Chapter 606: Chapter 606: Azkaban and Surveillance (2) (Edited)
The Dementors who had gathered were shocked by Voldemort's malevolent aura. In their knowledge, rarely did a human have such profound darkness.
"I come to grant you freedom, join me, submit to me, and I will allow you to hunt freely," Voldemort said directly.
His expression was arrogant because he believed he was offering an irresistible deal to the Dementors.
The Dementors present: ???
Voldemort's words were difficult for them to comprehend. Why should they submit to him, and what did hunting freely mean?
The Dementors looked at each other, bewildered by the communication.
Seeing the uneasy reaction of the Dementors, Voldemort thought his persuasion had succeeded.
He extended his hands, pale fingers clutching his wand. Voldemort gestured with both hands, indicating to the Dementors to calm down.
"Creatures like you shouldn't be confined to this small island. Under my rule, you can have a wider space for survival."
The Dementors only felt that the words of this individual before them were becoming increasingly incomprehensible. If it weren't for the malevolent aura that made them uneasy, they would have already approached and captured him.
Before, when they were hungry, they might have been deceived by Voldemort, but now Tom had provided them with enough food, which reduced the appeal of Voldemort's offer.
It's important to note that even in the original timeline, the Dementors didn't become loyal to Voldemort as soon as he came to seek them. Voldemort was resurrected at the end of Harry's fourth year, and the first major breakout from Azkaban happened in January 1996, almost half a year later. Even after that, the Dementors remained loyal to the Ministry of Magic until the Death Eaters took full control of the Ministry, and Scrimgeour lost internal control of the Ministry, leading to the second major breakout from Azkaban.
The issue lay here.
Even after Voldemort came to seek them, the Death Eaters didn't replace the Ministry of Magic. The structure of the Ministry of Magic remained, and even the Death Eaters placed a puppet as Minister, not making Voldemort the Minister and Bellatrix the Head of Aurors. So, did the Dementors really break their promises and betray the wizards?
They didn't; they always acted under the orders of wizards. When Voldemort and the Death Eaters controlled the Ministry of Magic, their behavior was more legitimate: they were indeed acting under the orders of the Ministry of Magic. Whether it was Minister Fudge or Scrimgeour, or even a puppet, didn't affect the Dementors much.
In the eyes of the Dementors, all of this was just an internal dispute among wizards. After considering it, they chose the more powerful side.
Were they wrong?
From Albus Dumbledore's perspective, the Dementors made a mistake, but from the Dementors' perspective, it seemed like they hadn't done anything wrong.
The Dementors were a neutral force; they would lean toward the side that offered them more power. The prerequisite was that there was no leader.
But now the Dementors had a leader!
This is why Tom appeared here.
After some contemplation, the Dementors found that this choice seemed complicated. So, they unanimously decided to let their king resolve this issue.
"We... will listen... to... the... king."
"The king... will decide."
Voldemort understood what the Dementors were saying, and a question mark floated in his mind: how did he not know that these dark creatures had a "king"?
Tom Riddle: I've devoted my entire life to studying dark magic, is there any dark magic in the wizarding world that I don't know?
Well, he certainly didn't know this information.
Voldemort silently noted in his mind that the Dementors had a leader.
He looked around, trying to find the king of the Dementors.
Having a leader was a good thing! Voldemort knew that this news, aside from being surprising, wouldn't arouse other emotions in him. He even felt a bit happy because persuading a group of creatures was obviously more difficult than persuading an individual.
But what if the king didn't cooperate? Voldemort felt like he was familiar with this; he would switch to another and solve the problem.
However, in Voldemort's eyes, all the Dementors looked the same; he couldn't distinguish who the king of the Dementors was. Until the Dementors withdrew, and one who was slightly shorter stood out.
Indeed, Tom had been unfairly judged; after transforming into a Dementor, his body became very slim. Even with the hood on, he stood over two meters tall. But sadly, the other Dementors around him were generally taller, over two and a half meters, so Tom appeared smaller in comparison.
On this point, Napoleon and Tom definitely had much in common. The impression Napoleon left on many people was that of a short man, but his height was around 170 centimeters, which created that impression because his Imperial Guard had an average height of 179.5 centimeters.
Voldemort, in front of Tom, displayed a more haughty attitude.
With his long fingers gripping his wand, he traced an arc in front of himself and said, "Submit to me, King of the Dementors."
A flash of desire crossed Voldemort's crimson eyes; he urgently needed the Dementors' support.
