Astoria clutched Jon's left hand tightly.
The next instant, the world lurched violently. Her vision dissolved into a chaotic swirl of gold and crimson… crushing pressure closed in from all sides, leaving her chest so tight she could barely breathe.
When she finally opened her eyes again—
A strange chill clung to the air.
Astoria shivered involuntarily. She straightened her clothes and edged closer to Jon, then looked around with barely concealed unease.
They were standing on a small island. Ahead of them loomed a massive, ominous castle; behind them stretched a vast, endless sea.
The sky was filled with countless black specks… As if sensing the presence of the living, they began drifting steadily closer.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Jon calmly raised his wand with his right hand and spoke the incantation softly.
The moment the Patronus appeared, the biting cold in the air almost completely vanished. The black specks in the sky seemed to hesitate, halting their advance.
"How are you?" Jon asked, his other hand steadying Astoria, his voice edged with concern.
"Mm… much better…" Astoria nodded faintly. She explained in a low voice, "Even though that thing isn't affecting me anymore, whenever I see Dementors, I can't help thinking about it…"
"That's fine. You'll get used to it," Jon said with a reassuring smile, gesturing ahead. "Come on, follow me."
"Mm."
The Panda Patronus took the lead, Jon followed with his wand in hand, and Astoria stayed close behind him.
...
Less than a hundred yards from Azkaban Castle, several makeshift tents had been erected.
From there, a massive breach in the castle walls was clearly visible.
That gap was the scar left nearly a year ago, when Antonin Dolohov, Bellatrix Lestrange, and eight other Death Eaters sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban had staged their escape.
Back then, the Death Eaters had turned some of the Dementors to their side. With their help, they broke their comrades out of Azkaban… and at the same time, Dementors loyal to the Ministry and those loyal to the Death Eaters had clashed in a large-scale internal battle right here.
After that incident, the Ministry no longer dared to leave Azkaban unattended—regardless of the fact that Cornelius Fudge had been in charge at the time.
Previously, there had been no resident wizards at Azkaban at all; all prisoner supervision had been handled entirely by Dementors.
The castle's protective enchantments were further reinforced, and at least five Aurors and five officers from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement were stationed there every day. One measure was to prevent further Death Eater infiltration, the other to stop another Dementor rebellion.
These tents served as quarters for the Ministry's "staff."
In front of the tent closest to the castle, a silvery-white owl stood perched on the doorframe.
On closer inspection, it was clearly a Patronus—most likely belonging to an Auror.
Jon stepped forward and tapped lightly on the frame.
"Who's there?" a wary voice called out from inside the tent.
In the next instant, several fully armed wizards burst out at top speed.
Multiple wands snapped into position, all aimed at Jon and Astoria.
"I'm with Albus Dumbledore!" Jon shouted at once, raising his wand high to show he meant no harm. "Dumbledore sent me here!"
"Dumbledore's man… Oh, wait…" The wizard in front of Jon frowned, muttering to himself. "You're Hart, aren't you?"
He lowered his wand, the hostility draining from his eyes.
"Not an enemy," he instructed the other Aurors.
Jon recognized him as well. They had worked together briefly on the Isle of Man.
His name seemed to be Gawain Robards.
...
"Mr. Robards," Jon asked quietly, "I assume you've already received Professor Dumbledore's letter?"
"…Of course," Gawain Robards replied. "But wait—if Professor Dumbledore sent you here, where is he? Shouldn't he have arrived as well?"
"Oh… he left after bringing us here," Jon explained calmly. "You know how it is—he's been very busy lately."
"That's true. Everyone at the Ministry has heard as much," Gawain Robards sighed, nodding. "These are special times, after all."
"Getting back to the point, Mr. Robards," Jon said, pulling a parchment from his pocket and handing it over, "may I take my friend to visit the prisoner Diana Greengrass?"
Gawain Robards accepted the parchment and gave it a quick look.
"Certainly. The prisoner is in Cell 114. Would you like me to accompany you?"
"No need," Jon said with a smile, gesturing toward his Patronus.
"An excellent Patronus, Mr. Hart," Gawain Robards said, giving him a thumbs-up. "To be honest, I don't like getting too close to that prison myself… Oh, by the way, didn't the letter mention that two girls might be coming to visit Diana Greengrass? Why is there only—"
A chill ran down Jon's spine. He quickly cut him off.
"No, you must be remembering it wrong."
...
Led by the Panda Patronus, the two of them entered Azkaban Castle.
Security along the way was extremely tight. Every few steps, one or two Dementors could be seen.
But the Panda Patronus, already taller than half a man, easily drove those creatures aside, forcing them to clear a path.
The inside of the castle was calmer than Jon had expected. The prisoners were quiet—there were none of the constant screams he'd imagined.
Still, through the small windows in the cell doors, he could see gaunt faces twisted with terror and despair.
Astoria remained silent the entire way, following obediently behind Jon… which gave him a strangely complicated feeling.
When they entered Sector 11 of the castle, Astoria suddenly spoke.
"This is my fault…"
"Huh?" Jon froze.
"I shouldn't have sent my sister away," she murmured. "She must miss Mother just as much… I was too selfish…"
"…"
Jon had no idea what to say.
Astoria looked up, gathering her courage.
"Jon… if you ever get the chance, please bring my sister here to visit our mother too."
Jon didn't know how to answer, but fortunately—
"Let's talk about that later. We're here… this is Cell 114," he said quickly.
The number "114" was marked on the cell door, along with a name—Diana Greengrass.
...
Through the small window in the door, Jon could clearly see a familiar face.
Mrs. Greengrass looked extremely weak, utterly stripped of the elegance and composure she once had.
She lay on the stone bed, terror etched across her face, murmuring incoherently as if trapped in a nightmare.
Jon leaned in to listen and realized she was repeating the same words over and over:
"Don't die… Astoria… my daughter…"
"Mother!"
Tears spilled down Astoria's face as she rushed forward without hesitation.
The door wasn't locked at all. She pushed it open easily.
She dropped to her knees beside the stone bed, softly calling her mother's name.
Jon didn't approach.
He simply gestured to the Patronus, signaling it to protect her.
In fact, he didn't step a single pace closer to the cell.
...
Casting a casual glance around, Jon noticed that the occupant of the cell across from them was also muttering in his sleep, just like Mrs. Greengrass.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he stepped a little closer.
A faint, broken voice drifted out from the cell—a middle-aged man steeped in despair.
"Master… it won't work… please… he can't do it… he really can't…"
Jon blinked and looked at the nameplate on the cell door.
The number read "113."
And the name was—
"Lucius Malfoy."