Dumbledore's question brought Amortha's thoughts back to the collapsed island of Avalon, where, in the Greek temple at its heart, he had seen nine vast paintings. They depicted a great battle long ago between King Arthur and Merlin and Queen Morgan le Fay of Avalon.
Only Merlin survived the war in the end.
King Arthur and Morgan le Fay, the long-time adversaries recorded in wizarding mythology, were all slain in the end, while Merlin and the shadow's whereabouts remained a mystery.
Remembering the shadow, Amortha's gaze fell upon the bottle in front of his desk, and he pondered quietly.
Morgan le Fay is hailed as the witch of the island of Avalon, the leader of the ancient Druidic sect at that time. This is described in both mundane texts and wizarding history alike.
The shadow within Morgan... is only recorded in mythology. Where did it go? Was it imprisoned by Merlin in the Dark Stone Tower?
At the end of the battle, the double snake wand thrown by the shadow... Dementors... Azkaban...
"Do you know the specific location of Azkaban, Professor Dumbledore?"
After a long silence, Amortha looked at Dumbledore, expressionless.
Dumbledore was not surprised that Amortha wanted to explore Azkaban. After all, it was there that the Dementors, which had changed his soul, were first discovered by people.
"I'm sorry, Amortha--"
Dumbledore shook his head and said,
"The location of Azkaban is a highly confidential matter in the magical world, protected by the Imperius Curse from the Department of Mysteries' Sealed Persons. It has been passed down generation after generation, and even Cornelius probably doesn't know who exactly holds this secret..."
"How does the Ministry of Magic manage to keep prisoners in Azkaban?"
"The key..."
Dumbledore smiled, his expression complicated,
"Once the Wizengamot decides that a wizard should be sent to Azkaban, the enforcers will escort this wizard directly to Azkaban through a two-way key set up in the Ministry of Magic... If..."
Looking at Amortha, who was listening attentively, Dumbledore suddenly envisioned a possible outcome:
The notorious bounty hunter wizard, the Golden Viper, had stormed the Ministry of Magic, paralyzed all armed forces there, and stolen the key to Azkaban. As of now, the Ministry was unaware of the Golden Viper's motives in committing this heinous crime. However, it cannot be ruled out that he might have received a commission to rescue a prisoner held in Azkaban.
Thinking of this, Dumbledore couldn't help but shiver in his heart. He knew that Amortha had the courage and ability to do such a thing.
"If you need to go to Azkaban,"
Dumbledore looked at the young man opposite who seemed to be pondering something, and spoke with more emphasis, "If you need to go to Azkaban,"
"I can request for you to the Minister... under the pretext of a research project on dark magic defense or something. I believe Cornish won't refuse my request, but I think he'll want to accompany me, at least. He might let Rufus or Barty come with you."
Amortha furrowed his brow, thinking, These things he wanted to investigate could cause a big stir if thrown out. With so many people watching him, what could he actually do?
"Thank you for your kindness, Professor Dumbledore," Amortha nodded appreciatively, "I'll still try to figure it out by myself."
"Amortha."
Dumbledore leaned forward a bit, his turquoise eyes shooting out serious eyes, and the tone of voice also carried a warning hint.
"I understand what you're worried about, Professor Dumbledore." Amortha smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not that impatient a wizard. I'll wait for the right opportunity. I won't make everyone know and make them panic."
The topic of how to go to Azkaban was dropped there, and Dumbledore knew he couldn't stop Amortha. He just kept emphasizing that if people knew the Ministry had lost absolute control over Azkaban, it would be a terrifying thing for the residents of the British magical world.
"About the Dementors..."
Dumbledore knew exactly what Amortha would probably do, so he said directly,
"For more than a dozen centuries since its discovery, wizards have never stopped studying the Dementors. When I was young, for a period of time, I also tried to uncover their secrets. Of course, just research on paper, as people say, they cannot be killed; the only thing that can control them is the Patronus Charm--"
"Even you can't destroy them?"
Amortha narrowed his eyes, "I mean under full force?"
Noticing that the cup in Amortha's hand no longer had steam rising from it, Dumbledore moved his fingers and refilled the teacup for him. Hearing this question, Dumbledore helplessly smiled but did not speak.
Dumbledore's silence has already answered the question.
But isn't it indeed a strange thing?
Amortha blew away the tea leaves on the rim of the cup and sipped the tea thoughtfully.
"Life and death are the laws of nature and the universe. Even with magic's wonder, it cannot escape this ironclad law."
If there is a creature that has a long life and cannot be killed by any means, then throughout history, so many dark wizards and power-hungry individuals have tried to come up with all kinds of methods to prevent their own deaths, even going as far as splitting their souls and creating horcruxes. Is this not a foolish thing? Why didn't they charge into Azkaban and study how to turn themselves into Dementors?
Unless, the Dementors are not a form of life at all.
"Do Dementors have souls?"
After a moment of thought, Amortha blinked his lavender eyes and asked.
"You've grasped the core of the problem--"
The Dementors, a common phobia among ordinary wizards, were just another thing for Dumbledore and Amortha. They were not a threat, as they could not be killed.
With a blue gaze that held admiration, Dumbledore smiled as he said,
"Like you, Amortha, my research on Dementors is primarily based on studying literature. Many years ago, a dear friend of mine once did some real research, and in one of his letters to me, he mentioned an interesting point."
Someone whom Dumbledore called a close friend went to research Dementors, a creature closely related to dark magic. Amortha raised an eyebrow and then thought of some unverified rumors about the young Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of his time.
"He believed... that the soul of the Dementor is its body, a creature of 'soul and flesh' unity. The Dementor takes 'malice' as its body, and there is a mysterious connection between individuals... perhaps their vitality is interconnected."
"So, the Dementors are not unkillable, but they cannot be killed individually... Mr. Grindelwald is truly a genius."
In Dumbledore's bitter smile, Amortha nodded thoughtfully.
"What else did he mention? For example, the origin or method of creating such a creature?"
"After that..."
Dumbledore's elderly cheeks trembled with a fleeting trace of bitterness.
"We have completely cut off contact between us..."
