Hogwarts, i am Dementor

Cohen stared at the man who seemed to have aged from middle age into his grave in an instant, debating whether or not to point out the fact that "Cohen wasn't really his son anymore"—neither physically nor mentally. 

From the perspective of alchemical theory, the final product that transcended the primal matter bore little relation to the materials thrown into the alchemical crucible. 

It was like how the atoms composing a human body originated from the stars in the universe, yet stars and humans were entirely different entities. 

But this revelation would undoubtedly be too much for Herbert to handle right now. Perhaps he had given up everything, willingly spending his life guarding this lonely, dangerous place, just for the chance to see Cohen return someday— 

"Damn it," Cohen sighed. "You've tugged at my heartstrings this much, so I'll reluctantly grant your wish. I'll stick around for Christmas." 

[*Ding! Kindness Points +100*] 

This was exactly the system notification Cohen had been waiting for. If helping a pitiful man find a sliver of joy in the endless prison of his life didn't count as a "good deed," then Cohen could only conclude one thing—Herbert was lying. 

But so far, Herbert seemed genuine. The system hadn't been fooled yet—at least not by an old man on the verge of losing his mind. 

"That's wonderful!" Herbert suddenly looked ten years younger, his hands fumbling nervously over his tattered rags of clothing. Cohen could see him trembling—shaking with excitement. "I—I should do something—You said you were hungry… right, I'll get you some food…" 

Herbert hurriedly stood to light a fire. The hearth in the room had gone cold, and his wand was with Cohen. 

But he didn't ask Cohen for it. 

His mind was unusually clear now. Cohen staying here was already a miracle, and he could tell Cohen was cautious. He needed to help Cohen relax—especially on Christmas Day. 

"Incendio." Cohen cast a fire-starting charm at the hearth, sparing Herbert the trouble of trying to rub sticks together—he didn't have a lighter here. "That rabbit's practically mush by now. Earl, go catch a few more rabbits." 

"I was about to praise you for rediscovering your conscience," Earl shot Cohen a sidelong glance but spread his wings and flew off anyway. 

"An owl that talks?" Herbert turned to look at Earl, then stole a quick glance at Cohen before nervously shifting his gaze to the iron pot in front of him, terrified that Cohen might change his mind over something he said. 

"Yeah, my pet. Ten Sickles at the shop," Cohen answered Herbert's question. 

At least his first Christmas in this world wouldn't be spent all alone. 

"I've got some money here…" Herbert fumbled through his pockets, only to realize his meager coins were piled on the table—among the silver and copper coins was a single Galleon that didn't belong there. 

The Aurors wouldn't have left charity, since there was nowhere to spend it here—it could only have come from Cohen. 

This kid hadn't been tainted by any evil at all—he was like a little angel— 

At that thought, Herbert's throat seemed to close up. 

"You're not about to cry, are you? Fair warning—I don't comfort grown-ups. Come on, man, you look forty or fifty. You can't be *this*…" 

Cohen saw Herbert on the verge of a breakdown and quickly intervened. 

A little sentimentality was fine, but let's not overdo it! 

Cohen was afraid he might actually get emotional himself—one set of parents was enough, really. 

Maybe it'd be easier on his conscience if Herbert turned out to have ulterior motives… 

"No, no, it's just… sand in my eyes," Herbert wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his ragged robe. "I'll go get you something…" 

But then Herbert realized he didn't actually have anything to offer Cohen. 

Instantly, he deflated like a punctured balloon and slumped down. 

"Why don't you tell me about the past?" Cohen gave him a direction, sensing the chaotic mix of emotions swirling in Herbert. 

Joy, frustration, anxiety, sorrow—it was like a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans crushed and dumped into a cup, then stirred with pumpkin juice. 

Was this what human emotions were like? 

Complicated, messy, and riddled with pain. 

"Tell me everything you know. Consider it my Christmas gift for tomorrow," Cohen continued. "There's hardly anything useful left in the basement—I want to know everything about that experiment." 

Herbert slowly sat back on the bed, looking at Cohen's face. His hands clasped together, fingers twisting nervously, as if he were hesitant. 

"I… I know some things—but not everything…" Herbert's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "I don't want you to think of yourself as… as…" 

"I already know part of it," Cohen pursed his lips. "My bloodline's mixed with human, Dementor, Nightmare Unicorn, and some other stuff—but I don't really care. No one's going to figure it out anyway." 

