Chapter 1162: Weaving a Web
Chapter 1162: Weaving a Web
"That guy's gone out again?"
As Katrina walked through the living room carrying a cup of tea, she paused to look at Isabelle, who was flipping through a baby care guide.
"Seems like it," Isabelle replied without looking up. "What about Mom?"
"She's recently taken an interest in cooking and is in the kitchen learning to make simple dishes with the house-elves," Katrina said with a hint of helplessness. Their mother had no talent for cooking. Leaning against the doorway, she took a sip of her tea and looked at the people in the living room before asking, "Are you really not going to do anything about him?"
"It's useless. Besides, Albert knows better than anyone how to protect himself," Isabelle said calmly as she gently turned the pages of her book. Since returning to Britain, she had expected this situation! "I just don't understand how you can be so calm about it all," Katrina said as she entered the living room and sat down on the sofa opposite Isabelle. She put down her tea cup and picked up an apple and a knife, skillfully peeling and slicing the apple before arranging the pieces neatly on a plate and pushing it towards Isabelle.
Isabelle put the book down, picked up a slice of apple, and asked, "What else can I do? Albert has his own plans, and even if I sold you out, I couldn't change his mind."
"Who knows what that guy is up to all the time!" Katrina rolled her eyes and headed back to the study with her tea to continue working on her book.
In a desolate village, Albert suddenly sneezed, causing his wand to falter and almost ruining the spell he was casting.
"Are you catching a cold?" Shannon asked.
"No, it's just that someone must be talking about me behind my back!" Albert said as he rubbed his nose. He refocused his attention on the emerging stronghold, nodding in satisfaction. "The progress is even faster than I expected."
"To be honest, I don't understand why you like coming to such remote places," Lee Jordan said as he looked around the deserted village. "There's nothing here."
"You need to understand that the best way to truly hide yourself is not by using advanced magic, but by making sure people don't know where you are. Even the most powerful protective magic can be forcibly broken by others," Albert explained.
"Like Malfoy Manor?"
"Once this place is ready," Albert continued without addressing Lee's comment, "I will cast the Fidelius Charm to protect it, and you won't have to worry about those Death Eaters and dark wizards lurking around."
"Well, you make a good point," Fred couldn't help but interject.
"When do you plan to hold the gathering?" George asked as he put down his wand and took out some treats prepared by the house-elves from the picnic basket, distributing them to everyone.
"At least after this place is built," Albert took a sip of butterbeer and glanced at the nearby mirror, "By the way, I plan to turn this place into a wizarding village, and you guys can move here to live."
"A wizarding village, like Hogsmeade?"
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan all looked at Albert in surprise.
"Are you sure that's okay?" Shannon frowned, "I mean, if this place has been abandoned, but if..."
"This land has been abandoned for a long time, and it won't cost much to buy it legitimately," Albert shrugged.
"You're buying this village?"
Everyone was stunned by Albert's bold statement.
"I plan to turn this place into an industrial park, supplying raw materials and processing products for the shops," Albert briefly described his future plans. "But that's for later."
"You're really thinking ahead!" Shannon was taken aback by Albert's plans. "Do you intend to move here yourself?"
"It depends, but probably," Albert shrugged again and took another sip of butterbeer. "How many people have you found so far who are willing to join us?"
"Seven, or eight!" Fred counted on his fingers. "Eight if you count Kenneth, but we're not sure about him yet."
"It'll take some more time. Are you really planning to compile a new 'Dark Magic Defense Guide'?"
"After all, we will definitely be facing dark wizards in the future, and without some skills, we could easily lose our lives. I plan to use the Auror course as a foundation for the new book. At the very least, those who are willing to join us should have some self-protection abilities when facing enemies," Albert finished his butterbeer. "The Order of the Phoenix didn't do a good job in this regard. Although their individual abilities are decent, their lack of training resulted in unnecessary casualties."
"I hope this war ends soon," Shannon muttered.
"Don't worry, the war will be over in a few years. You should believe in Albert's prophecy," George comforted her.
"If Harry Potter fails to defeat Voldemort and the situation spirals out of control, what will you do?" Shannon asked Albert directly.
"It depends on the situation. If it truly becomes irredeemable, I'll leave Britain. But I trust in my judgment, and I believe Harry will succeed in defeating Voldemort," Albert said confidently.
“There's something I think you should know,” Lee Jordan said, changing the subject.
"What is it?" Albert asked.
"Our Wizarding cards aren't selling very well. They're likely to become a losing business. Do you think we should continue?"
