A series of minor air explosions later, in a black circular room, there appeared several figures. All the Death Eaters who gathered at Malfoy Mansion earlier were present here.
They all, like Malfoy, had donned black cloaks and hidden their faces beneath the hoods.
The Death Eaters landed and immediately kept a lookout around them. Only after confirming the safety of their surroundings did they stop their movements.
Malfoy, as the commander of this operation, after checking the number of people without error, he looked at Bodder, and then Bodder also went straight into the light gate in front.
Here, there's nothing to be panic or afraid about.
Turning to the silent Death Eaters, Malfoy waved at them, and followed them in.
The moment he stepped through the door, Lucius was shocked to find that he seemed to have entered a world of only light.
He stood still, but the linear beams of light were moving backward at an incredible speed, making it seem as if he was hurtling forward at an unimaginable pace.
Before he could panic, the brightness suddenly disappeared before his eyes. Lucius stumbled forward two steps in a single motion, regaining his balance. Looking up, he saw Bodder reappear in his line of sight.
The people behind him followed one after another, and while waiting, Lucius took a look around the room he was in.
It was a rectangular chamber, just like the corridor outside, constructed of rough rocks. A few golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling made the room much brighter than outside.
The room was empty and the most noticeable thing in the room was a stone platform in the center, on which an embossed copper tray was placed, containing a stone-like badge.
"It's a disgrace to the House of Hogwarts!"
Just like Lucius's reaction upon seeing the thing, someone among the Death Eaters who entered later let out an exclamation.
"How can there be something like this here?"
"If I remember correctly, Boxer, you seem to have been in Azkaban."
"You are correct, Norris."
Boxer looked at the slightly stooped Norris, coldly saying,
"But for secrecy, the Ministry of Magic lets all prisoners be blinded before being taken to Azkaban, and I saw nothing!"
Realizing that he had offended his colleague, Old Norris nodded in apology.
"I didn't mean to offend, Boxer, just--"
"I think you all should realize that now is not the time for idle chatter."
Lucius sternly looked at Boxer and Norris, before turning to look at Bodder standing by the side of the copper tray.
"Is this the key to the gate of Azkaban?"
Bodder nodded.
"That's right, but before it can be used, it needs the approval of the Minister of Magic. Otherwise, it won't work."
The atmosphere tightened at an alarming rate. In the not particularly spacious stone room, the Death Eaters slowly moved, surrounding the copper tray and the Hogwarts crest inside. The people behind put their hands on the shoulders of those in front of them, and those in front reached out their hands, their fingertips just inches away from the crest. Their gazes fell on Bodder's face.
"Count down from three, and then all touch the key at once."
Bodder spoke in a voice without a single ripple.
There was a pause of a few seconds, and after no one raised any doubts, Bodder raised his three fingers.
"Three, two, one!"
Then, there was a loud noise!
For an instant, the stars shifted and the wheel of time turned.
Lucius realized that the world in front of him had suddenly become blurred. Everything and everyone in his vision appeared with several layers of double images, and a strong sensation of dizziness and nausea tortured his nerves.
After several seconds, the Death Eaters who were stumbling around like drunkards finally had better looking faces.
"I finally understand why they had to blindfold me when they brought me here. Vomit!"
The Death Eater named Boxer was leaning against the wall and still dry-heaving, but Lucius let out a shrill cry after seeing everything in front of him. He jumped up and held his wand against Bodder's temple.
"What's going on? Why are we still in the same place?"
Many Death Eaters also noticed that they were still in the small room of the Department of Mysteries. The copper tray and the stone crest were still in their original position!
One after another, Death Eaters pulled out their wands. Boxer angrily shouted at Old Norris.
"Your Imperius Curse has gone awry!"
"This can't be!"
"What? Why?"
"He is still under the Imperius Curse, I can feel it!"
The determined look on Norris's face made Lucius look suspicious.
"What exactly is going on?"
Lucius questioned Bodder.
