Chapter 1156: Dark Magic Defense for All
Chapter 1156: Dark Magic Defense for All
"Speaking of which, why did you insist on disguising yourself as me to meet Zachari?"
Lee Jordan scrutinized the person in front of him, who looked exactly like him, and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Could it be because I'm better looking?"
"No, I think I'm more handsome!" Albert smiled mischievously.
"Pfft!"
Fred, who had just taken a sip of his tea, couldn't help but spray it out.
"Hahaha!"
George slapped Lee Jordan on the shoulder and laughed, "I think Albert's right, he's definitely better looking than you!"
"What are you guys talking about? And why are there two Lee..." Shanna was slightly taken aback when she noticed two Lee Jordans in the room, but she quickly realized what had happened and asked tentatively, "Albert?"
"Yes, it's that good-for-nothing guy. He transformed into my appearance to go and deceive Zachari, that poor guy." Lee Jordan gazed mournfully at his own face and complained, "Can't you change back? It's creepy to look at myself like this."
Albert took out his pocket watch and checked the time. "The polyjuice potion's effects are lasting longer than I anticipated, but don't worry, it should wear off soon."
"You still haven't answered why you had to meet Zachari disguised as me," Lee Jordan pressed.
"It's for safety reasons," Albert explained helplessly. "If I went myself, it would attract a lot of trouble. You should be aware that the Malfoy family is after me, and those greedy individuals in the gray area would probably swarm like sharks that smell blood."
"What are sharks?" Shanna asked, her expression curious.
"They're highly dangerous sea creatures," Albert explained with a strange look.
"Not to mention the Death Eaters. I suspect that group would love to finish me off. Even if I'm not afraid of them, I still need to worry about sneak attacks." Albert paused, then continued, "If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't be as extreme. They might attempt to ambush or use the Imperius Curse on you to get to me, but they wouldn't go as far as they would with me."
The room suddenly fell silent as everyone turned to look at Albert.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Albert noticed the change in atmosphere and set down his teacup, confused.
"You've encountered them?" George frowned and asked, "That Zachari is definitely up to no good, right?"
"Yeah, that poor guy was indeed controlled by the Imperius Curse." Albert shrugged. "Even though I noticed it as soon as I saw him, it's still hard to guard against. If any of you had gone, you probably would've been taken down by a cup of butterbeer."
"Butterbeer?"
"He said 'cheers' and wanted to drink together. What do you think?" Albert reminded them, "Don't randomly eat or drink things outside. Who knows if someone might tamper with them. Oh, and this tactic can be used against Death Eaters."
"Is it because we went to see him in Hogsmeade last time?" George had realized the reason. "When we went to Hogsmeade Village, we were being watched?"
"That doesn't make sense. We were very careful back then. How could..." Fred was perplexed. They had made sure the village was safe before going to meet Zachari.
"There are probably Death Eater informants in Hogsmeade," Albert said without hesitation. "Someone might have been controlled by the Imperius Curse, which is why it wasn't detected by the detectors."
"However, don't worry," Albert reassured them. "This issue isn't that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal?"
Shanna looked at Albert in surprise. She couldn't understand his calmness and how he could dismiss the matter so lightly.
"So, what do we do now? If we can't rely on Zachari, then our plan to open a branch in Hogsmeade Village might have to be scrapped." Fred frowned and asked, "What's your plan? Are you going to pass up on making money?"
"We'll just let Kenneth deal with Zachari." Albert had already made arrangements.
Ever since Mr. Tolle was sent to Azkaban by the Ministry of Magic for organizing the attack on the specialty store, Kenneth had taken the initiative to approach them, hoping to prevent his father from receiving a death sentence from the Ministry and also to ally himself with their group. A magical contract had been signed between them to gain their initial trust.
"That's fine, let Kenneth handle it," George agreed.
"So, that's why you let him off easily?"
Lee Jordan understood. He had wondered why Albert had let the matter slide, and now it made sense.
"Why does it sound like it's my scheme?"
"Because it is."
However, after hearing Albert's words, the three of them realized that it was best not to expose themselves and become targets of the Death Eaters. Getting into trouble at such a critical moment might cause them to miss out on the most profitable opportunity.
This was undoubtedly an uncomfortable situation.
According to Albert's plan, as long as they worked hard in the next few years, they wouldn't have to worry about making money for the rest of their lives.
"What's your plan now?"
"Prepare more safe houses for refuge and reorganize the others for Dark Magic Defense training." Albert signaled for them to listen carefully. "The situation will only get worse, and you'll need some self-protection abilities."
"Do you really think Scrimgeour will be assassinated soon and that the mysterious person will gain complete control over the Ministry of Magic?" Shanna asked, knitting her brows slightly.
"It's inevitable. Scrimgeour has made quite a few enemies.
