"Was I early?"
Using the cover of night, Will Jones, concealed beneath a Disillusionment Charm, lowered his Flying Broom and landed beside the reefs at the edge of Azkaban Island. He carefully observed the Azkaban fortress through a Night Vision Telescope, checking whether his arrival had triggered an alarm.
"I'm here!"
He did not forget to leave a message on Nelson's Communication Bookmark.
However, just after Will sent the message, he was startled to see someone emerge from the entrance of Azkaban Prison carrying an oil lamp. The person kept flashing the light toward the darkness outside the prison, as though greeting him.
Could it be Nelson?
But... he hadn't replied.
While Will was still hesitating over whether to respond, a familiar voice suddenly drifted from the distant fortress through the night.
"I know you're here. Stop hiding and come out!" the person shouted at him.
"This..."
Will was greatly alarmed. Azkaban Prison truly was under the Ministry of Magic's close surveillance, but that voice sounded very familiar. It seemed to belong to Neville Longbottom, the man who often provided them with intelligence from the Ministry.
"Stop hiding. You triggered the warning the moment you arrived," Neville's voice continued from afar. "Don't worry. Azkaban's Prison Guards were all transferred away this afternoon."
After hesitating for a moment and leaving Nelson another message, Will stepped out from behind the concealed reef and flew over on his Flying Broom. Along the way, he fired sparks into the sky to let the other side know that he had arrived.
A man who was not afraid of death naturally was not afraid of betrayal.
He could consider it testing the waters for Nelson first.
"Honestly, you came much earlier than I expected."
Like he had spotted an old friend, Neville smiled and greeted Will