Chapter 1354: Foes of the Goblins
Chapter 1354: Foes of the Goblins
Cedric couldn't help but be surprised by Ernie's bold plan after hearing the message he conveyed from Ernie McNully. The audacity of the idea was surprising, and it was indeed seriously discussed because they also wanted to drive out the Death Eaters and retake Hogwarts.
In the end, the decision was delayed due to Albert's absence.
As for the Order of the Phoenix, they had unequivocally vetoed this daring plan after a brief discussion. Even if they could control the Death Eaters led by Snape, it would still be difficult to truly hide it from Voldemort.
Professor McGonagall believed that before the opportunity mentioned by Albert arose, they shouldn't overly provoke the Death Eaters to avoid pushing those fanatics to do something even more reckless.
The outcome was undoubtedly disappointing, especially for the students remaining at Hogwarts, who were suffocating under the oppression of the Death Eaters.
"Perhaps the professors have their reasons," Cedric said hesitantly to Ernie. "If you truly want to drop out and join the Defense Association, I suggest you hide in the Room of Requirement for now and practice defense against the dark arts. If Dumbledore's Army falls apart, everyone will lose their courage to stand against Voldemort and the Death Eaters."
"But..." Ernie started to object.
"Neville and Luna will also be returning to Hogwarts in a couple of days, and I'll be coming here more often as well," Cedric reassured him. "It's especially important for you all to build a solid foundation right now. Otherwise, when you start learning more combat techniques, you'll find yourselves having to backtrack and fill in the gaps."
"I just don't understand what everyone is so afraid of," Michael muttered.
"Maybe we can handle it ourselves," Ernie proposed.
"I don't know where Albert has been these past few days, but I suspect he's preparing something. I'll talk to him about this matter when he returns," Cedric said, hoping to dissuade Ernie from taking any private action that could lead to unforeseen and difficult-to-manage consequences.
...
What was Albert up to?
This was a question that both the Defense Association and the Order of the Phoenix were curious about. Everyone felt that he was plotting something.
Indeed, they had guessed correctly. Albert was planning something significant and was pushing forward with his scheme in an orderly manner.
The explosion in Hogsmeade could only be considered half-successful, and the standoff between the Imperius-controlled Death Eaters and the foreign dark wizards was indeed a bit unexpected, but it successfully drew everyone's attention.
This made Ludo Bagman's covert operation much smoother. In the past few days, many goblins had been visited by dark wizards, their homes ransacked and valuables stolen. Terrified, numerous goblins moved back to the goblin village to seek safety in numbers.
This was the outcome Albert had wanted to see, and it could be said that he had orchestrated this string of robberies by Ludo Bagman for this very purpose.
"Soul Departure!"
After Ludo Bagman had controlled a goblin and completed another round of robbery, Albert quietly appeared at the scene and successfully controlled the unfortunate goblin with the Imperius Curse. This was the fifth goblin he had controlled in the past few days.
The first four goblins had been robbed by Ludo Bagman and were forced to return to the goblin village.
With so many goblins sharing similar misfortunes, naturally, no one would suspect them. Even if one day this group of unlucky goblins gathered together to curse Ludo Bagman, it would seem like a very normal occurrence. Not to mention secretly passing information about the goblin village to Albert in the middle of the night.
The goblins' magic system was different from that of wizards, and if Albert wanted to avoid a mishap, he had to be cautious. It would be foolish to rush into the goblin village without any preparation and assume that advanced shielding charms would be enough to bypass their security measures.
After all, even with high-level shielding charms, he might not be able to block the goblins' alert magic, and he wasn't sure if there were similar countermeasures in the village.
It would be embarrassing to be discovered as soon as he intruded.
However, all the evidence suggested that the goblins trusted their intricate underground labyrinth more than any magical alarms.
It would be extremely difficult for any intruder to find the goblin village deep underground.
At least, Ludo Bagman and his group of dark wizards were unlikely to venture that deep into the earth to rob them. And if they did, they would probably just get lost in the underground maze.
This undoubtedly made Albert's plan much smoother.
As an activist for goblin rights, Ragno was undoubtedly well-liked among the goblin community. The fact that he, too, had been robbed by Ludo Bagman incited anger among the goblins.
Years ago, the goblins who had gone to collect debts from Ludo Bagman had even claimed that they regretted not killing him back then.
Ragno, who returned to the goblin village with his few remaining belongings to seek refuge from the dark wizards, was warmly welcomed by his fellow goblins. They even held a small gathering for him.
After a gathering with several neighbors who had similar experiences, a slightly drunk Ragno opened one of his suitcases, which originally contained only a few old books and clothes. But to his surprise, he discovered a hidden downward-opening door inside.
