Severus used the Phantom Slate to harden his flying cloak. When bullets struck it, they were like bullets hitting a stone wall.
"Ah!"
Three soldiers were struck by ricocheting bullets, but no one immediately went to check on them.
After one volley, the five soldiers in the first row charged forward with bayoneted muskets. The second and third rows began reloading, while two men finally dragged the wounded to safety.
Even after seeing Severus wield such magical power, these men showed neither panic nor surprise. They methodically followed their usual training formations and began attacking Severus from every direction.
In an open field with room for strategic maneuvering, they could have spread out their formation. But in such a cramped interior, there was no way to do that. As gunfire erupted inside, the sounds of boots and hoofbeats came from outside, seeming to herald more men surrounding the house on all sides, as if this had all been a carefully arranged trap.
Severus retreated against a wall. At least that meant he no longer had to worry about enemies on one side.
He raised his wand and made the flames in the room burn even fiercer. The scorching tongues of fire forced back the soldiers trying to approach, while the second row had already loaded their powder.
They did not fire in a hurry. Some even aimed their muskets at the window, the only exit besides the door. The moment Severus dared approach it, they would turn him into a sieve.
Severus cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and vanished where he stood. Then the floor beneath the soldiers at the doorway began to collapse like quicksand. Only then did they retreat to one side, but that did not mean they were withdrawing.
Before leaving, they threw three grenades inside.