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Chapter 1343: Playing the Victim
Chapter 1343: Playing the Victim
"What's wrong?"
In the dark bedroom, Isabelle drowsily opened her eyes and looked at Albert, who had suddenly jolted awake and was now sitting up in bed.
"Just had a nightmare," Albert replied, taking a moment to calm himself before attempting to recall the hazy dream. He had a nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen.
He didn't believe his divination skills were strong enough to predict the future in his dreams, but he trusted his instincts.
Isabelle mumbled sleepily as she turned to face him, wrapping her arms around him from behind and resting her head on his back. "I didn't think you'd have nightmares too."
"Neither did I," Albert admitted, pulling the warm blanket over Isabelle's exposed arms and half of her body. "Be careful not to catch a cold."
Albert lifted his wand from the bedside table with a slight tilt of his head, made a brief note, and then helped Isabelle lie back down to continue sleeping.
The night was still long.
The nightmare had left Albert feeling exhausted, but he had no desire to sleep.
He vaguely remembered the dream—a dream where he had no system interface. Despite his efforts to train in magic, he was still affected by the Second Wizarding War. His family was killed by Death Eaters, and because of his presence, Harry Potter ultimately failed to defeat Voldemort. The British wizarding world fell, and he, too, perished at the hands of the Death Eaters.
Yes, in that dream, he had nothing. He couldn't even avenge his family before dying under the Avada Kedavra curse.
Powerlessness was truly pitiful.
But he, right now, was not the same as the him in that dream.
Sensing his thoughts, Isabelle snuggled closer and murmured, "Let's sleep a little longer. It's still some time until dawn."
Yes.
I won't lose! Albert thought to himself as he looked down at his wife in his arms.
The next day, Albert woke up feeling utterly exhausted.
"Are you two planning to have another child?" Katrina asked, her expression odd as she observed Albert's weary face.
"What?" Albert was momentarily taken aback.
"Never mind," Katrina said, withdrawing her gaze and continuing to flip through her magazine.
Albert set down the playful Tom, picked up the invigorating tea on the table, and took a sip before turning to Katrina, who was browsing through a magazine. "Have you seen today's newspaper?"
"I don't think it's been delivered yet," Katrina replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"
"No, thanks. Has something happened?" Albert asked abruptly.
"What?" Katrina asked, looking confused.
"Your Occlumency isn't up to par. It's difficult to hide your thoughts from a Legilimens," Albert said kindly. "Even without using Legilimency, I can tell if someone is lying. It's a skill most powerful wizards possess."
"You guys are so annoying!" Katrina grumbled, tossing a newspaper at Albert. He picked it up, and his hand froze as he saw the front-page headline of the Daily Prophet—Hagrid's final verdict.
The summary of the article stated: Hagrid had openly colluded with giants and posed a threat to Hogwarts students. He had been sentenced to death.
In an attempt to prove the Ministry of Magic's fairness and that the verdict was based on solid evidence, they even presented the head of Hagrid's half-brother, Grawp, and conducted extensive interviews to label Hagrid and Grawp as dangerous individuals.
"Is this true? I mean, is that really Hagrid's brother?" Katrina asked, observing Albert's changing expression and already guessing the answer.
"What do you mean, true?" Isabelle and Mrs. McDougal asked in unison as they pushed a baby carriage toward them.
"It's true," Albert confirmed, examining the full-page spread and comparing the giant's head to the face he remembered.
"That's indeed Hagrid's half-brother, Grawp. During the term when Umbridge was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Hagrid secretly brought Grawp back to Britain from the Giant Country and hid him in the Forbidden Forest next to Hogwarts. Dumbledore knew and tacitly approved of this, so there's some truth to what the newspaper is saying."
"Are you going to save him?" Isabelle asked, holding Alice and looking at Albert expressionlessly.
