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Chapter 1166: Garon's Charm
Chapter 1166: Garon's Charm
"What's going on?"
Katrina, who had just finished her morning practice and was leaving the sunroom, wondered where everyone was headed that morning. As she made her way to the living room, she found the group huddled on the sofa, whispering to each other.
"Shh, sit down first!"
Isabelle made a hushing gesture to her sister, signaling her to be quiet for a moment.
"So mysterious," Katrina muttered, though she soon understood what was happening.
Albert was discussing with Mrs. McDougal about their plan to disguise themselves as Bill and Fleur and visit St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Illnesses.
With her years of experience working at St. Mungo's, Mrs. McDougal was more familiar with the hospital's rules than most witches and wizards, and her insight would be invaluable in ensuring the success of their mission.
It took them about an hour to finalize the details of their plan, ensuring that nothing would go awry during their visit to the hospital.
Of course, the main reason for their confidence was Albert's willingness to offer a generous reward, which they believed no one would refuse.
"I still don't understand why you have to make things so complicated," Katrina remarked, thinking that a simple owl post would have sufficed for such a task.
Isabelle, too, seemed unsure why Albert was going to such lengths.
"I think it's necessary," Albert replied. "Don't underestimate our enemies. Death Eaters may be a bunch of mindless fools, but that doesn't mean they can't cause trouble."
"This matter concerns Isabelle and her unborn child," he continued. "We cannot afford to take any risks that might jeopardize their safety."
Albert took two glasses from the house-elf and poured a dose of Polyjuice Potion into each. He then added a few strands of Bill and Fleur's hair, which he had procured earlier, into the potions. As the potion stopped bubbling, he handed the glass containing Fleur's hair to Mrs. McDougal.
"Thank you, dear," Isabelle said, kissing Albert on the forehead. Though she felt he might be overthinking things, she was deeply touched by his concern.
Mrs. McDougal took the potion and stepped into the bathroom. When she emerged, she had completely transformed into Fleur, complete with a set of fitting clothes that Albert had prepared beforehand.
"He really loves you," Katrina whispered to Isabelle, impressed by Albert's dedication.
He was willing to go through all this trouble just to ensure that Isabelle could give birth to their child safely.
Truth be told, she was a little jealous.
Mrs. McDougal glanced at her two daughters and then at the bathroom, sighing softly to herself.
"Let's go," Albert said as he stepped out of the bathroom, now fully transformed into Bill. He nodded slightly to Mrs. McDougal.
The two set off quietly toward St. Mungo's Hospital.
The magical hospital was located in a secluded area of London, disguised as an old-fashioned red brick department store.
"We're here," Albert said, stopping in front of a sign that read "Tao Tao Ltd." His eyes then fell on a large sign that proclaimed the store to be "Closed for Renovations."
In the window display were a few mannequins dressed in outdated clothing.
"Hello, we have an appointment with Madam Dale," Albert said to the mannequins as he approached the window.
The window display served as the entrance to the hospital, and one had to state their business to the mannequins before being allowed entry. Ever since Scrimgeour had tightened security at St. Mungo's, this entrance had become more heavily guarded.
The mannequins nodded slightly and gestured with their joined fingers, indicating that they could proceed.
The pair exchanged a quick glance and then stepped through the glass, which seemed to swallow them whole.
They found themselves in the waiting room of St. Mungo's Hospital, where several injured witches and wizards were queuing for treatment.
As soon as he entered, Albert felt eyes on him. He scanned the room and inadvertently spotted a discreet room in one corner where several members of the Ministry of Magic's Crisis Response Team were covertly monitoring the patients.
Should any dark witches or wizards with ill intentions show up, these aurors would be alerted immediately and could call for reinforcements.
Albert ignored them and guided Mrs. McDougal to the reception desk, where a plump, blonde witch sat. He took out a card and handed it to her, explaining with a smile, "We have an appointment with Madam Dale at ten o'clock this morning."
"It's on the sixth floor, to the right of the tea room, second door," the witch replied with a smile. "I believe Amy is expecting you."
The sixth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital often served as a resting area for visitors or a shop for purchasing gifts for patients. However, it was also where pregnant witches received check-ups and prepared for childbirth.
By the way, the sixth floor was also the cleanest and most comfortable area in the entire hospital, and it had a direct elevator for pregnant witches and patients with severe conditions.
There were only a few people in the tea room, and the shop was completely empty except for an elderly witch dozing behind the counter. Most witches and wizards weren't exactly rolling in galleons. They made their way through the tea room and turned right, arriving at a treatment room tiled with pristine white ceramic.
"Good morning, Madam Dale," Albert said as he helped Mrs. McDougal into a comfortable armchair in front of the healer. He then quietly closed the door and cast a Disruptive Charm on it to prevent any interruptions.
"You're here to confirm Miss Delacour's pregnancy, I presume?" Madam Dale asked as she picked up a clipboard, smiling at the young couple before her.
To be honest, the healers in the maternity ward of St. Mungo's Hospital didn't have much to do these days. The number of newborns in the British magical community had always been quite low, averaging only about two or three per month.
"No, we're actually here to see you," Mrs. McDougal said, interrupting the healer's train of thought. She shushed the bewildered brown-haired witch and handed over her identification. "I'm McDougal."
"Director McDougal?" Madam Dale's eyes widened as she looked up from the identification, clearly surprised to see the young couple before her. "But everyone thought..."
"Due to certain circumstances, I'm unable to return to the hospital for the time being," Mrs. McDougal explained. "And this is Isabelle's husband, by the way."
"Albert Anderson, pleased to meet you, Madam Dale," Albert said, stepping forward to shake her hand. "You may have heard of me."
"Well, yes, but..." Madam Dale still seemed confused by the situation.
