บท 353: Chapter 353: Attack (Edited)
"Back away! I warn you!" Umbridge shouted desperately. She couldn't remember how many times she had warned them, but the Dementors, infuriated by her actions, had lost their sanity and were attacking, leaving scars on her Patronus.
The Dementors also had emotions, and their current emotion was anger. Yes, anger.
The injustice of the past days and the abuse today had completely enraged them. They had overcome their fear of the Ministry of Magic and dared to do bold things.
We left Azkaban, left our home, to help the wizards catch Sirius Black. We've been watching the gates and exits of this school day and night on their behalf, and how have they treated us? Discrimination against Dementors by wizards has never ceased!
What's most outrageous is that they've also interrupted our food supply. Without food, our blood companions are growing weaker and weaker, and they haven't even given us an excuse! They simply cut off the food supply without saying anything, and the last time they brought food was theoretically half of what was agreed upon, one and a half months ago! They were supposed to bring food at least once a month and also supplement it with small additional quantities, but you, the wizards, broke your word!
You told us yourselves that if we left Azkaban, the food supply would decrease, but you promised we would receive enough food once a month. And now? We've been out of Azkaban for three months, and they've only sent us half a supply...
We're hungry...
Hunger weakens us, weakens our strength. We want to find our own food, but you won't allow it. Aren't you condemning us to starve to death in this barn? There's so much delicious food around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, but you prohibit us from eating! Why?
Why?!
Is it because our capture of Sirius Black wasn't successful that you're withholding our food? But we don't want it; we also want to capture Sirius Black and return to Azkaban to rest, but we can't find him!
We can't find Sirius Black, and then they reduce our food, we lack nutrition, our strength diminishes, and we still can't find Sirius Black. The Ministry of Magic might as well let us starve to death! If it weren't for respect for the agreements with your ancestors, we would have given up long ago.
And now, do they have the audacity to send a ridiculous inspector on behalf of the Ministry of Magic to punish us? Is there justice in this? Is there logic in this? You're bullying us, aren't you? Today, we will teach you wizards a lesson!
The Dementors howled with anger. Though no one could understand what they were saying, you could clearly see the change in the weather: the sky around Hogwarts turned completely dark, so black that it seemed to drip ink.
Finally, the Dementors surrounded Umbridge's Patronus and tore it apart furiously. Although touching the Patronus's body seemed to ignite the Dementors, releasing dense clouds of black smoke, they didn't care; they were willing to risk it all and attack that white cat, tearing threads of silver mist from its body.
Finally, with a burst like a balloon popping, the white cat turned into a large white cloud and dissipated. Umbridge's face turned as pale as paper, and inside her, there was only fear.
She turned to Professor McGonagall with pleading eyes. "Minerva, save me!"
Professor McGonagall went on guard, summoning her Patronus, a silver tabby cat. However, her Patronus only moved around her, showing no intention of helping Umbridge. It wasn't that McGonagall wanted to use another hand to kill her, but she simply didn't have enough power.
She also realized something was wrong with the Dementors, assessed her own strength, and realized that if her Patronus attacked, the result would be similar to Umbridge's Patronus, at most it could hold out longer and injure some Dementors. Even if Tom and Hermione's Patronuses were added, the situation would be extremely dangerous. Acting hastily would only involve herself and the three children. And in the midst of chaos, mistakes are more likely, resulting in unnecessary losses.
Therefore, she maintained a defensive stance and did not go to help Umbridge. McGonagall believed that after today, Umbridge should be aware of the danger of Dementors.
Upon seeing McGonagall's reaction, Umbridge became infuriated. The veins on her forehead bulged, and in a hoarse voice, she yelled, "Minerva, I am a Ministry of Magic official! You must prioritize my safety-"
Without letting her finish, McGonagall interrupted her, saying, "I'm sorry, Dolores, I'm a professor at Hogwarts, and here, the students are always the top priority."
Umbridge's face twitched twice, and she growled through clenched teeth, "Min-er-va-!"
At that moment, the last trace of silver mist from Umbridge's Patronus dissipated.
A Patronus materialized by a normal wizard wouldn't be this fragile. However, Umbridge's protective Patronus was extremely unusual in its origin. Grounded in twisted emotions, such a Patronus materialized from that nature might look beautiful on the outside but was weak and vulnerable. It couldn't hold up for long, lacking any resilience.
The Dementors rushed at Umbridge like a black tide. As the tide flowed in, a thin layer of ice formed on the ground, and the sky darkened with no glimmer of light.
Umbridge was in complete panic, fear filled her mind, and she couldn't find a speck of happiness in her mood.
"Expecto! Patronum!" She waved her trembling wand, but she only managed to emit threads of silver mist, unable to materialize her Patronus. As time passed, she couldn't even conjure the mist anymore.
With a snap, her wand fell to the ground, and she herself sat in the mud, muttering, "I am the Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic... I represent the Ministry of Magic... you, vile creatures of darkness, can't... can't..."
Her emotional state collapsed, and tears began to slide down her cheeks.
"Professor, shouldn't we help Mrs. Umbridge?" Percy asked hesitantly from behind Professor McGonagall. "After all, she is the representative of the Ministry of Magic..."
"Shut up!" Professor McGonagall said through gritted teeth. Of course, she knew who Umbridge was and understood the consequences that would unfold when an envoy from the Ministry of Magic was attacked by Dementors in front of Hogwarts' gates. However, she had no choice; the three children behind her forced her to be cautious.