"I will grant the Dementors a level of freedom and power unimaginable. Across the continent, you may hunt Muggles at will, and you will retain the power to guard Azkaban, which I will not take from you."
Tom pretended to think for a moment and gave a response that left Voldemort dissatisfied.
"I refuse."
"The Dementors already have enough sources of food, and what you promise does not attract us. We will not submit to anyone."
"Nor will we betray the ancient pact; we will continue to obey the orders of the Ministry of Magic. I suggest you run for Minister of Magic instead."
Voldemort understood Tom's words, and while he admired Tom's coherent thinking, he felt a surge of anger burning in his chest.
Ingrateful, stupid beast!
Voldemort was exceptionally angry, and on impulse, he wanted to teach Tom a lesson, but Tom cleverly hid among the Dementors. It would be difficult to teach his King through the numerous creatures.
Once it started, it probably wouldn't end well.
Voldemort restrained himself and calmed down. He decided to give this group of beasts one last chance.
"We can make a deal; I need to take some people with me, in exchange, I will provide you with ten times more human beings."
For Voldemort, a one-to-ten ratio was already a quite generous offer, although a thousand Muggles wouldn't compare to one loyal servant.
Tom shook his head, "Putting someone in Azkaban or taking them out requires permission from the Ministry of Magic... If you don't have it, you better leave."
Voldemort was completely furious. He could no longer control his inner rage and realized that perhaps he had been too indulgent, making the Dementors unaware of his power and terror.
After dying once, he had become hesitant. Voldemort reflected on his actions and came to a conclusion: absolute power was what worked best! Without enough strength to intimidate, even low-level creatures like the Dementors dared to ignore his goodwill time and time again.
Once he understood this, Voldemort no longer hesitated. He waved his wand violently, quickly creating a series of residual images, and then a large black serpent appeared in front of him.
"Expecto Daemonium!" (Call of the demons)
"What is this?" Tom tried to sense the magic Voldemort was using. He realized that Voldemort's spell felt somewhat familiar but also unknown to him.
After analyzing it a bit more, he came to a conclusion that was difficult for him to accept: Voldemort had summoned a Patronus!
Could Voldemort also use a spell like the Patronus? How could he understand a spell like that? Did it have any relation to Voldemort?
Wait, that wasn't a genuine Patronus. True Patronuses summoned were warm, pleasant, filled with love and the beauty of the human world. However, the Patronus Voldemort had summoned clearly didn't have those effects. It was corrupted, dirty, and filled with negative emotions.
Tom finally understood everything.
So, that was it!
He even admired Voldemort for his ingenuity, as he had used the Patronus spell in reverse.
The Patronus was one of the most challenging spells in magic; many common wizards couldn't conjure it using the standard procedures. But Voldemort had gone against the current and, harnessing various dark emotions, had managed to summon a corrupted version of the Patronus. He truly was a unique genius.
At that moment, it became clear that Tom's plan to use Voldemort's inability to use the Patronus to get rid of him had failed. According to his original plan, only the Patronus could harm the Dementors, and dark wizards who relied too much on dark magic couldn't use the Patronus spell. Therefore, dark wizards were completely suppressed in front of the Dementors.
However, now that Voldemort had summoned a reverse Patronus, his beautiful dream had vanished.
But, upon further reflection, if Voldemort were truly controlled by the Dementors, how could he have come to Azkaban alone? At least, he would have brought two of his followers as escorts. The Patronus used positive emotions, and Voldemort used negative emotions.
Although Tom Riddle was evil and ruthless, he wasn't like a block of wood incapable of feeling happiness. In the original timeline, after killing Harry Potter, he was very happy. Tom believed that at that moment, he could feel happiness.
After completing his spell, Voldemort's expression grew even colder as he directed his snake towards the Dementors. In an instant, the Dementors who were arranged in rows scattered due to Voldemort. They emitted cries of pain and hurriedly flew away, leaving Tom exposed.
"Remember, Lord Voldemort's benevolence is not limitless," Voldemort said sinisterly as he directed his "Patronus" towards Tom.
He was going to teach this presumptuous individual a lesson.
Suddenly, a silvery phoenix flew towards Tom and clashed with Voldemort's large serpent with a loud bang. Both Patronuses engaged in a battle.
"What...?" Voldemort yelled, looking around, and then he gasped as he saw Albus Dumbledore not far away in the corridor. "Dumbledore!"
"Surprised, Riddle?" Dumbledore took long strides as he emerged from a dark hallway and stood in front of Voldemort.
