Chapter 244: Professor’s Pre-term Procurement
“I know this sounds suspicious, you’ve been dormant in the Gaunt Ring for fifty years with no one disturbing you, and suddenly a strange wizard appears asking about Dementors, but it’s all true. The future Voldemort and I are allies, and we can even share the secret of eternal life. Compared to Horcruxes, Dementors are nothing.”
“Let me think, let me think again…” Riddle’s mind was in turmoil.
“You still don’t trust me. Why do you think I studied those detestable Dark Creatures? It was all for your resurrection.”
“I didn’t mean that, I’m just not used to this news. It’s all too sudden, I need time to process it.”
“You certainly have time to think, after you tell me the secret of the Dementors, like… how to make them obey orders…” Melvin spoke words that were difficult to verify, the traits of a cunning merchant stirring within him.
“Why does it have to be Dementors?”
“Because they are the guards of Azkaban, responsible for watching over the Death Eater servants who tortured you.” Melvin used threats and inducements, leaving Riddle with almost no room to think. “After your downfall, the Death Eaters split into two factions: one were cunning speculators who claimed they were controlled by the Imperius Curse and used it to escape judgment, and the other were loyal followers who firmly believed you would eventually return and were imprisoned in Azkaban suffering torture.”
“How dare they, how dare they…”
“Voldemort’s remnant soul is missing, and you, a soul fragment, are still hesitating. Until when do you plan to delay?”
Riddle’s eyes flickered. He felt his ethereal heart pound. This wizard, who claimed to be an ally, knew about Horcruxes and the curse on the Gaunt Ring, secrets only he himself knew…
He finally made up his mind and said through gritted teeth, “It’s Legilimency. Dementors are very special. They have a physical form but are not affected by magic because their bodies are hollow, without souls. They can only absorb the emotions and memories of others to fill their emptiness.”
Melvin’s eyes flickered slightly. “Elaborate on that.”
Riddle recounted his experiences with Dementors during that summer.
He remembered that summer, after he had uncovered the mystery of his lineage, he had lurked in Hangton, murdered the Muggle Riddle family, and framed Morfin Gaunt. However, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he stayed in Great Hangton for a while, researching Dark Magic, exploring the possibility of creating multiple Horcruxes, and admiring his masterpiece.
His arrangements had the law enforcers running in circles. The Muggle police could not find the cause of death and wrongly arrested a gardener, who was then stopped by arriving Aurors and eventually released. The Aurors did determine that the Muggle family had died from the Killing Curse and quickly identified Morfin as the suspect.
In response to this former convict and notorious dark wizard, Strikers and Dementors were dispatched for his arrest.
It was then that Riddle came into contact with Dementors. Those dark creatures could appear during the day and were invisible to Muggles. Their tall, thin bodies were cloaked, and they exuded a chilling mist when they appeared. Flames and light, which conventional dark creatures feared, were completely ineffective against them; only the Patronus Charm could drive them away.
They were almost immortal beings.
Riddle became extremely interested in this creature. However, he was a pure-blooded dark wizard to the core, with no happy memories to speak of in his mind, and no effective means to control these creatures.
The Dementors were also unwilling to provoke him. With their evil, twisted, and cold souls and no happiness in their minds, to the Dementors who survived by absorbing emotions and memories, such prey was utterly repulsive.
This unexpected balance gave Riddle the opportunity to interact with Dementors and begin a series of experiments.
“In fact, Fiendfyre can also drive away Dementors, but this magic is too disruptive, prone to losing control, and will also incur the Dementors’ hatred. Later, I tried torturing Dementors with Unforgivable Curses and then reading their consciousness with Legilimency.”
“Fortune smiled upon me, and I found the correct method.”
For Riddle, trapped within the Gaunt Ring, this was his most recent memory, and he spoke of it with great pride. “Dementors are dark creatures born from despair and pain. Their throats can make sounds, but they don’t communicate that way. They communicate between groups using chilling mist as a medium, similar to Legilimency, which I used to read their thoughts and convey my commands.”
“That’s… hard to imagine,” Melvin couldn’t help but exclaim.
Riddle’s talent in Dark Magic was second only to Herpo and Slytherin in history. It was a shame that splitting his soul and his dark magic modifications had damaged his mind, forcing him into Dumbledore’s trap.
