Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 103 You devoured ten Dementors, your level has increased.

Upon hearing this, the group of wizards from the Ministry of Magic's eyes lit up instantly, and the embarrassment on their faces vanished, replaced by undisguised joy.

They quickly bowed to Regulus in thanks, then hastily turned around and retreated back to the island's shore, standing far away, unwilling to take another step forward.

The two continued deeper into the prison. The further they went, the stronger the atmosphere of despair became, and the roars of the Dementors could be faintly heard. They were getting closer and closer to the Dementors' lair, and the invisible pressure was growing stronger, as if it was going to crush their will completely.

The reason why those wizards in the Ministry of Magic dared not follow suit was precisely because they feared this deep-seated dread.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a fork in the road appeared ahead, with two dimly lit corridors extending in different directions.

Puni stopped, waved lightly to Regulus as a greeting, and then turned and walked alone toward the left corridor, leaving behind even the greyhound guardian spirit that Regulus had sent to protect him.

He knew perfectly well that the corridor on the left led to the Lestrange brothers' cell, while the corridor on the right led to Sirius's cell.

Regulus watched Puni's departing figure without being overly worried.

He knew that Puni was hiding many secrets and that his abilities far exceeded what he appeared to be.

There shouldn't be much need to worry about him getting into trouble on this island.

that's the truth.

Puni walked alone in the dimly lit corridor, his face no longer showing the paleness he had just feigned, and his expression was calm.

In the wizarding world, no one who has ever seen a Dementor harbors even the slightest bit of goodwill toward this dark creature.

The chilling aura and despair emanating from them seemed to be an evil etched into their very bones. Even though they were nominally tamed by the Ministry of Magic and served as guards of Azkaban, silently maintaining order and stability in the wizarding world, they could not dispel the instinctive loathing people felt towards them.

This aversion is not about advantages or disadvantages, but purely a rejection from the depths of one's soul. Once you have had a single encounter with them, they will be deeply imprinted in your heart and difficult to erase.

This deep-seated aversion stems not from their appearance, but from their innate abilities.

As soon as a Dementor gets close, it will forcibly pry open the most hidden corners of people's hearts, awakening those dark sides that have been deliberately sealed away and desperately forgotten without warning.

Those memories might be unspeakable traumas from childhood, the heart-wrenching pain of losing a loved one, mistakes one makes that one is unwilling to mention, or even fragmented pains that have long been washed away by time and that one can no longer even remember.

No one wants to actively recall pain; it's human nature to avoid those suffocating past experiences.

Whether wizards or Muggles, they all yearn to retain the warmth and joy in life, and hope to bury their pain deep in their hearts and never touch it again.

But Dementors ignore this instinct and use their strange power to forcibly drag pain out of the depths of memory, making people experience that despair and sorrow again. No one can accept the feeling of having their scars forcibly torn open and being repeatedly chewed on. A sense of disgust naturally arises.

If you get too close to a Dementor, all the comfort you feel and all the happy memories you cherish will be sucked away without a trace.

If given the chance, it will cling to you for a long time, feeding on your happiness and hope, gradually eroding your soul until it turns you into something like it, soulless, leaving only endless evil and emptiness.

In the end, what will be left for you will not be any warm moments, but only the most painful, unbearable, and unforgettable memories of your life, tormenting you day and night and plunging you into an abyss of despair.

Reflecting on this feeling, don't you think it bears a striking resemblance to depression in the Muggle world?

As Puni delved deeper into his investigation of the Dementors, he came to realize this more and more clearly, and Harry Potter's personal experience further confirmed his suspicions.

Harry first encountered Dementors on the train to Hogwarts. That time, he truly experienced the despair of having all his joy taken away. From then on, whenever he encountered Dementors again, he would be instantly enveloped by a familiar, bone-chilling cold. That deep-seated coldness and depression would replay itself again and again, lingering on.

In fact, Harry's description of a "familiar, terrible chill" is an incredibly accurate way to describe the feelings of someone with depression.

In the medical understanding of Muggles, the vast majority of patients with depression have a tendency to relapse. This is not because they are not strong enough, but because the thought patterns that trigger this psychological disorder will surface uncontrollably.

Often, patients are unaware of the emergence of these negative thoughts. Even when they are in a warm and stable environment, that familiar feeling of depression can suddenly strike and drag them into an endless "dark abyss" at an extremely fast pace.

This experience of falling into despair has almost become an "instinct" for people with depression. They are familiar with it, yet powerless to resist it, and unable to forcibly stop it.

They knew they shouldn't be depressed, but they couldn't control their emotions and could only let despair overwhelm them. That feeling of helplessness was far more tormenting than physical pain.

What's even more frustrating is that the onset of depression has no fixed pattern and cannot be controlled by the patient themselves.

