"What if they betray you later?"
"..."
Tom paused, considering the risk of trusting dark wizards. They'd pledge allegiance now, then run off to join the Death Eaters the moment they were free. How original.
Despite the risk, Tom pressed on, steeling himself. He had no other options. "I'll curse them. They won't dare betray me."
"What if the Dark Lord lifts the curse for them?"
"..."
Tom stared at Lanlock, silencing him.
Lanlock, visibly cowed, blustered, "Without my help, you can't handle him."
"..." Tom took a deep breath. "Don't talk about 'what ifs,' or I'll surrender right now."
"But he won't accept you, will he?"
"..."
Tom felt a headache brewing. "Shut up!"
"Just a reminder. We're in the same boat. We have to help each other. One mistake could sink us both."
"..." Tom forced a smile. "Perhaps you're right. Now...shall we go find some fools willing to work for us?"
"..." Lanlock gestured. "Of course."
As they stepped outside Azkaban's gates, Tom prepared to act.
"Wait!" Lanlock shouted. "Have you figured out how to deal with what's inside?"
"..." A vein throbbed on Tom's forehead. "A Dementor?"
Annoying as the dwarf was, Tom had to concede the point. Due to repeated soul-splitting, his soul was weaker than most legendary wizards, even with the secret-recipe hamburgers repairs. Facing a Dementor's soul-draining attacks would be a challenge.
Then, a devious idea sparked in his eyes. "Perhaps we have another option."
"You mean..." Disbelief flashed in Lanlock's eyes. "A Dementor?"
"..." Tom didn't answer, but his silence was confirmation enough.
"You truly are insane," Lanlock admitted, shaking his head. "Dementors are mindless."
Tom scoffed. "They aren't incapable of communication."
"If we promise them a feast of souls, they might be willing to serve us." Tom's eyes gleamed at the prospect. Dementors were far more useful than the dark wizards inside, and less prone to betrayal.
"..." Lanlock considered the idea. It wasn't impossible.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Heh...not sure at all." A wicked grin spread across Tom's face. "I'm absolutely certain I can get them to work for us!"
He strode confidently into Azkaban, announcing, "Dementors...come to greet your new master..."
Before he could finish, a swarm of dark creatures descended upon him.
"Igglepiggle! (Hey buddy, you smell good!)"
"Tombliboo! (Let me suck on your bald head!)"
"Makka! Makka Pakka!!! (Sigh~ Hah~ Sigh~ Hah~ This stench of decaying souls is really captivating to monsters~!)"
"..." Tom froze. Something was very wrong.
He had forgotten that after multiple soul-splittings, his soul was weak and unstable. Little Hamburger could only replenish the quantity, not the quality. That required retrieving his remaining soul fragments.
But Tom had split his soul into eight pieces for a reason – eight lives. A little madness and a weakened soul were acceptable costs.
Now, with only one-eighth of his original soul essence (plus a bit more since it was his original body), Tom had minimal resistance to soul-related attacks. Worse, he was a legendary wizard, making his soul an irresistible target for the Dementors.
Faced with such a large, delicious, and easily attainable "cake," the Dementors had no intention of letting him escape!
"Stinky things..." Tom snarled, enraged. "No one has ever dared to treat me as food!"
He pulled out his wand. He couldn't use a Patronus Charm, but there were other ways to deal with Dementors.
...
Half an hour later, Tom, having successfully "flexed his muscles," finally convinced the Dementors to parley. They had found him a tough, unyielding treat and were now open to Tom's proposition to "let them go out for a buffet."
"Tombliboo? (What do you think?)"
"Little Dot~ (I think this has potential~)"
"..."
After a flurry of Dementor-speak, they unanimously agreed to throw in their lot with Tom and Lanlock. They had been getting increasingly hungry in Azkaban, so it seemed like the right time.
Seeing this, Tom excitedly waved his wand and conjured a phantom of Hogwarts.
The Dementors paused. "Hmm... this place looks familiar."
"You don't need to do anything. Just go here and break in." Tom waved his wand, conjuring phantoms of young wizards in colorful robes. "They're all yours to eat. Eat as much as you want."
To his surprise, the Dementors seemed reluctant.
"You don't want to go?"
The Dementors frowned and launched into incomprehensible Dementor language, leaving Tom helpless. They could understand him, but he could only guess at their meaning.
After listening for a while, Tom sighed. "Fine, then you go find this guy."
He conjured a phantom of himself. "As long as you cause him trouble, I can get you as many souls as you want to eat."
"..."
The Dementors fell silent.
This bald man...he's up to no good!
Was this even a threat?
That monster "eats" Dementors!
Realizing Tom's true intentions, the Dementors went berserk and refused to listen to Lanlock's attempts at appeasement.
---
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