Dewey endured the excruciating pain as he watched his ribs twist outward, as if they were alive.
Another Hit Wizard soon came over and lifted the curse.
He was a different Hit Wizard, one who used an oak wand.
He didn't lift the curse because he felt any particular compassion for the prisoners.
The more important reason was that someone had arrived.
They couldn't let the bigwigs from the Ministry of Magic catch them tormenting prisoners.
"Stay put and keep your mouth shut. Don't say a word you shouldn't, or I'll let you experience the Dementor's Kiss."
The Hit Wizard threatened him.
Dewey laughed harshly.
It sounded like a night owl's screech.
"Ah, looks like someone important must have come this time.
Don't worry. I'm going to die, but it won't be today.
I won't experience the Dementor's Kiss, but you certainly will."
Dewey spoke with malice.
After being thrown out of the room where Sirius was being held, Dewey shouted at him.
Sirius remained woodenly silent, but Dewey could see that ever since he'd seen the Daily Prophet—no, ever since he'd learned Peter Pettigrew was still alive—there had been a spark in him.
But now, he looked more like he'd truly come back to life, with a fire burning in his heart.
Killing Peter Pettigrew would be revenge. Protecting Harry Potter was his ultimate goal.
When he saw the Daily Prophet and learned that Peter was right beside Harry Potter, he came alive again.
It was as though a fire were burning in his heart.
Not even the Dementors could extinguish those flames.
"No one can hurt Harry Potter."
Sirius said it to himself.
He was gathering his strength.
"I can get out of here."
He said it to himself.
Dewey was thrown out.
Clearly, he wasn't among the prisoners the Ministry bigwigs had come to inspect.
"Remember what I said."
The Hit Wizard threatened Dewey. "Don't go running your mouth. Don't make us call the Dementors to deal with you, scum."
Dewey snickered.
The Hit Wizard left, and Dewey began thinking quickly. Without the Dementors feeding on him at regular intervals, his mind had cleared a little.
"Who could it be?"
Dewey had no idea. He didn't even know what year it was. He hadn't had time to look closely at the newspaper, and in his limited memories, he recalled that Ministry officials had come to inspect several times before.
Who would it be this time?
What had the Daily Prophet reported?
He hadn't paid attention to the newspaper, because just as he'd taken those final two punches, he'd finally spotted the card he'd been longing for on the ground.
[Animagus]
[Animagus: A complex spell that isn't very useful in battle. Its side effects may well be far more serious than its benefits.]
["Hey, you naughty little troublemakers, don't touch that cat. That's your Deputy Headmistress."]
Dewey took a deep breath and looked around. The Ministry had an arrangement with the Dementors: whenever Ministry officials came to inspect the prison, the Dementors would leave obediently and stay on the far side of the island.
A day later, they would return. Then their grand feast would begin.
Those damn monsters would repay their hunger from a day without feeding twofold.
In other words, if Dewey wanted to leave, he'd better take this opportunity.
He couldn't bear to stay here any longer—not for another minute, not another second!
Not another minute, not another second!
[User: Dewey Jones (alias) Learned Cards: [Levicorpus (Level 1)] (Blue, Rare) [Protego (Level 1)] (White, Common) *4 [Stupefy (Level 1)] (White, Common) *6 [Alohomora (Level 1)] (White, Common) *17 [Apparition (Level 1)] (Purple, Epic) [Reparo (Level 1)] (White, Common) *3 [Impedimenta (Level 1)] (White, Common) *5 [Levitation Charm (Level 1)] (White, Common) *18 [Animagus (Special Card)] Title: None Magic: 10 Magical Essence: 0 Dueling Points: 1]
Dewey didn't care about all these little spells. He only knew that he had cards now.
Animagus.
When the spells appeared, it was as if they had burrowed into his brain, into his cerebral cortex. He could cast them whenever he wanted.
Even without a wand!
Wandless Magic!
This time, when he tried to transform into a flying ant, a prompt appeared.
Insufficient Magic!
"How could this happen?"
He'd been on the verge of succeeding, but at the last moment, it had all fallen apart.
His mood plunged from a mountaintop into a valley, and he nearly went mad!
This was something Dewey couldn't accept.
"This damn—this fucking Magic! How the hell do I get more?"
There was no time to rage. Dewey quickly investigated and soon discovered that Magic could be increased by converting Dueling Points.
One to ten.
He had to fight other people to earn Dueling Points.
A one-sided beating didn't count.
That was why Dewey only had one point.
After he'd fought Sirius, he'd gained one Dueling Point.
Using Animagus required fifty points of Magic.
In other words, Dewey needed four Dueling Points. He had to fight at least four duels.
"I need to find some Death Eaters."
Dewey made up his mind at once.
When his freedom was at stake, his mind was crystal clear.
He staggered to his feet and headed deeper into Azkaban.
There were plenty of prisoners in Azkaban, but most of them were lifeless. Even if Dewey smashed their heads in, they wouldn't fight back.
The only ones who were different were the hard-core Death Eaters.
They believed Voldemort would return and lead them to glory.
They were among the few prisoners in Azkaban who retained their strength and sanity.
They were also rare among the most dangerous criminals in that they hadn't killed themselves.
"Bella."