Generally, each episode lasts for several days, and in severe cases, it can last for months. During this time, patients are completely enveloped by emotions such as depression, despair, and loss of pleasure, making it impossible for them to live a normal life.

However, most patients experience emotional relief after an attack. During the remission period, they return to normal, live and laugh like ordinary people, and are fully aware of how abnormal their state was during the attack. They also yearn for such pain to never recur. But reality is often disappointing, and the predicament of repeated attacks continues to plague them.

The more Puni investigated the Dementors, the more certain he became of his judgment: the Dementors' attack method was essentially to indiscriminately release a kind of "depressive syndrome" onto all living beings around them.

They do not initiate physical attacks, but rather influence everything around them in an invisible way, then precisely lock onto those targets that will react strongly, and track and entangle them.

On one hand, it continuously drains the target's happy memories and erodes their hope, and on the other hand, it forcibly awakens the darkness and pain buried deep in the target's heart, making the victim become more and more cowardly and want to escape under double torment.

The victim will gradually feel that everything in the world is full of darkness, and no matter what they do, they will only make themselves more miserable and fall into darkness faster, without seeing any light or hope.

This despair accumulates little by little until, in the end, the victim is completely overwhelmed, gives up all struggle, and takes the extreme step of escaping life.

And this is precisely the purpose of the Dementors, because only in this way will the souls of the victims become incredibly vulnerable, becoming their most delicious and nourishing food.

In particular, much of the magic in this world relies on emotions to activate it. A wizard's state of mind and emotions directly affect the power of the magic, and the existence of the Patronus Charm has become the nemesis of Dementors.

If you can successfully summon the Guardian, you can effectively resist the Dementors' aura of despair, and even dispel it.

This is why, apart from their numerical advantage, Dementors pose little threat to adult wizards who possess wands and are skilled in casting Patronus Charms.

As for the children who are not capable of casting spells, there is no need to worry too much.

In this world, almost all wizarding children study and live in magic schools such as Hogwarts and Durmstrang, which have strict magical protection, making it impossible for Dementors to easily break in.

Moreover, most children who grow up in ordinary wizarding families lead simple lives, have not experienced much darkness and pain, and have almost no dark memories that can be awakened in their hearts.

Even if they encounter a Dementor, their reaction won't be too strong, and they naturally won't become a priority target for Dementors.

Throughout the entire wizarding world, perhaps only Harry Potter endured endless abuse during his childhood. It would be difficult to find another wizard with such a tragic childhood.

When Puni first set foot on Azkaban, an island filled with despair, he was also ambushed by Dementors and took the blows head-on.

To his utter surprise, this unexpected encounter led him to discover a peculiar "use" of the Dementor—when he subconsciously touched and absorbed the Dementor that had attacked him, he tasted a familiar flavor, the rich and mellow taste unique to chestnuts, without any of the cold aura that Dementors usually possess, but instead with a hint of sweetness.

While chewing, you can hear a crisp crunching sound. The texture is crispy, just like a carefully baked delicacy. It is not at all as scary as rumored, but has become an unexpected "snack".

From then on, the Dementors of Azkaban took on a different meaning in Puni's eyes.

—Delicious!

At this moment, on the edge of Azkaban Island, the Ministry of Magic staff responsible for guarding the island were patrolling back and forth, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily. Little did they know that not far to the left of their patrol route, in a hidden Dementor lair, something that would shock them was happening.

Deep within the lair, a figure was walking unsteadily, wrapped in a large cloak with the brim pulled low, obscuring most of his face. His slender figure clearly did not belong to the ethereal form of a Dementor.

As he moved slowly, he approached the Dementors dwelling in the lair. Each time he reached a Dementor, he would raise his hand, his palm glowing with holy light, and gently draw the unsuspecting Dementor into his hand.

Faced with this holy light, the Dementors were utterly powerless to resist.

Many people don't know that Dementors don't actually have eyes; they can't see their surroundings or distinguish things around them.

However, they possess a unique sensory ability—they can accurately detect the emotional fluctuations of surrounding creatures, whether it be joy, sadness, fear, or despair. As long as there is an emotion, they can sense the location of the target, and then approach and consume the other's happiness.

This means that as long as you can completely suppress all your emotions and put yourself in a state of no feeling, you can completely "invisible" in the perception of Dementors. Even if you stand right next to them, they will not be able to detect you. However, Puni does not need to take advantage of this. Instead, he does not suppress his excitement so as to attract more Dementors to his side and become his food.

Through this experiment, Puni discovered that these Dementors could provide him with the energy to create holy artifacts!

Not only is it delicious, it can also be a source of inspiration for your diary!

Even his level is constantly rising!

You have devoured a Dementor; your level has increased.

You have devoured a Dementor; your level has increased.

You have devoured a Dementor; your level has increased.

