Chapter 552 Prologue

As night falls, war is about to begin.

On a midsummer night, the air was filled with a fiery breath, and the hot breeze blew through the streets of Hogsmeade, carrying a burning smell. In this night that should have been peaceful, the ground was shaking faintly, like an approaching storm.

A silver-white curtain of light rose from the center of the city, like an invisible giant hand, protecting the entire new city of Hogsmeade. This was a powerful protective magic cast by hundreds of wizards. Every ray of flowing light contained a huge amount of magic power, forming an indestructible barrier.

Amelia Burns stood on a tall tower at the edge of the new city, her short golden hair fluttering in the cold wind, her sharp eyes scanning the entire battlefield.

Behind her, the Aurors and strikers of the Ministry of Magic were already in position at various key locations. They hid under the eaves on both sides of the street and ambushed on top of tall buildings.

Everyone held their breath and stood in their respective positions, their eyes piercing through the darkness, looking at the surging shadows approaching in the distance. They held their wands tightly, sweat dripping down their foreheads, but no one reached out to wipe it off. The night wind blew past, and their cloaks fluttered gently in the dim light, reflecting faces that were either nervous or determined.

"Everyone listen!" Amelia's voice was clearly heard throughout the town. Her eyes were firm, without a trace of hesitation. "We are not defending a city, we are defending our homeland and our future! We have no way out, only a fight!"

Outside the barrier, the army of Death Eaters was advancing like a dark cloud, their robes fluttering in the wind, like an army from hell.

Behind the army, a dozen giants were holding huge weapons. They were the remnants of the giants that McNeill had gathered. In the sky, there were countless Dementors, covering the sky and blocking the sun, flying non-stop.

Voldemort led his army slowly approaching, his black robe fluttering in the cold wind and his scarlet eyes flashing coldly in the night.

He raised his hand, signaling the Death Eaters to slow down their advance, then looked through the silver-white barrier at the crowd inside the protective shield, a cruel smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Look at these poor fellows..." Voldemort's voice sounded faintly, clearly reaching everyone's ears, "They actually tried to use such a barrier to stop us."

The Death Eaters immediately let out a low sneer. The laughter was cold, sinister, and full of mockery and cruelty.

"How long can this small magic barrier hold us back? One minute? Or half a minute?"

"It's so naive that it makes people laugh. They probably still think they can hold on until tomorrow morning, and they don't even open their eyes to see how many of us there are and how many of them there are."

“When the light curtain breaks and their blood stains the streets, they will understand who is the master here.”

"Master." Lucius took a step forward and bowed slightly. "We didn't find any trace of the Order of the Phoenix in the new city. Could they be ambushing in secret?"

The corners of Voldemort's lips raised slightly, he snorted and laughed softly, a hint of contempt flashed across his face.

"Haha, Lucius, you worry too much!" Karkaroff said immediately, with a tone of disapproval, "I'm afraid those people in the Order of the Phoenix have already been frightened. Seeing our army approaching, it is natural for them to retreat."

"No, Karkaroff." Voldemort shook his head slowly. "The Order of the Phoenix is not a coward. I don't believe Alastor Moody, Minerva McGonagall, the Longbottoms, or even that Sirius Black, can hold back."

With a deep gaze, he turned his head and glanced at the Hogwarts Castle faintly visible in the night sky in the distance. He said firmly, "If they are not in the new city, then there is only one possibility - they are hiding in Hogwarts, waiting for us to attack the new city and then launch an attack from the rear."

“But this is irrelevant.” Voldemort continued, with a cruel smile on his face. “In the face of absolute power, all conspiracies and tricks are meaningless. The Order of the Phoenix… Oh, with their limited manpower, they are just trapped beasts fighting hard. They can’t cause any waves.”

Having said that, he tilted his head slightly and his eyes fell on the crazy woman on the right.

"Bella."

"Owner?"

"If those people dare to come from Hogwarts, I want you to lead people to wipe them out completely."

"As you command, Master," Bellatrix Lestrange looked up in the direction of Hogwarts. She licked her lips, her voice sharp and excited, her eyes full of bloodthirsty madness, "I will make them regret living in this world, especially the traitor who brought shame to the Black family - I will tear him to pieces with my own hands!"

Voldemort nodded with satisfaction, his scarlet eyes swept around, and his gaze fell grimly on all the Death Eaters.

"Death Eaters—" His voice echoed in the ears of all the Death Eaters, like the last order before the drums of war sounded, "This time, don't hold back."

He looked at the silver-white barrier covering the new city, murderous intent in his eyes.

"Destroy this city and kill Burns. Capture Sebastian's wife, parents, and grandparents. I want Sebastian to be cautious and I want him dead!"

As the last word fell, he suddenly raised his wand and whispered the command that made everyone tremble -

"attack!"

In an instant, the night exploded and the darkness boiled.

The Death Eaters raised their wands at the same time, and wild laughter and low spells mixed together. The next second, countless spells gushed out from the tips of their wands, gathering into a torrent of scarlet, emerald green and blazing white, bombarding the new city's protective shield.

The silver-white barrier trembled incessantly under the bombardment of the spell, and ripples spread out layer by layer, as if a huge rock was thrown into the water surface, and the entire night sky was illuminated by the mottled light.

A war officially began.