"Look over there!"
Nott suddenly pointed at the coastline beside Azkaban and screamed.
There was a barren, rocky beach there, the cemetery where condemned prisoners were said to be buried.
At that moment, someone suddenly kicked open the door of an inconspicuous, dilapidated stone hut at the edge of the cemetery from inside.
Bang!
A few fragments of stone splashed into the sea.
Immediately afterward, a group of figures in dark red uniforms, wands raised, rushed out like hornets from a nest.
Even from several hundred meters away, the leader's lionlike mane of unruly hair and limping yet fierce stride were unmistakable.
"Aurors!"
"It's Scrimgeour!"
The Death Eaters descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, Rufus Scrimgeour stood on the rocky beach with an expression even more remarkable than those of the Death Eaters.
He and his elite squad had just arrived through a secret passage used internally by the Aurors, seething with anger.
As far as he was concerned, any major disturbance at Azkaban could only mean those Dementors were throwing another tantrum.
Yet the moment he stepped outside, the sunlight dazzled him so badly that his eyes almost watered.
"We're... outside already?"
Beside him, the young Auror Tonks rubbed her eyes, her hair turning gray-white in shock.
"Chief, this is Azkaban, the legendary hell on earth? Why does it look... rather warm?"
Scrimgeour did not answer.
Like a wary old lion, he narrowed his tawny eyes and rapidly scanned his surroundings.
There were no Dementors.
Not a single one.
The air held none of that distinctive stench of decay or sense of despair.
"The Dementors have turned against us."
Scrimgeour reached his conclusion instantly, his voice frighteningly low.
"They've abandoned their posts. Or rather... something has lured them away."
"Chief! Look out at sea!"
An Auror pointed at the sea.
Three