A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 422 The Dementors' Overtime Pay (Third Update!)

As night fell, Hogwarts Castle was brightly lit.

The two young people leaned on each other, sitting quietly atop the castle tower, gazing into the distance at the brilliant starry autumn night sky.

Hermione rested her head on William's shoulder, swung her legs, and softly sang a Scottish folk song in a clear, melodious voice.

Inside the castle beneath them, someone was also singing. The banquet was already halfway through, filled with laughter and joy.

After an unknown amount of time, William unfolded a map of Hogwarts, which was densely covered with countless lines and names.

Finally, Blake's name appeared.

He emerged from behind the statue of the hunchbacked witch through the Honey Duke's secret passage, and like a ghost, silently ran along the road toward Gryffindor.

According to the map, Black stood at the gates of Gryffindor for a long time but could not get in. Then, at a certain moment, the gates were suddenly opened.

He slipped into the Gryffindor common room.

Currently, there are only two possibilities: either the fat lady opened the door herself, or someone opened the door for Blake.

But upon closer inspection of the map, the Gryffindor common room was empty, with only Black's name on it.

It seems that only the fat lady could have opened the door!

Blake went into the lounge instead of the dormitory.

Peeves' traps and Professor McGonagall's armored guards blocked his way.

"Should we go and catch him?" Hermione asked.

"No, our goal is to stop the Dementors from entering the castle," William said.

Dumbledore made it clear that their mission was to stop a large number of Dementors from flooding into the castle.

Unlike other places, Hogwarts Castle has countless rooms.

Once the Dementors invade, search Black; they can easily get trapped in certain rooms.

If someone deliberately hides inside, they might be attacked if they encounter a lone wizard.

It could easily lead to countless deaths.

The sheer number of Dementors is a bigger problem than Black.

The principal's name actually carries another, more subtle meaning.

Blake sneaked into the school through a secret passage, which could not possibly have alerted the Dementors, yet they did notice, which in itself is suspicious.

It can only be said that someone discovered Black and deliberately lured the Dementors in, wanting to... kill him!

All the teachers and students were in the Great Hall, and Ron, the only one who was out, was in Snape's office... So, who did it?

After thinking for a long time, William could only think of the... mole that Tom had left at school!

But then another question arises: why would Tom's mole risk exposing himself by luring the Dementors to kill Black, a known Death Eater?

From a certain perspective, they should be considered "friendly forces".

While it's a traditional skill of the Great Ying Empire to deliberately sabotage allies, there's a time and place for betraying teammates.

William is now more interested in the mole than in Black, whom the headmaster used to "test" Harry.

He even considered turning Tom into a spy!

Sure enough, something unusual happened soon after.

The two Dementor guards at the entrance, who had been quietly standing watch, suddenly smelled a peculiar odor.

Dementors have no eyes, but with their "cherry lips," they are invincible. They can even "see through" illusion spells and invisibility cloaks.

William was certain that the mole was at work, deliberately luring the Dementors into the castle.

The method is very simple; you just need to go through the gate.

At this time, no young wizards go out, and any wizards entering the castle, including Dementors, will mistake them for Black... who has arrived.

Strangely, William did not find anyone's name at the school gate when he looked at the Hogwarts map.

The Hogwarts Magical Map, derived from the Marauder's Map, is based on the obscure spell "Tracking Charm" that the Marauders placed within the school.

Very few people know this spell, which is why, despite selling so many maps, no young wizard has ever been able to decipher it.

However, if one casts a spell on their own name, they can conceal their location and become unmarkable.

This is a very complex and profound magic; it is said that Voldemort cast a spell on his own name.

Therefore, for a long time, people have used "mysterious person" as a substitute, not only because of fear, but also for this reason.

Another way is to know the Tracking Spell, which can hide your location and prevent you from appearing on the Marauder's Map.

Therefore, it cannot be displayed on the Hogwarts map.

The maps sold in Akali's Mystery Shop all follow this pattern. They only show the buyer's location and cannot tag other people.

Clearly, the mole either cast a spell on his own name or knew the 'Tracking Spell'.

William transformed into a sea eagle, and Hermione rode on it with practiced ease.

With his wings spread, a gentle breeze swept by, and he soared into the air, carrying Hermione across the campus.

Finally, it landed on a stone pillar next to the school's cast iron gate.

The two, under the illusion spell, gazed intently at what lay below.

The Dementors had already entered the school and were slowly gliding forward.

The mole should be nearby, but William can't see him.

The person was very cautious; not only did they hide their name, but they also used a Disappearance Charm or an Invisibility Cloak.

William waved his wand and whispered, "Invisibility Cloak, come here!"

But the spell had no effect.

It seems the other party wasn't wearing an invisibility cloak, but rather a master of the Illusionary Transformation spell, which even William couldn't detect.

He's a cautious mole!

The Dementors could no longer contain themselves, and the two of them suddenly flew into the sky, their black robes fluttering lightly.

They emitted a screeching sound, like a faulty wireless telegraph connection.

Soon, the Dementors stationed at the various entrances, as well as those in the Forbidden Forest and the distant Hogsmeade Village, were all attracted to the area.

A swarm of black-robed figures rushed straight towards the castle, numbering no less than three hundred.

There are too many Dementors, and they seem to be frantically growing and secretly creating humans.

"What should we do?" Hermione asked.

William continued to gaze at the castle. He had confirmed many things, but he still hadn't discovered... who the mole was.

After a long pause, he took a breath and said, "With so many Dementors, we can only lure them together and deal with them later."

"How do we lure them here? Do we need happy memories?" Hermione asked.

"Food is one way, but there's another way to lure monsters, called...drawing hatred!" William chuckled.

"Hermione, do you think if we release the Dementor we've captured, the other Dementors will hear its cries for help and come to its rescue?"

Hermione paused, then said seriously, "Definitely."

"Where are you planning to put the Dementors?"

"The place we go to most often!"

……

……

The eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle

A smooth door was opened.

Countless Dementors slid inside, following the cries for help.

"There's only one last thing left." A moment later, William appeared in the doorway, waving his wand.

"Protect the Gods!"

A silver eagle flew through the door and headed downstairs. It was going to the Great Hall to give Dumbledore a warning.

William certainly didn't manage to lure all the Dementors over; the rest will be the professors' responsibility.

William and Hermione closed the door, and from the outside, the door completely disappeared, turning into a wall.

"Closing the door to beat the dog... Done!"

……

……

The Dementors slid toward where their companions had called for help, and one Dementor seemed to have caught a whiff of something delicious.

Being a clever little thing, it secretly broke away from the main group and flew off to the other side.

It turned left and right, passed a giant specimen, flew a short distance, and finally stopped in front of a large cabinet with a bubbly surface, as if it had been splashed with strong acid.

Beside the cabinet was a tattered half-body statue of an ugly old wizard, and on one side was a rusty... crown.

It sniffed hard and detected the scent of a soul. It opened its "cherry-like mouth," preparing to...

Secretly treat yourself to a "chicken leg"!

Consider it overtime pay.

This... isn't too much to ask, is it?!

……

……

(Third update, please vote for me, everyone.)

(End of this chapter)