Voldemort didn't respond; he raised his hand and fired a green bolt directly at Dumbledore's chest, but the latter turned like the wind and evaded Voldemort's Killing Curse. In the next instant, Dumbledore appeared to Voldemort's left, waving his wand.
Several flames formed a phoenix beside him, and the phoenix, squawking, swooped down on Voldemort. Voldemort also disappeared and then reappeared in the center of the empty space in Azkaban's prison.
Azkaban Prison rose on a small island in the middle of the sea, with a triangular outer shape and a central area that served as a resting place for prisoners in other prisons. However, in Azkaban, this area was used to store the remains of deceased prisoners.
Voldemort raised his head, looking down at Dumbledore with a mocking expression on his face.
"That crooked nose seems to be quite skilled... Dumbledore likes sticking his nose into Azkaban, doesn't he?"
Voldemort was projecting his own actions onto others; in reality, Dumbledore had not been monitoring Azkaban, at least not at that moment.
"Tom, your presence here has saved us from taking a long detour. This is Azkaban," Dumbledore said calmly, even jesting a bit.
Voldemort spat on the ground and quickly cast a Killing Curse, but since they were at a certain distance, Dumbledore didn't even move and allowed the Killing Curse to fall near his feet.
"I think this place would be perfect to bury your old bones." Voldemort wasn't willing to be left behind in the verbal battle.
As the two of them fought, Tom resumed his human form and retreated to a corner, preparing to intervene. As for the Dementors, they stayed at a safe distance. The energy released during the battle between the two wizards kept them away, not daring to approach. Meanwhile, the prisoners locked in Azkaban's cells peered anxiously through the bars, waiting to see what would happen.
Bang!
With an explosion, Dumbledore's Patronus phoenix and the large snake summoned by Voldemort exploded together, turning into mixed black and silver smoke.
Their dispersal seemed like a starting signal, and both Dumbledore and Voldemort acted simultaneously.
Dumbledore gently twirled his wand, and a spell of extraordinary power shot out from the tip. The power of this spell even made Tom, who had retreated to the side, shudder and his hair stand on end. His instincts told him that this spell could end him.
To withstand that spell, Voldemort was forced to dissipate his own attack spell and then create a silver shield to face Dumbledore's spell.
Chapter 607: Chapter 607: Purification! (Edited)
Voldemort's shield and Dumbledore's spell clashed with a gong-like sound.
Dumbledore's spell was repelled! Meanwhile, the shield conjured by Voldemort remained unscathed.
Voldemort's crimson eyes settled on the shield; he was extremely pleased with its defensive power. So, with a smug attitude, Voldemort said, "Do you have stronger spells? That wasn't strong enough; you wouldn't be trying to get me locked up in Azkaban, would you?"
Voldemort sensed a murderous intent in Dumbledore's spell.
Dumbledore had a completely different attitude toward Voldemort and Grindelwald, the two Dark Lords of different generations. After losing a duel, Grindelwald chose to be imprisoned in Nurmengard, but Dumbledore was willing to kill Voldemort.
This had nothing to do with personal relationships but was purely because Voldemort and Grindelwald were different people. Grindelwald had ambitions, ideals, so after his ideals crumbled, he chose exile and never left Nurmengard. He wouldn't try to escape like Voldemort.
But Voldemort was different. This selfish man had no ideals; his pure-blood motto was just a façade, bait for his followers. He only cared about himself, and all his actions were for his own benefit. Such a self-centered man, no matter how defeated, would only seek ways to recover. Against such a stubborn fanatic, Dumbledore could only choose to physically kill him.
Facing Voldemort's provocation, Dumbledore remained very calm. Or rather, he was so angry that he had become calm.
"You know, Riddle, there are many ways to destroy a person," Dumbledore said, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at Voldemort in the center of the field, with the sea breeze rustling his robe and causing his beard to flutter. "I must admit that simply taking your life wouldn't satisfy me."
Voldemort laughed hysterically.
"What could be more terrifying than death? Ah!" Voldemort shouted furiously as he waved his wand, this time waving it for a longer and more forceful duration.
He was performing an extremely complex spell, and the floor of Azkaban trembled slightly.
A spell with such a long preparation as this would not be possible for Voldemort without the shield he had in front of him.
Dumbledore's calm expression was broken for the first time today; it was the first time he had frowned. To Dumbledore, it wasn't difficult to realize what Voldemort was planning, but precisely because he understood what Voldemort was about to do, Dumbledore felt deeply angry.