Dewey thought of someone: Bellatrix Lestrange. She was one of the most hard-core Death Eaters known, and one of Voldemort's most loyal followers. If he beat her, she would definitely fight back!
If all else failed, Dewey could insult Voldemort in front of her and call him a "filthy Mudblood."
There was no way Bella would let that go.
Having made up his mind, Dewey glanced around. He'd been thrown into a remote area, a place where the Dementors usually gathered—dark and filled with resentment.
But today, the Dementors were all "on holiday."
Relying on the memories in his head, Dewey hurried through the prison and soon arrived at Bella's cell.
Bella sat quietly inside. The cell door, which normally had no lock, had been fitted with one for show.
"Alohomora!"
Dewey cast Wandless Magic.
Five points of Magic vanished in an instant. The Card System informed him that Wandless Magic consumed more Magic.
He needed a wand.
Like that Applewood Wand.
He didn't know what the Applewood Wand's core was.
So far, Applewood seemed like a good match for Transfiguration.
Dewey opened the door and slipped quietly into the cell.
Bella raised her head and looked at Dewey.
"Oh," Bella said as she looked him over. She seemed to come alive, and spoke in a malicious, mocking voice. "Well, well, who do we have here? Dewey, Dewey Jones. A filthy, cowardly Ravenclaw.
What are you doing here?
Have those Dementors tortured you until you can't stand it anymore, and now you want me to snap your pathetic neck and put you out of your misery?
Or would you rather I crack your skull open and let all that cowardice inside your head escape?
Hmm? Need to crawl into your mummy's arms and have a good cry, little darling?"
Bella stood up and taunted Dewey.
Dewey lunged at her.
He was running out of patience.
One punch!
Bella was knocked to the floor, her mouth falling open in surprise. She hadn't expected to be attacked here.
By a timid, filthy Ravenclaw.
She caught the scent of blood.
"How dare you... How dare you..."
She said in disbelief. Dewey said nothing. He lunged forward and punched her again.
Bella screamed and pointed at Dewey, trying to cast a spell, but Dewey interrupted her with another punch!
He wasn't sure if Bella still had any magic.
He wasn't sure if Bella could cast spells without a wand, either.
After beating her, Dewey got the card and ran out, then turned around and shut the door.
Only then did Bella react. She rushed over, the veins standing out on her hands, and shook the cell door again and again. Unfortunately, it was locked, and no matter how hard she shook it, she couldn't budge it.
"Let me out, you disgusting, nauseating piece of trash! Let me out!"
"I swear, I'll teach you respect with my wand."
"Let me out, you traitor!"
"The Dark Lord will make sure you get a healthy dose of Crucio. Believe me, I'll see to it myself!"
She cursed loudly, but her words had no effect on Dewey.
She kept repeating the same few lines, and Dewey remained unmoved.
He checked his Dueling Points.
Dueling Points: 2.
The two cards Bella had dropped were very Death Eater-like, too.
[Avada Kedavra]
[Avada Kedavra: Perhaps only someone with the malice to kill another could cast such a vile curse. It is unforgivable (one of the Three Unforgivable Curses).]
["Avada Kedavra"]
Avada Kedavra was a Purple Card.
Dewey looked at the other card.
[Crucio]
[Crucio: My malice toward you will make you wish you were dead. Enjoy this moment of delight, Wizard.]
["Let us go! We truly don't know where the Dark Lord is. No, Longbottom, no, don't torture him!"]
No wonder she was Bella, Dewey thought.
He'd beaten Sirius for so long, and not a single Dark Magic card had dropped.
He'd punched Bella just a few times, and two Dark Magic cards had dropped.
Bella truly was a notorious Death Eater and Dark Wizard.
Dewey hid outside Bella's line of sight and waited for her to tire herself out from cursing. Then he quietly went over, cast "Alohomora," opened the cell door, went inside, and gave her another thorough beating.
He needed to farm enough points from Bella.
Bella screamed with fury. She tried several times to kill Dewey, but each time, he easily escaped.
She wanted nothing more than to bash her head against the wall and die!
Meanwhile...
A ship finally approached Azkaban.
The current Minister for Magic, Fudge, disembarked and gazed at Azkaban before him, letting out a long sigh.
"Azkaban."
He said it to himself.
An aide followed behind him, pretending he hadn't heard a thing.
This inspection of the prison was one of the publicity stunts of the current Minister for Magic, Mr. Cornelius Fudge.
"For the natural rights of mankind."
He said this to the reporters accompanying him.
Fudge was no capable leader. His rise to success had been pure chance.
He became Minister for Magic because Barty Crouch Sr., the leading candidate for the position, lost public favor and was defeated after his son turned out to be a Death Eater.
The second-choice candidate, Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, refused the Ministry of Magic position.
Fudge was third in line, and became Minister for Magic.
Just like that, he had stumbled into the position.
Dewey would never have imagined that he had lost all sense of time in Azkaban.
He thought he had been tortured in Azkaban for a few years.
But the truth was, he was on the verge of going mad.
He had been tortured for eleven years.
This was Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts. He was about to begin his third year there.
It was now the summer break after his second year.
He was about to advance to the next grade.
The year was 1993.
A full eleven years had passed since he had been imprisoned in Azkaban.
Before you continue