"My wife is pregnant," Albert continued, "but due to certain reasons, she is unable to come to St. Mungo's for check-ups. That's why we need your help."
"Albert then briefly explained the reason for their visit.
"I see." Mrs. Dale nodded, now understanding the situation.
"We had to resort to this disguise to meet with you without causing you any trouble," Mrs. McDougal said calmly. "If Albert showed up at St. Mungo's directly, Death Eaters might come after you tomorrow."
"Perhaps you've heard that the Malfoys are offering a bounty of ten thousand galleons for my head," Albert added with a bitter smile. "I know we may be imposing on you, but I hope you can provide us with some assistance. Of course, we will be generous with our compensation."
As he spoke, Albert took out a bag of galleons from his pocket and placed it in front of Madam Dale. The bag had been enlarged with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
"This is half of the payment, containing five hundred galleons. We will pay the other half after the birth of my child," Albert paused, then continued, "Of course, for the safety of both parties, I hope that no one else will know about this matter."
Albert took out a magical contract from the bag and placed it in front of Madam Dale. He then pulled out a handful of galleons and gestured for her to take it, explaining, "Please don't worry, this contract will automatically dissolve in a year."
"This..."
Madam Dale was stunned by Albert's generous offer.
There was no denying that Albert was extremely generous, offering a large sum of money that amounted to nearly a year's salary for Madam Dale.
"I know this may cause you some trouble, but we will handle everything carefully. As long as you don't expose us, there shouldn't be any problems," Mrs. McDougal continued. "If possible, we also hope that you can help convince Mary. We will offer her the same terms."
"You... are truly generous!" Madam Dale exclaimed, a bitter smile on her face. "I seem to have no reason to refuse. This feels like winning the grand prize in the Daily Prophet."
She carefully read the contract on the parchment, then took the quill that Albert offered and signed her name on it.
"Oh dear, what is this?"
Madam Dale noticed that as she was signing, a shallow cut seemed to appear on her hand, but it quickly healed, and she finally realized that this contract, signed in her own blood, was no trivial matter.
"When do you plan to come back? If you wait too long, you might lose your position as director," Madam Dale said, not with anger, but with relief, believing that their caution would prevent any issues.
After all, everyone loved galleons, but no one wanted trouble.
"Not yet," Mrs. McDougal shook her head. "Returning now might attract the attention of Death Eaters, and I need to take care of Isabelle. They are too young and probably don't have much experience with childbirth."
"Indeed, they are young. I heard they just graduated from school," Madam Dale handed the parchment to Albert. "Is this all?"
"Yes, that's it!" Albert tapped the contract with his wand, and the parchment instantly burned. The names signed in blood transformed into red threads that wrapped around their arms before vanishing.
The contract was sealed! "Wait a moment, I'll go get Mary. She should be next door tending to Mrs. Wilson," Madam Dale prepared to fetch the other healer.
"Wait!" Albert gently touched the door with his wand, lifting the spell he had cast earlier.
"You are indeed cautious, but that's good." Madam Dale's impression of Albert's prudence grew, and she quickly returned with another healer, a woman in her forties or fifties.
The two of them were the most experienced maternity healers in all of Britain's magical community.
After hearing Madam Dale's explanation, Mary's eyes darted back and forth between her and Mrs. McDougal, clearly bewildered by the situation.
"Now, Mary, I know this may be risky, but Mr. Anderson will minimize any potential risks," Madam Dale assured her. "And for us, this is like winning the grand prize in the Daily Prophet. It's a rare opportunity."
After all, a thousand galleons was a substantial sum for most people.
"You're right," Mary finally agreed and signed the magical contract as well.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Mary," Albert said sincerely.
He took out two marked two-way mirrors from his pocket and handed one each to the two healers, explaining, "These are two-way mirrors. We will use them to communicate from now on. I've cast a modification charm on the back, so you can leave messages directly on the surface."
"What a handy little item," Madam Dale examined the mirror before placing it in her handbag.
"Also," Albert continued, "I suggest you hide the galleons for now and don't let anyone else know about this. We don't want to attract unnecessary trouble. Once the contract automatically dissolves in a year, there will be no further concerns."
Albert looked at the two healers seriously and added, "A year is not a long time."
"You've certainly thought this through," Mrs. Mary smiled and tucked the bag of galleons and the mirror into her pocket, intending to put them in her handbag later.
"Well, we should be going now," Albert and Mrs. McDougal bid farewell after completing their "check-up" with Madam Dale.
"We're quite lucky," Mrs. Mary remarked as she watched them leave. "But that young man truly has money. As far as I know, he's Muggle-born, and with this amount of money, even the 'Defensive Magic and Spells'..."
"Now, Mary, let's not discuss this further," Madam Dale interrupted. "Don't forget about the contract. This generous sum of galleons doesn't come without a price. If we breach the contract, we might not die, but we will certainly pay a heavy price."
"Everything went smoothly," Mrs. McDougal said. "What do you plan to do next? I assume you won't expose this place?"
"No, I won't," Albert replied. "Mr. Nick has other safe houses in Britain, and we can meet them there. Then, we can proceed with the treatment using the portable trunk."
"Being cautious won't hurt," Mrs. McDougal hesitated for a moment before asking, "But, all at once...?"
"I have plenty of galleons," Albert smiled in explanation. "I co-own a shop in Diagon Alley with a friend, and most of the Dark Magic Defense items sold in Britain are my inventions."
"That's good, then," Mrs. McDougal didn't inquire further.
In truth, she didn't know that Albert had chosen this particular time and date to visit St. Mungo's for a reason.
He had set a bait for the Ministry of Magic and the Death Eaters in the form of Kenneth, knowing that their attention would be focused on him, leaving no room to notice Albert and his companions.
(End of Chapter)
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