Chapter 57. Hunting Lambs
Leaving the mansion, Severus did not Apparate to his shop at once. He walked at a calm pace toward the nearby park. At the same time, he pretended not to notice the wizards following him. As if on purpose, they made sure he knew they were there, staring openly at his back, as if they had forgotten that wizards had all five senses far more sharply developed. Even Severus was starting to get irritated. At least two of them were among the Dark Lord's closest people, yet they were hiding their presence so badly that they practically had to try. They were not even bothering with their reflections in shop windows. Instead of slipping into the shadows, instead of using basic Disillusionment Charms, they just walked straight through the open street.
They are complete idiots, or they are too confident in their numbers. I am leaning toward the first. Severus barely held back a disappointed sigh. A few seconds later, he smiled, sensing another magical signature on a roof, following him as well. That is better. Bella chose a good position, hid from Muggles and wizards, and even worked on her magic, so that I can barely sense her at this distance. Clever girl. A B, but there is room to grow. As for these. He scanned the half-empty streets, where ordinary people in monster and creature costumes wandered around, and, with difficulty, gave a reluctant nod. All right, you are not completely hopeless. With those costumes, you can at least blend in with the crowd.
After a few minutes, Severus stopped in front of huge closed gates that bore the sign "Green Park." He turned to the four and crooked a finger at them. Then he cast eye-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 to let the spectator in.
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 Rodolphus's fiancee in front of almost all the aristocracy of magical Britain, disgracing him. Rabastan felt much the same, but Rabastan could still think more clearly. Rabastan's gaze flicked to the dome and narrowed. In a second, Rabastan drew his wand and shouted, "Retreat! It is a trap! Confringo!" Rabastan slashed his wand, sending a stream of explosive flame straight at Severus.
"Brother."
Somewhere I have seen this before. That was Severus's last thought before fire swallowed him.
"We can always take revenge later, and he is not alone here! Do not you see that barrier?! Do you think he could raise it alone, and that fast?!"
Watching from the side, Bellatrix froze. Bella's eyes almost popped out of her head, because she saw the flames engulf him, and he did not even manage to draw his wand to defend himself.
How is that possible? That easily? Bella could not believe that such an irritating man could die so simply.
"Baby, were you so worried about me that you followed us?" That familiar, infuriating voice was unmistakable. Bella reacted without ceremony, snapping a wand strike at the sound. Her spell passed through the transparent silhouette of a smiling wizard, now without a mask. "That is already dangerous. If this were not an illusion, I would have lost my eyes."
"How did you?!" Bella spat.
"It is magic, my little Bella." Severus winked and looked toward the clearing. "But be honest. You did worry, even a little, did not you?"
"And I was hoping you were dead already," 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 would not have to report "Severus's" death to the Dark Lord and take Crucio for it at best.
"And I love you too."
On the clearing, the retreating group could not hide their shock when the flames vanished in an instant. Severus stood untouched, not a mark on his clothes. Only the scorched ground proved any spell had been cast.
They did not just stand there and watch. They fired spells at the same time, exchanged glances, split up, and ran in different directions.
Severus grinned. He did not even need to defend against the weak, panicked spells of men focused only on escape. His barrier reacted automatically the moment danger approached, and a weaker version almost always worked passively, wrapping his body. Still, he decided not to display that.
Smart. With someone else, that might have worked, but not with me. Wind wrapped around Severus's body, and he shot toward the slowest of them. He could have killed them without moving, but he did not want to show Bella more than necessary. 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 wand tip.
In seconds, 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 unconsciousness saved him.
"First." Severus snapped in a new direction and flew toward Rosier, who was already braced.
Rosier understood he could not run from the unknown masked man. He stopped, leveled his wand at Severus, and clenched his teeth. When only a few meters remained, Rosier shouted, "Bombarda Maxima!" A brutal explosive wave erupted, tearing at the ground. Even a large tree could not survive his spell. The tree shattered and sprayed debris in every direction. "Heh. heh-heh-heh, got you?! I killed him! Killed him!" Rosier broke into hysterical laughter.
Watching, Bella could not contain her irritation. These idiots were disgracing the Dark Lord. If she were not interested in Severus's abilities, she would have gone down and killed them herself.
A dull thud sounded. Rosier's body dropped to the grass.
"Idiot. Celebrating without even checking whether your enemy is alive." Severus clicked his tongue contemptuously, slid the katana back into his belt, and shifted his gaze to the two remaining sources of magic. They had used acceleration spells and were nearly at the barrier. They met up just before it. Not bad, but they really think they can break my barrier. Naive.
The brothers stopped before the dome.
"So only the two of us made it this far."
"That bastard."
"Enough, Rodolphus. We do not have time. Cover me while I break it!" Rabastan barked, thrusting his wand at the barrier. "Bombarda!"
A strong explosion slammed into the dome. It did not even scratch it. Only a shallow crater appeared where the blast hit.
"Stronger than I thought. Bombarda Maxima!" Rabastan hurled the stronger spell. The blast was twice as violent as before, but the dome did not 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 and shoved him back several meters. Rabastan rushed to Rodolphus and shielded him with his body, casting diagnostic charms. Rabastan exhaled with relief. Rodolphus was alive. In doing so, Rabastan 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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