A Ghoul's Warning

Dogged

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That newspaper slipped right between the bars and landed on a big black dog that growled furiously when seeing the rat in the picture ...

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Furious, the big black dog shredded the newspaper into tiny scraps. When its rage had destroyed that defenseless set of paper the dog was still eager to sink its teeth into something. That desire drove the dog mad, but after calming down a little it seemed to start watching outside.

Any dementor flying about would've only seen a dog's nose poking out between the bars and sniffing. Of course, the soul sucking creatures didn't care about the snout. Once the beings flew off to continue their patrol the nose went back in the cell and a pair of human hands grabbed the bars.

With a little rage powered magic the bars loosened and the man was able to climb up. The messy prisoner's head, complete with black overgrown matted hair and beard, poked out and observed the area. Once he saw that his cell was only on the second floor, he immediately pulled the rest of his body through.

All there was below him was a slim ledge that marked the top of the floor below him. Plus, from what he could see there was more water than ground, but that didn't stop him. A mad grin spread across his face the second his bare feet touched the ledge. He carefully balanced and hugged the wall as he craned his neck to see how far it was to the bottom and what he'd land on.

Good news was that it wasn't far to the ground.

Bad news was that the landing left much to be desired.

At least, most people would prefer to avoid landing on sharp rocks. Yes, this prisoner was a bit crazy, but he wasn't that daring. As carefully as possible he inched himself farther along the edge, but he didn't get far before the air started getting cold again.

A dementor was coming ...

Unfortunately, that little surge of magic he used to get out had drained what little reserves had. With waves of depression seeping into him as his happiness was drained by the approaching creature he felt his body weaken. There was no choice but to jump so he took a chance. The second he let go of the wall he shifted into the big black dog from before and prayed he'd land safely.

By a stroke of pure luck he hit mostly water. He did scrape his arm on a sharp rock, but it wasn't bad enough to stop him. Whatever power the dementor had on him was significantly decreased in this form even as the creature flew over his head. Still he knew he wouldn't last long if he didn't hurry.

A ghastly sound was heard and the dementor swooped down. The sudden feeling of cold knocked the wind out of the dog's lungs and the dog sank beneath the surface. That deathly, black robed, skeletal creature hovered patiently waiting for its prey to resurface. Sadly, the creature will be left waiting a while.

Underneath the water was a determined hound desperately swimming towards the shore. It only risked poking its snout out when the need for air was too much. Thankfully, it was dark where he was, both from the time difference and effect of the constant presence of the dementors. With those factors aiding him, the dog managed to get to shore unnoticed and get away.

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Narcissa Malfoy raised an eyebrow when an official Gringotts letter arrived, "What is this ..." She dropped her sentence after only a few words in.

The letter was a friendly warning from their goblin at Gringotts. As a courtesy and for the children it was deemed necessary to warn them before entering the premises. Of course, her first thought was that they had no right, but then she read the reason. Apparently, they were linked to the buying and selling of stolen goods that's also linked to inheritance theft and rape.