"Save him? No, regardless of the outcome, I won't risk my life to save Hagrid. He must bear the consequences of his actions. I'm more worried that Harry Potter will do something foolish," Albert replied, knowing that this was Yaxley's retaliation for their intrusion into the Malfoy Manor to rescue Ollivander.
But what could he do about it?
From the start of the Second Wizarding War, they, as insiders, could no longer remain uninvolved.
The hatred between the two sides would be difficult to resolve! Sometimes, Albert wondered if he had been too lenient before.
He didn't like killing, and despite how ironic it sounded, not many wizards had actually died by his hand. Smith was half-counted.
Most of the time, he could only be considered indirectly responsible, and as for the deaths of the Dark Wizards, they were carried out under Scrimgeour's orders.
Although Scrimgeour was indeed influenced by him, their relationship was not close enough for him to take credit for those actions.
"No matter what you plan to do, I'll support you, but I want you to be safe, for me and for Alice," Isabelle said, handing Alice to Mrs. McDougal and gently kissing Albert's forehead.
"Don't say such ominous things. It's not as bad as you think," Albert said, feeling a bit amused and touched at the same time. He understood the harm this war brought to ordinary wizards, and he couldn't blame most of them for wanting to stay out of it.
"Master, you have an urgent message!" a house-elf suddenly appeared and bowed slightly to Albert.
"I know, but we don't need to deal with it now," Albert replied. Ever since he learned about Hagrid's impending execution, he knew someone would contact him to discuss a plan.
But what could he do? He wasn't foolish enough to attempt a prison break at Azkaban or directly intervene at the execution site.
After slowly finishing his breakfast, Albert headed straight to the headquarters of the Defense Association. He knew the place would be buzzing with activity, as those troublemakers were probably eager to stage a prison break at Azkaban. However, that was not a good option.
The Death Eaters had undoubtedly set up a trap, waiting for them to walk right into it.
One would have to be extremely confident to willingly step into a trap.
Even if Hagrid was his good friend and even with the system task, Albert would not risk the lives of those who believed in him.
“You're surprisingly calm!” Shana said, stealing a glance at Albert's expression. She was surprised that he was able to remain so composed, knowing that Hagrid was a good friend of his.
"If panicking would help, I wouldn't mind doing so in front of you." Albert took the latest report from Shana's hand and said, "Aside from this matter, are there any other pressing issues recently?"
"Yes," Shana lowered her voice, "Do you remember Nelson Tobin? The one from Slytherin. Hannah said he secretly killed those defeated Death Eaters."
"I have some impression of Nelson Tobin. His parents were killed by the Hit Wizards. Looks like he hasn't been able to let go of his hatred." Albert put down the parchment and said to Shana, "Not everyone can easily let go of their hatred. Even Harry Potter couldn't, so don't be too hard on Nelson Tobin. Anyway, I'll talk to him about this matter personally, and also inform everyone that we'll have a meeting in the afternoon."
"So, you don't plan on doing anything about Hagrid's situation?" Shana asked, though she guessed that Albert wouldn't risk himself for Hagrid, she was still a little surprised.
"I won't let others who are willing to believe in me pay for Hagrid's mistake. This is a trap, and I think anyone with eyes can see that it's Yaxley's retaliation for our previous intrusion into his manor," Albert replied.
"That sounds like something you would say."
Shana breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
The reaction of the members of the Defense Association to Hagrid's impending execution by the Ministry of Magic was generally indifferent. Their relationship with Hagrid was not as close as Albert's, and their suggestion to rescue Hagrid was more about wanting to see their side thwart the Death Eaters' plot once again.
As for confronting the Death Eaters directly?
Whether it was breaking into Azkaban or rescuing Hagrid at the execution site, it would be a massive counter-attack.
When everyone was discussing the matter to the point of dryness in their mouths, Albert, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up.
"This is a trap. Rushing headlong into a trap set by the enemy is extremely foolish."
"Are you going to give up on Hagrid?" Fred asked tentatively.
"What do you plan to do?"
