Bellatrix eventually gained everyone's forgiveness.
The existence of the Mental Shield allowed everyone except Basil and Ariana to act freely and teach her a lesson one by one.
Her body, like a tattered rag, pierced through the emerald fence of the forest, falling back onto the rocky shore, beside a tidal pool, with twigs and leaves strewn about.
Everyone took turns coming to the natural fish tank and sat together by the rocks.
Clusters of vibrant, colorful sea anemones swayed gracefully and ceaselessly in the current, while starfish clung motionlessly to rocks and crevices. A small, black eel covered in white stripes darted among the lush green seaweed, awaiting the return of the sea.
Bellatrix looked quite disheveled, with her brown hair full of leaves and dust but without a single scratch on her body, quietly changed to a better position to appreciate the fish tank.
At this moment, in the middle of the North Sea in another world.
This island, hidden in the Muggle World and unmarkable on any map, is surrounded by three bone-white walls.
Looking down from above, the three walls form a triangle.
In the center of the triangle, where the small island originally stood, a series of tombs were built.
This is Azkaban.
The prisons of the British Wizarding World are enchanted with spells that expand space within each wall, thus accommodating a vast number of Dementor and criminals.
Dementor are non-existent beings, dark creatures, and are considered by people to be the ugliest things in the world.
They suck people's happiness, thus causing those who come near them to feel depressed and hopeless.
It can also suck away people's souls, turning them into a kind of walking corpse, leaving only an "empty shell".
Therefore, Dementor are also described as "demons that steal other people's souls".
They should have been exterminated, but because they are not real beings, they cannot be eliminated and can only be driven away by the Patronus Charm.
Dementor have no true allegiance; they simply side with those who can provide them with more human victims.
And these criminals are the victims.
These monsters cleverly acted as jailers, limiting their reproduction and trapping them in the desolate center of the North Sea.
It also saved the cost of hiring jailers.
They keep prisoners in a constant state of despair and their most painful memories, driving them to madness and insanity.
This means that the place hardly needs any wizards to watch over it.
The House-elf also provided for chores such as food, water, changes of prison clothes, and cleaning of the washroom.
The House-elf, whose very bloodline is imprinted with the will to serve wizards, are more resistant to the despairing stance of Dementor than wizards themselves. Even when their minds are clouded, they can still complete the tasks assigned by their masters.
Therefore, wizard jailers do not exist in the British Wizarding World.
But now, on the top floor of Triangle Prison, next to the window cell, there is a small room.
The warm fireplace, the warm yellow chandelier, the comfortable sofa, and the elegant long table make it seem exceptionally luxurious compared to a prison cell.
Even more surprisingly, there were two wizards here, one fat and one thin.
Their clothing and the wands they always carried indicated that they were not prisoners.
Instead, they were rare wizard jailers.
Since Damocles Rowle was elected Minister for Magic in 1718, and Azkaban was used as a prison with the Dementor on the island serving as guards, it has been relegated to a place of history.
The fat jailer yawned and picked up a piece of pineapple preserve. "Steven, we're really unlucky to have to work in this godforsaken place."
The skinny man nodded. "Yes, Spico. It's all Peter Pettigrew's fault."
"After Sirius escaped from prison, everyone knew that Azkaban was not an impenetrable fortress for the Animagus."
The fat jailer chimed in, "Yes. As long as they become animals, they won't be affected by Dementor."
"This also means we have to work here—personally feeding Peter a bottle of confusion potion every day."
"Watch him drink it, and then live next to his cell and supervise him."
"Raging Gorgon! How can magic like Animagus exist in this world!"
The skinny man shook his head. "In my opinion, it's all the fault of the officials upstairs."
"The quality of senior officials in the Ministry of Magic is getting worse and worse. Frontline Auror need to have five NEWTs certificates, and their grades cannot be lower than 'good'. They also have to go through a series of rigorous character and intelligence tests in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"And high-ranking officials only need to be good people. They need to be able to use Patronus with physical bodies."
"No, perhaps it's not necessary yet."
