Hogwarts: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me From Studying

At least half of the Dementors instantly drifted towards Barty Crouch Jr., while the remaining half seemed to feel that they couldn’t compete with their peers, so only a slight commotion occurred.

The Ministry of Magic’s Aurors didn’t pay attention to these tall, dark figures, as even getting close to them would bring sadness and pain, so the Aurors kept their distance.

He glanced over and saw that the Dementors hadn’t left the designated area, then continued to look down at a palm-sized Flow Mirror in his hand.

There was no one else around, so the Auror comfortably turned up the volume of the Flow Mirror, with a silly smile on his face, watching a blonde woman clumsily wave her wand in the reflection, causing the sparks in a bowl in front of her to crackle and burst out.

”What are you doing?” the woman’s companion shouted frantically, ”We’re supposed to be casting an Invisibility Spell, not an Explosive Spell!”

”You fool!” the blonde woman screamed, ”This is not an explosion, it’s fireworks!”

”We need invisibility! Invisibility! And you’re setting off fireworks! Are you hoping that Filch won’t find us?”

The Auror laughed heartily while watching the video.

It was a sitcom shot by wizards themselves. Even though the actors’ performances were not very skilled, the authentic magic and various spell mishaps made the show extremely funny.

As the Auror watched the video with a goofy smile, the Dementors had already formed a circle, sensing a powerful magic power from this wizard, and thus didn’t rush forward to drain him.

”Wait! Wait!” Barty Crouch Jr. said while gesturing with his wand as if to hold them back, ”Who is your leader? I’ve brought a deal!”

Whether or not the Dementors could understand, they still came closer, but suddenly, they stopped.

An empty hand of Barty Crouch Jr. now held a transparent, spherical Crystal Bottle, inside of which silver-white objects swirled and shimmered, like he had bottled the Milky Way.

Barty Crouch Jr. raised the bottle a bit higher to ensure all the surrounding Dementors could see it, then he slowly lowered it, finally placing the bottle on the ground.

The man took two steps back and said, ”This is my sincerity—a gift of the happiest memories from twelve Muggles in their entire lives.”

This type of memory, extracted by wizards using magic, was infinitely better than the free-floating emotions in the air. The greed and desire of the Dementors instantly peaked, yet they refrained from moving.

A creature that looked no different from the other Dementors stepped forward, its cloak darker and silhouette more ethereal. It stretched out its long, decaying hand, and the bottle on the ground flew swiftly into its hand.

Barty Crouch Jr. couldn’t help but step back two paces, struggling to keep any expression of disgust or fear off his face.

He had spent about a year in Azkaban, personally experiencing the horror of these creatures, and had no desire to once again endure the torment of all painful memories crashing down at once.

Unable to cast the Patronus Charm, he was grateful that Voldemort had taught him a piece of dark magic concerning the soul, reducing the Dementors’ effect on him to a very weak level.

Barty Crouch Jr. lowered his gaze, spotting that the Dementor’s hand seemed to have a dim glow flickering—a silver ring was on its hand, the band so deeply embedded in the flesh it was almost integrated with its form.

Sensing his gaze, the creature beneath the cloak instantly retracted its hand. The cork flew off, and the Dementor inhaled slowly and deeply, the silver memories from the bottle rushing into a deep opening.

That was the Dementor’s mouth.

Above the mouth was all scabby gray skin. No eyes, nose, or ears could be seen, only a terrifying head that would appear in nightmares.

Soon, the silver light of the memories vanished into the Dementor’s mouth, and it let out a long sigh, as if in satisfaction, but also as if demanding more.

”I believe you have seen it now,” Barty Crouch Jr. said, forcing himself to stay calm. ”My master–the Dark Lord’s methods are different from Dumbledore’s and the current Ministry of Magic’s.”

”As long as you’re willing to side with him, he can allow you to freely harvest happiness... To even use souls as supper is not impossible!”

”Well? Do you want to make a deal?” Barty Crouch Jr. asked with a smile. ”Or do you really think what the Ministry of Magic offers can satisfy you? They don’t even allow you to reproduce, right?”

After a while, the Dementor extended a finger, black mist forming a slender string of words in the air.

[Voldemort is still alive?]

...

Carrel’s departure didn’t cause much of a ripple; the students just discussed it briefly for a few days before quickly shifting their attention to other matters.

The Ministry of Magic didn’t want more people to know that Carrel had used a Time Turner to alter his mother’s destined death, which led to his own death a year ago. Thus, his crimes and his death became undisclosable secrets.

The news circulating among students was that Carrel had withdrawn from Hogwarts due to certain family reasons and had even left the United Kingdom.

This hasty departure left some classmates and friends with feelings of abandonment and disappointment, but soon, the increasing workload made students forget those sensitive adolescent troubles.

Final exams were approaching.

Not even Easter provided a chance to relax; every subject’s professor assigned more homework. Even the usually lively Weasley Twins had to buckle down and study hard for their Ordinary Wizarding Level exams.