George, who knew Albert better, guessed that Albert had a way to save Hagrid, but rushing into the enemy's trap was indeed unwise.
"I've reminded Hagrid more than once, probably three times or more, and Harry's trio also advised Hagrid to leave Hogwarts temporarily, but Hagrid refused because he was worried about his giant half-brother, Grawp," Albert calmly explained the situation to everyone, "Now, his brother Grawp has been killed by the Death Eaters as they needed an excuse."
He raised his hand to silence the room, and continued in an unhurried manner, "I know this is retaliation from the Death Eaters led by Yaxley for our previous intrusion into their manor, but this is war, and people die in wars. Moreover, I hope you don't forget that our enemy is the Death Eaters, and they are quick to take revenge. So, don't hold any delusions. If you think you're safe, then I can only say that the next one to lose their life might be you."
After knocking some sense into everyone and suppressing their impulsive desire to take action, Albert brought the topic back on track.
"Regarding Hagrid, we will naturally take action, but we won't rush headlong into the enemy's trap. Don't think that you're invincible. If you encounter an ambush, you won't fare any better than those Dark Wizards in the manor. I don't want unnecessary sacrifices because of Hagrid, and no one should pay for Hagrid's choices. I believe Hagrid had made his preparations when he chose to stay at the school."
The meeting room fell into an eerie silence, and everyone stopped their whispering, instead, they all looked at Albert. No one expressed any dissatisfaction or said anything further. They all knew that everything Albert did was to defeat the mysterious Lord Voldemort and to lead them to survive in this cruel Wizarding War.
"Do you have a plan?"
Lee Jordan broke the silence, bringing the conversation forward while also voicing everyone's question.
"If possible, I plan to let the Death Eaters save Hagrid." Albert shared his plan with everyone, "Our goal is to save Hagrid as much as possible, not to engage in an all-out war with the Death Eaters. I hope you all remember this.
"So..."
"We must avoid a direct confrontation with Lord Voldemort. Now is definitely not the time for an all-out war." Albert took out his pocket watch to check the time and said to the other members of the association, "There's still time before the Ministry of Magic publicly executes Hagrid. I'll get in touch with the Order of the Phoenix as soon as possible and discuss how to manipulate the Death Eaters into saving Hagrid."
Everyone looked at each other, not denying that Albert's idea made sense and was something they hadn't thought of.
Whether it was breaking into Azkaban or going to the execution site was unwise.
Hagrid had now been labeled a giant by the Ministry of Magic, and if they rushed in, it would be extremely foolish.
Using the Imperius Curse to control a Death Eater was indeed not ideal, but it was still better than letting Hagrid lose his life. If they were stubborn about it, Hagrid would likely be doomed.
As for the fate of that Death Eater, it wasn't something he should be concerned about.
Anyway, most of those who joined the Death Eaters weren't good people.
After the meeting was dismissed, Albert kept Fred and George behind. He asked the Weasley brothers to get in touch with the Order of the Phoenix and arrange a meeting at another safe house to discuss the plan to save Hagrid.
"You don't seem to want them to come here." George had been curious about this for a long time.
"I think it's better for the safety of this place." Albert didn't hide it, "This village isn't protected by the Fidelius Charm, and I know Harry Potter's talent for causing trouble. Maybe he'll come here one day, get excited, and blurt out that name, then we're all doomed. The other safe houses I've prepared aren't as comfortable as this one, they could even be considered terrible."
Fred and George looked at each other, both thinking that Albert made sense. Ever since Harry started school, he caused some kind of trouble every year.
They couldn't gamble, and they definitely couldn't afford to lose.
"Do you think this plan will succeed?" Shana asked doubtfully.
"Yes, as long as there are no accidents, there won't be a problem." Albert said.
"What if there is an accident?"
"If there is, Hagrid will likely lose his head." Albert glanced at Shana and said calmly, "He has no other choice. This is currently the best option. We can only gamble, and if we win, he lives, if we lose, he dies."
(End of Chapter)
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