"Manipulating the dead..." the wrinkles on Dumbledore's face deepened a bit as he held his wand high and cast spell after spell, each no less powerful than the spell that had recently been blocked by the shield. The spells struck the shield created by Voldemort, unable to penetrate his defense, but at the same time, the shield was rapidly weakening. Voldemort crouched behind the shield, gaining a few seconds to cast his own spell.
Finally, Voldemort's shield was shattered by Dumbledore, but at the same time, Voldemort's spell was also completed.
"Dumbledore, I'll show you the fear of death!" exclaimed Voldemort without concern for his shield being destroyed. He laughed hysterically as the ground beneath him cracked, and putrid or already bone-revealed arms emerged from the ground.
The centuries' worth of corpses accumulated in Azkaban became Voldemort's puppets at this moment. He would manipulate them to fight against Dumbledore.
"Each of them was a great wizard in life, but after death, they only turned into rotting flesh, toys in the hands of others. Isn't that terrifying?"
For Voldemort, death was the most fearful. Death meant that everything he had in life would turn to smoke, even his body could be defiled.
Looking down at the infernal scene below, Dumbledore shook his head. His face showed no emotional changes, but he raised his wand. A new spell was about to be cast, but at that moment, he felt a change.
A raindrop fell to the ground, and then the sky suddenly seemed to open up, unleashing a rainstorm.
This change drew Dumbledore's gaze to Tom's position. He knew that reinforcements were arriving. Voldemort didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Instead, he became even more excited, believing that the rain would limit Dumbledore's fire magic – even the weather was on his side!
This rain was obviously summoned by Tom.
While Dumbledore and Voldemort were engaged in a duel, Tom didn't sit idly by. First, he found a safe place to hide and then took out a small package from his robes, which emitted a disproportionate sound for its size.
Tom reached into the package and pulled out his silver magic wand cane.
What place would be more suitable to cast weather spells than over the sea? He inserted the wand into the magic wand cane and then put all his power into it. Tom had to thank Dumbledore, as if it weren't for him, he wouldn't have had so much space to comfortably cast spells while Voldemort was distracted.
What better place to cast a weather spell than the sea?
"Atmospheric-nubilum!"
"Atmospheric-pluvia!"
Two atmospheric spells shot up one after the other into the sky, yielding unexpected results.
The air's humidity above the sea surface was much higher than on the plains, and with the presence of numerous Dementors in Azkaban, the sky was always covered with dark clouds.
Tom's atmospheric spells, Atmospheric Cloud and Atmospheric Rain, summoned a storm with minimal magic consumption.
After the rain fell, the ground of Azkaban was quickly soaked, and the bodies controlled by Voldemort emerged one after another, breaking through the soil.
"Tom Riddle, you have committed heinous crimes..." Dumbledore looked at the army of Inferi that nearly filled the entire space, showing a disgusted expression.
"What awaits you is purification." Dumbledore looked at the sky, knowing very well what was about to happen. However, considering the Yodel magic's habit of not distinguishing between friends and foes, he secretly prepared some defensive spells.
"Atmospheric-fulmen!" When the thickness of the clouds in the sky reached a certain point, Tom cast his final atmospheric spell into the sky.
In the next instant, the black clouds turned "white."
Voldemort, busy controlling his army of Inferi, raised his head with some confusion and then showed an expression of astonishment: Ah, I see!
Now he understood how this spell worked. But what he couldn't understand was who had cast this powerful atmospheric spell. Dumbledore was busy fighting him and didn't have the time or energy to cast such complicated and time-consuming spells.
He brought reinforcements! Voldemort immediately realized: Cunning Dumbledore!
Chapter 608: Chapter 608: Voldemort's New Horcrux (Edited)
Although Voldemort was eager to grab Dumbledore by the throat and scold him for his dishonest behavior of two against one and surprise attacks, it was already too late.
Lightning bolts fell from the sky like raindrops, turning the corpses summoned by Voldemort into charred remains.
The lightning crisscrossed in the air, nearly covering all of Azkaban. At this moment, what Tom summoned could no longer be simply called lightning; it was more like an electrical storm.
A few hundred meters outside Azkaban, the freshly expelled Dementors gathered again, hovering in the air. Although they were more than a hundred, they gave off a pitiful sense of having nowhere to go.
At this moment, there were wizards fighting in their home, and the aftermath of the battle instilled instinctive fear in them.
What kind of monsters were fighting there? If they wanted, either side could easily defeat them.
Voldemort, considered a monster by the Dementors, was in a lamentable situation. Watching the Inferi he had summoned with such effort turn into charcoal, Voldemort didn't have time to feel sorry. He was busy dodging the lightning bolts falling from the sky.
