The Death Eater Macnair looked distinctly furtive, glancing around as he quietly edged toward the left side of the crowd.
The makeshift members of the Misinformation Office on the beach, led by Dirk Cresswell, had their attention almost entirely fixed on the enormous footprints in the sand… no one noticed Macnair's movements.
"What is he doing?"
Noticing Macnair's unusual behavior, Jon furrowed his brow slightly.
After a moment's thought, Jon reacted swiftly… he had to prepare for the worst.
Disguised as "David Jorman," he casually made his way toward a stretch of ruins on the far side of the beach.
This place had once been a bustling resort hotel, but had been reduced to its current state by the destruction wrought by Death Eaters and Giants…
After weaving through piles of rubble and entering the ruins, completely out of his companions' sight—
Jon raised his wand lightly and murmured, "Disillusionment!"
Like a shell being broken open, a cold substance oozed from the tip of his wand, flowing over his entire body… Jon's form began to shift like a chameleon's.
With a practiced Disillusionment Charm, he vanished instantly into the ruins, leaving no trace from any angle.
...
Still invisible, Jon cautiously poked his head out from the rubble.
The temporary members of the Error Information Office were still focused on examining the massive footprints.
As for the Death Eater Macnair, he was hurriedly tugging down his sleeves and turning his body sideways, clearly trying to keep his arms out of sight.
Jon swept his gaze across the surroundings. The ground was nothing but sand… which meant that even while invisible, he couldn't simply walk out. Any movement would leave footprints and expose his position.
Almost at the exact moment Macnair finished adjusting his sleeves—
Shadows suddenly appeared in the sky.
Those dark shapes gradually revealed their forms… at least fifteen figures, seemingly appearing from nowhere, hovered in midair. They arranged themselves into a semicircle, enclosing the entire beach.
On the far side of the beach, several Muggles pointed upward, chattering among themselves. Moments earlier, Mr. Amos Diggory had cast a Confundus Charm on them, preventing them from noticing the enormous footprints in the sand.
But the shadows in the sky were clearly far less merciful than Mr. Diggory.
Countless green beams shot toward the Muggles' direction, followed by nothing but screams.
The Ministry of Magic employees on the beach seemed to awaken from a dream. Only when several Muggles were slaughtered before their eyes did they finally realize—
The Death Eaters had arrived.
"Death Eaters… run!"
Dirk Cresswell roared, raising his wand toward the sky.
A crimson beam descended from above, striking him squarely. His wand flew from his hand, landing more than ten yards away, while his body collapsed where he stood, knocked unconscious by the curse.
"Ah—!" Amos Diggory let out a terrified scream.
His body immediately turned into a hazy shadow and drifted upward… he was attempting to Apparate away.
But it was futile. An invisible net seemed to hang in the sky—Mr. Diggory barely made it halfway up before that "net" slammed him back down.
He crashed heavily onto the beach. Fortunately, it was sand—had it been solid ground, the fall would have been far worse.
At the same time, escorted by two Death Eaters, an even more terrifying figure appeared before them.
...
A figure that inspired terror from the depths of one's soul.
Tall and gaunt, like a living skeleton. His scarlet eyes gazed down from above, like a demon from hell. His deathly pale face looked waxy, twisted into an unnatural shape…
Voldemort drifted down toward the ground like smoke carried on the wind.
Jon frowned slightly, though he felt no real surprise.
With the "experience" of his first resurrection, Voldemort's return was hardly difficult. His father's bone—send a Death Eater to steal a piece from Little Hangleton. Given Voldemort's fear of death, Jon suspected it had likely been prepared long in advance.
The servant's flesh—there were plenty of Death Eaters loyal to him; anyone could spare a piece.
As for the enemy's blood, remembering how many wizards in the magical world considered Voldemort their enemy, that part was the easiest of all.
As long as Horcruxes existed, creating a new body was never truly difficult.
And if this so-called "giant attack" was a trap laid by Voldemort and the Death Eaters specifically for him, then Voldemort's personal appearance here was hardly unexpected.
Jon held his breath as much as possible, simultaneously employing Occlumency to completely sever the fluctuations of his mind, minimizing any chance of being detected by Voldemort.
Facing the employees of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Voldemort did not immediately unleash the Killing Curse. Instead, he calmly conjured a translucent green rope.
The rope swiftly bound more than a dozen witches and wizards together. Beyond restraining them, it also temporarily stripped them of any ability to use magical transportation.
"Well done, Walden."
Voldemort turned back and smiled at Macnair.
"Thank you for your praise, Master…" Macnair replied humbly.
"And… have you found that boy?"
Voldemort continued coldly.
"The boy… that boy…" Macnair's voice immediately faltered. "I don't know, Master… but I swear, he must be somewhere nearby."
Had this been the Voldemort of old, Macnair would surely have received a lesson that chilled him to the bone.
But now, after a brief pause, a faint smile appeared on Voldemort's face.
"Very well, I understand… if he's nearby, I'll find him soon enough…"
...
Jon couldn't quite grasp Voldemort's intent, and worry crept in for Kingsley and Tonks as well. When dealing with members of the Order of the Phoenix, Death Eaters tended to be especially ruthless.
He continued holding his breath, keeping his mind tightly sealed, careful not to reveal even the slightest flaw…
At the same time, he glanced down at his watch, silently counting the seconds.
Less than fifty yards away, more than a dozen green serpents were already slithering out of Voldemort's acacia wand. They crawled off in all directions, searching methodically.
One of them was getting closer and closer to the ruins where Jon lay hidden.