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Chapter 1147: Breaking the Rules
Chapter 1147: Breaking the Rules
Upon hearing Albert mention that they would be expecting guests, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan immediately felt uneasy.
Those who warranted Albert's special attention and warranted a personal visit were obviously not the sorts who could be dealt with discreetly; otherwise, the trio would have been capable of handling the situation themselves.
"It has to be that Constipation-Relieving Paste poster in the window. I said that thing would attract too much hatred." Shanna felt that Fred, George, and Lee Jordan had gone too far, daring to openly joke about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It was no surprise if they had caught the attention of Death Eaters, and even if they weren't Death Eaters, there might be people who would use the Death Eater name to cause them trouble.
"I don't think the Death Eaters would be that stupid," George said, unconvinced that the Death Eaters would dare to cause them problems. After all, the Ministry of Magic was right next door, and they were actively hunting for Death Eaters. No one would be foolish enough to walk into a trap like that.
"Someone's jealous, someone's looking to stir up trouble, someone's greedy, someone finds this place a nuisance, and someone else wants to eliminate the competition," Albert said nonchalantly, easing the tension in the room.
"How did you know... Oh right, divination. I almost forgot about that," Fred said, glancing at the corner of the room where the enchanted mirror hung before turning back to the Marauder's Map that Albert had just handed to him.
"You've been too flashy lately," Albert said. "I think you should temporarily close the shop and only take owl orders." Fred and George's reactions to Albert's suggestion were immediate and strong.
"That's for your own safety," Albert continued. "And once Hogwarts starts, business here will slow down. Let the neighbor's exclusive store handle the Dark Magic Defense items, and leave the prank items to Zonko. That way, your work will be much easier and safer."
"Looks like you've got big plans for Zonko, eh?" Fred couldn't help but laugh at the idea of opening a branch in Hogsmeade.
"Are you prophesying something terrible?" George furrowed his brows slightly, feeling that Albert must have foreseen something.
"No, I'm just being cautious," Albert shook his head. "Even divination isn't foolproof. It never hurts to be careful, and it won't hinder our profits anyway."
Albert had been trying to use divination to record and avoid potential future troubles and to find side quests for himself, but he didn't want others to pin all their hopes on his prophecies.
People were fallible, as could be seen with Dumbledore, so he didn't want them to become overly reliant on prophecies.
"Should we go next door and notify the Ministry folks?" Shanna suggested, her eyes drifting from the mirror. "Maybe we could..."
"There's no one next door," Fred interrupted with a shake of his head.
"But..."
"The Ministry isn't stupid," Lee Jordan scoffed. "Why would they leave people to stand guard in Diagon Alley? The daytime patrols are just for show, to intimidate troublemakers and boost confidence in the Ministry. They're useless in a real crisis."
The so-called crisis response team was actually quite mediocre. They couldn't hold a candle to the Aurors, not even the trainees, and Kingsley had never missed an opportunity to gripe about it.
"I can handle them myself," Albert said confidently. "And if we don't give them an opening, do you think those troublemakers will come knocking? They're not idiots."
"Won't that be too dangerous for you alone?" Shanna asked worriedly. "We may not be much help, but surely we can lend a hand!"
"Are we going to round them all up this time?" Fred asked excitedly.
"Why would we do that?" Albert asked. "That's the Ministry's job. We shouldn't step on their toes. Giving those troublemakers a lesson they won't forget is enough." Albert had no intention of doing the Ministry's work for them. His task was to protect "The House of Fun" and the Dark Magic Defense items exclusive store, not to round up every troublemaker that came their way.
As long as they taught these troublemakers a painful lesson, fewer people would dare to cause problems for them in the future.
The simplest way would be to throw some Mandrake roots outside when they arrived, ensuring that the unprepared troublemakers would be in for a nasty surprise. However, to avoid setting a bad example for the wizarding world, Albert ultimately discarded this idea to prevent Mandrake roots from becoming a common weapon of choice for mischief-makers.
...
At that moment, in a run-down house in Knockturn Alley, a group of cloaked figures were gathered for an emergency meeting.
"Isn't this too rushed?" one of them asked, his voice laced with anxiety.
"We can't give them any time to react," the masked figure replied. "The more people who know, the harder it is to keep it a secret."
