Tch. She'd shown up here to play "Black Box," and instead ended up going down a research rabbit hole on dementors and Patronuses, all while still keeping half an eye on time magic. Hard to say whether that counted as being scatterbrained, or genuinely dedicated to research. If he'd actually been counting on her to help digest the potion, he'd have been waiting until the cows came home.
Come to think of it — same Bernadette, so why did she feel so different, here versus there?
Could it be... that all this time spent together day and night had rubbed off on the Lord of Mysteries world's Bernadette, changing her under his influence?
If that were the case, now that she'd swapped back and merged with the Lord of Mysteries-side Bernadette again — what would she become?
Would she revert back to the original story's version of Bernadette?
Vincent shook his head, tucking everything on the desk into a ring enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Turning over his earlier exchange with Bernadette in his mind, he pulled the door open and stepped out, heading toward where the Hit Wizards congregated.
Since he no longer needed to play "Black Box," it was time to get out of Azkaban as soon as possible.
The Hit Wizards, previously gathered around a fire chatting, snapped their mouths shut the moment they saw Vincent approaching, visibly tensing.
Hard to blame them. Over the past few days, they'd gotten a firsthand taste of just how terrifying their new Captain really was.
It had started with the discovery that he could actually kill dementors.
For the Hit Wizards, who considered themselves the world's foremost experts on dementors, that had been staggering. In their understanding, dementors simply couldn't be killed — the Patronus Charm could drive them off, at best, never truly harm them.
And yet this man, Charles, had used some unknown magic to dispatch one, effortlessly.
That wasn't even the end of it. In the days that followed, he'd periodically taken one dementor at a time and subjected it to what could only be described as "merciless torment."
Everyone knew dementors couldn't make sound — and yet the Hit Wizards swore they could faintly hear these "mute" creatures screaming, gut-wrenching, agonized.
The dementors had tried resisting at first, but after losing another dozen or so of their own, they'd finally caved, and under their leader's own arrangement, began voluntarily offering up their weakest members as sacrifices to this "demon's" torment.
From that point on, every Hit Wizard in Azkaban treated the new Captain with nothing but nervous, wary deference — more respectful of him than they were of their own fathers — terrified that once he'd finished tormenting dementors, he'd turn his attention to them instead.
Thank goodness the new Captain spent most of every day holed up in his room — otherwise, this would've been unbearable.
Watching the Hit Wizards flinch and avert their eyes, Vincent found himself internally marveling at Bernadette — what exactly did she get up to during her time here, to leave this whole crowd — people who dealt with the wizarding world's most terrifying dark wizards and dementors on a daily basis — reduced to cowering wrecks?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a sudden, biting chill swept in from all sides, the bright sunlight instantly swallowed by a creeping gloom — dozens of dementors, clustered together.
They drifted like tattered rags stitched into one massive, ragged mass, closing in around Vincent in a loose encirclement.
"..."
Damn it. Is this because of Bernadette's dementor research — did it set them off, driven to attack me in a frenzy?
Vincent immediately flicked his wand, a burst of silver-white light shooting out, and the lizard-shaped Patronus flew from the tip, racing toward the swarm of dementors.
The gesture caught the dementors — especially their leader — completely off guard: Weren't we already square on this? Every time you come out, I personally deliver you a lackey to torment.
So why are you breaking the deal and hitting us with that disgusting Patronus again?
Oh, you're wondering why I always bring this many dementors along? Obviously — I'm scared too! Scared this demon might snap and come for me directly!
All these underlings around me are here purely to take the hit for me, buy me time to run, in case he suddenly loses it!
"AAAH!!!"
Just then, a silent but piercing scream tore from the mouth of a dementor that hadn't fled in time, struck by the lizard-shaped Patronus, and instantly, like a snowman under direct sunlight, the dementors around it began melting rapidly, dissolving, dying.
"!!!"
The sight left the Hit Wizards utterly stunned.
If the new Captain killing a dementor with some unknown magic before had been chalked up to some extraordinary talent, some newly invented spell, or maybe an obscure piece of ancient magic he'd stumbled onto —
now, he'd just killed dementors using the Patronus Charm directly?!
Same spell — so why did his version work completely differently?! GM, I'd like to report this guy for cheating!
Honestly, Vincent himself was a bit surprised too. He already knew the "Prosecution" ability could kill dementors — but the Patronus Charm doing it too?
Was this some new result from Bernadette's research?
No — her dementor research hadn't been aimed at that at all. It had been about understanding the fundamental nature of magic itself.
Which meant... the source of this had to be him?
Could it be — because he'd advanced to demigod — that the magic he cast now also carried some divine power of its own?
He turned a cold gaze on the Hit Wizards, saying flatly, "You all just stood there and watched while dementors attacked me? Is this really how you 'maintain order' in Azkaban?"
"???"
The group froze, exchanging looks that clearly asked: do you hear yourself right now?
The dementors were already scared straight, offering up sacrifices to you on a schedule — where would they even find the nerve to attack you? And besides, you just casually wiped out a dozen-plus dementors with a single Patronus Charm. All we could do was stand there and cheer you on.
The Hit Wizards' reactions made Vincent suspect there was more going on here than met the eye — but he couldn't be bothered digging into it further, giving a cold snort instead. "Someone take me to see Sirius Black."
After a bit of shuffling, one Hit Wizard got pushed forward — the same one who'd escorted Bernadette on her very first day here.
A few minutes later —
Vincent arrived in front of Sirius Black's cell. Sirius, previously curled up in the corner, sprang to the door as if launched, pressing himself against the bars, shouting, "You're finally here! Quick, tell me—"
Before he could finish, Vincent gave a light flick of his wand: "Silence."
Sirius's mouth kept moving, but no sound came out.
Vincent leaned in, feigning intense interest, listening closely, then said, with mock shock, "What's that — you want to report that Peter Pettigrew isn't dead?!"
Sirius: "???"
"And you also want to report that he's the real culprit who betrayed the Potters and got them killed — an evil Death Eater? And that you're the one who's actually innocent, framed?"
Sirius: "???"
"And that he's also an unregistered Animagus who can turn into a rat?"
Vincent's expression turned serious. "Understood! Thank you so much for your tip and cooperation, Mr. Black. I'll report this to the Ministry of Magic immediately — if it all checks out, I'm sure our fair and wise Minister will see justice done and your name cleared!"
With that, Vincent turned to the equally baffled Hit Wizard beside him. "You heard all that too, right? This is extremely serious. We need to report this to the Ministry right away!"
Hit Wizard: Huh? Did I? I don't recall hearing anything at all.
Sirius: Was I just... "framed"? Is this even how framing someone works?
To be continued…
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