Chapter 1410: A Date
Chapter 1410: A Date
"So, they did end up parting ways?"
As Albert recounted the story of Penelope and Percy's relationship, Isabelle couldn't help but sigh at the fragility of love and the fickleness of the human heart.
"It's not surprising. I saw it coming from the start," Albert said, handing the bucket of popcorn to Isabelle and taking a large gulp of his ice-cold cola. Noticing Isabelle's gaze, he offered an explanation with a smile, "Percy Weasley is a man driven by ambition. If he wanted to climb higher, it was inevitable that he and Penelope would eventually part ways."
"Why?" Katrina asked, craning her neck to the side without taking her eyes off the movie screen in front of them.
"Because Penelope couldn't help Percy advance further in the Ministry of Magic," Albert said, as if narrating a juicy, hidden scandal, "Within the upper echelons of the Ministry, pure-blood wizards hold a significant amount of influence, especially those from wealthy pure-blood families. However, while the Weasley family is indeed pure-blood, they are not well-regarded within that circle. They couldn't offer Percy any support and might even become a hindrance to his ambitions..."
"So, Percy Weasley cut ties with his family?" Katrina recalled Albert mentioning this before.
"Something like that," Albert acknowledged, popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth.
"Percy is smart, so he readily agreed to my suggestion, and he got his wish to become the Minister's assistant. Now that he couldn't stay in the Ministry any longer, he could easily wash his hands of the situation, and he even gained the respect of most of the Order members."
"Did Weasley dump Penelope just so he could marry a pure-blood witch and use that connection to climb higher in the future?" Isabelle didn't need to guess the reason; she just sighed at the kind of man Penelope had chosen.
"That guy is truly despicable. I can't believe you were willing to help him," Katrina remarked, her gaze at Albert clearly conveying her opinion that they were both scumbags.
"It's none of your business, anyway. Just enjoy the show and don't worry about it," Albert replied, not expecting Katrina to be a romantic at heart; he knew she just needed to vent her pent-up emotions.
"Speaking of which, don't you guys find this movie boring?" Katrina couldn't help but complain.
"Then why did you insist on coming?"
"I've been cooped up on the ship for so long, I'm getting moldy."
"This is one of the most popular movies this year. I thought you guys would enjoy it," Albert said, glancing at the screen where the popular movie was playing.
"It's quite novel, I'll give it that," Isabelle said softly, "but I don't understand it at times."
"I don't understand it at all," Katrina admitted, and that was indeed the main reason for her impatience. She didn't understand Italian at all.
"Learning a foreign language wouldn't hurt you," Albert pointed out.
"Do you think they'll end up together?" Isabelle asked, her eyes on the movie's lead couple as they embraced.
"It's unlikely, since this is based on a true story."
"What true story?" Katrina asked, curious.
"A shipwreck," Albert replied.
Not long after Albert said this, the ship in the movie began to sink.
The three of them fell silent, watching the scene unfold.
They hadn't expected the ship to actually sink.
And the male lead even gave the female lead his chance to survive.
"Would you have done the same?" Katrina asked. She wasn't curious; she was trying to provoke him.
"No, because I wouldn't have let that situation happen in the first place," Albert shook his head, "So your question is meaningless."
"Do you think our ship is safe?"
Isabelle was more concerned about this, as they also lived on a ship, and theirs was nowhere near as sturdy as the one on the screen.
"Our ship isn't as fragile as you think, and I've taken precautionary measures," Albert assured her. He would never neglect safety issues.
After the movie ended, the trio left the theater along with the sparse crowd.
"It was quite nice. It would've been better if they had ended up together, though," Isabelle commented.
"Where should we go next?" Katrina asked, having paid little attention to the movie.
"The amusement park," Albert replied, pointing to the obvious structure in the distance.
Isabelle's curiosity was piqued by the sight of a roller coaster plunging from a great height, "What's that? It looks thrilling!"
"That's a roller coaster. Let's go try it!" Albert led them to the ticket gate, and several men sent curious glances their way.
Red hair was rare in Europe, but some people did dye their hair that color. However, red-haired beauties who were also sisters were definitely eye-catching.
Many men shot envious glances at Albert, even though both Isabelle and Katrina wore rings on their fingers, symbolizing their married status. Most of the men, however, chose to ignore this fact.
Of course, the typical novel scenario of someone trying to pick a fight with them didn't occur, and no idiots came to disturb their date.
The McDougall sisters seemed to love roller coasters and other thrilling rides; in fact, most wizards had a much higher tolerance for excitement than Muggles.
As a result, the three of them rode the roller coaster several times in a row, with no intention of trying out the other amusement park attractions.
Only when the ticket seller started giving them strange looks did Albert take them to experience the other rides, but the sisters showed little interest in anything else.
"Why do they like that so much?" Katrina asked as she closed the door behind them.
"You can enjoy the scenery, be alone with the person you like, and sometimes even watch fireworks," Albert listed a few reasons why couples liked riding the Ferris wheel, "Or maybe they just like the novelty of it."
"Let's head back," Isabelle suggested.
"Yeah."
The sisters each kissed Albert's cheeks, leaving him stunned.
"Thank you for today," Isabelle said.
"We had a lot of fun," Katrina added, stretching her shoulders.
After spending the day out, the sisters' moods had improved significantly. Being cooped up on a ship for extended periods could be quite stifling.
However, while they had been enjoying their leisure time, the British wizarding world had descended into chaos.
The catalyst, of course, was Percy's disappearance, which had set off a chain of events. Many wizards had to undergo Veritaserum interrogations, causing an uproar within the Ministry.
After all, if the Minister's assistant could be a spy, who else in the Ministry might be one as well?
This extensive screening process did, in fact, help Yaxley uncover a few more spies, and they were all Death Eaters. There were signs that they had been controlled by the Imperius Curse.
And who was behind this?
Naturally, it had to be the Order of the Phoenix or the Defense Association.
Once again, the Prophet carried a related report, and the Ministry offered a large reward. But no one believed it anymore, even if it was true that someone from the Order was responsible.
After being repeatedly harassed, most people agreed that it was just another ridiculous attempt by the Death Eaters to frame their enemies.
(End of Chapter)
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