"For example, Fudge is just a good writer, good at putting on a show, and always uses Dumbledore an endorsement."
"If Dumbledore were a minister, there would be no need for us to be working here."
"He can take care of it with a single spell."
"How dare you!" The fat jailer's sleepiness was instantly banished. "Is this something you can say?"
"If you're going to die, stay away from me, don't let your blood splatter on me!"
The fat jailer's voice was so loud, along with the sound of waves crashing against the walls, that they overlooked a crisp sound of water splashing.
A thin, gray rat, enveloped by a blurry human figure, plunged into the murky seawater.
——
Four days have passed in the blink of an eye.
This is a huge piece of driftwood.
Its roots stretched out menacingly on the azure lake surface, like the countless thin legs of a giant, pale spider.
A huge palace covered the body of the 'spider'.
This is one of Nick Flume's palaces in France.
It was built in a private forest that was not marked on a map, could not be observed by Muggle, and was even unknown to most wizards.
Today, Flume will teach how to harness the essence of water to repair the body.
"Water is the origin of all things, which means that all things are produced by water and return to water. No matter how different the nature of all things in the world is or how diverse their changes are, they always come from the same origin and return to the same origin, namely water."
"The first life on Earth was born in the primordial ocean billions of years ago."
Flume lay prostrate beside a tree branch, his long, slender fingers submerged in the water.
"Therefore, water also has unparalleled vitality, and all we need to do is mobilize it."
"Follow its breath."
His hand began to slide with extremely small movements, but miraculously, the water surface was perfectly smooth, without a single ripple.
Flume now seems to have become part of the water, and even with Basil's keen senses, he cannot perceive it if one closes their eyes.
Therefore, Basil observed very carefully.
But Ariana and Phoebe did not.
Two days ago, Phoebe was also marked and allowed to enter the [Dream Kingdom].
The two of them bumped into each other inside.
This undoubtedly brought them closer, and even now, they still whisper secrets between girls.
Neither of the Dumbledore brothers did.
Aberforth remained seated under a parasol about 10 feet away from them.
Dumbledore had been listening attentively at first, but three minutes ago, he suddenly frowned.
Although Basil was paying attention, his mind was more absorbed in Flume's movements.
However, a sound of music approaching from afar disrupted the harmony between Flume and the water.
Everyone looked in the direction from which the music was coming.
That's the sun.
In the orange-yellow sun, a phoenix with deep red and gold edges brought its ethereal, mysterious voice.
Its instantaneous high altitude and the sun cleverly overlapped, making it seem as if a three-legged Sun God had descended to earth.
The three Dumbledore siblings, who possessed Phoenix Bloodline, discovered it ahead of time.
Dumbledore, as the master, may have been even earlier.
It is undoubtedly Fawkes.
Basil instantly understood why Dumbledore had frowned three minutes earlier.
Its golden claws landed on Dumbledore's arm, and a parchment appeared in his hand amidst golden-red flames.
Dumbledore's penetrating blue eyes swept over it.
He took a deep breath. "I think we need to go back to England sooner rather than later."
Flume withdrew his hand from the lake; it was perfectly dry, not a drop of water clinging to it. He frowned slightly. "Why? Wasn't the plan to do it tomorrow?"
Dumbledore's gaze darkened. "Peter escaped four days ago."
"But I only found out now. There haven't been any reports about it."
He once believed that even though he was far away in France, he could still keep up with everything that was happening in Britain.
But he didn't.
I made a mistake.
"Fudge is indeed stupid, incompetent, and short-sighted."
"But he is undoubtedly a genius at how to secure his position as minister and paint a rosy picture of the situation."
Aberforth sneered, unable to resist mocking, "You always think you can control everything, so self-righteous and arrogant."
"But what about now? Just one Fudge?"
Dumbledore ignored him, his expression only growing more serious. "In other words, I cannot guarantee that Tom, who possesses the Resurrection Stone, has truly not made a move. The Resurrection Stone that Tom possesses is only at the level I suspect."
