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Chapter 1356: A Terrifying Encounter
Chapter 1356: A Terrifying Encounter
"Time to close up shop!"
Albus Aberforth glanced at the clock on the side wall, put down the cloth he was using to wipe the cups, and emerged from behind the counter, ready to shoo away the remaining customers.
"Come on, Aberforth, it's not that late yet," the last table of guests clearly wasn't ready to leave.
"It's ten o'clock, and it's getting late. Also, if I were you, I wouldn't be loitering around here, Bosival. I thought you had left Britain already." Aberforth looked at the man sitting there, raising a glass towards him, and frowned in reminder, "I don't think they will let you off easily, and please don't involve my pub."
"The Death Eaters have completely lost control here, what do you think that bunch of cowards can do?"
Bosival raised his glass to his companions who were lingering in the shop. They all looked down on the group of self-proclaimed Death Eaters, the dark wizards of Britain.
What a bunch of good-for-nothings, thinking they could fool others just by giving themselves a new title.
In the community of dark wizards, the weak had no human rights.
"I just don't understand why you're afraid of them?"
The black witch sitting at the same table spoke in broken English.
Aberforth had refused them service in his bar more than once, but they didn't take it seriously.
After all, this was the most convenient place to make money.
"Because the mysterious man is dangerous. Otherwise, do you think the British magical world would have ended up like this, with even the Ministry of Magic in Britain collapsing under the control of the mysterious man and the Death Eaters?" Aberforth used a spell to let the rag wipe the table automatically and then put them away one by one.
"Why don't you get yourself a waiter?"
Seeing the boss cleaning up by himself, they were a little surprised. The pub should be doing good business.
"Who do you think would dare to work for me?" Aberforth said angrily, "Those with the guts would have gone elsewhere to make money. In today's Britain's magical world, as long as you're bold enough, you can make Galleons anywhere."
"That's true."
They gathered here purely because it was a good place to make money.
There were a large number of Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest, and those little cuties were all good stuff. They planned to get more venom and sell it slowly, without worrying about not being able to get rid of it. It was difficult to find such a large-scale Acromantula nest elsewhere.
Not to mention that those little cuties were dangerous. The fact that they dared to hunt Acromantulas meant that they were among the top dark wizards.
"All right, don't hang around here anymore. Believe me, those people won't give up easily." Aberforth started shooing them out as he finished cleaning their table.
After sending away the last customer and closing the door, Aberforth seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around. He saw a young man sitting by the bar who seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
"Good evening, Mr. Aberforth. I hope I'm not disturbing you," Albert smiled and greeted the man.
"Are you crazy?"
Aberforth widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at Albert, who had appeared in the pub without warning. He quickly went to the window, wary of anyone who might have seen Albert's arrival.
"Don't you know that the mysterious man and the Death Eaters are looking for you everywhere?" He couldn't understand why the man in front of him was so calm, even resembling his deceased brother.
"Don't worry, they can't find me. Even if they do, those Death Eaters can't beat me. Besides, the Death Eaters here have already been driven out by the dark wizards."
Albert reached into his cloak pocket, took out two Sickles, and placed them on the counter. He then took a bottle of butterbeer from under the counter and poured himself a drink after opening the rusty bottle.
"They will be back," Aberforth said.
"I know, probably in the next few days, which is why I came to find you." Albert took a sip, the butterbeer tasted the same as the one from the Three Broomsticks, except the rusty bottle cap was a bit off-putting.
"What do you want from me?"
Aberforth returned to the bar and looked at the overly young man in front of him, recalling their first meeting.
When he first met Albert, Aberforth had a feeling that the boy would become an extraordinary person in the future.
But he never imagined that in just a few years, the boy would become as remarkable as Albus?
When he met Albert, Aberforth finally understood why many people said that Albert was the true heir of Dumbledore.
Yes, they were very similar.
Albert wasn't like the young Dumbledore, but he resembled the Dumbledore in his memory—equally brilliant, humble, profound, calculative, confident, and even arrogant, as well as equally detestable.
"I hope you can provide some insignificant help to the students of Hogwarts," Albert put down his glass and smiled, revealing his intention.
The Dumbledore's Army in Hogwarts needed support, encouragement, and a channel to communicate with the outside world, and the Hog's Head was perfect for this role.
"Me... help the students of Hogwarts...?" Aberforth pointed at himself and then at Hogwarts, as if to say, "Are you joking?"
"I know that after the Death Eaters took control of Hogsmeade, they sealed all the secret passages to Hogwarts. But there's actually another secret passage here," Albert looked at Aberforth and smiled meaningfully, "A very hidden passage, it takes some time to come and go, but I think they won't mind."
