Graves appeared in downtown Raccoon City, adjacent to the Atreyu Mountains. There were only a few scattered lights here, and apart from the vomiting and racket coming from a few drunks and vagrants on the blocks, everything was quiet.
Graves casually tugged at his neck and threw away the Portkey in his hand, which had already lost its effect.
In some shadowed spots, the masked wizards who had been there earlier saw him and quickly gathered around. It seemed they had been waiting for a long time.
After confirming that Graves had come alone, they pulled down their hoods and untied their face scarves and masks, bowing silently in salute. When they raised their heads, the faces of several Death Eaters were revealed, including Rabastan and Yaxley—one of them even looked exactly like Gondofus Graves.
"Master, the wizards who withdrew from the operation have all been sent back to their homes, and we used Obliviate on them additionally." Yaxley's voice was rough, and his tone carried a hint of malice. "To ensure the effect, each wizard had his memory erased at least three times... though this will leave them with some aftereffects."
"After what we gained today, those matters no longer need to be kept secret, but very good... Still, next time, remember to change this bad habit of carrying out unnecessary actions... at least for now..." Graves nodded indifferently and waved away the water flask another Graves beside him handed over. He frowned and stared at him for a while. "You should be grateful for my mercy and your luck... I still need you to prove you're alive when divination is performed on you..."
The more solemn-looking Graves nodded gravely. "Thank you for your mercy, my master..."
Graves, who was Voldemort in disguise, stopped paying attention to the man