"Azkaban provided Peter with very thorough protection."
"With his Mana, even with a wand, he cannot escape from prison."
But in reality
"The question is, why Peter? And not Bellatrix?"
He fell into a brief silence.
Flume guessed, "Your guess about the Resurrection Stone is probably correct."
"The undead summoned by the Resurrection Stone may indeed have limited strength. They may even be limited in number."
"Voldemort could only guarantee that he, as Animagus servant, could escape successfully."
"Perhaps," Dumbledore, his brow furrowing slightly. "But I must return to England to investigate myself."
"Well," Flume shrugged, "I also own a property in London."
"Albus, put down your phoenix. Let Fawkes rest."
"Follow me."
He led the way, walking to the other side of the balcony.
The magic wand struck the smooth, pale tree trunk.
A downward passageway appeared before them.
There were no lights in the passageway; instead, it was illuminated by a paint applied to the walls that emitted a warm, sun-like glow.
After walking for about ten minutes, the road under our feet began to flatten.
A huge room appeared in front of them.
It can hold a hundred Hagrid.
But the room was completely empty and very spacious.
Only a large, exquisite circular rug sat in the empty room.
Flume stopped in front of the carpet. "You can just step on the carpet."
"It leads to my property in London."
After everyone had stood up, Flume looked at Basil.
"I know you have an excellent memory."
"You should have remembered everything I just said. Albus will probably send you straight to Hogwarts."
"Once you get there, remember to try out the Black Lake."
"That ancient lake contains unimaginable vitality."
Basil nodded.
Flume then looked at Phoebe, "You are my apprentice in name only."
"But he didn't learn much, and he also has Veela blood."
"My original plan for you was to stay with me and Perenelle and protect you."
"Now that you've chosen to go to Hogwarts, don't let your guard down."
"Many wizards who covet my lineage will have their eyes on you. Your bloodline will make them look down on you. Remember to take advantage of that disdain."
"Equip yourself with knowledge."
Dumbledore smile. "She's going to Hogwarts. The safest place in the world."
"Besides, I'm here. Nobody dares—"
Flume, "Hogwarts place where the Basilisk and the Dark Lord invaded?"
"Not long ago, you were the one who dealt with those intruders outside Granger's Cave (Basil looked at Flume in surprise)?"
"Don't believe Dumbledore's nonsense. His main target right now is Ariana."
"Unless you are inseparable from her, his words will be greatly diminished."
"I suggest you spend more time with Basil. He's not as simple as he seems."
Dumbledore wanted to say something more.
But Flume did not give him that chance; as he waved his wand, silver light flashed from the edge of the carpet.
The space before my eyes shifted, and I felt dizzy and disoriented.
The next second, everything in front of them changed from Flume and the empty room to a bright blue swimming pool and a huge, life-sized single-door glass window.
The sounds of London's vibrant atmosphere and the engine noise of cars gradually emerged.
"Are we in London already?" Ariana blinked her big eyes.
"We've arrived." Dumbledore. "I wouldn't mistake it. I have a scar on my left knee, a complete map of the London Underground."
"Fawkes— "
He was just about to have Fawkes take Phoebe and Ariana to Hogwarts.
But the next second his gaze fell on Basil, whose arms had unconsciously wrapped around Phoebe and Ariana's shoulders.
Killing Intent flashed in his azure eyes.
But Dumbledore managed to suppress his urge to tear the boy to pieces.
When he was around this boy, his emotions were completely out of his control and always tended towards a more rational direction.
"Basil, I know you have a way to get to Hogwarts."
"Take them with you, don't let me—"
However, he hadn't finished speaking.
With a splash and ripples in the air, the three figures disappeared before his eyes.
"Ha ha." Aberforth mocked in a dry, emotionless tone, "You've miscalculated again."
"Who would wait for orders from a wretched old man?"
Who do you think you are?
"That was wonderful! I'll remember your expression forever."
"This will be the best picture of my life."
After Basil left, Dumbledore's anger finally began to burn fiercely.