With a strong momentum and a series of crisp sounds, the Death Eaters present all Disapparated and disappeared into the living room of Malfoy Manor...
The full moon hangs alone, and the waves are surging.
On an island in the middle of the North Sea, a lonely fortress is surrounded by four tall steel walls. The waves hit the iron walls, splashing high waves, but no drop of water can pass through the towering walls of the island.
Countless Dementors, covered in tattered black cloth and looking like they were soaked in water, were wandering in the sky. Wherever they passed, it seemed as if all the happiness was sucked away, reminding people of the most terrible things they had experienced in their lives.
This is the most tight and most inhumane prison in the British wizarding world. Here, all prisoners are guarded by Dementors, and the success rate of jailbreak has been zero so far!
Most of the prisoners within the walls die of despair, having lost the will to live. Dementors drain all happiness from people, leaving them with the worst memories. Long-term exposure usually leads to insanity or even death!
To this end, the Ministry of Magic built a tomb outside the Azkaban prison fortress, close to the edge of the steel wall, to hold those who died in the prison.
This place was like an abandoned mass grave, with corpses lying in a mess. Because the observers and Aurors sent by the Ministry of Magic were unwilling to get close to the range of the Dementors, most of the corpses were hastily buried. Even in the cold late October, mosquitoes were still active among the corpses, and the buzzing sound was endless.
There was no trace of blood on the ground, only coldness, desolation, and emptiness... This was because all the dead wizards had no wounds. They were either drained of their happiness by the Dementors, and their souls died before their bodies, or their souls were sucked away by the Dementors, leaving only their dead bodies...
There are some scattered, low tombstones on the ground, which were left by the relatives of the prisoners who were willing to visit.
No one had visited this silent cemetery for a long time, but on this unusual Halloween night, the air was suddenly filled with the rustling of cloaks.
Between the graves, behind the rocks, and in every dark place, wizards appeared in the shadows, all wearing hoods and covering their faces, without revealing any trace of themselves.
Suddenly, a thick black fog suddenly rose!
Voldemort's figure slowly walked out of the black fog and came in front of many Death Eaters.
“Welcome, my servants,” Voldemort said calmly, but his trembling pale lips showed that he was not calm either. “Oh, it seems that as long as a Death Eater carrying the Dark Mark arrives here first, Azkaban’s much-praised Anti-Apparition Charm will not be difficult to deal with.”
He looked around, as if he had crossed time and saw scenes from many years ago.
"Twelve years... It's been almost twelve years since our last major operation. I'm glad that there are still so many loyal Death Eaters by my side as they were then... I'm glad, it means that we are still united under the Dark Mark! Isn't it?"
All the Death Eaters in black robes and masks knelt on one knee on the ground, forming a circle in front of Voldemort.
"We swear to be loyal to our master until death!" they shouted loudly, scaring the surrounding mosquitoes and flies away from the center of the cemetery in a panic.
"I miss you so much..." Voldemort walked slowly, looking at the faces of the Death Eaters under their masks one by one, and reading their names, "Lucius, McNeill, Nott, Avery, Crabbe, Goyle..."
He took two more steps, but suddenly stopped and looked at the space between Lucius Malfoy and Avery - there was enough space for two people to stand.
"The Stranges should be standing here," Voldemort said softly, "but they are still imprisoned in Azkaban. I know they are the most loyal. They would rather go to Azkaban than betray me..."
"When Azkaban is breached, the Lesters will receive a reward beyond their wildest dreams. What do you think of this, Lucius Avery?"
Lucius and Avery both shook their heads quickly, indicating that they had no other opinions at all.
"When we break into Azkaban, the Dementors will join us... They are our natural allies. In addition, we will recall the expelled giants... I will get back all my loyal servants, and I will once again have a group of magical creatures that everyone fears..."
He continued walking, passing some Death Eaters in silence, pausing in front of others.
"McNeill... are you still jealous of the way I paved the way for Yaxley's promotion?" Voldemort asked, staring at an elderly wizard.
"I... I didn't, Master." Wizard McNeill said in a panic, "I absolutely support letting Yaxley become the Minister of Magic!"
"Don't be anxious, McNeill. We are paving the way for him first only because his department is more suitable for promotion." Voldemort said with an evil smile, "Your job is to eliminate dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic, which is not in line with our expectations."
"But don't worry, there will be something better for you to destroy soon, McNeill. You have a bright future ahead of you..."
"Thank you, Master... Thank you," McNeill murmured.
"And you..." Voldemort then walked over to the two largest, hooded figures - "Crabbe... you'll behave better this time, won't you? And you, Goyle, will you fail again this time?"
They are the fathers of Draco Malfoy's two followers, Crabbe and Goyle, and they seem to be cut from the same mold as their son in terms of body shape and intelligence.
They both bowed awkwardly and mumbled foolishly.
"Yes, Master..."
"Yes, Master..."
"Will it?" Voldemort's face turned cold.
"Ah, no! I won't let you down, master!" Goyle immediately changed his words.
Voldemort had no way to deal with these two fools. He sneered helplessly and turned to Lucius and said, "Lucius, keep an eye on your two old friends. Don't let them ruin our plan!"
"Yes!" Lucius responded quickly.
"What about you, Nott?" Voldemort whispered to a hunchbacked man in Goyle's shadow.
"Master, I prostrate myself before you. I am your most loyal—"
"That's enough." Voldemort interrupted Nott's words of loyalty.
He walked up to the largest opening and examined it with his empty red eyes, as if someone were standing there.
"There are seven Death Eaters missing here... Three of them died for me, as I remember, they are Wilkes, Evan Rosier, and Barty Crouch Jr. Barty Crouch Jr. is buried in this desolate cemetery; there is one who is missing and the Dark Mark can't sense his presence, Regulus Black. He should be dead too; there is another who didn't have the courage to come back, Ingor Karkaroff... He will pay the price."
What Voldemort said was not accurate.
He didn't know that Regulus Black had betrayed him for his house-elf, Kreacher, and now had been resurrected in an alternative way by Dracula;
In addition, he did not know that Barty Crouch Jr. was not actually dead, and the person buried in this cemetery was his mother who died for him. Now he was locked up in the house by Barty Crouch Sr., who controlled him with the Imperius Curse every day, which prevented him from responding to the call of the Dark Mark.
"Besides, Severus and Yaxley have their own missions and cannot come to us now..." Voldemort continued.
"Not to mention the two who are still on a mission, and those Death Eaters who have left me forever, we still have ten companions, including the Stranges, imprisoned in Azkaban."
"And now, the prison that holds our companions is right in front of us!"
Voldemort pointed his wand at the lonely, dilapidated fortress in the distance.
"Tonight, we must break through this prison that is so close to us!" He shouted to the Death Eaters present, "I will not allow my loyal servants to be bound by those politicians who are just sitting there doing nothing."
"At the same time, rescuing those companions is also an indispensable condition for achieving our goal!"
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