Chapter 57. Hunting Lambs
Leaving the mansion, Severus didn't Apparate directly to his shop. He walked calmly toward the nearby park, pretending not to notice the wizards following him. They might as well have been doing it deliberately, making sure he knew they were there, staring openly at his back as if they'd forgotten how keen a wizard's senses were. Even Severus was growing irritated. At least two of them belonged to the Dark Lord's inner circle, yet they concealed themselves so poorly that it seemed almost intentional. They didn't even bother hiding their reflections in shop windows. Rather than slipping into shadows or using basic Disillusionment Charms, they simply strode down the open street.
They're complete idiots, or simply overconfident in their numbers. I'm leaning toward the former. Severus barely held back a disappointed sigh. A few seconds later, he smiled, sensing another magical signature on a rooftop following him. Much better. Bella had chosen a good position, concealed herself from Muggles and wizards alike, and even suppressed her magical signature; I can barely sense her at this distance. Clever girl. A B, perhaps, but room for improvement. As for these... He scanned the half-empty streets where people in monster and creature costumes wandered, and reluctantly nodded. All right, you're not completely hopeless. At least those costumes let you blend into the crowd.
After a few minutes, Severus stopped before large closed gates bearing a sign that read "Green Park." He turned to the four and crooked his finger. Then he cast attention-diverting charms on himself, jumped over the gates, and walked along the stone path.
The four wizards saw the gesture and the challenging smile. They could not contain their anger. Turning into dark clouds, they shot up and rushed toward him.
"Idiots," an irritated female voice cut through the emptiness, and then another cloud followed them.
In an empty clearing, Severus lifted his gaze to the four approaching clouds and activated a barrier at the same moment. The barrier hid everything that would happen inside the park from Muggles, and he made sure the spectator could witness it.
A few seconds later, four wizards landed on the faded grass. They wore costumes of different colors, but their masks were gone.
"So, the Lestrange brothers, Rosier, and Travers. All pure-bloods. What a surprise." Severus pointed at Travers. "I remember you. You graduated from Hogwarts in seventy-three and used to trail after Lucius like a puppy."
Travers flushed crimson and was about to attack, but Rodolphus seized Travers's arm and shook his head.
"Do you understand what you have brought down on your head?" Rodolphus asked in an icy voice edged with malice, staring straight into Severus's smiling eyes.
"You asked the wrong question." Severus pointed at the barrier, a transparent dome around two hundred meters wide. "Do you understand why I flirted with Bella right in front of everyone, and why I let you, four idiots who cannot even hide your presence in the most basic way, follow me?"
Rodolphus was drowning in jealousy and rage. Some bastard had dared to touch his fiancée in front of almost all the aristocracy of magical Britain, disgracing him. Rabastan felt much the same, but he could still think more clearly. His gaze flicked to the dome and narrowed. A second later, he drew his wand and shouted, "Retreat! It is a trap! Confringo!" He slashed his wand, sending a stream of explosive flame straight at Severus.
"Brother."
I've seen this somewhere before. That was Severus's last thought before the fire swallowed him.
"We can always take revenge later, and he is not alone here! Don't you see that barrier?! Do you think he could raise it alone, and that quickly?!"
Watching from the sidelines, Bella froze. Bella's eyes almost popped out of her head as she watched the flames engulf him; he hadn't even managed to draw his wand to defend himself.
How was that possible? That easily? Bella couldn't believe that such an irritating man could die so easily.
"Baby, were you so worried about me that you followed us?" That familiar, infuriating voice was unmistakable. Bella reacted without ceremony, firing off a spell at the sound. It passed through the transparent silhouette of a smiling wizard, now without his mask. "That was dangerous. If that hadn't been an illusion, I'd have lost my eyes."
"How did you?!" Bella spat.
"It's magic, my little Bella." Severus winked and looked toward the clearing. "But be honest. You did worry, even a little, didn't you?"
"And I was hoping you were already dead," Bella snapped, though somewhere deep, very deep, in the darkest corner of her soul, where a tiny spark of light still existed, she was relieved. At least she wouldn't have to report Severus's death to the Dark Lord and face the Cruciatus at best.
"And I love you too."
In the clearing, the retreating group couldn't hide their shock when the flames vanished in an instant. Severus stood untouched, without a mark on his clothes. Only the scorched ground proved that a spell had been cast.
They didn't just stand there and watch. They fired off spells simultaneously, exchanged glances, split up and ran in different directions.
Severus grinned. He didn't even need to defend against the weak, panicked spells of men focused solely on escape. His barrier reacted automatically the moment danger approached, while a weaker version almost always functioned passively, wrapping around his body. Still, he decided not to reveal that.
Smart. Against someone else, that might have worked, but not with me. Wind wrapped around Severus's body as he shot toward the slowest of them. He could have killed them without moving, but he didn't want to reveal more than necessary to Bella. Before using levitation, he drew his wand. He limited himself to spells from this world: Locomotor and Ventus, releasing a stream of wind from the tip of his wand.
Seconds later, he caught up to Travers, who stared in shock. Severus did not hold back. He slammed the scabbard into the back of Travers's head and sent him flying forehead-first into a tree. Caught off guard, Travers did not even have time to squeak before he fell unconscious.
"First." Severus spun toward Rosier and flew.
Rosier realized he couldn't outrun the masked stranger. He stopped, leveled his wand at Severus, and gritted his teeth. When only a few meters remained between them, Rosier shouted, "Bombarda Maxima!" A violent explosion tore through the ground. Not even a large tree could survive the blast. The tree splintered, showering debris in every direction. "Heh-heh-heh. Got you! I killed him! Killed him!" Rosier collapsed into hysterical laughter.
Bella watched, unable to contain her irritation. These idiots were disgracing the Dark Lord. If she weren't interested in Severus's abilities, she would have come down and killed them herself.
A dull thud sounded as Rosier's body dropped to the grass.
Idiot. Celebrating without even checking if your enemy is still alive. Severus clicked his tongue contemptuously, slid the katana back into his belt, and shifted his gaze to the two remaining wizards. They'd used acceleration spells and were nearly at the barrier. They converged just before reaching the dome. Not bad, but they actually think they can break my barrier. Naive.
The brothers pulled up short before the dome.
"So only the two of us made it this far."
"That bastard."
"Enough, Rodolphus. We don't have time. Cover me while I break it!" Rabastan barked, thrusting his wand at the barrier. "Bombarda!"
A violent explosion struck the dome without leaving so much as a scratch. The only thing left behind was a shallow crater in the ground below.
"Stronger than I thought. Bombarda Maxima!" Rabastan cast the more powerful spell. The blast was twice as violent as before, but the dome didn't so much as tremble. "Damn it! What kind of spell creates a barrier like this?! Rodolphus! Together!"
Rabastan turned and saw Rodolphus lying at the feet of the masked man.
"Perhaps I should help you?"
"Flipendo!" A wave of magical force struck Severus, throwing him back several meters. Rabastan rushed to Rodolphus, shielding him with his body while casting diagnostic charms. He exhaled with relief. Rodolphus was alive. In doing so, he had made a very stupid mistake.
"Taking your eyes off your opponent is a very bad idea."
The last thing Rabastan saw was the black hilt of the katana, and then darkness.
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