Arms raised high.
At that moment, every Death Eater lifted an arm, revealing the Dark Mark on it, clearer and more vivid than ever, the symbol of their identity as Death Eaters.
It was said that the more distinct the Dark Mark appeared, the stronger the Dark Lord's power was...
In any case.
Even without lowering their hoods, their synchronized movements and the low, heavy sound of their breathing were enough to show that there was nothing calm about what they felt inside.
There was excitement at the thought of destroying everything.
There was fear from living under the Dark Lord's gaze at every moment.
And... there was unease toward Barty Crouch Jr., walking at the very front and laughing soundlessly to himself.
That tangled mass of negative emotions was exactly why people found these Death Eaters so insane...
"No one. No one can defy the great Master!"
As he spoke, Barty Crouch Jr. stared fixedly at the Dark Mark he had just cast with his wand.
The green magical glow in the sky lit up his sickly pale face.
That crazed expression made it look as though he were venting years of resentment.
And in truth, this was not the first time Barty Crouch Jr. had acted this way.
Whenever he was not by Voldemort's side, he behaved like a mad dog, terrifying not only the wizards of the magical world, but even the dark wizards who were fellow Death Eaters.
He was almost like a lesser version of the Dark Lord himself...
And with the Dark Mark blazing in the sky, it also meant these Death Eaters had no intention of hiding who they were.
"Looks like things on Fenrir's side are going smoothly."
At those words, Barty Crouch Jr. drew back his gaze and glanced at the wizard beside him.
"Hmph. Those disgusting creatures will not even be needed for this mission."
"How arrogant, Crouch."
Although Barty Crouch Jr. was the Dark Lord's most trusted right hand, that did not mean there were no other powerful Death Eaters serving at his side.
And any wizard with the nerve to speak to Barty Crouch Jr. like that, without showing the slightest fear, was naturally one of them.
At the very least, standing before Barty Crouch Jr., this man with the long, twisted face was nothing like the other Death Eaters around them, who did not even dare say a single word...
Pale.
A long, warped face.
He was one of only two Death Eaters present who had not concealed his face beneath a hood, and that distinction alone was enough to show the "nobility" of his position.
He might not stand on equal footing with Barty Crouch Jr., who had revived the Dark Lord, but he clearly held an important place in the Dark Lord's camp as well...
"Call it arrogance or call it confidence, but if you fail, I will personally teach you a lesson on the Master's behalf, Antonin Dolohov!"
With no intention of saying anything further, Barty Crouch Jr. threw out those words and then led the Death Eaters in surrounding the black tower before them.
That was the objective of their mission, important enough to warrant cooperation with those werewolves.
Important enough that Voldemort had sent out Barty Crouch Jr., the one he trusted most...
...
Completely unaware of what was happening outside, Draco had by now returned to the second floor with Ginny and Luna.
Surprisingly, there was not much panic on Mr. Lovegood's face, but Draco did not believe the man had noticed nothing.
There was only one possible explanation...
"It seems, Mr. Lovegood, that none of this surprises you in the least. Had you already prepared for it?"
"Eh?"
Ginny let out a startled sound at Draco's words and turned a suspicious look toward Xenophilius Lovegood, who was still sitting in his seat.
Had Luna's father anticipated all of this and already prepared some way to deal with it?
Just as Ginny was about to ask, Mr. Lovegood spoke first.
"There is still a little time. Perhaps you would like to know the reason, Mr. Malfoy?"
Click.
Pulling out a chair, Draco slowly sat down across from him.
That calm manner made it seem as though everything outside had nothing to do with them, which only made Ginny feel more anxious and confused.
"Wait. This is not the time for you to..."
"Those people are most likely here for the Deathly Hallows, and this is what Dumbledore entrusted to me."
"....."
"....."
Even Luna, hearing this for the first time, froze for a moment, and even Ginny, who had been a little agitated just now, fell silent.
But the people outside had no intention of giving them time to sit and talk properly.
Boom!
The tremor and shaking beneath their feet made everyone present understand that their situation was far from good.
"It can only hold for a while longer? The barrier..."
Xenophilius's low murmur broke the silence.
Draco raised a brow and tapped the floor lightly with his wand. "So, what exactly do you want me to do?"
Xenophilius froze for a second, then let out a self mocking laugh and stood up from his seat.
Serious.
Solemn.
Compared to what they had seen before, the Xenophilius standing there now looked far more like the head of a family than some socially anxious man who could not even hold eye contact...
"I do not know whether your appearance here is coincidence or not, but I am entrusting my daughter to you. And I will hand over everything concerning the Deathly Hallows to you."
"Father?"
"Before I leave, I will draw all the Death Eaters' attention to myself. You can use that chance to..."
Before Xenophilius could finish, Draco cut him off.
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
"Eh?"
"If we are talking about targets, then I am one of theirs as well."
"That is impossible. Even if your father is Lucius, the Dark Lord has no reason to..."
"And how long do you think you can last against those Death Eaters?"
Those blunt words made Xenophilius slump back into his seat in defeat.
Yes. He was not Dumbledore, and he was not the Dark Lord either. With Apparition unusable, just how much of an opening could he really create for Luna and the others to escape?
As for what the Death Eaters' true target actually was, that no longer mattered.
Only.
While Luna and Xenophilius were both worrying over the danger before them, Ginny, standing to one side, noticed the cold smile on Draco's face.
And that reminded her of something. Back when Draco had been about to cast the Patronus Charm, he had looked just this confident.
Could it be that this guy was genuinely certain he could get through this crisis...?