0211 Death?

0211 Death?

Bryan felt a surge of nostalgia as he listened to Dumbledore's question. He had been lost in his memories of the desolate island of Avalon, where he had explored the ancient Greek temple at the heart of the island and marvelled at the nine splendid murals that adorned its walls. The murals depicted the epic battle between the legendary King Arthur and his faithful wizard Merlin on one side, and the treacherous Queen of Avalon, Morgana le Fay, on the other. It was a battle that had shaken the foundations of the wizarding world but few knew, and had left only one survivor: Merlin himself.

King Arthur and Morgana le Fay, the mortal enemies who also appeared in the Muggle legends, had both perished in the clash, and the fate of Merlin and the dark shadow that had possessed Morgana was shrouded in mystery.

Bryan shuddered as he thought of the dark shadow, a sinister force that had corrupted Morgana.

He glanced at the bottle on the desk in front of him, and wondered silently.

'Morgana le Fay was known as the Witch of Avalon, and was affiliated with the ancient Druid sect that had flourished at that time. This was recorded in both the Muggle and wizarding histories.

But the dark shadow within Morgana was mentioned in those murals only. Where did it come from, and where did it go? Was it imprisoned by Merlin in the Black Stone Tower, the mysterious structure that stood deep in the Knockturn Alley?

And what about the Twin-Serpent Staff, the powerful artifact that the dark shadow had hurled at Merlin in a final act of defiance?'

... Dementors-Azkaban.'

The words flashed in his mind, and he snapped out of his reverie. He looked at Dumbledore, who was waiting patiently for his answer.

"Do you know the exact location of Azkaban, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Bryan asked, his face expressionless, hiding the turmoil in his heart.

Dumbledore was not surprised that Bryan wanted to go to Azkaban to investigate, after all, he had a personal reason to do so. The Dementors, the foul creatures that had altered his patronus, had been first discovered there.

"I'm sorry, Bryan–" Dumbledore shook his head and said, "The location of Azkaban is a top secret in the wizarding world, it is protected by the Unbreakable Vow and the Fidelius Charm by the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries, passed down from generation to generation. I'm afraid even Cornelius doesn't know which Unspeakable holds the secret."

"How does the Ministry of Magic manage to imprison the criminals there?" Bryan wondered.

"Portkey–" Dumbledore smiled with a complex expression, "Once the Wizengamot decides that a wizard should be sent to Azkaban, the Hit Wizards will escort him through a two-way Portkey set up in the Ministry of Magic directly to Azkaban. If-"

Wasn't that a foolish thing to do? Why didn't they rush into Azkaban and study how to transform themselves into dementors?

Unless, dementors were not a kind of life at all.'

"Do dementors have souls?" Bryan asked, after a moment of contemplation. He blinked his light purple eyes, which contrasted with his light grey hair.

"You have grasped the core of the problem–" Dumbledore said, impressed by Bryan's insight.

The dementors that ordinary wizards feared and loathed, for Dumbledore and Bryan, were actually nothing. Besides being unkillable, these things could not pose a threat to them.

With a hint of appreciation in his deep blue eyes, Dumbledore smiled and said, "Like you, Bryan, my main way of studying dementors is to consult literature, and many years ago, a dear friend of mine seemed to have done some real research, and in the letter he gave me, he mentioned an interesting point."

The person who was hailed by Dumbledore as a dear friend, actually went to study the dementors, a creature closely related to dark magic, in person. Bryan raised his eyebrows, and then thought of some unverifiable rumors about Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the present age, when he was young.

"He believed that the soul of the dementor was its body, a kind of 'spirit-flesh' unity creature, the dementor used 'evil thoughts' as its body, and that there was a mysterious connection between individuals. Perhaps their life force was connected." Dumbledore said, quoting Grindelwald's letter.

"So, dementors are not unkillable, but they can't be killed individually. Mr. Grindelwald is indeed a genius." Bryan said, nodding thoughtfully. He was intrigued by Grindelwald's theory, and wondered if it could be tested and verified.

In Dumbledore's bitter smile, Bryan detected a trace of sadness and nostalgia.

"What else, did Mr. Grindelwald mention anything else? For example, the reason why this creature was created or the method of making it?" Bryan asked, hoping to learn more from Dumbledore.

"Some things happened and later–" Dumbledore said, his old face twitching with a fleeting bitterness.

"We completely cut off our private contact." He said, ending the conversation.

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