Chapter 164: Infiltration Success
“Bellatrix, I’ve heard some rumors that she’s your relative, right?”
Melvin closed the observation window and turned back to Tonks.
In the dimly lit enclosed space, Tonks scratched her pink hair: “Bellatrix is my aunt, my mother’s sister. They grew up under the discipline of my maternal grandfather Signus Black III and maternal grandmother Druella Black, taking pride in their pure bloodline and surname…”
After all, she was a young Auror who had graduated just two years ago, lacking seasoned experience. Her attention was drawn to the professor, so she didn’t notice his small movements or the black shadow that flashed by in his coat pocket.
Tonks sighed: “Later, my mother went against their wishes. Instead of marrying into a pure-blood family, she married my father, a wizard from Muggle origins, and was disowned by the Black Family from then on, with no further contact.”
“The foolish and stubborn traditions of pure-blood families,” Melvin commented.
“Exactly, they have no idea what a great man my father is!”
Tonks said indignantly: “My mother proved her choice was right! Bellatrix married the eldest son of the Lestrange Family, that Rodolphus beside her, and joined the Death Eaters with them, following in the Dark Lord’s footsteps. During the war, she committed many blood debts; many Aurors and Strikers perished under her wand, left with lifelong disabilities.”
Unlike sneaky Death Eaters like Malfoy, Bellatrix didn’t hesitate to reveal her identity or conceal her cruelty and brutality. She tortured many wizards who resisted the Death Eaters, earning a fearsome reputation.
“Until the Dark Lord fell and vanished, they targeted the Lumbardons… At the tribunal, she still claimed loyalty to the Dark Lord and would wait for his return. With multiple crimes, she was sentenced to lifelong imprisonment in Azkaban.”
Melvin listened quietly, his expression somewhat complex.
Bellatrix among the Death Eaters was somewhat similar to Old Vida in the Cabal.
Speaking of which, they did have blood ties. Tonks’s maternal grandmother, Druella, was a daughter of the Rosier family before marrying into the Black Family, kin to Old Vida and Kristin.
With the crimes Bellatrix committed, it was enough for the death penalty hundreds of times over, yet she only got lifelong imprisonment.
The wizard trial system was extremely backward, lacking any respect for life in its legal principles. The Ministry of Magic’s structure was even more rudimentary, having abolished the death penalty even earlier than Muggles. It was hard not to suspect they did it not out of respect for life, but purely to feed the Dementors.
Melvin stepped back two paces. With his peripheral vision, he saw the rat Scabbers had already slipped into the room. Without a change in expression, he turned and walked inside, asking:
“Are the conditions here very poor?”
Tonks recalled the old witch gnawing on moss and shook her head:
“There’s a separate kitchen providing meals. Though not lavish, the portions are sufficient. At least black bread and mushroom soup are plentiful, and the house-elf cooking isn’t too bad. But under long-term torment by Dementors, they always lose their appetite.
“Lifelong prisoners are Azkaban’s valuable wealth. To prevent depression and suicide, they’re allowed outdoor walks on sunny days and occasionally given newspapers and books to ease their moods.”
Melvin said nothing; the sense of it being like raising livestock grew stronger.
Walking along the corridor, listening to Tonks’s explanations, Melvin scanned the prisoners’ nameplates one by one and suddenly saw a familiar name. He stepped forward two paces.
「Sirius Black」
“Yes, he’s also from the Black Family, a cousin of Bellatrix.” Tonks shrugged, her impression of the Black Family even worse. “He’s a covert Death Eater spy who betrayed the Potters, brutally murdered Little Star Peter, and was sentenced to lifelong imprisonment.”
Melvin opened the observation window.
The space inside was fairly spacious. Perhaps due to being near the fortress outer wall, this cell had a square small window. A disheveled-haired male wizard leaned against the wall side, his face gaunt and haggard, beard unkempt.
A quilt sewn from scraps of cloth lay across his legs, stuffed with weeds and cotton. He gazed at the small window on the wall, his eyes vacant and numb, a faint melancholic aura surrounding him.
“Did he plead guilty at the tribunal?” Melvin asked.
The question from Professor Levent seemed pointed. Tonks felt it odd but thought for a moment and replied: “I think… no. The situation was urgent then; this batch of criminals was imprisoned directly after capture, without trial.”
That was the day after Voldemort’s disappearance and fall. Wizards were immersed in the joy of victory, Death Eaters in their final struggles, all of Britain in chaos. The Ministry of Magic was busy maintaining order and capturing Death Eaters.
As the Potters’ Secret-Keeper, Sirius Black had shown no flaws before. Everyone trusted him until news of the Potters’ demise spread, revealing the spy’s true face.
No one knew his whereabouts then; all thought he’d fled. No one expected brave Little Star Peter to step forward, sacrificing himself to hold back this ruthless and cunning Death Eater.
Reportedly, an entire Muggle street was blown up, over a dozen Muggles killed, Little Star blasted to leaving only one finger.
When the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes arrived, Sirius stood in the crowd midst, remaining silent, and hadn’t spoken a word since.
“No wonder Dumbledore didn’t intervene…”
Melvin murmured softly, his face showing no anomaly as he peered through the observation window.
The voices from outside reached the cell, but the man showed no reaction, still leaning against the wall, motionless.
Azkaban’s defenses weren’t tight; an Animagus could evade Dementor pursuit. Sirius had voluntarily stayed here, enduring Dementor torment, more like atonement to assuage his inner guilt.
Back then, James Potter had chosen him as Secret-Keeper, but he cleverly switched it to Little Star Peter.
Who knew the cowardly rat was a viper that strikes at people, triggering the subsequent tragedy.
After the Potters’ demise, Sirius realized the truth, angrily pursued Peter, but his mind still wasn’t sharp. Without a body, he believed Peter dead, thereafter losing heart, not contesting the wrongful conviction, hiding here using physical pain to alleviate his self-reproach.
It seems he’d have to wait until this summer vacation, when 《The Daily Prophet》 publishes a photo of Harry and Ron, Sirius spots Scabbers the rat in the newspaper, realizes his folly, recalls he has a godson out there…
This kind of person has something wrong with his head.
Melvin glanced at the prisoner in the room, closed the observation window, turned, and said: “It’s nearly lunchtime, so the tour ends here. Thank you for today’s introduction, Miss Tonks.”
It was over just like that?
Tonks felt it abrupt, politely responding while ushering the professor outside, hurrying all the way to the fireplace.
Melvin took the Floo Powder she handed him, a faint smile on his face: “That’s it then. I wish you an early end to your rotation.”
“Then I hope the professor’s thesis gets published soon. If possible, remember to mention my name in the acknowledgments.”
“Sure.”
Melvin promised with a smile.
Green flames erupted, and the young professor’s figure vanished into the fireplace.
