#844 - Rodolphus was so angry that he laughed

As for Lockhart's previous warnings, the Death Eaters, including Rodolphus, ignored them completely. None of them believed the Ministry of Magic would react so quickly.

Even in Azkaban, if they hadn't been so desperate for a taste of freedom, the Death Eaters wouldn't have let the remaining three Aurors off so easily.

Of course, they didn't realize that their actions actually bought them valuable time. If the Death Eaters had delayed their escape by even a few minutes, the outcome might have been different.

So, after landing and confirming that everyone was relatively unharmed, Rodolphus led the group towards a village in northern England.

This village wasn't a purely wizarding village like Hogsmeade. Instead, it was more like Godric's Hollow or Ottery St. Catchpole, a small to medium-sized settlement where wizards and Muggles lived together.

Approximately seven or eight wizarding families resided there, along with a small wizarding pub and a few Floo Network connections.

Rodolphus, Bellatrix, and the others knew about this place. Even though these Death Eaters hadn't been in contact with the wizarding community for over a decade, they assumed that the changes in these settlements wouldn't be significant.

In their minds, the wizarding world was unchanging. A wizarding settlement would be roughly the same today as it would be a hundred years from now.

Therefore, after their second Apparition, the Death Eaters stormed towards the pub, eager to cause chaos after being cooped up for over a decade!

Bang!

Rodolphus kicked open the pub door and strode inside with an air of ruthless indifference, followed by the other Death Eaters.

They saw three wizards chatting idly at the bar and a bartender wiping glasses behind it. It was clear that business wasn't booming, and the customers were just bored locals.

The magical gramophone playing soft music and the few magical lamps floating on the ceiling gave the Death Eaters a strange feeling.

The place where they remembered a magical radio was now replaced by a glowing device with a stand, projecting a light onto the wall, showing a Quidditch match. They had never seen anything like it before.

But this wasn't the time to show curiosity. Rodolphus smirked and raised his wand, pointing it at the four shocked individuals.

"Little Billy, long time no see…" Rodolphus said, looking at the bartender. "You've made this old pub quite tidy, but business doesn't seem to be doing too well!"

"Ro… Rodolphus?" The bartender, Little Billy, recognized him and his expression froze. →

As his gaze swept over the others beside Rodolphus, Little Billy's face grew increasingly pale. Despite the years that had passed, he could still recognize them.

But that's impossible, weren't they locked up in Azkaban?

"Run!"

Having lived through the dark times, Little Billy didn't know why these Death Eaters weren't in Azkaban or why they were here, but he knew how dangerous they were. Without hesitation, he yelled and prepared to Apparate away.

But Rodolphus seemed prepared. Seeing Little Billy's actions, he grinned savagely and flicked his wand as if playing with a mouse.

Suddenly, the four figures who were halfway through Apparating were interrupted and fell to the ground.

Interrupting an Apparition like that is extremely dangerous. The caster could accidentally Splinch themselves or even risk their life.

Fortunately, Little Billy and his companions were loyal customers of Silver Flash Enterprises, and they wore multiple Silver Flash Charms, including one that protected them during Apparition failures.

Furthermore, their charms seemed to recognize that the Apparition had been maliciously interfered with, so they proactively sent an alert to the Ministry of Magic.

It could only be said that Silver Flash Enterprises' alchemical protective products were becoming increasingly effective. Besides providing various safety guarantees, they could even alert the Ministry of Magic when an attack was detected and request assistance from hospitals when injuries were discovered. The functions were quite user-friendly.

Little Billy and the others felt much more relieved after realizing this. In recent years, they had witnessed the changes in the Ministry of Magic firsthand. Since the later part of Bartemius Crouch Senior's era, the Aurors had become increasingly efficient.

Although they couldn't escape by Apparating now, as long as they held on for a while, they would surely be rescued by the Ministry of Magic soon.

With that thought, the four of them felt more confident. They stood up and drew their wands, confronting the Death Eaters.

Seeing their actions, Rodolphus and Bellatrix exchanged glances and then burst into wild laughter.

Rodolphus and the others were laughing in anger. As Death Eaters, they had been so powerful back then. Every wizard they encountered was obsequious and subservient.

But what about now?

They just walked into a random wizarding pub, and the people inside dared to point their wands at them!

"Hmph, truly courting death. I was originally thinking of sparing your lives if you knew what was good for you," Rodolphus sneered, then waved his hand at the others behind him. "Let them know how powerful we are!"

"Hahaha, shatter into pieces!" As soon as Rodolphus finished speaking, Bellatrix, who was still choking Umbridge, took the lead and fired a curse at the group.

The other Death Eaters reacted quickly, cackling maniacally as they cast their spells, as if venting their frustrations from being imprisoned for over a decade.

A barrage of colorful spells instantly engulfed the four, with many spells missing their mark due to the lack of wands and covering the entire bar area.

Boom!

After a roar, a corner of the pub was blown open. The building materials here weren't as sturdy as those in Azkaban.

However, as the smoke gradually cleared, the scene before them left the Death Eaters dumbfounded. It wasn't as they had imagined, with four bodies lying on the ground, torn to pieces.

The four opponents were not only alive but also unharmed.

Little Billy and the others each had one or more accessories glowing, along with one or more layers of magical shields firmly enveloping their bodies!