"Dumbledore shouldn't let that mysterious individual control the Ministry of Magic." Shanna said this and suddenly turned to Albert, a terrible suspicion forming in her mind.
"So, it will turn out that way?"
"Although it does align with the outcome I predicted, the future is not set in stone, and anything can change," Albert calmly reassured her. "I will send them a warning, but I can't say what the outcome will be."
"Can't you...?"
Shanna looked at Albert, feeling that with his abilities, perhaps he could...
"I've never been arrogant enough to think that I could change the future," Albert said self-deprecatingly. "All I can do is give them a warning, that's all. As for their ultimate fate, it's up to them to decide, not me."
"Besides, I don't have the qualifications."
"You're right."
Shanna seemed to realize something and sighed softly.
"Will you be the one to teach us Dark Magic Defense?" George steered the conversation in a different direction.
"I will teach you some important things, but for other spells, you'll have to rely on your own training." Albert recalled his rough plan. "As for Cedric, I'll talk to him about it later."
"It looks like you're planning something big." Fred sounded excited.
"I think the biggest problem is where we should set up our secret headquarters?" George brought up a concern.
While there was a place to practice magic here, it obviously couldn't accommodate too many people, and their presence here would pose a certain risk to their safety.
"It hasn't been decided yet, we'll figure it out later. I just wanted to give you a heads-up." Albert smiled and said, "If you have any ideas, feel free to let me know."
"It looks like the future situation is pretty bad."
Shanna wasn't optimistic about the changing situation. If things weren't dire, why would Albert need to prepare so many safe houses, which were obviously not meant for them?
"It's not ideal, to say the least, unless we defeat the mysterious individual." Albert remained calm. "Of course, that's Potter's mission."
"So you also believe he's the savior who can defeat the mysterious individual?" Shanna was puzzled. In her opinion, Albert seemed more like the savior.
"Although my prediction points to Harry Potter winning, he's still just one person, and he'll need everyone's support." Albert continued, "And everyone will need some self-protection abilities."
"Maybe we should work with the Order of the Phoenix..."
"Yes, you're right. We can consider setting up a Dark Magic Defense training organization together with the Order of the Phoenix." Albert clapped his hands excitedly. "You can look for Sirius and Lupin, and make sure to bring in Mad-Eye. He's the best poster boy, a former Auror, famous and eccentric. Isn't that right?"
"But will they agree?" Fred didn't think Sirius would go for it, as they all had their own matters to attend to.
"They will. It will only take a few hours of their time each week, and in return, they can... I mean, there's an opportunity to gain a group of supporters for Harry. Why wouldn't they?" Albert's mind was racing, and he waved his wand lightly, causing a quill to record the ideas that came to him.
"I think the number of people willing to participate will be limited, after all, it costs money." Lee Jordan pointed out the biggest problem. "And..."
"We can organize this training through cooperation with the Ministry of Magic." Albert interrupted, "I believe many people will be willing to participate. This is much more practical than those boring pamphlets the Ministry distributes. I'm sure Scrimgeour won't pass up this opportunity. After all, he barely has to lift a finger to gain a good reputation and significantly reduce the threat of Dark Wizards."
"The Order of the Phoenix can also gain some reliable help through this. At the very least, it's necessary to find some supporters for Harry."
"By the way, you'll also need to prepare a secret radio station..."
"That sounds crazy!" Shanna muttered.
They were all taken aback by Albert's wild ideas. Was he suggesting that everyone should learn Dark Magic Defense?
And to increase credibility, he wanted the Ministry of Magic to take the lead, with members of the Order of the Phoenix assisting in the training?
"If you don't have a suitable base, I can also provide you with one for free. Yes, the mansion where the Ministry of Magic arrested those Dark Wizards last time."
"That mansion is yours?"
"Yes, Mr. Le Mey left the mansion to me." Albert nodded. "The mansion is huge and can accommodate a lot of people."
"In fact, you just want to dump all the work on others." Lee Jordan bluntly exposed Albert's ulterior motive. "You're just trying to be lazy, aren't you?"
The others looked at Albert with suspicious eyes.
"I'm giving you the plan, which is the hardest part." Albert examined the parchment carefully, made a few minor modifications, and then handed it to George. "You can give this to Sirius first, then have him pass it to Kingsley, and finally to Scrimgeour. I'm sure our Minister will be very interested!"
"Are you sure there will be wizards willing to participate?" Lee Jordan remained skeptical.
"If it were you, would you be willing to participate?"
"I don't know."
"That's why the Ministry needs to take the lead!" Albert reminded them. "We're not trying to turn them into warriors, but teaching them how to protect themselves."
"Alright, since you put it that way..." George took the parchment, "I hope you're right."
(End of Chapter)
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