"I was just about to write to you."

Kingsley's expression was extremely solemn as he led Severus alone into a private lounge.

Severus was still holding the pastries the young girl had given him, eating them as he spoke.

"I knew you'd be interested in this matter. Have you looked into anything yet?"

After taking a deep breath, Kingsley finally said.

"I went to the archives to check the records on that man. According to the files, he died in his cell in Azkaban in March 1984 and was later buried in a cemetery on the island."

"Then you must also know that verifying this is actually quite simple." Severus said, staring into his eyes.

"Dig up his grave, and we'll know whether he's really still alive!" Kingsley didn't avoid Severus' gaze, "If someone who took Polyjuice Potion dies, their body will remain in the transformed state, but no magic can resist the erosion of time. Once the corpse decomposes to bones, it will revert to its original form!"

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"This matter... should we report it further up?"

"Higher than the Department Head, there's only the Minister for Magic. By the time you get an appointment with Bagnold, those werewolves might have already started their next move."

Severus shrugged.

"If you're willing to listen to me and follow my lead, then for now, don't tell anyone… just the two of us. Use your authority to get an authorization immediately. We'll go to Azkaban Island right away. Once we retrieve the evidence from the island, we'll raid his house directly!!"

"Just the two of us?" Kingsley hesitated.

"Trust me, the fewer people who know about this before we catch him, the better. He's been a Department Head for over a decade… who knows how many of his informants are lurking in the Ministry? The more people who know, the greater the risk."

Severus tapped his fingers on the table.

"Besides, the two of us are enough!"

Kingsley didn't even realize it himself, but he no longer doubted Severus's words… he was only considering the feasibility of the plan.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and stood up.

"I'll go get us the travel permit for Azkaban Island!"

Severus, who was not at all surprised by his decision, raised his teacup in a toast.

"Make it quick. Azkaban at night is no place for humans."

Kingsley did move swiftly, but the Ministry of Magic's bureaucracy was what it was. It wasn't until four in the afternoon that they finally received the approved travel permit.

Without delay, the two immediately used the Ministry's Floo Network to travel to a Ministry's outpost on the coast of the North Sea.

This was the only forward dock leading to Azkaban Island.

Kingsley handed their application to the caretaker stationed there, and soon, a small boat with an orange lantern at its bow was assigned to them.

"Apparition is impossible near Azkaban Island, there's no Floo connection, and the surrounding sea is shrouded in mist. Normal methods won't get us there… only the Ministry's boats can take us."

As he spoke, Kingsley jumped into the boat first, and Severus followed him without hesitation.

Once both were aboard, the boat began moving on its own, gliding swiftly northward.

They sailed like this for nearly two hours before finally entering a thick, grayish-white fog that seemed to engulf the entire North Sea!

Fortunately, within the glow of the orange lantern, their vision remained unobstructed, and the boat didn't lose its way in the mist. Maintaining its speed, it traveled for another half-hour until land gradually came into view.

It was a deathly gray island, covered in dull stones with only sparse vegetation.

Only as they drew closer, finally reaching the shore, could they make out the silhouette of the fortress at the island's center through the haze!

After being weathered by time, the ancient castle looked incredibly dilapidated.

The mottled stone walls were overgrown with black moss, swaying in the sea breeze like withered arms stretching out from within, writhing in despair and agony.

Countless towering figures cloaked in black robes floated around the castle.

They were this island prison's only jailers… Dementors!

Kingsley took down the hanging lantern from the bow of the boat and turned to Severus with a warning.

"Stay close behind me. Those Dementors aren't exactly obedient… there have been cases where they've mistaken Aurors for prisoners and attacked them."

Severus nodded and followed closely behind Kingsley. Instead of approaching the Dementor-guarded fortress, they skirted along the shoreline until they reached the southeastern corner of the island.

There lay an enormous cemetery!

The entire cemetery was surrounded by a simple fence, and the entrance was marked by a crooked wooden archway that had long since rotted away.

Severus looked up and saw ancient carvings on the fragile-looking arch.

[May The Lord Forgive - July 10, 1730]

"Ever since Azkaban was officially designated as a wizarding prison and put into use, those who died on this island have been buried here."

Kingsley explained, his voice either affected by the island's bone-chilling cold or simply eager to share the history.

"Eldritch Diggory, the fourth Minister for Magic, was the first to set foot on Azkaban. After seeing this cemetery, he began advocating for abandoning the island as a prison and removing the Dementors as jailers."

"Did he think it's too inhumane?" Severus followed him through the archway and into the cemetery filled with tombstones.

"Yes. He believed using creatures like Dementors to torment prisoners was excessively cruel."

"I'd argue it's worse than that. Locking up the most vicious criminals here and subjecting them to creatures that feed on hope every day only breeds madness in the survivors."

As they spoke, they split up to search the vast cemetery.

Just as the island was fully engulfed in night, the mist so thick they could barely see their own hands, Kingsley finally made a discovery.

"Over here!" He shouted loudly.

Severus quickly moved toward his voice and saw a tombstone engraved with a name: [Barty Crouch Jr., 1962-1984]

Seeing the name, Severus sneered.

"Honestly, though Barty and I were only acquaintances, he was one of the few among the Death Eaters who didn't discriminate against my half-blood status."

"Does that make you hesitate to dig up his grave?" Kingsley's voice was tense… not out of moral conflict, but dread for what they might uncover.

"Hesitate?"

Severus let out a soft chuckle and raised his wand.

"Bombarda!"