#55 - Raid

Suddenly! A piercing alarm sounded, dragging everyone out of their gathering.

Damn it, are you a jinx? It's here as soon as you say it. As soon as Anduin heard the alarm, he knew something was wrong.

The people in the house reacted quickly, probably because they were prepared. They quickly drew their wands. James said loudly, "Follow the plan! Lily, Alice, Augusta, you few stay inside and guard the children. The rest of us will go out to fight the enemy. Frank, warn Dumbledore and the Aurors."

James had only spoken halfway when a loud rumble sounded outside. It seemed the house's defensive magic had been activated, and the Death Eaters outside were attacking the cottage.

Frank Longbottom waved his wand, and a silver-white ferret shot out from the tip. Then, Frank muttered a few words to the ferret, and the summoned creature quickly darted out and through the wall.

Is that a Patronus? What else can it do? Anduin, standing to the side, actually had time to think about this.

The others also acted quickly. All the gentlemen drew their wands and rushed out. Anduin could only see a bunch of red, yellow, blue, and green magical flashes reflected from the windows.

Lily also reacted quickly, handing Harry to Anduin and saying to the others, "Follow me."

Anduin knew this wasn't the time to be stubborn. He followed Lily closely, and then the group followed her around to the basement. Lily pushed open a door and led them inside. The room looked like a storage room, with shelves filled with items all around.

After Lily led everyone into the room, she immediately walked to a wall and tapped a few bricks with her wand. Then, Anduin felt a magical fluctuation spread out from the bricks Lily tapped, along the wall.

"This is a safe house. Once the protective magic is activated, it will be difficult to open from the outside. Support should arrive soon, so don't worry," Lily said with a relaxed expression after performing a series of actions.

Anduin, holding little Harry, felt a little relieved after hearing Lily's words. Augusta, holding Neville, was very calm. She looked at Anduin and said, "Don't worry, we're well prepared. We'll make sure these insidious guys won't get away this time."

So they were so well prepared. Anduin had been worried about accidents, but seeing Lily's skillful actions, he was obviously prepared, which made him feel relieved.

Then, everyone quietly waited in the small room, while still faintly hearing the sounds from above: the sounds of spells clashing and loud explosions. No one knew how the battle was going up there.

"What do you think their expressions will be when the Death Eaters attack and realize they're surrounded?" Augusta said with a smile.

Some time passed, and Augusta was even in the mood to joke with the others, showing that she was still very relaxed.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred! A rustling sound suddenly came from outside the basement. Everyone in the room looked at each other, becoming nervous and cautiously taking up their wands, not knowing if the people outside were friends or foes. Could it be that the battle above had ended?

Soon, everyone understood.

Because the people outside launched an attack on the room. The people inside could clearly hear the 'bang, bang' of powerful spells being cast outside, and patches of magical ripples appeared on the walls and door of the room, indicating that the protective magic was under attack.

"What's going on? Didn't Frank and Potter manage to stop the Death Eaters? Why hasn't the support arrived yet? Did Voldemort personally launch the attack?" Alice Longbottom asked with a slightly nervous expression, seeing that the Death Eaters had actually attacked here.

Augusta was very calm, holding Neville in one hand and her wand in the other, and said calmly, "Don't be nervous. No one knows what's happening outside. We must not panic."

Lily's brow furrowed slightly, but she still nodded calmly and said, "Although I don't know how the Death Eaters outside broke through their defenses, we can only rely on ourselves now. What we need to do is stay calm and then fight back."

Anduin nodded in agreement, but he looked worriedly at the protective magic, which was gradually deforming due to the continuous attacks. He didn't know how long the protective magic here could last, so he waved his wand and piled the tables and boxes around him in front of everyone, saying, "Let's try to build a defense first. If the door is breached, launch an attack first."

At first, the others didn't know what Anduin was going to do, but after hearing Anduin's explanation, they also felt it made sense, so they waved their wands to help. In a short while, everyone used some boxes, tables, chairs, and other debris to build a semi-circular, waist-high barrier facing the door.

Then Anduin continued, "If the protective magic is broken later, my Shield Charm isn't very good. Lily, your protective spells are the strongest, so Lily, you'll be responsible for defense later. Alice and Augusta, you two will be responsible for attacking, and I'll be responsible for covering and assisting the attack."

Everyone thought about it and nodded in agreement. Under Anduin's constant arrangement, everyone's positions were also adjusted. Lily and Alice were in the center, and Anduin and Augusta stood on both sides in the rear, holding Harry and Neville respectively. If a spell couldn't be blocked in time, they would crouch down and hide behind the barrier.

With someone in command, the emotions of the people in the room gradually stabilized, and they no longer felt nervous. People are like this when they don't have a backbone; they are most prone to self-doubt and emotions. In that state, let alone maintaining normal combat power, miscasting spells is possible.

After preparing, Anduin carefully observed the protective magic at the door and said, "It seems they are preparing to concentrate their firepower to break through at one point. Judging from the condition of the protective magic, it is very likely that they will break in from the door. If the door is blown away later, I will control the door panel to interfere with the enemy's vision, and you will take the opportunity to attack. If the door is shattered or falls down, I will try to disrupt the enemy's balance, and you will launch an attack first. Remember, be fast and decisive."

The three people next to him nodded subconsciously. Although Anduin was the youngest of them, they still subconsciously followed Anduin's command.

Soon, the defensive magic at the door revealed an irregular gap under the continuous attacks, and then, under a spell from the enemy behind the door, the door at the entrance of the room flew in with a 'bang'.