Speaking of this, Lee Jordan felt a bit dejected. He had originally thought that the Wizarding cards, which were popular in school, would sell well. However, the cruel fact had given him a sharp wake-up call. The poor sales of the cards made him realize that it was Albert, not the cards, who was truly popular.
Without Albert's presence, the Wizarding Card Club would likely soon expose its true lack of popularity.
"Even if it doesn't make money, we can treat it as an accessory to shopping." Albert patted Lee Jordan's shoulder comfortingly. "We won't lose much money, and you're just being impatient."
"Alright, if that's what you say."
Lee Jordan felt inexplicably relieved. He had been worried that Albert would simply give up on the Wizarding cards.
"At this rate, we should be able to finish soon." Albert steered the conversation back to their ongoing project.
"The excavated tunnels will also need reinforcement. Although we can use magic, I somehow feel it's not very reliable."
"Use cement," Shannon suggested, looking at Albert. "We need to figure out a way to get our hands on some."
"Don't worry about that. I'll make a trip to get some cement soon." Albert had already thought of a solution.
"What about lighting?"
"We can use Goblet Immortal Fire. I can create that stuff, and then we just need to cast a spell on the ceiling like they do at Hogwarts and leave a magical window. That should solve the problem."
"Goblet Immortal Fire? Isn't that a rather advanced form of magic?"
Shannon wasn't surprised that Albert could use such sophisticated magic, but hearing it directly still left her a little astonished.
"It is quite challenging," Albert acknowledged.
"Is it harder than the Guardian God Spell?"
"They're not really comparable, in terms of technique or otherwise. Moreover, the Goblet Immortal Fire requires a strong magical support." Albert didn't want to discuss the intricacies of creating the Goblet Immortal Fire with the others, so he steered the conversation in a different direction. "In the next few days, I'll get some cement and bring it here. Once we've prepared the space inside, I'll use the Traceless Expansion Charm to enlarge it."
"If Sterling knew how you were misusing the Traceless Expansion Charm, he might not be able to resist giving you a scary fine, squeezing some money out of you, rich boy," Fred said with a laugh.
"He won't. He'll probably pretend he didn't see anything." Albert shook his head. "Sterling is becoming more and more like a politician."
"Never mind that. Let's get back to business," George interrupted the group's casual chat, bringing the topic back to the matter at hand. "Can you help us make a few more mirrors or communication bookmarks soon? Then I can distribute them to Cedric and the others for contact."
"That's no problem. I'll get them to you in a couple of days."
Albert had been thinking about creating something like a QQ group for liaison, and he already had some ideas. He planned to test it out with them and see how it worked.
"By the way, the members of the Order of the Phoenix have started to develop peripheral members according to your suggestion, and the speed is astonishing," Fred continued. "Lovegood is also a supporter of Harry. When we talked to him about this last time, he readily agreed."
"Sirius and Lupin are currently researching a special anti-dark wizard glasses, hoping to use it to see hidden content."
"They want you to help with the research," George explained. "That way, they can get results faster."
"That's fine, but I've been quite busy lately, so I might not be able to spare the time." Albert readily agreed, as this was actually his idea. However, due to his busy schedule, he had left the task to Sirius and Lupin to figure out.
"If they succeed, I dare say that in the future, there may be many weirdos wearing anti-dark wizard glasses to watch The Quibbler." Lee Jordan had also seen the so-called anti-dark wizard glasses, and he didn't think anyone would be willing to wear those ridiculous glasses, much less wear them to read The Quibbler.
"I think as long as Lovegood doesn't do anything stupid, it shouldn't be exposed." Shannon felt that neither Death Eaters nor dark wizards would be interested in a garbage publication like The Quibbler.
"By the way, tell Kingsley about our cooperation with Kenneth and let them use Kenneth as bait to set a trap. I think certain people will be keeping an eye on him."
"Is that really okay?"
"It's fine. If we give Kenneth some Felix Felicis, he should be safe. Moreover, the Ministry of Magic can reduce his father's sentence by a year or so, and I'm sure Kenneth will be very willing to cooperate with the Ministry's actions." Albert glanced at the parchment that was recording their conversation, checked the content he had just added, and then handed the parchment to Fred.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, can you ask Bill to meet me another day? I have something to discuss with him."
"What is it?"
"You'll know when the time comes. Keep it confidential for now to avoid the secret getting out."
"Huh?"
"If you're in a hurry, I can arrange for you to meet him tonight. I think he'll be free."
"Another day. I'd better not go to Grimmauld Place. That might cause trouble for them. Go to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix or find another place. You can tell Bill about this first." Albert shook his head.
(End of Chapter)
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