"I almost didn't react in time myself."
There was no helping it; no matter how they looked at it, the plan was rushed from its conception to its execution.
"That's not the point," another cloaked figure interjected. "We must ensure that no suspicion falls upon us."
"Don't worry, I've taken care of everything. They're all wanted by the Ministry of Magic. After this deal, they'll leave the country with their Galleons immediately," the speaker assured, almost proudly.
"Why not wait until the dead of night or at dawn?"
"That was their request."
Everyone in the room clearly understood who "they" referred to—the Death Eaters had been causing no end of trouble for the Ministry lately.
There was undoubtedly a Death Eater presence in this operation as well.
Of course, there were also those who wanted to shift the blame onto the Death Eaters.
"Do you have anything to say?" Mr. Tolle turned to look at his son.
"I think the biggest problem is that you're ignoring one person!" Kenneth frowned and reminded them, "I suspect that the owner of that shop is not the Weasley twins at all. They don't have that kind of Galleons, and those Dark Magic Defense items are beyond their ability to create."
"Are you talking about Albert Anderson?" Mr. Tolle furrowed his brows slightly, as Kenneth had mentioned this to him before. He noticed his son's wariness towards this Anderson fellow.
"Yes, that shop is most likely his. Otherwise, with the Weasley family's poverty, they probably couldn't even afford the rent. Anderson is likely giving them a share of the profits and having them help out. He used to do the same thing back in school." Kenneth looked at his father and warned, "You haven't dealt with Anderson before, and you don't know how dangerous he is. Plus, he's a Divination Master."
Noticing the murderous glare his father was giving him, Kenneth quickly shut his mouth, not daring to continue his rant. However, he still hoped that his father would give up on this foolish plan.
Unfortunately, that was clearly not going to happen.
The Tolle family had attempted to manufacture and sell inferior Dark Magic Defense items, but they were blocked by the Ministry's exclusive sales policy, resulting in a pile of unsold goods and a mountain of debt. If they didn't take action soon, they would undoubtedly go bankrupt.
For a family that had long dwelled in the gray area of the magical world, this was unacceptable.
As long as that shop was gone, and the Ministry's exclusive store was out of the picture, chaos would once again ensue in the magical world, and they could easily profit from it.
Yes, profit.
Who in their right mind would risk becoming a Death Eater lackey if there was nothing to gain?
It was clear that everyone gathered here was driven by their own self-interest.
Someone was standing in their way of making a fortune, and they were here to ensure that obstacle was removed.
"You shouldn't have said those things earlier."
After the cloaked figures had left, Mr. Tolle glared at his son, displeased.
"You shouldn't have put everything on the line like that." Kenneth frowned and said, "From the start, you don't understand your enemy, and you have no idea what kind of person you're up against."
"Enough, I don't want to hear it. Besides, we have no other choice now." Mr. Tolle looked at his son expressionlessly and reminded him, "Kenneth, remember this: if you want to make money in the gray area, don't play by the rules. Following the usual path will only lead to failure."
"If you don't want to go, then stay here."
The Tolle family had actually set their sights on the lucrative market for Dark Magic Defense items, but the Ministry's aggressive monopoly had caused most shops and stalls selling inferior products to collapse.
They had backed themselves into a corner.
Moreover, they didn't believe they would fail.
Many shared their desire to see the obstruction removed and to get their hands on the manufacturing techniques.
Even if the Ministry pursued them, they could always blame it on Death Eaters and point to the Constipation-Relieving Paste poster in the window as an insult to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named—a convenient excuse.
Kenneth Tolle sighed and furrowed his brows as he watched his father's retreating back. He still thought this was an incredibly foolish plan.
Even if tonight's operation succeeded and their shop was badly damaged, what then?
Did they really think their enemies wouldn't seek revenge?
If it were anyone else, Kenneth wouldn't have objected, as playing by the rules didn't bring in much profit.
But their opponent was Albert! Hadn't the group of Dark Wizards who were executed recently served as a dire warning?
Or perhaps it was due to Scrimgeour?
Maybe, but Kenneth was certain that Albert had a hand in it, as evidenced by that exclusive store.
"How can they be so blind!"
Kenneth sighed heavily as he watched the group's departing figures. He was certain that Albert would find a way to track this back to his father.
(End of Chapter)
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