Walking down the stairs, he found a small underground room with a large cabinet in it.
If there were any knowledgeable wizards here, they would surely recognize this as a Disappearance Cabinet, a popular item from the past.
Suddenly, the gears on the cabinet began to turn, and the door was opened from the inside, but there was nothing inside.
However, from the extremely faint footsteps, one could not conclude that someone had just passed through the Disappearance Cabinet and arrived at this goblin village.
It was just that the person who had apparated was under an Invisibility Cloak.
"It's even smoother than I expected," Albert thought to himself, "As it should be. If this failed, then how unlucky would I have to be? Especially after taking a Felix Felicis."
He silently stepped out of his trunk, took out a pre-prepared map of the village, and, after tapping it gently with his wand, used the Human Presence Curse to ensure the map in his hand was up to date. He then began to check if the old goblin, Bogrod, was at the marked location on the map.
Fast, precise, ruthless! Everything was so sudden that it left no room for defense.
This was the key to Albert's consistent success.
Even if the goblins realized that an intruder had entered their village, Albert would have already left a scapegoat and quietly slipped away.
And who was this scapegoat? None other than Ludo Bagman.
If Albert's luck was truly that terrible, this "Enemy of Goblins" would lead a group to invade the goblin village and continue the robbery.
It would seem quite normal for this reckless and greedy individual, driven by the desire for goblin treasures, to orchestrate such an operation.
After all, he was a designated scapegoat, and the enmity between the two sides had long reached its peak due to unpaid debts.
As for Albert, he would naturally be long gone before the goblins realized what had happened.
Bending down, he exited through the short door.
Outside was a spacious clearing, eerily quiet as the goblins had all retired for the night.
Perhaps, within the goblin village, they did not need to be as vigilant as they were outside, feeling safer among their own kind. Moreover, the goblins evidently did not consider the possibility of an intruder delving deep into their underground city, nor did they expect someone to employ extraordinary means to infiltrate their home.
At this moment, Albert, wearing specially crafted shoes, moved silently through the goblin village, which was adorned with glowing moss and magical lamps.
Following the map's guidance, he arrived at Bogrod's house and, after triple-checking that the coast was clear, quietly opened the door and slipped inside.
The rooms here were all similar, and it didn't take long for Albert to find the sleeping old goblin, Bogrod.
"Soul Departure!"
Albert pointed his wand at the old goblin and cast the spell, not rushing to gain complete control over Bogrod. Instead, he caused a rope-woven invisible bracelet to appear on the goblin's wrist.
If Harry's plan failed, this would be his last resort.
At that time, Albert would take matters into his own hands.
"I hope everything goes smoothly from here on out," Albert muttered to himself.
All Horcruxes must be destroyed; only then, once he is reduced to a mortal, can Voldemort be killed.
He would not allow the plan to fail! After successfully controlling the old goblin Bogrod with the Imperius Curse, Albert did not linger. He came and left without a trace.
As for the Disappearance Cabinet, he had also prepared to take it with him.
The solution was simple.
Portus.
He took out a handkerchief from his pocket, cast a spell on it, transforming the handkerchief into a Portkey, and it was pulled away, disappearing without a trace.
Indeed, Portkeys were a convenient means of transportation, but the only issue was that traveling by this method was not a pleasant experience.
After recovering from the unpleasant dizzy spell, Albert burned the handkerchief to ashes, destroying all evidence, before disapparating with his trunk.
Now, all that was left was Harry's part.
He wondered how Harry's practice with the Blasting Curse had been going.
However, having come this far, Albert felt a sense of relief.
"You seem to have finally relaxed a little," Isabelle said as she handed him a glass of wine.
"I did something big today."
"To control a goblin?"
"It's a key figure," Albert took a big sip and repeated, "A very important one. I've obtained the crucial key to victory."
"It looks like you've gathered all the chips for this Wizarding War."
"I suppose so. At least, even if I abandon Harry, I'm confident I can end this war. It's just a matter of the price I have to pay."
Albert was well aware that ultimate victory required a slight edge, especially when dealing with a tricky opponent like Voldemort.
"Maybe we should celebrate properly," Isabelle said as she wrapped her arms around Albert's neck.
"Little Alice?" Albert reminded her.
"Don't worry, she's in the study. We'll take good care of her in the future."
"Getting the Time-Turner was indeed the wisest choice I made."
Albert bent down and picked up Tom the cat from the carpet, placing him in the corridor outside before closing the door, leaving the yawning fat cat behind.
(End of Chapter)
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