Chapter 1180: Rescue
Chapter 1180: Rescue
After Albert returned from his trip with the briefcase, Isabelle immediately sensed the subtle changes in her husband. She reached out and held his hand, asking gently, "What's wrong, dear? Did something happen?"
"Just a minor hiccup," Albert dismissed with a wave of his hand.
"A minor hiccup?" Isabelle raised an eyebrow, "I don't think it's that minor."
She knew her husband too well; if it were truly a minor issue, he would have likely passed it off to someone else to handle.
"My dear, you are as perceptive as always," Albert said as he pulled Isabelle into an embrace and kissed her forehead reassuringly. "Don't worry, it's not a big deal. I'll be back soon. Oh, and for dinner, I'd like some paella."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted past Isabelle's shoulder to Katrina, who was pretending to read the newspaper. "Take care of your sister while I'm gone," he added.
"I will. And don't forget to bring me some pearls on your way back. They might come in handy for brewing potions," Katrina said with a smile, lowering her newspaper.
"We'll see," Albert replied.
He helped Isabelle sit down on the sofa, placed the parchment given to him by Mrs. Daisy and Mrs. Mary on the table, bid farewell to Mrs. McDougal, and then left to prepare.
"I hate this," Isabelle muttered under her breath as she watched Albert's retreating figure disappear through the door. "He always likes to go out on these adventures. It's not good."
"He's more cautious than anyone else, so there's no need to worry," Katrina said as she took a bite of an apple. She then brought the plate over to Isabelle and continued, "Now, my dear sister, what you should be focusing on is giving birth to your child, not fretting over other matters. Here, have an apple. The next few months are crucial for the baby's development, so you need to get some exercise and nourish your body properly."
"I hope this terrible era ends soon," Isabelle said.
"You should know that someone might not want this terrible era to end just yet," Katrina added, taking another bite of her apple.
Indeed, Katrina was right. Albert didn't wish for this era to end just yet; chaotic times also brought opportunities.
Only after arming himself to the teeth did Albert rush to the headquarters of the "Defense Association" to meet up with the others.
Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and Shana were already there, fully geared up and ready to accompany Albert on the mission to rescue Cedric.
"Now, tell me what's going on. I doubt Segrick would suddenly catch the attention of Death Eaters!" Albert scanned the four of them, seeing the relief in their eyes at his return, and then turned a probing gaze toward Shana.
"Half an hour ago, we received an alert from Cedric, and Truman informed us that Cedric might be missing," Shana explained rapidly. "We suspect that while Cedric was recruiting members, he encountered someone controlled by the Imperius Curse cast by Death Eaters. After the incident with the Defense Association, they must have taken him."
Cedric wouldn't have sent an alert without good reason; something serious must have happened.
"You must have a way to find Cedric, right?"
"Yes, I do," Albert replied.
He pulled out a crystal ball from his Undetectable Extension Bag and proceeded to scry for Cedric's specific situation.
Cedric had to be rescued, but they couldn't afford to act rashly and risk walking into an ambush. Ever since the Ministry of Magic started playing its political games, the entire wizarding world had become treacherous.
As the mist within the crystal ball cleared, the group soon saw the answers they were looking for. Cedric had indeed been ambushed by several dark wizards, and he was currently being held in some sort of grand hall, looking battered and as if he had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse.
The faces of the four companions turned grim.
"Is there a way to pinpoint Cedric's location?" George asked.
"Hopefully, he's carrying the pocket watch I gave you all!" Albert replied as he put away the crystal ball and pulled out a specially prepared map of Britain from his bag.
"I think he should. We always carry them with us," Shana said.
"Good. I've enchanted those watches, and if necessary, I can locate their approximate position," Albert explained.
He recited a spell and tapped the map gently with his wand. Several red dots appeared, marking Cedric's location on the map of Britain.
"That pocket watch is quite something," Shana remarked, looking at her own watch with newfound appreciation. She had thought it was merely a Dark Detector.
"There are a lot more features hidden within that I've never told anyone about. I didn't want it falling into Death Eater hands and giving away its secrets," Albert said.
"Why aren't our names on it?" George asked, his eyes fixed on the map in confusion.
"A strong shielding charm has been cast on this map to ensure that neither the Death Eaters nor the Mystery Man can use magic to locate us," Albert explained.
"Are we going to rescue Cedric now?"
