When the Aurors spotted the flash of white light near the Portkey, they immediately sensed trouble.
The arrival of reinforcements from the Death Eaters meant that their plan to ambush the vanguard, destroy the Portkey, and stop the invasion at its inception had failed.
Meanwhile, the crow that had brought the Portkey to Azkaban, under the cover of the Dementors, seemed to have recovered from exhaustion and cold.
Now, it spread its wings, filled with renewed energy, and transformed.
As the Aurors had suspected.
This crow was an Animagus transformation.
With the enemy's reinforcements joining, the Aurors quickly realized that they couldn't hold the line with just a handful of them.
The squad leader of the Aurors made a swift decision, turning to his team.
"Bernadette, go back immediately and call for reinforcements," he quickly ordered in between attacks.
"Tell them the Death Eaters are invading in force, the Dementors may have betrayed us, and the threat level is extreme. The rest of you, prepare for defense!"
Bernadette was the only female member of the Auror squad, and in this dire situation, she didn't hesitate. Without any complaints, she turned and left to carry out the order.
The remaining members, without any argument over who should go and who should stay, followed the captain's order, slowing their offensive and preparing for defense.
At the same time, another four or five Death Eaters in black robes arrived at Azkaban's rooftop via the Portkey.
As soon as they landed, they cast Shield Charms to protect themselves.
Once they assessed the situation and saw that their side had established a foothold, they launched an attack on the Aurors.
Unlike the Aurors, the Death Eaters attacked without restraint, immediately aiming to kill.
They cast explosive curses, severing curses, the Cruciatus Curse, and even the Killing Curse.
Compared to the Aurors' Disarming Charms, Stunning Spells, and Full Body-Bind Curses, the Death Eaters' use of dark magic was far more lethal.
In no time, the Aurors found themselves in a precarious situation. If not for their quick switch to defense, there would likely have been casualties already.
However, if things continued this way, the Aurors would be hard-pressed to survive.
Meanwhile, the Dementors hovering above began to stir, as if eager to get a share of the action alongside the Death Eaters.
The Dementors had been eyeing the Aurors for quite some time.
But no one fled, and no one surrendered.
The Aurors remained silent, continuously casting Shield Charms and Protego Maxima to defend against the Death Eaters, occasionally launching counterattacks.
As the core force against Voldemort, they had long been prepared to die in battle against the Death Eaters.
Fortunately, reinforcements arrived just in time.
When two of the Aurors had already fallen, the floor of the top level of Azkaban suddenly collapsed.
The collapse was so sudden that neither the Aurors nor the Death Eaters had time to react before they all plummeted with the debris into the floor below.
Dust and rubble filled the air, and the second-to-last level (now the new top floor) became a swirling cloud of debris.
Through the haze, the Aurors and Death Eaters heard someone casting a spell.
"Scourgify!"
A gust of magical wind swept through, instantly clearing the dust.
As the Aurors and Death Eaters, who had been buried in bricks and stones, struggled to regain their senses and stand, they realized that they were now surrounded.
A dozen Aurors had formed a circle around them, wands pointed at the Death Eaters.
The collapse of the roof had been their doing.
Due to the space expansion charm cast within Azkaban, the interior was far larger than it appeared from the outside.
The Aurors had taken advantage of this, causing the collapse while avoiding being caught in it themselves.
Now, the Death Eaters, having fallen hard, were dazed and completely defenseless, easy prey for the Aurors.
At least, that's how it seemed.
But just as the Aurors were about to step forward and take control of the situation, the Dementors hovering above finally reacted.
Several Dementors swooped down toward the Death Eaters, attacking the Aurors.
And above them, hundreds of Dementors began descending from the sky, all heading in their direction.
It seemed that, faced with the prospect of the Death Eaters being completely captured, the Dementors had no choice but to intervene.
This time, it was the Aurors who were caught off guard.
Though they had anticipated the Dementors' betrayal, the Dementors had, until now, only acted to protect the Portkey and had not launched any direct attacks.
Thus, the Aurors had subconsciously overlooked them.
Now, they were paying the price for that mistake.
Several of the Aurors closest to the Dementors were caught off guard.
These terrifying, black-robed creatures swooped down, pulling off their hoods and delivering their infamous "kiss" to the unfortunate Aurors.
And what of the Aurors?
These once-quick and agile Aurors, after receiving the Dementors' Kiss, became sluggish and vacant, their vitality drained, on the verge of having their souls sucked out.
Suddenly, a loud and deep voice rang out among the Aurors.
"Expecto Patronum!"
In the next moment, a white lion burst forth from the group of Aurors, roaring as it charged toward one of the Dementors.
The Dementor, as if facing its natural enemy, retreated rapidly.
The Auror, who had been on the verge of losing his soul, collapsed weakly to the ground.
The lion Patronus seemed to serve as a reminder to the other Aurors, as if signaling the beginning of their counterattack.
The other Aurors quickly followed suit, casting the Patronus Charm.
At this moment, Bones' preparations paid off.
Most of the Aurors stationed at Azkaban were capable of casting the Patronus Charm.
Suddenly, the scene resembled a zoo, with pale or blue-white animal-shaped Patronuses charging at the Dementors.
The Dementors, who had just begun to feast, had never faced so many Patronuses at once and were forced to retreat, flying up into the sky.
Meanwhile, the hundreds of Dementors that had been circling Azkaban now hovered in the sky above, unable to descend due to the presence of the Patronuses.
However, their goal had been achieved.
Their presence had successfully distracted the Aurors, forcing them to focus on casting Patronus Charms, leaving them no time to deal with the Death Eaters.
And by now, the Death Eaters had recovered from the sudden collapse and fall.
At the same time, more Death Eaters were arriving around the Portkey.
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