Chương 605: Chapter 605: Azkaban and Surveillance (Edited)
Aberforth's appearance and hair had many characteristics of the Dumbledore family. When they were together, anyone could immediately see that they were related by blood. Only Aberforth seemed a bit more temperamental, like one of those wizards who would wield a two-meter staff and attack someone.
Wait, Dumbledore has a brother? Hermione was surprised.
She had never heard of it. In her memory, no book or report mentioned that Dumbledore had a brother.
In the face of Albus's introduction, Aberforth only snorted and abruptly snatched the vial of potion from his brother's hands, ripping out a strand of hair in the process.
Hermione silently observed all of this. She noticed that the relationship between the two brothers didn't seem very harmonious.
Curiosity consumed Hermione. She was eager to know the history between Albus Dumbledore and his brother. However, unfortunately, no one present was willing to provide her with answers.
"Miss Granger, can you assure me that you won't reveal what you've just seen?" Dumbledore ignored his brother's rough behavior, looking at Hermione with a sincere expression.
"Um... alright." How could Hermione refuse Dumbledore? Of course, she agreed, but the doubt in her mind was not alleviated.
"It's just that, Professor Dumbledore, Tom...". Hermione couldn't help but think of Tom. Instinctively, she didn't want him to take risks. Or more precisely, she didn't want him to go alone.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Yodel is about to do something great... there are things that cannot be avoided."
Upon hearing this explanation from Albus, Aberforth spat in disgust.
"Great... nonsense!"
Dumbledore acted as if he hadn't heard anything and looked at his brother.
"I beg you." He said earnestly.
Aberforth turned his head to the side, ignoring him.
"You better come back soon, I can't guarantee I won't let something slip for too long." In the end, he uttered that sentence with a somber tone.
"I'll try." No one knew when Voldemort would strike. Dumbledore and Tom couldn't stay in Azkaban indefinitely. Their estimated mental limit was one week; they would stay there until the next meeting of the Death Eaters.
But, according to Tom's opinion, Voldemort would definitely attack Azkaban in a week. The reason was simple; he needed to present achievements impactful enough at the next Death Eater meeting.
He had made a big statement at the last meeting, and if he didn't do anything during the week, it would be extremely awkward at the next one.
Death Eaters: "Great Lord Voldemort, you surely did many incredible things last week! Like breaking into Azkaban and freeing Bellatrix and the others."
Voldemort: "I did nothing last week."
It would be too embarrassing! Voldemort wouldn't allow that to happen. Ever since he uttered the phrase about breaking into Azkaban, there was only one conclusion for him: Bellatrix Lestrange and the Death Eaters must appear at the next meeting.
"Let's go." Dumbledore led Tom into the office; they would depart from there before Voldemort arrived at Azkaban.
Dumbledore's decision to seek Aberforth was surprising to Tom. He originally thought Dumbledore would have someone from the Order of the Phoenix impersonate him, but he never imagined that he would bring his own brother, Aberforth.
What had happened between them in the past had caused irreparable damage to their relationship. Dumbledore's courage to face Aberforth was truly unexpected.
Moreover, Aberforth was really the best choice. If he thought about it carefully, who else was more suitable to impersonate his brother than a real brother? Unlike the busy Professor McGonagall, Aberforth was only the owner of the Hog's Head Inn, and his absence for a while wouldn't attract attention.
And indeed, Tom was not mistaken; Aberforth was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix, but few knew about it, even Moody had only seen him once.
Perhaps realizing what Tom was thinking, Dumbledore cast him a look and calmly said, "About the story between him and me, I'll tell you at the right moment... We're getting ready to leave for Azkaban."
It was obvious that now was not the right time.
After Tom and Dumbledore left, Aberforth dropped a strand of Dumbledore's hair into the potion vial, and the potion turned a fiery red. Aberforth drank the entire potion and transformed into Dumbledore's appearance; in fact, the change wasn't very drastic. His figure barely changed, only his hair and beard turned silver, and his nose twisted slightly.
At that moment, he realized that the little girl who had been following Tom Yodel hadn't left but was watching him with curiosity on her face.
Aberforth looked down at Hermione with disdain and said in a harsh tone, "Little one, you'd better leave before I change my mind. I can't guarantee I won't erase your memories with the Obliviate Charm."
Hermione wasn't intimidated by him; she was more intrigued by Aberforth's past. She wanted to know why, being the famous brother of Albus Dumbledore, he had remained virtually unknown in the magical world, and why the relationship between these brothers seemed so tense. Moreover, Dumbledore was entrusting something so important to him, which was quite suspicious.
"How many times do I have to say...?" When Aberforth saw that she had no intention of moving, he became irritated. Aberforth, with Dumbledore's face, initially scared Hermione, but she soon got rid of the "fear" because she knew he wasn't Professor Dumbledore.
"Could you tell me something about your history with Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione's curiosity led her to take a risk.
Aberforth frowned, showing impatience. "There's not much to say between us. I'm just the one blemish on glorious Albus."
"But he's willing to entrust something so important to you... that means you're very important to him."
Upon hearing this, Aberforth paused and finally waved his hand brusquely.
"How am I supposed to know why he does what he does? Maybe he thinks I have too much free time; is it not normal for a pub owner to disappear for a few days to restock?" He seemed exhausted, dismissing Hermione.
Although his attitude was poor, Hermione's curiosity about Aberforth did not diminish at all. She decided that when Tom returned, she would interrogate him to extract information.
At that moment, Tom and Dumbledore had already arrived at Azkaban.