"Not yet. We need to confirm how many people are there first to avoid walking into an ambush.
Albert took out a piece of parchment and sketched Cedric's location on it. He then cast a Footstep Spell on it to determine how many people were nearby.
Usually, Death Eaters would choose remote locations as temporary bases to avoid attracting the attention of the Ministry of Magic.
The reason for this was simple and aligned with Albert's own choice.
Remote locations, coupled with shielding charms, could effectively block tracking attempts by the Ministry.
So, the people around Cedric were most likely Death Eaters and their minions.
"Thirteen people, I think that's where those guys are holed up." Lee Jordan counted the dots on the map carefully before looking up at Albert. "We're outnumbered two to one."
"It's twelve. You're counting Cedric as well," George corrected.
"The situation isn't too bad."
"You don't consider this bad?" Shana looked up at Albert, startled.
"At least Cedric is still alive."
"Perhaps your warning made a difference."
George recalled Albert's instructions, now understanding why Albert had asked them to do what they did. Preserving their lives was the top priority, and any potential leak was insignificant in comparison.
After all, both headquarters were protected by the Fidelius Charm, ensuring that secrets remained safe, and the Imperius Curse was not a concern either.
"Life comes first. Only a fool would rush to kill their captives."
Albert waved his wand, conjuring four pairs of earplugs. "Later, I'll have you plug your ears. Remember to do it immediately when I say so."
"Why don't I have a pair?"
Shana was a little unhappy, realizing that Albert intended to leave her behind.
"We need to keep a backup plan. If things go wrong, use the emergency two-way mirror I left in the safe house. It can contact Dumbledore instantly." Noticing Shana's dissatisfaction, Albert patted her shoulder. "I don't expect it to be of much use, but I need someone to stay behind in case something goes wrong. It's an equally important task. Also, keep an eye on the surroundings to prevent reinforcements from arriving unnoticed during our operation."
"Alright!"
Shana reluctantly nodded, accepting her task.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
After saying this, Albert led the other three away from the abandoned village, using the Disillusionment Charm to appear in a wasteland.
"Where are we?"
The other three were confused, unsure why Albert had brought them to this place.
"We're not appearing right by their base. It's too easy to track us down by backtracking, especially with the use of Portkeys. They could pinpoint our location." Albert explained as he cast Disillusionment and Shielding Charms on them. Then, he took out his pocket watch, tapped it a few times, and gestured for the others to grab the watch's chain. They were then pulled along with Albert, disappearing from view.
When they steadied themselves, they found themselves in a wasteland facing a remote Muggle village.
"I think we should suggest that the Ministry check all the abandoned villages in Britain. We might find a lot of hidden Dark Wizards this way." George muttered. It was indeed a place that was not easily noticed.
"There are Dementors here."
Albert raised his wand, scanning the surroundings warily. He sensed the freezing fog floating in the air and frowned. "It looks like we might have stumbled upon their lair."
"What do we do now? Do we change the plan?" George was well aware that in the presence of Dementors, even the most powerful Disillusionment Charms were useless.
If there were a large number of Dementors where they were headed, it meant that their original plan of stealthily infiltrating and taking out the enemies with surprise attacks might have to be scrapped.
With the enemies outnumbering them three to one, a direct assault was definitely not a good option, especially since their goal was to rescue Cedric, not annihilate the enemy.
"We'll stick to the original plan. I don't believe anyone would willingly stay close to Dementors." Albert made a calm judgment. Even Death Eaters, he thought, wouldn't want to be too close to Dementors for extended periods.
The other three agreed. If something unexpected happened, at most, they would change their stealthy approach to a direct assault. They trusted Albert's strength.
The four of them cautiously made their way toward the village, with Albert using his pocket watch to keep track of the enemies' locations. The villagers who had originally lived there were likely killed.
It wasn't difficult for them to find the Death Eaters' hideout. The group of dark wizards hadn't bothered to conceal themselves. Lights shone from the largest and most comfortable house in the village, and from within, they could hear painful screams and the cruel laughter of the Death Eaters.
Albert raised his hand to stop the other three. He didn't plan to sneak in quietly. For all he knew, the enemies might have already detected their presence when they arrived at the village, and they could have prepared traps to ambush them. Moreover, the absence of Dementors in the village was another reason for Albert's caution.
(End of Chapter)
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