He first summoned a silver shield, but it was quickly shattered by the successive bolts. To make matters worse, not only were the bolts from the sky causing him problems, but Dumbledore was also taking the opportunity to press him.
Although both were facing the same lightning bolts, the pressure Dumbledore felt while being on the edge of the storm was much less. If the density of the bolts in Voldemort's location was "cloth," then the density in Dumbledore's location was "net." Dumbledore only needed to cast a protective spell to block the falling bolts. He even had time to cast some spells in Voldemort's direction.
Although Tom couldn't control every lightning bolt, he could guide them a bit and make them fall where he wanted. So, he was favoring one and being indulgent with the other.
The shield provided Voldemort with a few seconds of relief, and in that brief time, his brain worked at full speed. He finally found a very simple way to break the electrical storm: he just had to enter a cell!
The power of the lightning summoned by Tom was greater than that of cannonballs, but once they collided with a stone wall, their strength significantly weakened, leaving only small dents and dings in Azkaban's sturdy walls.
Seeing Voldemort rushing inside the prison, Dumbledore also disappeared into the place like a gust of wind. He also entered Azkaban.
Dumbledore closely pursued him, naturally concerned that Voldemort might use Apparition to escape.
Wizards of their level could even use Apparition in the midst of combat; fleeing would be just a thought. In the past, the overwhelming presence of the Dementors had prevented them from Apparating correctly. However, now that the Dementors were gone, the obstacles to using Apparition had also disappeared.
Dumbledore had already decided to kill Tom Riddle, but his reason told him that even if the effect of the Horcrux was removed from the equation, killing Riddle was nearly impossible.
If he couldn't fight, couldn't he flee?
But not killing him didn't mean his actions with Tom were in vain. Dumbledore had prepared a spell for his student, one he would remember forever. This spell would weaken Tom Riddle's abilities, determining the final outcome of the battle.
Voldemort entered the prison through a small window. Once inside, even someone as experienced as him was stunned.
The reason was simple: the style of this room did not fit Azkaban at all. It was pink with plates and dishes painted with cats everywhere. This room didn't even match the appearance of a young girl's room, let alone Azkaban.
Inside the room, there was a short and ugly witch holding a wand. Upon seeing Voldemort, she opened her eyes wide...
"Avada Kedavra."
A green bolt flashed, and the witch fell heavily to the ground, terror still on her face.
Voldemort didn't care whether that witch was going to scream or cast a spell; if someone threatened his safety, he wouldn't hesitate to kill them.
The person who was now a cold corpse was Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic. When she woke up that morning, she immediately noticed the change in the outside atmosphere. Being quite astute, she decided to stay in her room and not go out.
"I'll wait until the conflict subsides before going out to see what's happening," she thought. But she had the misfortune of encountering Voldemort hiding from the lightning in her room.
Thus, smoothly and somewhat absurdly, she lost her life. She died without any pain, quickly and without problems.
Looking at the witch's body on the floor, an idea suddenly came to Voldemort's mind. He was well aware that today would probably be a complicated day for him and that perhaps the best option would be to escape using Apparition.
But Voldemort couldn't tolerate that.
He decided to take the risk, even if it meant leaving Dumbledore with just a few injuries!
Voldemort knew that the next spell he would cast required some time, so he raised his wand:
"Alohomora."
To the surprised looks of the prisoners, the prison cell doors swung wide open, and all the inmates gained a brief moment of freedom.
"Buy me some time," Voldemort showed a cruel look. To him, the lives of the prisoners meant nothing, even if many of them were his loyal followers.
Isn't it natural for servants to die for their master?
So many lives here, even if many of them die, he doesn't care. And Voldemort knew that Dumbledore wouldn't kill these people, after all, he was a conservative old man.
After finishing this, Voldemort grabbed Umbridge's corpse and entered the adjoining room, decorated in a disgusting pink.
Looking at Umbridge's body, an expression of irritation crossed Voldemort's face.
This was not how it was supposed to be!
How can this woman's body be suitable to be his Horcrux? For Voldemort's personality, Horcruxes required an extremely significant item: Ravenclaw's diadem, Gaunt's ring, Hufflepuff's cup, among others. But he often found himself forced to choose and split his precious fragment of soul into a common container.
A person's soul cannot be split infinitely. For Voldemort, seven was almost the limit, so he decided to split his soul seven times and make seven Horcruxes.
The woman's corpse in front of him would carry a part of his soul.
Voldemort had already made the necessary preparations to create the Horcrux, so a moment later, a new Horcrux was born.
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