"What do you expect me to do?" Albus Aberforth repeated.
"Provide them with water and food," Albert replied. "The students at Hogwarts who are defying Snape and the Death Eaters are still holding out in the Room of Requirement. They need supplies and a way to get out of Hogwarts."
"With your abilities, you should be able to do something!" Aberforth asked in confusion.
"Yes, but according to my latest information, the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts has gone missing, and the school's defenses will become even more stringent. There's no need to cause trouble for the professors and students within," Albert explained.
"So, you're here to cause trouble for me instead?"
"Someone needs to carry the torch and lead the way forward. If we lose the last bit of courage to resist, then the entire British wizarding world will truly be doomed," Albert said, finishing his butterbeer and gesturing for Aberforth to lead the way.
"My brother and his clever plans have gone to hell," Aberforth muttered to himself. "I thought that with your intelligence, you would have left the country by now. I never expected you to still be here..."
"I did leave Britain, but that doesn't prevent me from coming back," Albert interrupted with a smile. "Come on, the situation isn't as bad as you think. We will defeat the mysterious man."
"With your help and Harry Potter's," Aberforth added.
"Of course, Harry is the savior."
"Damn savior," Aberforth grumbled. "If you don't stay away from his plans, you'll end up just like him."
"Don't worry, it's all part of the plan," Albert assured him.
"Still part of the plan?"
Aberforth gave him a look that said, "Don't lie to me."
"Yes, it's all part of the plan, but Dumbledore is dead, so I'm here to help perfect it in his stead," Albert said, watching Aberforth's fascinating expression. "Harry is just one person, so he needs help. I help him find allies and prepare for the final battle."
"So, you plan to drag all the students of Hogwarts into this?"
"No, it's their choice. I'm just carefully nurturing a newly lit flame," Albert said as he approached a painting and nodded in greeting to the lady within.
"Also, what makes you think that defeating the mysterious man has nothing to do with others?" Aberforth asked.
"Peace is never achieved by relying on someone else. It comes about because people yearn for it. In that regard, you're as naive as Dumbledore," Albert stated.
"You seem to know him well," Aberforth said, raising an eyebrow.
"At least better than Harry does," Albert replied.
Albert stared at the painting for a while, and then it was pushed open from the back, revealing Neville Longbottom.
"Mr. Anderson, what a surprise to see you here," Neville said excitedly. He seemed to want to give Albert a warm hug but settled for a handshake instead.
"This is Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother, and the owner of the Hog's Head Inn. You might know him," Albert introduced Aberforth to Neville and then said to the former, "Frank and Alice's son."
"I'm not blind," Aberforth grumbled.
"Wasn't it good the way it was before?" Neville asked in confusion after greeting Aberforth.
"Yes, but with Parkinson missing, Snape will definitely strengthen the security at Hogwarts. We don't need to take that risk, and others will also use this place to go to Hogwarts when they have the time," Albert explained.
"Do you plan to turn this place into a train station?"
"Don't worry, I'll cast a spell so that when they Apparate here, they won't disturb you. They won't come during your business hours, I promise," Albert assured him.
"You could just take them all with you. I know you're sheltering the students who were expelled," Aberforth said, not feeling that this place was any safer.
"I've said it before—staying at Hogwarts will motivate the remaining students more than giving up on them. No one wants to be abandoned," Albert said as he took out a bag from his pocket and handed it to Neville. "Food prepared by Dobby. Don't go wandering around in the next few days."
"I understand," Neville said, taking the bag and glancing at Aberforth before turning to leave for Hogwarts, as the others must be hungry.
"Is Dobby with you?" Aberforth suddenly asked.
"Dobby likes working for me," Albert said.
"You're just like him," Aberforth commented.
It was rare to find a wizard who was willing to pay a house-elf a salary.
"Yaxley will soon be back with the Death Eaters. You know, they won't give up their interests easily, so you'd better be careful in the next few days. A lot of people will probably die. Of course, they won't bother you in the next few days," Albert said, giving his final warning before he planned to rest.
"It's you, it's all you, isn't it?" Aberforth said, as if he had realized something. He looked at Albert with disbelief.
"Who knows!"
Albert shrugged and Disapparated.
A Dark Wizard fighting the Death Eaters! This was a scene all too familiar to Aberforth.
Once upon a time, the Ministry of Magic had also fought against the Death Eaters, resulting in the death of many of them.
Now, it had just turned into a dog-eat-dog situation, with both sides fighting for their own interests.
(End of Chapter)
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