【...】

In no time at all, Puni even reached level 20!

However, at this point, eating a Dementor would no longer allow him to level up directly.

This made Puni very disappointed.

"Or do you mean if I eat ten, I can upgrade?"

Since Puni didn't feel like his level was locked, eating a Dementor still allowed him to gain some magical power and progress.

He tried again.

really!

You have devoured ten Dementors; your level has increased.

You have devoured ten Dementors; your level has increased.

At this point, Puni had reached level 22.

But when he devoured ten more Dementors, his level did not increase, and he was stuck again.

ah~

Although Dementors have no eyes and cannot see the changes around them, they still keenly sensed that something was wrong. Their companions were decreasing at an extremely rapid pace, and the once crowded nest was gradually becoming empty. The familiar scent of their companions had largely disappeared.

The remaining Dementors began to grow restless, wandering aimlessly and emitting low whimpers, filling the air with a thick atmosphere of panic.

Sensing the unease and restlessness of the Dementors, Puni slowly came to his senses, glanced at the few remaining Dementors in the lair, and silently made plans in his mind.

I just got carried away and my hands were itching, so I ended up grabbing so many.

Losing a few dozen Dementors shouldn't have a significant impact on Azkaban, right?

After all, there are so many Dementors in Azkaban that they wouldn't even notice if only a small number were missing.

Thinking of this, Puni felt that he should leave as soon as possible. If he stayed any longer, he would be in trouble if he were discovered by the patrolling Ministry of Magic staff.

Moreover, he also had his own little plan—he wanted to come back here again to "find snacks" in the future, so he had to leave some space for the Dementors to reproduce. He couldn't wipe them out all at once; he had to consider sustainable development. Otherwise, there would be no "snacks" to eat next time he came.

Puni sighed softly, thinking to himself that Azkaban was actually a pretty good place for him. He could find these unique "snacks" and it was quiet enough that no one would bother him. The only downside was that it was too much trouble to come here every time. He had to avoid the Ministry of Magic's patrols and carefully sneak into the Dementors' lair, which took a lot of time and energy.

Puni strode out of the Dementors' lair and turned a corner along the winding path.

He stopped and cautiously scanned his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the empty corridor and the patrolling Ministry of Magic staff in the distance. Only after confirming that no one had noticed him and no Dementors were approaching did he raise his hand and untie the cloak he was wearing.

After a moment's thought, Puni glanced at the sky, estimated his time, and decided he couldn't linger any longer. He turned around and decided not to go to his father's and uncle's cell, but instead to take a detour to the other side to see what Sirius Black looked like now.

In the right-hand prison area of ​​Azkaban, the light was dim and the air was thick with a strong sense of coldness and despair. In the cells, a group of criminals who were still barely able to stay conscious and had not been completely swallowed by despair were leaning weakly against the cold stone wall, talking idly. The focus of their conversation was Regulus Black, who had just passed by outside the prison area not long ago.

Many of these criminals were former Death Eaters, and they held Regulus Black in deep contempt and disdain. Whenever someone mentioned the "hero" title that Regulus was later given, they would show a mocking expression on their faces, their tone full of disapproval, and they would even deliberately lower their voices to sneer.

In their eyes, Regulus betrayed the Death Eaters' beliefs and abandoned his own stance. He was not worthy of the title of hero and was nothing more than a coward who turned against his cause!

The chatter continued intermittently, carrying the numbness and resentment unique to prisoners. Just then, someone glanced up at the prison corridor and suddenly stopped talking, a look of surprise in their eyes. Immediately afterward, the other prisoners also looked over, their faces showing the same confusion—they discovered that outsiders had passed through this prison area again today.

This was far too unusual. Normally, Azkaban was remote and gloomy, and one could not see a single person other than the guards and Dementors for ten days or half a month. The only sounds in the corridors were the low whimpers of the Dementors as they wandered around and the desperate sighs of the prisoners. There had never been such frequent appearances of outsiders.

Puni ignored the prisoners and walked deeper into the prison area. Unlike the other prisoners, Sirius had a solitary cell in Azkaban. This was not a privilege, but rather a more severe punishment. His cell was located closer to the Dementor's lair on the right than the other prisoners. Every day, he had to endure a stronger, colder atmosphere than the other prisoners, and was more frequently enveloped by the Dementors' depressive aura, suffering double the torment.

Over the years, everyone who has stepped into Azkaban and met Sirius Black has been astonished. No one could have imagined that in such a cage shrouded in despair and coldness, and in the days of being tormented by Dementors, he could still maintain a near-normal state, as if the suffering and despair around him could not truly erode his mind.

