Hogwarts, i am Dementor

Three kilometers wasn't a long distance for either the Earl or Cohen.

One beast and one bird soared into the clouds, ensuring Cohen wouldn't be spotted by wizards. Dementors were supposed to be confined to Azkaban—having a rogue one pop up would definitely attract a squad from the Ministry of Magic.

In recent days, Cohen had also tinkered with the Thestral-skin bag Hagrid had given him, modifying it to hold more stuff. Whoever invented the Undetectable Extension Charm was an absolute genius.

Cohen planned to dabble in creating new magic himself later on. The wizarding world's spells felt outdated—still stuck in that medieval vibe of "shoot some fire," "sprinkle some water," or "block an arrow." Basic stuff.

It was like humanity had invented nails, planks, and wheels but hadn't figured out how to assemble them into a cart.

Still, that wasn't something Cohen needed to worry about right now—he and the Earl were almost at the manor.

The once-grand main house of Burke Manor was now reduced to shattered brick corners and scattered, charred wooden beams, its foundation buried deep under stone and snow.

The manor was encircled by a ring of magically grown evergreen trees, enchanted with a Muggle-Repelling Charm to keep thrill-seeking Muggles from stumbling in.

Even after ten years, Cohen could still see faint and vivid traces of spells lingering over the ruins through his magical vision. Some dark magic left marks that even time couldn't erase.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Cohen floated above the clouds, gazing down at the wreckage. "These spells look like they could still kill someone ten years later."

"Real mystery who cast them, huh?" the Earl said dryly. "No wonder you hairless wizards stuck a guard here—"

"A guard? Who?" 

Cohen perked up at the Earl's words, scanning the area for whoever was "guarding" these ruins.

If it weren't for the faint plume of smoke rising suddenly, Cohen would've never spotted the house blending into the snow-covered trees. Its snow-laden roof made it nearly invisible from above.

Whoever lived in the inner circle had to be a wizard—cut off from the world, probably tasked with periodically refreshing the Muggle-repelling spells. That sounded like either a government gig or a prison sentence.

After confirming no one else was around to see, Cohen and the Earl descended into the forest.

"I bet you're gonna take him out," the Earl wagered from a tree branch. "I'll stake a field mouse on it. There's no way you can rummage through those ruins without making a racket, so for a rotten guy like you—"

"That's speciesism. Careful, or I'll spread word you're prejudiced against non-humans," Cohen shot back, flipping the Earl the middle finger. "Sure, technically Dementors aren't exactly saints, but that doesn't stop me from being a good person—or, well, a good monster."

Cohen reached the cabin door. Inside, he heard the sound of boiling water and a man humming.

The guy was crooning the Scottish folk song "Loch Lomond"—pretty refined taste.

*Knock, knock, knock—* 

Cohen, hood up, rapped on the door, determined to prove to the Earl he could be reasonable.

"Who's there?" 

A wary voice called from inside.

The cabin door creaked open— 

"Stupefy!" 

"Stupefy!" 

Cohen and the man inside cast their spells at the same time. Trust between strangers didn't even get a chance to start.

"Fine, you win," Cohen conceded to the Earl. "I struck first."

The man inside collapsed stiffly to the floor. Both spells had hit—his even struck Cohen square in the head. He clearly hadn't expected the stranger at his door to be an eleven-year-old kid.

"Bet he didn't expect a Dementor to knock either," Cohen said with a hint of regret.

A Patronus Charm might've given Cohen a scare, but Stupefy? 

Had anyone ever seen a Dementor knocked out by a Stunning Spell?

Cohen stepped inside. The man sprawled on the floor was a gaunt, middle-aged guy in patched, worn-out clothes. His unkempt black hair was streaked with white.

The cabin's interior was sparse: a small bed piled with old blankets, a wooden table against the wall covered in knife scratches, a wobbly chair, and an iron pot simmering over a fire.

Something was cooking in the pot. Cohen peeked inside—rabbit, maybe? He'd roasted rabbit before, so he recognized it.

"Did he forget he lives in a wooden house?" the Earl perched on the table, tilting its head at the blazing fire.

A normal fire would have stones around it, but this was just a few logs stacked together. The fact that the wooden floor beneath hadn't caught fire was a miracle.

"Magic—pretty amazing, huh?" Cohen said dismissively.

He was busy searching the unconscious man's clothes. Cohen pegged him as a convict based on the shackle around his right wrist—only prisoners wore cuffs with broken chains dangling like that.

Plus, the shackle bore traces of a spell similar to a tracking charm. No need to speculate further about his identity.

"You hoping to find boobs on a guy?" the Earl asked, incredulous.

"Shut it if you can't say anything useful. Don't tempt me to kill you," Cohen shot a menacing glare at the bird.

He'd just pulled a hefty stash from the man's coat pocket: a bunch of crumpled notes, a broken quill, and some silver Sickles and copper Knuts.

Cohen dumped it all onto the wooden table.

"He's *really* poor…" 

Cohen almost felt bad taking the money.

Sweeping the pitiful pile of coins to the table's edge, Cohen spread out the notes and started flipping through them.

"Participated in inhumane and evil dark magic experiments… Engaged in the trade of prohibited creatures rated XXXX or higher…"

What Cohen found was an ancient sentencing document.

"Joint penalty decision… Lifelong assignment to guard the Burke Manor ruins, still laden with dangerous magic… Wizengamot Courtroom…"

The name of the convict listed was— 

"Herbert Burke?" 

Cohen glanced at the man on the floor, then back at the name on the document.

The Burke family… Burke Manor… 

When Edward had taken him to Diagon Alley to shop, he'd mentioned that Cohen's adoptive mother, Rose, came from the Burke family.

"No way—this guy's my uncle?"

(End of Chapter)