12 Ch. 12: Bellatrix Lestrange

Dementors, the embodiment of dread in the Harry Potter universe, are the creatures Harry Potter fears above all else. They drain life from their surroundings, evoking the most horrifying memories. Their "kiss" is a soul-sucking terror that leaves victims in a state worse than death.

These spectral beings guard Azkaban, their chilling presence transforming the prison into a living nightmare.

As a dementor's ghostly silhouette drifted towards him, Jon remained unflustered, his gaze steady and calm. It passed through the cell bars, hovering before him, revealing its full, ghastly form.

It was as he had seen in the movies: a dark, ragged cloak draped over its form, its body appearing as if drenched, its hands marred by scabs, its face devoid of features, save for a dark void where a mouth should have been.

As the dementor neared, a bone-chilling cold enveloped Jon. It drew closer, seemingly intent on using its "mouth" to extract Jon's soul. But Jon, his eyes ablaze, commanded, "Begone!"

At his words, the dementor recoiled, seemingly sensing the spirit of vengeance emanating from Jon's soul. It turned and drifted away from the cell.

"Hehehehe! Has a new neighbor arrived? I won't be alone anymore!" A woman's voice echoed from the adjacent cell. Her voice held a hint of allure, but was tinged with madness, a clear sign of the mental toll the dementors had taken.

"Hey! Can you hear me? What did you do to end up in here?" she asked.

"That's none of your concern!" Jon retorted.

His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of escape, not idle chatter. He needed to break free from his chains, escape Azkaban, and use the dementors' fear of him to his advantage. His plan was to find the prisoners who met the criteria for his mission and eliminate them.

"Hmph! You're quite the hothead! And from your voice, you sound young!" she retorted, "Do you want to know why I'm here?"

Jon remained silent, uninterested.

"Because... I serve the Dark Lord!" she declared.

'Dark Lord?!' Jon's eyebrows shot up. The Dark Lord she referred to was likely Voldemort.

[Ding! Mission target detected: Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater. Eliminating her will advance the main mission.]

Even without the system prompt, Jon had already deduced her identity.

'A deranged woman imprisoned in Azkaban?' Only one name came to mind: Bellatrix Lestrange!

'What a coincidence! I'm here because I plundered her vault!' Jon thought, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Is the Dark Lord you serve is the one they call You-Know-Who?" Jon asked, feigning ignorance.

Bellatrix's lips curled into a smile. She thought, "Many young wizards like you, rebellious and defiant, are drawn to the Dark Lord. Imprisoned in Azkaban at such a young age, they could become valuable assets to the Dark Lord."

"Indeed! Those fools at the Ministry of Magic don't even dare to utter my lord's name!" Bellatrix laughed.

"Aren't you also afraid?" Jon asked. He remembered that in the movies, the Death Eaters referred to Voldemort as the Dark Lord or Master, none daring to utter his name.

"No, we are different!" she retorted, "We call him that out of respect for our lord!"

Jon remained silent.

"Don't worry, the Dark Lord is not dead. One day, he will return. The wizarding world will be bathed in blood. And when all is said and done, those of us who have remained loyal will be rewarded generously!" she declared.

Jon paused, then said, "You were curious about why I'm here, weren't you? I'll tell you now."

Bellatrix was elated, thinking Jon was swayed by her words and wanted to prove his worth by sharing his crimes. She thought he wanted to join the Death Eaters.

"I'm all ears!" she chuckled.

Jon cleared his throat, then said, "I was imprisoned for two main crimes: murder and theft."

Bellatrix leaned in, intrigued.

"Let's start with murder," Jon began, "In the Leaky Cauldron, a few wizards overstepped their bounds. They insisted on calling me a mudblood, so I incinerated those pure-blood wizards on the spot!"

Bellatrix's expression shifted. She felt a sense of unease. The Dark Lord and the Death Eaters were staunch advocates of blood purity and held deep prejudice against half-blood and Muggle-born wizards.

"And one of them was named Gibbon, a foolish Death Eater, I believe. He was reduced to ashes by my hellfire!" Jon continued.

"What?! You... you..." Bellatrix lost her composure, 'He killed a Death Eater, knowing he served the Dark Lord? He clearly has no respect for the Dark Lord!'

Bellatrix strained against her chains, screaming at Jon. To her, Jon was not only insulting her, but also the Dark Lord.

However, her outburst attracted the dementors, and two of them floated to her side, greedily sucking at her soul.

"Ah—" Jon heard her agonized cry from the next cell.

"Are you okay?! Let me continue!" Jon taunted.

"Let's talk about theft! After killing Gibbon, I took his keys and went to Gringotts, intending to take his hidden wealth. But I was discovered and in my panic, I ended up in another vault!"

Jon paused for effect, then continued, "What was that vault called? Ah, yes, Bellatrix Lestrange's vault! I took everything: the money, the potions, the magical ingredients. Oh, and I accidentally destroyed something!"

He feigned thoughtfulness, then said, "That thing was called... Hufflepuff's Cup, I believe!"

"What?! You destroyed the most important item the master entrusted to me! I will kill you!! I will definitely kill you!!" Bellatrix roared.

Ah-!

Bellatrix's screams echoed from the next cell as the dementors resumed their soul-sucking torment.

"What did you say? I didn't quite catch that?!" Jon taunted.

"I'm going to kill you!" Bellatrix shrieked.

Her outburst attracted the dementors once more.

"I can't hear you, say it again!"

"…..Kill you, aaaaah—"

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