Puni walked step by step along the prison corridor to Sirius's solitary cell. Looking through the cold iron bars, he saw not the resilient Sirius everyone remembered, but a curled-up figure lying on the cold stone floor, his shoulders trembling slightly, his hands tightly covering his face, suppressed sobs escaping from between his fingers. His usual pride and sharpness had vanished without a trace.

Puni knew perfectly well that Sirius's outburst was all because of Regulus Black. Sirius had always thought of his younger brother Regulus as a cowardly, weak, and submissive person, and had always looked down on him.

But it wasn't until Regulus stepped forward and saved countless people, earning him the title of "hero," that Sirius completely changed his opinion of his younger brother. What moved Sirius even more was that Regulus never believed the slander against him or considered him Voldemort's henchman.

This trust allowed Sirius, who had been abandoned by the entire Black family and misunderstood by everyone, to feel a long-lost warmth, and also gave him an unreserved trust in Regulus. However, in Penny's view, this trust was too pure, even carrying a bit of Gryffindor recklessness and blindness, disregarding consequences and failing to discern.

After many twists and turns, the relationship between the Black brothers, who were once estranged, gradually returned to the way it was in their childhood. Without the suspicion and estrangement of adulthood, only the brotherly concern and care remained. However, the news that Regulus brought this time completely broke Sirius, causing this usually strong man to shed tears.

Not only the other elders, but even Alphad's days are numbered.

Upon hearing this news, Sirius finally settled down in Bengbu.

Back then, Sirius Black was expelled from the Black family because of his differing beliefs, and was abandoned by everyone. When he was most isolated and helpless, only Uncle Alphard in the entire Black family secretly helped him and provided him with support despite the family's opposition, giving him a glimmer of warmth and support.

In Sirius's heart, Uncle Alfard was the only family member he recognized in this cold family, the only light in his dark years. Now, that light was about to go out, and the deep sorrow that penetrated to his bones made him unable to suppress it any longer. Even in a cold and desperate place like Azkaban, even though he had always been proud, he couldn't help but let down all his guard and burst into tears.

This Gryffindor lion, who was always brave and never bowed his head, was ultimately broken down by the pain of losing his loved ones.

Just then, Sirius heard footsteps. He suddenly looked up and saw Puni standing outside the cell through the iron bars. In that instant, the sadness on his face vanished, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes. He quickly got up from the ground, wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, and tidied his messy hair, trying to calm himself down and cover up his earlier loss of composure.

Sirius recognized Penny immediately. Penny's mother was his ruthless and cold-blooded cousin Bellatrix, and Penny's father was also a loyal Death Eater.

In Sirius's mind, his parents were Death Eaters, and growing up in such an environment, how could their child be any better? This innate prejudice was like a chasm between him and Puni, making him despise the child from the bottom of his heart and unwilling to have any interaction with him.

Suppressing the complex emotions in his heart, Sirius frowned, his tone icy, filled with undisguised disgust and rejection, and growled at Puni, "Get away from me. I don't want to see you, you little Death Eater, in front of me. Just looking at you makes me sick."

He was sharp-tongued and spoke without mercy, even to a child.

Despite Sirius's insults and rejection, Puni showed no anger. He maintained a calm expression and even slightly raised his chin, replying in a flat tone, "Hello, my Death Eater uncle."

He was stating the facts. Now, everyone outside believes that Sirius Black is Voldemort's henchman and a heinous Death Eater. He was simply stating the facts of this established label.

Upon hearing this, Sirius Black was instantly enraged, his face turning ashen. What he hated most was being associated with the Death Eaters, and Pony's words had undoubtedly struck a nerve.

He opened his mouth, and a string of foul language almost spilled out. Regulus, who was standing not far away, heard the two arguing and his face gradually showed displeasure.

Kopni remained unaffected by Sirius's anger, and even a faint smile appeared on his face.

But to Sirius, that smile was full of sarcasm and provocation, mocking his embarrassment and his inability to defend himself after being falsely accused. This only made him angrier.

"My poor Death Eater uncle," Puni said to Regulus, no longer wanting to argue with Sirius, "I think we should be going too."

Regulus nodded slightly, then turned to Sirius in the cell and said in a complicated tone, "Take care."

Then, he summoned his guardian spirit, a pure white grey dog ​​radiating a soft glow, and had it lead the way while he followed behind, heading towards the exit of the prison area.

The two walked towards the exit of the prison area. Regulus paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and turned to look at Puni, asking seriously, "By the way, Puni, I've always been curious, why aren't you afraid of Dementors at all? Even adult wizards would find it hard to withstand their existence, yet you're unharmed... But whatever the reason, I think I should suggest you learn the Patronus Charm."

He paused, then added, "Learning the Patronus Charm will not only better conceal your special ability to resist Dementors and prevent others from noticing anything unusual, but the Patronus Charm itself has many uses. It can both ward off Dementors and transmit messages. Learning it will do you no harm, only benefit."