Percy closed his mouth uncomfortably, feeling that his words were inappropriate at that moment.
At that moment, some Dementors who were on the outskirts, seeing that Umbridge was already surrounded, headed towards Professor McGonagall, but they were forcefully repelled by her agile Patronus. Professor McGonagall's Patronus wasn't just a mere façade like Umbridge's; it was a tangible entity summoned by genuine positive emotions.
The blow against the Dementors reminded them of the terror of wizards. They staggered back, trying to get as far away as possible from that terrifying woman and her cat.
Tom and Hermione, seeing that McGonagall was already in conflict with the Dementors, summoned their own Patronuses. With three Patronuses present, Percy was left standing awkwardly at the end of the formation.
In this situation, being unable to conjure a Patronus would be embarrassing. Percy tried to wave his wand, but he only managed to produce a bit of mist. Quietly, he put his wand back in his pants pocket, swearing to practice the Patronus Charm more once he returned to the castle.
When Hermione's three-headed dog Patronus and Tom's imitated three-headed dog appeared on the ground, something surprising happened: the Dementors halted their movements and stared. When their gazes landed on Tom and Hermione's Patronuses in front of them, they made an unexpected move: all the Dementors took a step back in unison.
McGonagall and Percy: ¿?
The two Patronuses were like a bucket of cold water over the Dementors' heads, bringing them back to sobriety. As the anger passed, they regained their senses, and many of the Dementors remembered being struck by the three-headed dog not long ago.
Professor McGonagall felt relieved to see that Tom and Hermione had a good deterrent effect, but now she was concerned about how to finish the job. The Dementors had attacked a Ministry of Magic official and were blocking the gates of Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall had no idea how the situation would unfold next, but one thing was clear: no matter how they handled it, the matter was extremely complicated.
Punishing the Dementors would only increase their resentment, but leaving them unchecked would erode the respect that Dementors had for wizards, and most importantly, neither of these options would address the root of the problem. The only proper way to deal with it would be to punish the Dementors and then send them back to Azkaban.
Only one person in the magical world of Britain had the power to do that, but that person lacked the courage to do so. Fudge had made a mess after Sirius's escape, and the only thing he could do to show that he was working was to deploy a large number of Dementors around Hogwarts. Doing this now was a waste of resources since Sirius had managed to enter Hogwarts once and could do it again. Continuing to deploy Dementors here would only mean wasting more resources.
But Fudge was simply hiding, delaying, and taking passive measures. No one could do anything about it. A Minister of Magic who chose to be negligent would cause significant harm.
Professor McGonagall found herself in a difficult situation now. At that moment, due to the reduced pressure from the Dementors, Umbridge regained some composure, and her tenacity was as strong as a cockroach's.
Trembling, she raised her hand and shouted towards McGonagall, "Professor McGonagall, save me!"
Professor McGonagall sighed. In the end, she couldn't stand idly by and let the Dementors kill Umbridge here. She believed that the Dementors had taught Umbridge a sufficient lesson. So she urged her Patronus to confront the Dementors. Tom and Hermione also began merging their Patronuses.
This was like kicking a hornet's nest; the Dementors went berserk. They moved and swirled, and the wind howled around them. They looked imposing, but when they faced Professor McGonagall's Patronus, they were thrown back again and again, like fallen leaves in the autumn wind.
At that moment, Tom and Hermione's Patronuses also merged completely and headed towards the Dementors. The Dementors backed away, rejecting the fire burning in the three-headed dog. With that retreat, they managed to open a gap in the dark cloud formed by the Dementors, and the black clouds in the sky quickly dissipated, taking much of the cold with them.
At that moment, several figures and white lights ran from the direction of Hogwarts, becoming the final nail in the coffin for the Dementors. They were the Aurors and beaters that Umbridge had left in Hogwarts. Seeing the changes in the sky, they hastened their pace to arrive.
Seeing that the Dementors had gathered and were in full revolt, they all summoned their own Patronuses, ready to teach them a lesson and suppress them.
And they did.
In the face of the combined spell of the wizards, the Dementors looked completely powerless. If they had maintained their imposing appearance from earlier, the Patronuses wouldn't have been as successful. But at this moment, the Dementors no longer had that vitality, so naturally, they were no match for the wizards.
The Patronuses broke through the Dementors, completely shattering their scattered formation. The following battle turned into a one-sided chase. The Dementors fled in all directions, while the Patronuses pursued them closely, inflicting wound after wound, making them howl as they hid in the darkness and disappeared.
Umbridge, who had been rescued, began to recover gradually, and the reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic became her support. So, with the recovery of her strength, she gasped for breath and glared at Professor McGonagall, gritting her teeth in anger.
"Minerva, did you do it on purpose to let me die?" Exposed in her pitiable state, Umbridge felt that she had lost all her dignity. Now all her rage overflowed towards Professor McGonagall.
"They're coming back!" Tom exclaimed, pointing behind Umbridge.
"Ah!" Umbridge crouched down and covered her head, letting out a piercing scream. "Save me! I was wrong! I'm sorry-"
But she soon realized something was amiss. There was absolutely none of the suffocating atmosphere she had felt when the Dementors approached. She raised her head and saw Professor McGonagall and the others looking at her with a mocking smile.
She immediately understood that she had been deceived. Umbridge's already frog-like face turned instantly pale. She had completely lost her prestige, and now she was too angry to say a word, she could only stand there with crossed arms, awaiting the arrival of her subordinates.
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