With the gloomy weather outside, the firelight in the room seemed especially bright. 

"Start from the beginning?" Herbert's eyes reflected the glow of the fire behind Cohen, his lips trembling slightly. 

"What, you want to start in the middle?" Cohen quipped. 

"Then… I'll start from the beginning…" Herbert began recalling the past. "From when you were five—I mean the you before the experiment…" 

"Back then, you… I couldn't… there was…" 

Herbert stammered, trembling, unable to bring himself to say the word "died." 

"How about I just use Legilimency? It'd be faster," Cohen suggested. 

Herbert nodded silently. 

It was as if saying those words would kill him—or perhaps he knew deep down that his original son, "Cohen," had long since died, and saying it aloud would force him to face that reality. 

"Legilimens." 

Cohen aimed his wand at Herbert's forehead. A silvery, thread-like spell connected the wand tip to Herbert. 

Herbert put up no defenses, leaving himself completely vulnerable—even now, Cohen could tamper with his mind however he pleased. 

A strange sensation flowed from the wand up Cohen's arm and into his mind, like a long, long movie playing out. Cohen could fast-forward, rewind, or skip sections at will. 

Herbert's entire life was recorded here. 

But Cohen focused mainly on the parts about himself. 

In 1976, thirty-three-year-old Herbert and his wife, Bellvina Black, welcomed their youngest son, "Cohen Burke," after already having a son and a daughter. 

In 1978, Herbert's eldest son died. Dark wizards were rampant back then, and no one knew whether he'd fallen victim to some mad dark wizard's scheme or something else. The Burke family was at the height of its power then and would never admit one of their own could be harmed by peers. 

Especially since Herbert and his sister Rose were close—and both were notorious "family black sheep." Not only did they have an abnormal attitude toward Muggles, but they occasionally showed affection for the "filthy" kind. 

So the Burke family hushed it up entirely. Herbert couldn't even find a way to avenge his son—he didn't even know where the body was. 

In 1979, Herbert's daughter lost control of her magic. The Obscurus within her killed several cousins who'd been bullying her, leading the Burke family's then-leader to sentence her to death. Two Killing Curses were cast—one hit Bellvina, Herbert's wife (who threw herself in front of her daughter), and the other struck the girl. 

From that moment, Herbert was left with only his young son, "Cohen." 

He didn't seek revenge. Instead, he took Cohen and left the family—a terrifying, authoritarian clan that filled him with dread. 

Herbert moved with "Cohen" to Godric's Hollow. That same year, Rose, fed up with the family over this, cut ties completely and married the "impure" Edward Norton. 

In 1980, Cohen died, struck by an inexplicable curse—Herbert couldn't fathom why anyone would target him. 

Cohen's death nearly broke Herbert. He'd lost everything—his entire family was gone. 

In 1981, after Voldemort's fall, while other wizards celebrated, a younger Burke family member approached Herbert. 

He told Herbert there was a way to bring the dead back to life. The family was secretly creating a being to replace Voldemort and dominate the wizarding world—"The Man in the Bottle." 

It required the corpse of a young wizard—one with Burke family blood. 

This sudden glimmer of hope clouded Herbert's judgment. He dug up Cohen's body, returned to Burke Manor, and aided in gathering countless alchemical materials and rare creatures—many of which involved illegal, cruel acts. But Herbert, obsessed with reviving Cohen, took on any task like a slave. 

The experiment succeeded, but it also failed. 

"The Man in the Bottle" survived stably, but in the moment of success, it killed nearly everyone in the manor. Like a soul-consuming void, it devoured the souls of almost every living thing. 

Except for the unicorn in the basement—and Herbert. 

After that came Herbert's arrest and sentencing by the Ministry of Magic. Since Cohen couldn't be killed, he was adopted by Rose at Dumbledore's suggestion. 

What followed was a decade of tedious, torturous waiting—until he finally reunited with Cohen, though their first meeting wasn't exactly warm. 

During Herbert's confinement, two Aurors passing by stopped to check on the manor ruins. They noticed something off, unbound Herbert, and rushed into the basement—already blown open by Cohen. 

And that led to everything Cohen had seen… 

… 

After sifting through Herbert's memories, Cohen now had a clearer picture of what had happened. Unfortunately, Herbert had only supplied materials for the experiment and hadn't participated in it (he didn't know how). 