“I saw Aurors from the Ministry of Magic communicating with Dementors from afar. They were chattering in English with London accents and gesturing randomly. A bunch of idiots, they actually believed Dementors could understand human language and gestures.”
Riddle scoffed disdainfully, “In reality, they are half-finished creatures bred by wizards, dumber than the guard dogs raised by old wizards in the countryside. They only rely on their innate instinct, akin to Legilimency, to discern the intentions of those Aurors.”
“The Aurors in Azkaban indeed haven’t studied Dementors much.”
Melvin nodded thoughtfully, surprised that the cooperation between the Ministry and Dementors was achieved in such a manner.
Innate Legilimency is a rare talent for wizards, but it is prevalent in the bloodlines of many magical creatures, such as Demiguises, exotic Horned Serpents, and a few Sphinxes.
“I’ve told you how to tame Dementors, Mr. Mel… Levent. What should we do next? Rescue those servants trapped in Azkaban, and then search for the missing remnant soul to bring back the true Voldemort?”
Riddle’s tone was somewhat tentative as he spoke.
Melvin paused, sensing his unspoken meaning, and looked at those eyes, originally dark brown, now showing a hint of blue-gray against the backdrop of the silver mist.
This Tom Riddle, in his youth, was ambitious and cunning. After learning about the old Wizarding War, he actually didn’t want to resurrect that failed Voldemort. Now he was testing the waters, trying to find another path, centered around himself, around the soul fragment in the Gaunt Ring.
Not the future Voldemort.
A faint smile played on Melvin’s lips. Some trivial thoughts surfaced in his mind. He felt a sense of anticipation, though no complete plan had yet formed.
“We need to wait for the right moment. I need to gather some intelligence, Tom, my friend. I think you also need time to collect your thoughts. We’ll discuss it in more detail when we meet next. What do you say?”
“I look forward to our next meeting.”
Riddle bowed slightly in greeting, performed a hat-tipping gesture, and his ethereal form dissolved into scattered light.
Melvin suddenly felt some understanding of the feelings of Hogwarts professors from that era. Such an excellent, gentle, and polite student, who could also keenly understand the professor’s thoughts, maintain distance, know when to advance and retreat without being clingy, everything was just right.
“How did his mind get so corrupted later on…”
…
Diagon Alley Magical Menagerie.
“Squeak…”
“Coo…”
The sounds of animals squawking filled the air.
It was a very crowded pet shop, with messy shelves, various animals making noisy clamors, and an indescribable odor permeating the air. Every time a customer walked past the cages, it would stir up a flurry of commotion.
A plump purple toad was toying with a half-dead fly, a turtle with a shell inlaid with gemstones was basking by the window, a brightly colored snail was slowly crawling, and there were cats of various colors, a noisy raven, and a black rat with smooth fur.
The shop owner, a witch wearing thick black-rimmed glasses, was introducing some black cats to a guest from the countryside: “Don’t be fooled by their small size, they are excellent at guarding the house. They have a Mew bloodline, better than a Tail-dog, and are not regulated animals, so they are very convenient to keep.”
“I don’t see the Mew bloodline, but they do resemble Vixens a bit…”
The customer was also an expert and, after a few words, haggled the price down and left with the cage.
Finally, it was the turn of the young wizard who had been waiting for a few minutes. Seeing Melvin’s young and handsome face, the shop owner’s smile became even more eager. “Sir, what would you like to buy? A clever Raven or a long-lived turtle? This new batch of toads is also very good.”
“I’m not buying a pet, I’m here to buy animal supplies.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place. There’s no shop more professional than our Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley,” the shop owner said with a beaming smile. “What do you need to buy? Pet food, a cat tree, skin cream for toad shedding?”
“I need a professional Undetectable Extension Charm pet box, suitable for storing medium-sized pets. It must be airtight and preferably able to completely isolate magic and odor.”
After hearing Melvin’s request, the shop owner’s smile faltered, and her gaze became somewhat suspicious. “Sir, the Undetectable Extension Charm is a controlled item by the Ministry of Magic. Purchase requires registration and stating the reason.”
“I am a Professor at Hogwarts, used to store some special teaching aids.”