"This is a two-way key, with each side having the same spatial coordinates for location--"
"Not in the least, it's very simple. The two-way key is a special device that allows both parties to move in and out of each other's space. It is not a spell," said Bodder calmly.
"We have already arrived at Azkaban."
He then ignored the threats from the wands and squeezed past Crabbe and Goyle, coming to the spot where they had entered this room.
Bodder stretched out a finger and drew a meaningless path on the rough wall, like a goblin opening a treasure room door.
The place where his fingertip passed, white light lit up on the wall. Then, the light turned into a gap, contracting in all directions. In an blink of an eye, a doorway appeared in front of all the Death Eaters.
Huff. Huff.
The air rushing into the room was thick with a strong seafood smell. The bone-chilling coldness that followed as they were carried into the room made the Death Eaters' faces turn blue, and they all started to vomit without being told.
"Yes."
Boxer stammered.
"It's just like that. This is Azkaban outside."
Azkaban is a formidable weapon in the hands of the British Ministry of Magic. Except for a few exceptions, everyone who hears this place will shudder in terror!
"Come with me--"
Bodder turned around and addressed the Death Eaters, then walked straight into the darkness outside the doorway.
"Wait!"
Lucius's expression changed abruptly.
"Those soul-sucking creatures, you."
Seeing Bodder's figure disappeared, the terrified Death Eaters quickly chased after him.
Outside the room was a damp stone staircase, leading upwards. It was obvious that they were now underground.
The stone staircase wasn't long, and the Death Eaters who were running up with wands in their hands reached the ground in just a few seconds.
There is no starry sky in Azkaban.
The Death Eaters felt only coldness with their senses, as well as the distant, surging sound of violent waves crashing against the shore.
Clack-clack-clack--
The teeth chattering sounds from many people combined into a funny sound.
The boundless darkness before them and the profound fear that surged up from deep within their hearts made more and more Death Eaters raise their wands to emit light.
A multitude of bright white light gathered together, and finally, they saw a gray-black building in front of them. It was very tall, even taller than the tallest tower in Hogwarts.
The walls of the tower, from top to bottom, were dotted with many small windows. They were so small that using the term "opening" to describe them would be more appropriate.
The bright light illuminated the ground, and some were startled to discover that the uneven ground from here to the tower was covered with piles of white bones. Most were from cattle and sheep, and from the open jaws of these animals, it was clear that their deaths were not pleasant.
Of course, the most terrifying thing is not these bones, but the soul-sucking creatures.
Lucius's gaze pierced the dim space, falling on the tower, and on the monsters with black cloaks floating in the air.
In the moment he saw them, Lucius suddenly felt a cold, icy hand piercing his chest, gripping his stomach and roughly kneading it. The coldness that arose from his soul was so intense that it almost froze his thoughts.
In the moment they saw the Dementors, the Dementors also discovered these uninvited guests.
When the hundreds of Dementors gathered together to form a black cloud pressing down, the Death Eaters seemed to have seen the sky collapse.
"I can't take it anymore, I have to leave this place!"
Boxer's heart was completely destroyed by fear, he screamed and retreated back, but he forgot that there were stairs behind him, and he fell down directly. After a loud clanging sound, the noise disappeared completely.
"Can someone save me. I want"
Someone in the Death Eaters began to cry, frantically waving their wands.
"Expecto Patronum."
Nothing happened, not even a wisp of silver mist.
"Averroth Solatia."
Old Crabbe called out with a voice thickened by the moisture, but only a few green sparks shot out from the tip of his wand.
A cloud of Dementors flew past the space, condensing moisture into tiny ice particles that dyed the space white. They sped towards the Death Eaters, and Lucius even saw a pair of grayish-white, ghostly and glistening hands protruding from under the black cloaks, covered with mucus and spots!
"Where is that thing!"
"What is it?"
"It's the thing Dark Lord Voldemort mentioned that can restrain Dementors. Hurry and take it out!"