So Cohen couldn't pinpoint what the remaining two bloodlines in his makeup were—only that this trip had yielded results, just not the kind he'd initially sought. 

[*Race: Dementor / Human / "Nightmare" / ? / ?*] 

"Do I look like an idiot?" Herbert said with a self-deprecating laugh. 

Thanks to the Legilimency, Herbert had relived the long string of memories alongside Cohen. 

And once certain memories connected, things he'd never noticed before became glaringly obvious. 

It was the Burke family who'd cursed his son—they'd planned to use him all along. 

Herbert had essentially been sold out by the Burkes and still counted their money for them… 

"People get tricked because scammers are rotten, not because they're stupid," Cohen raised an eyebrow. "That's victim-blaming. Besides, it's all in the past now… I ate up every last Burke in that manor." 

"You're right…" Herbert's voice was faint. 

Soon after, Earl flew back, two rabbits floating beside him—his talons were busy gripping a wand, leaving no room to carry them. 

Those two Aurors weren't routine patrols—just passersby. Their sudden disappearance probably wouldn't lead back here. 

Out of kindness, Cohen spent the night with the pitiful Herbert. Earl slipped out at midnight—he had to deliver Cohen's gifts to Rose and Edward. He'd meant to go the night before, but after getting his wand, Earl had been so excited he forgot entirely. 

This Christmas might've been the happiest of Herbert's later years. The room brimmed with joyful emotions—Cohen had to restrain himself from devouring them. 

The bed went to Cohen, while Herbert slept on the floor with a bundled blanket. 

[*Ding! Kindness Points +300*] 

[*Note: Congratulations on learning compassion! Rewarding you with 300 Primogems.*] 

"…" 

Cohen was jolted awake early by the system's announcement. 

The sky outside was still overcast, barely distinguishable from night. 

Good thing Cohen had a mechanical watch to tell the time. 

7:35. 

Time to bounce— 

Earl should've delivered the gifts to the Gryffindor common room by now, and Cohen didn't see much point in lingering outside anymore. 

The bed wasn't exactly comfortable—he was starting to miss the Hogwarts dorms. In terms of living conditions, Hogwarts beat 99.9% of schools hands down. 

Herbert was still asleep. Last night, Cohen had heard him tossing and turning—probably too excited to sleep. 

Cohen didn't plan to wake him. If Herbert woke up to find Cohen leaving, he might spiral into despair. 

After using a Levitation Charm to move Herbert from the floor to the bed, Cohen scribbled a short note on a spare piece of parchment left over from homework, placing it on Herbert's table and weighing it down with Herbert's wand. 

[*I'm heading back. Don't off yourself—I'll come see you again later.*] 

"Why does this feel like 'You were great last night, I left the money on the table, gotta run'…" 

Cohen muttered to himself, a little exasperated. 

But leaving Herbert with some hope wasn't a bad thing—once Cohen climbed the ranks at the Ministry, he could get Herbert's sentence overturned. 

Then he could spin some PR about "a father's love spanning decades," guaranteed to leave housewives bawling and conveniently smear Fudge in the process. 

Next, Cohen pointed his wand at the snoring Herbert. 

"Obliviate." 

Cohen didn't erase much—just Herbert's memory of Cohen's face and the Aurors' visit, tweaking his recollection of why Cohen had come and what he'd done—to keep the Ministry off his trail. 

Now, Cohen's official story for this trip was a simple visit to his "birth father." Perfect. 

Herbert would likely only remember that his long-awaited son had returned and would come again someday. 

[*Ding! Kindness Points +50*] 

The system chimed again—good deeds really racked up the points… 

Too bad Herbert's kindness points were tapering off. Even if Cohen kept helping him this way, the rewards wouldn't climb much higher—a phenomenon Cohen had dubbed the system's "tolerance buildup." 

Just like how tormenting Earl barely yielded a single sin point anymore—or none at all. 

He'd need to broaden his methods for earning both shop currencies. 

Leaving the shack, Cohen ensured he'd covered his tracks, then took off into the thick clouds under the cover of darkness. 

Back to Hogwarts. Even without digging into Nicolas Flamel's files, Harry would probably start breaking school rules and roaming at night once he got that Invisibility Cloak— 

Evil tendencies were hereditary, after all. 

This chapter mainly covers Cohen's backstory—no helping it if you don't like it. Next chapter's back at school! (Amen) (A 4,000-word monster chapter, whew) 

(End of Chapter)