The shop owner immediately relaxed, the name of Hogwarts being quite influential in the entire Wizarding World. “That’s no problem, then. Come and see this batch of suitcases… Professor, would you mind telling me what kind of animal you’ll be storing? So I can recommend one for you?”
“A juvenile Troll.”
The witch’s expression immediately showed admiration. “Then it certainly needs to be odor-proof.”
“The juvenile Troll I’m preparing is a Swamp Troll. It’s not well-adapted to the climate of the Scottish Highlands. It needs good containment, and it’s best if it can completely isolate external magic.”
“Don’t worry, we at the Magical Menagerie are professionals.”
After some bargaining, Melvin finally purchased a specialized magical creature containment box for four hundred Galleons, the highest specification model, suitable for smuggling and capable of passing most countries’ Ministry border inspections.
“By the way, do you have Pegasus rental services at your shop?”
“Yes, yes!”
The pet shop owner, having just completed a large transaction, was particularly enthusiastic towards Melvin. “We have Thestrals and Pegasi, all excellently trained horses. They support riding throughout Britain. After the lease expires, they can be released on-site and will return to the shop on their own… Which type would you prefer?”
“Thestral, it’s discreet enough.”
“Follow me, the Pegasi are kept in the backyard. You can take it after signing the contract.”
“Professor, for how long do you need to rent it?”
“A day and a half.”
“Then the lease will end on the evening of September 1st. Does that work for you?”
“How much is the rent?”
“Sixty Galleons per day, so ninety Galleons for a day and a half.”
“Let’s sign the contract.”
The witch, seeing another large business deal concluded, was in a cheerful mood and grinned from ear to ear.
Shops in Diagon Alley almost all have backyards. The pet shop’s backyard, though not vast, had been enhanced with the Undetectable Extension Charm to house some larger magical creatures. It was divided into stables, animal pens, and a pond… The Thestrals and Pegasi were in the stables.
As he was placing the chosen Thestral into the suitcase and emerging from the backyard, he ran into Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Bastien.
They were gathered around a cage containing a plump white rabbit. The rabbit could transform, constantly switching between a top hat and its original rabbit form, emitting loud poofing sounds, which fascinated the four.
Seeing Melvin and the shop owner, all four widened their eyes.
“Professor Levent!”
Melvin was also somewhat surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“Procuring items from the school supply list,” Hermione said, holding Bastien’s small hand up. “My parents and Ron’s parents are drinking at the pub, so I brought her to Diagon Alley for a stroll.”
“The identity and enrollment issues have been resolved.”
“She’s now Bastien Granger!” Hermione nodded proudly, then began to complain. “A while ago, when I was enrolling her in school, even I had to attend an interview, and we went to several places. Our whole family was exhausted.”
The little girl couldn’t help but grin.
Melvin walked closer and stroked the girl’s head, sensing her physical condition. “The mutated magic is still slowly growing, but it’s generally quite stable. There shouldn’t be any problems in the short term.”
Hermione wanted to ask about the treatment, but this wasn’t the right occasion, so she pursed her lips and remained silent.
Turning to the two boys beside her, Ron held up the trembling mouse in his hand. “We’re here to see Scabbers. Ever since I brought him back from Egypt, he hasn’t been well.”
The scarred, bald mouse, with torn ears and missing toes on its front paws, was curled up and trembling incessantly, a stark contrast to the well-groomed mice in the cage.
“Poor Scabbers, I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” Ron sighed.
Melvin made a clicking sound. What was wrong? Of course, he felt guilty and worried about being found by old acquaintances who were now enemies.
The shop owner took the mouse, examined it, and muttered, “It’s been through a lot. At its age, don’t expect it to be lively for much longer. Maybe another three to five years at most.”
Harry wasn’t particularly concerned about the mouse. He was more interested in the upcoming new term and the Express train the next morning.
“Professor Levent, when are you returning to school? Hermione and Ron are also staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight, and tomorrow we’ll take the Ministry’s special carriage to King’s Cross Station. Will you be joining us?”
“No, you all go ahead. I have other matters to attend to.”
Melvin shook the suitcase in his hand and smiled gently.
His tools were all ready, and he was just waiting to follow the Express train tomorrow to catch any stray Dementors.