This time, Dumbledore didn't use the Fawkes Express ostentatiously but rather left discreetly through the school gate with Tom and then Apparated there.
"I appreciate you going ahead to choose a cell to stay in. I'll go see my younger brother. When that person arrives, I'll deal with him for a while."
Dumbledore: ...
It was true, but it still sounded strange.
But Tom's suggestion was quite reasonable. Voldemort wasn't stupid. If Dumbledore welcomed him warmly in Azkaban, even he might suspect that there was a traitor in his ranks who had passed on information that he was about to attack Azkaban. That wouldn't be beneficial for the Order of the Phoenix infiltrators among the Death Eaters. Therefore, the strategy that Tom and Dumbledore had thought of was to allow the Dementors and Voldemort to communicate and negotiate first. Then, when the negotiation failed and the confrontation began, Dumbledore would suddenly appear to confuse and deceive. This way, Voldemort would believe that Dumbledore had been summoned by the Dementors.
Once in Azkaban, Tom transformed into his Dementor form and communicated with his followers. The communication was very successful. His followers were delighted that their king was willing to return to his loyal Azkaban, and they offered their loyalty.
As for Dumbledore, the Dementors could sense the powerful magic emanating from him, and without Tom ordering it, they kept their distance from him. Wherever Dumbledore went, the Dementors quietly moved away, as if there was a special repulsion force around him.
Dumbledore chose a cell that he found suitable and settled there after cleaning it.
"How are things on the island...?" Tom asked as he listened to his followers' report on what had happened in the prison during his absence.
During that time, the Dementors had been rotating shifts, with half of them stationed at the White Dolphin prison, where they enjoyed a more abundant "meal."
He also learned from his subordinates that a high-ranking Ministry of Magic official had been stationed in Azkaban recently. However, when he heard that her name was Umbridge, he lost all interest in her and even considered it unnecessary to see her.
Umbridge had been banished to Azkaban for some time, and during that period, she had tried to contact the supposed King of the Dementors, only to find that all her efforts were in vain. This greatly puzzled her. Why couldn't she contact the King of the Dementors? If she knew the truth, she would surely be furious. The reason Umbridge couldn't contact the King of the Dementors was straightforward: as the King of the Dementors, Tom didn't even know that someone was looking for him. Tom had no means of communicating with his lesser subordinates; not even the pure Dementors could contact him. So, how could Umbridge, a witch from the Ministry of Magic, expect to find Tom?
Tom also realized the problem, but it seemed there was no solution. Dementors weren't particularly intelligent, and unless he appointed a wizard to handle communication, there would be no way to solve the communication issue, even if he gave the Dementors a phone.
Wait... a phone?
Tom felt like he had found a solution to the problem. If he couldn't solve the communication problem, why not install some kind of "monitor" instead? Why not have Dumbledore install the same technology he used in the first Triwizard Tournament event at Azkaban?
As for the "monitor screen," he would simply place it in Professor Dumbledore's office; he loved spying on all sorts of secrets like a bee.
Hostile environment. Many people. Confinement. Species diversity, please.
In his cell, Dumbledore sneezed. He looked around the gloomy cell and felt that this place was really not suitable for an elderly person.
After learning about the current situation at Azkaban, Tom "looked around" and realized that Dumbledore was quite far from him. Since his arrival at Azkaban, Dumbledore had kept his distance. Taking advantage of Dumbledore's distance, Tom gave an order to his followers: if anyone attempted to assault the prison, they were to execute the prisoners and give them a "kiss."
Tom wasn't as virtuous as Dumbledore; he had a more flexible moral code. If they were classified according to D&D's nine alignments, Dumbledore would definitely be of a lawful good alignment, while he would be of a chaotic neutral alignment. Issuing this kind of order didn't burden him psychologically.
He couldn't allow those prisoners to escape, right?
After organizing the prisoners inside Azkaban clearly and concisely, Tom realized a problem: had Dumbledore anticipated that he would give such an order? Did his behavior imply tacit consent?
If Dumbledore truly didn't want the prisoners to die, he would have given a direct order not to harm them, but he didn't; he chose silence. If Dumbledore had made his position clear, Tom wouldn't have disobeyed him. In fact, when Tom initially rejected the decision to kill all the prisoners, Dumbledore didn't object.
However, now Dumbledore's behavior was ambiguous, leading Tom to speculate. It seemed that Dumbledore was giving him the option to decide. As for whether Dumbledore had foreseen this situation, Tom didn't believe it.
Tom looked in the direction where Dumbledore was and murmured, "Kind but also rule-breaking... I thought you were of a lawful good alignment, but perhaps you, like me, have a chaotic side..."
Tom and Dumbledore settled in Azkaban, and it wasn't long before Voldemort arrived, just as they expected.
Voldemort flew like smoke, without a broom or Thestral, hovering in the sky.
He cleared the dark clouds and saw the small island on the horizon.
A snake-like smile appeared on Voldemort's face; his loyal followers would soon gain their freedom!
Inside Azkaban, many Death Eaters raised their heads abruptly, feeling the call of their master. Their hearts warmed as much as their arms.
Voldemort materialized from a cloud of black smoke and landed on the ground in Azkaban.
Tom, who had already noticed the prisoners' agitation, sent the Dementors to surround him. As they approached, Tom couldn't help but be surprised: undoubtedly, he was the Dark Lord! Voldemort's soul had been completely corrupted, turning into an extremely malevolent black color, darker than the Dementors, dark creatures by nature. His soul also didn't have the normal appearance of a wizard; it gave off a very unstable feeling.
Tom knew perfectly well that this was due to an excessive fragmentation of the soul.
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