Chapter 1367: Azkaban Ablaze
Chapter 1367: Azkaban Ablaze
The pitch-black night was suddenly torn apart by a beam of white light. Before the residual glow could fade, countless shadows seemed to skim across the turbulent sea and plunge into the area ahead, shrouded by raging winds and torrential rain.
The icy raindrops struck their faces mercilessly, piercing the skin as if they were needles. Even with thick waterproof cloaks, the bone-chilling cold of the downpour could not be kept at bay, thoroughly dousing the enthusiasm of those involved in the operation. Yet, no one complained about the dreadful weather. They had been forewarned of the dire situation they would face before embarking on this mission.
At this moment, those riding on broomsticks needed only to focus on the light ahead, following Albert's lead toward the legendary Azkaban.
After what felt like an eternity, just as their bodies were about to stiffen from the cold rain, the guiding light at the forefront came to an abrupt halt. Soon after, a calm voice rang in their ears, "Close your eyes."
A few seconds later, a dazzling ball of light exploded in the pitch-black sky, illuminating the island before them and the fortress that stood atop it—the infamous wizarding prison, Azkaban.
"Watch out! Dementors are approaching!"
Albert's voice once again pierced through the curtain of rain, followed by a silver-white ball of light that suddenly illuminated the darkness and radiated a dazzling glow, forming an invisible shield that repelled the oncoming Dementors.
"Isn't this going to attract more enemies?" Dedalo Diggle muttered as he watched the light pulsate with white waves. He already felt reckless, but Albert's actions made him feel even more so.
What were they doing? Were they challenging the entirety of Azkaban? Ever since Azkaban became a wizarding prison, no one had ever forcibly broken into it so brazenly.
Not even the enigmatic and arrogant Mysterious One had done so; he had gained control by subverting the Dementors to his side.
"Summon your Patronus," Albert's calm voice echoed in their ears once more.
The intruders, lingering in the midst of the storm, gripped their broomsticks with one hand and waved their wands with the other, attempting to summon their Patronuses to counter the oncoming Dementors.
In the first round, only a few Patronuses appeared, and it was evident that even with specialized training, being surrounded by a vast number of Dementors took its toll, not to mention the challenging conditions of the harsh weather.
At that moment, the members of the Defense Association realized why Albert had not allowed those less skilled in producing Patronuses to join them. They would have undoubtedly become a burden.
"More Dementors are approaching!" Kingsley shouted, his face grim as he watched the Dementors attempt to encircle them. During Voldemort's brief rule over the British wizarding world, the Dementors had begun to breed uncontrollably.
This was certainly not a good sign.
Thus far, no wizard had discovered a definitive way to eradicate Dementors.
"Don't panic," Albert advised. "Recall your training. This isn't too difficult."
He instructed them to gather their Patronuses and help their companions negate the negative effects of the Dementors.
With the aid of the Patronuses, the others found it much easier to summon their own, and at least the influence of the Dementors was gradually being weakened. When they attempted to summon their Patronuses for the second time, several more silver figures appeared in the sky above.
Once over half of the group had successfully summoned their Patronuses, Albert wasted no more time and began directing them to use their Patronuses to clear a path. They flew directly toward the island, with the Dementors unable to hinder their progress.
There were no enemies, or at least no wizards, to impede their advance.
As for the Dementors guarding Azkaban, under the protection of numerous Patronuses, the Dementors' advantage was completely nullified, and they didn't even have a good way to deal with the intruders.
The original storm, the isolated island, and the large number of Dementors formed an impregnable defense for Azkaban. Even wizards skilled in Patronus charms might not have been able to successfully summon their Patronuses amidst the freezing rain, and even if they did, they could still be overwhelmed by the horde of Dementors.
Patronuses countered Dementors, but when faced with such overwhelming numbers, they were of little use.
However, this group of intruders were all proficient in Patronus charms, and Albert's Patronus, in particular, was incredibly powerful, causing the Dementors to instinctively keep their distance and not even attempt to hinder their descent towards the fortress on the island.
Is this... Azkaban?
The ancient fortress on the island was in a state of disrepair, but there were signs that it had been renovated at some point.
The island outside the fortress was covered with countless mounds, a truly frightening sight, and many skeletons lay completely exposed.
"Ah!"
A sharp scream from a young woman in the group startled the others, causing the two Patronuses that had been keeping watch for Dementors to vanish.
"Be quiet, those are just Inferi!" Albert glanced at the group of pale corpses trailing below them with a calm and detached tone.
Most of the group looked uneasy, guessing the origin of these Inferi. They were Muggles provided by Death Eaters as food for the Dementors, and after being drained, they were turned into these mindless puppets.
"Steady, we're going to land directly at the main entrance of the fortress." Albert frowned, noticing the increasingly unstable Patronuses, and reminded the group.
Fortunately, they had brought enough people, and the number of Patronuses they could summon was also sufficient. Even with two Patronuses disappearing and some weakened, they still managed to descend smoothly towards the fortress entrance, half-surrounded by flames, blocking the Inferi from advancing any further.
As Kingsley used a spell to open the main gate of the fortress, leading Sirius, Lupin, and a squad from the Defense Association to break into Azkaban and clear the way for the others, the Dementors guarding the prison were enraged. They tried to extinguish the flames at the entrance to let the Inferi deal with the pesky intruders.
As the fire blocking the entrance slowly died down, several members of the Order of the Phoenix raised their wands, attempting to prevent the fire wall from being completely extinguished so they wouldn't have to deal with both the Inferi and the Dementors at once.
If they allowed such a large number of Inferi to disrupt their formation, it would be a disaster.
"Damn it, get inside quickly! We must seal the door and keep these Inferi out!"
"Stay calm, Cedric, take your team and hold off the Dementors!" Albert instructed Cedric, who was the best at Patronus charms in the Defense Association, aside from himself.
After Albert's Patronus disappeared, everyone could clearly feel the creeping sense of dread and chill as the Dementors became restless again, launching another assault, only to be stopped by Cedric and his team.
"What are you planning to do?"
Members of the Order of the Phoenix shot Albert confused looks. Wasn't this the time to rush into the fortress? With the storm and the Dementors suppressing the flames, their power was at its lowest, unable to hold back this large group of Inferi.
Under the bewildered gazes of his companions, Albert deftly waved his wand, causing a wave of fiery heat to surge forth from its tip.
The flames instantly engulfed the Inferi in front of them, and even under the dual suppression of the storm and the Dementors, the fiery wave showed no signs of abating, continuing to spread relentlessly across the entire island.
The island in the storm had been set ablaze.
(End of Chapter)
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