Several hours before.
3rd December at 5 am.
Kingsley Shacklebolt was surprised when he received a message from Madam Bones to meet her early in the morning. He thought that maybe, as today was going to be the release of Harry Potter, they were going to plan how the envoy to Azkaban at noon would be done.
When he got in front of Amelia Bones's office, he saw that he was not alone.
There, waiting, were Savage, Proudfoot, and John Dawlish.
With some questioning, Kingsley found that the other three Aurors were just like him, having been ordered by their boss to get there but having no idea why.
Soon, they were called inside.
The first thing he noticed was five brooms that were kept on the desk of Madam Bones, and Kingsley recognized his among them.
"Pick yours and come out quickly," Amelia Bones ordered, took the broom that belonged to her, and went outside.
Kingsley and the three others glanced at each other, questioning internally what was happening, but they did not linger and rapidly grabbed their broom. Once outside, they saw that Amelia Bones was already up in the sky, and all four of them understood that she wanted them up. They climbed onto their broom and got close to Amelia.
"Good, like the four of you just demonstrated, you follow my orders without any question. This is the reason why I have selected only four of you among all the Aurors. I'm sure that you all want to know exactly what is going on. The truth is, I do not really trust everything that has been going on, and I have a bad feeling that maybe our trip to retrieve Harry Potter will have many obstacles. That is why I have made everyone believe that we are going to get there at noon, when in fact, the five of us are going right now, when mostly everyone is still asleep and unaware of this secret trip."
Kingsley, Savage, Proudfoot, and Dawlish had to agree that the idea of Madam Bones was very good. If even they did not know about this mission, then there was no way any outsider was going to learn and interfere.
They smiled, and the four went together with her towards Azkaban.
Finally, after some time, they reached Azkaban and descended from their respective brooms. All five of them were senior Aurors and had previously been to Azkaban to either put in a new prisoner or, in the rare case, take someone out like today.
But still, they were not used to the cold and dark atmosphere that surrounded Azkaban with all the demontors nearby.
"I have been here three times; every time, I just want to get back home as quickly as possible," Savage said as he walked toward the main gate, having left his broom behind like the others.
The formation that they took when walking was as follows: Savage, Proudfoot, Dawlish, and Kingsley were in the front acting like a wall, with Amelia Bones closely following behind. From afar, they could spot the dementors beyond the main door, flying around.
But as they got closer, the four in front began to notice a figure standing still. At first, it was very difficult to confirm what they were seeing, but as they entered, they realized that the figure was not a dementor but instead a wizard.
The first thought everyone had was that maybe it was Harry Potter that the dementors had brought already for his release. All of them stopped moving as they noticed the figure taking his first step, walking forward with the dementors wandering around.
As Kingsley was about to take a step forward to bring 'Harry Potter', the figure was finally out of the entrance, and his entire appearance was now visible.
Shock.
That was everyone's reaction as they watched the man walking toward them. There was no doubt; it was he who must not be named in front of them.
Kingsley was aware that Dumbledore was speaking the truth went he said that the Dark Lord was back due to the recent event; he began to question the word of the Head of the Order of the Phoenix.
But now, the truth was in front of him.
Kingsley did not realize that he was rooted on the spot, not reacting for several seconds. Only when Savage, who was by his side, took out his wand did Kingsley grasp the situation he was in.
Like Savage, he quickly took out his wand, pointing it toward Voldemort. From the corner of his eyes, he saw that just like himself, Savage, Proudfoot, and Dawlish had also taken a fighting stance.
Kingsley wanted so much to turn around and look at Madam Bones, but he understood that any slight disconcentration could be fatal, considering who was in front of him. He was sure that Amelia Bones, being renowned for being a sharp fighter, must have reacted quickly and would be able to take care of herself.
The seconds that followed were suffocating. There was no wand in his hand, yet as Voldemort approached, they did not dare attack but remained in a defensive position. They were five of the most skilled Aurors in the Ministry, but facing the Dark Lord himself was something none of them had truly been prepared for.
Suddenly, Kingsley saw that Voldemort came to a full stop and watched as a devilish smile formed on his face.
Kingsley was sure that just like him, the rest of his colleagues must have felt a shiver throughout their whole bodies. Kingsley was now on maximum alert, sure that this was going to be the moment Voldemort attacked them.
Out of nowhere, a strange sound reached Kingsley's ears.
It was a soft thud, like the sudden collapse of something heavy. Kingsley's instincts kicked in, and he turned his head to the side just in time to see Savage's body crumple forward, his eyes wide open but completely vacant. The seasoned Auror hit the ground without any attempt to protect himself, his wand rolling from his hand.
His mind struggled to process what he was seeing. Proudfoot and Dawlish were equally stunned. Kingsley caught their eyes for a fleeting moment, seeing the same question reflected there.
What just happened?
He quickly turned his attention back to Voldemort. The Dark Lord hadn't moved from his spot.
His wand was nowhere to be seen, but the smile... the cruel smile... remained fixed on his serpent face, as if he were savoring the terror they were going through.
Kingsley had his eyes on Voldemort all the time. He did not see the Dark Lord cast any spell.
So, how did his friend suffer what seemed to be the case of a stunning spell?
The only relief that Kingsley had was that Savage was not killed, but was just in a momentarily unconscious state.