put a lot of thought into it.

If Dumbledore said that Voldemort was still alive, it would definitely be the most credible. But those who were reminded again and again always turned a deaf ear and dumb, just to hold on to the little insignificant power in their hands. But he didn't know that power is like water, the tighter you hold it, the faster it runs away.

"Are you going to let us all out?" Bella asked in a low voice, "These Dementors are not easy to deal with..." "No, we are here to borrow money..." Narcissa glanced at the jailer at the other end of the passage. The rag covering him was fluttering in the wind.

"Borrow money?" Bella was surprised. The Death Eaters in Azkaban had not touched money for more than ten years.

Then she became alert again, because there was something entrusted to her by Voldemort in the vault.

"Although we already know from Dumbledore that the Dark Lord is still alive, no one knows where he is. In order to pass the message to him, we must make a very big noise. Only in this way can we ensure that the Dark Lord knows that there are still his servants in the wizarding world."

Bella couldn't help but widen her eyes at Narcissa's words.

"Lucius spent a lot of money to get the position of Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. It was not easy to get to this point..." Narcissa continued to talk about her and her husband's plan. "The British Ministry of Magic will host a year-long Quidditch World Cup starting in the second half of this year. This is a world-class event, and countless wizards will come to the UK."

"Are you planning to pass on a message to the Dark Lord at the World Cup?" Bella, who had been tortured in Azkaban for more than a decade, couldn't figure out whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"It's not us, it's Lucius's companions." Narcissa felt that her sister had almost taken the bait. "We are still too obvious. A riot that attracts attention, or releases the Dark Mark. In short, we need to attract attention."

"Will this also attract the attention of Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic?" Bella tried to use her brain, which had not been used for a long time. "If the Dark Lord has not shown up for such a long time, then his condition must be very bad. Maybe he doesn't want to attract too much attention."

"Dumbledore never lets his guard down," Narcissa said. "As for the Ministry of Magic, they have a very stupid minister. Even though Dumbledore wrote to him again and again, he still couldn't get him to respond. I believe that if our plan really succeeds, he might even rush to help cover it up!"

"But Lucius has already spent too many gold Galleons for the position of Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and hosting the World Cup is still a bottomless pit, so I hope you can lend a hand, Bella." Narcissa finally got to the point.

"No...I can't." Bella hesitated and rejected Narcissa's request.

"Why?" Narcissa seemed to have never expected her sister to be so heartless.

"Sissi, actually, you just need to pass the message to the Dark Lord at the World Cup. There is no need for your husband to be the director, right?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"If no one works in the Ministry of Magic, how can they help the Dark Lord? Don't forget Harry Potter. He is the culprit that caused the Dark Lord to be away for so long!" Narcissa said anxiously, "Letting Lucius stay in the Ministry of Magic is the most beneficial plan for the Dark Lord!"

"They are coming! They must have been attracted by those guys who kept shouting!" Lucius, who had been staring at the direction they came from, said, "The sun is about to set! We can't stay here any longer!"

"But..." Narcissa turned anxiously to look at the Dementors at the door.

"I knew your sister was unreliable." Lucius said without turning his head. "How much brains can you expect from someone who has been in Azkaban for more than ten years?"

"Bella! Sister!" Narcissa begged, "Help!"

"No..." Bella said with difficulty.

"Well..." Narcissa wiped her tears, "Perhaps our whole family will be reunited here soon... At least tell me the reason?"

"The Dark Lord entrusted me with a very important treasure. I cannot let it go wrong..." Bella whispered, "He trusts me..."

"Treasure?" Narcissa turned to ask her husband, "Do you have one too? I remember one time when you were alone with the Dark Lord, you came back with a package and never let anyone know what was inside..."

"Then what happens between me and the Dark Lord has nothing to do with you..." Lucius had already raised his wand, sweat kept dripping down from his forehead, and the breath from his mouth almost became a column of smoke.

"We have to go!" Lucius urged again.

Narcissa stood up and whispered to Bella, "Promise me that you will stay here and not go crazy, okay?"

"..." Bella hesitated for a moment and stuffed a stained golden key into Narcissa's hand, "Don't let me down..."

Narcissa's eyes widened. She hugged her sister through the iron bars and whispered in her ear, "I will tell him! I will!"

With that, Narcissa put the golden key in her arms and hurriedly followed her husband to the door.

The Malfoys almost ran towards the door, but the Death Eaters' shouting had already attracted too many Dementors. This kind of angry and fanatical emotion was the Dementors' favorite food.

"What should we do?" Narcissa screamed to her husband.

"We have to trust that lord..." Lucius's face was pale and he staggered. Every step he took required great strength.

From an outsider's perspective, this is like walking into a trap and sending oneself into the Dementor's mouth.

Just as Lucius encountered the Dementors, a strong flash of light suddenly exploded.

All the Dementors that encountered the strong light were like snowflakes falling into a charcoal fire. They disappeared completely without even a scream.

The surrounding Dementors flew around like headless flies, looking furious and terrified.

The Malfoys walked down the steep, slippery stairs until they saw the pier with its pitiful lights on.

The two Aurors who had already prepared to set off also saw the flash inside Azkaban and discussed in confusion: "What is that? Some kind of Patronus Charm?"

"Two Death Eaters can use the Patronus Charm? I think you are joking!" The Auror who sent the Malfoys ashore didn't quite believe it.

"Wait! What's behind them?" Another Auror pointed behind the Malfoys.

Countless Dementors floated above Azkaban, circling behind the two of them.

"Damn it! Get ready to let go of the cable!"

The Auror sitting on the wooden boat had just taken out his wand when the Malfoys jumped onto the boat.

Before he could say a word, the hemp rope that tied the small wooden boat was cut by an invisible blade, and the small wooden boat immediately rushed out.

"They're coming! The Dementors!"

Lucius looked back and saw that the Dementors formed a black fog wall, pressing down on the small wooden boat.

The Auror who was not steering the wooden boat forward prepared to cast a Patronus Charm, but after trying several times, he could only make his wand spray out a silvery-white mist, and the amount sprayed out was getting smaller and smaller each time.

Seeing that the Dementor with the longest hand was about to get on the small wooden boat, Lucius took out the phoenix feather that he had hidden in his arms in a hurry and tried to lift it up.

The golden-red feathers suddenly caught fire, and Lucius's hands felt hot, so he subconsciously let go.

Before he could reach out to catch it, the feather had already burned up.

Golden magic emerged from the ashes of the feathers, forming an extremely ferocious dragon, howling and rushing towards the Dementors.

That was Ivy's patron saint of light. He referred to the method of making magic scrolls and used the phoenix feather as a carrier to seal his most powerful lethal magic against dark creatures.

The golden dragon rushed left and right among the Dementors, as if it was in an empty space. The dragon's mouth, tail, claws, and wings were all deadly weapons to the Dementors. After sacrificing the lives of several of their companions, the Dementors returned to the thick fog unwillingly.

The wizards on the ship stared at the scene in amazement.

"what is that?"

"It seems to be a magical item?"

The two wizards turned their eyes to the Malfoys.

Lucius said nothing, sitting upright in the small wooden boat, wiping the sweat from his wife's forehead with a handkerchief.

(End of this chapter)