Chapter 1466: Be a Man
Chapter 1466: Be a Man
"So this is the solution you came up with?"
After skimming through the French newspaper, Katrina turned to Albert, who was leisurely sunbathing on a beach chair.
"I guess so," Albert glanced at his pocket watch on the table, gazing at the shimmering sea before him.
"But how did you manage it? Just with that article?" Katrina was curious as to how a single article could have such a miraculous effect.
"It might not work as well in other countries, but in the magical land of France, all sorts of wonders can happen." Albert looked at the comical head poking out of the water and got up from his lounge chair. He reached out and pulled Isabelle out of the sea onto the floating deck, handing her a white bath towel.
"Aren't you going for a swim?" Isabelle asked, dispelling the Cannonball spell and breathing in the slightly briny air.
"How's it down there?"
"It's beautiful, truly beautiful. It's a shame we can't take pictures."
Isabelle expressed her regret, wrapping the towel around herself. Although the Mediterranean had warmed up in February, staying in the water for too long could still cause one to lose body heat, and the sea breeze could easily lead to a cold.
"Never mind, I don't really feel like swimming in this weather."
Albert gently pushed her back, reminding her, "Go change into some dry clothes first, then come back and sunbathe. Be careful not to catch a chill."
"I'll be fine, I'm not as fragile as you think."
Isabelle dried herself with the towel and then used magic to evaporate the remaining moisture. She picked up the teacup on the small round table and drank half of it. After a moment, she brought up another topic, "I just went down to check, and there's something in those cages. We should be able to harvest them soon."
"Looks like there's plenty of seafood here."
Albert surveyed their surroundings. The environment was quite pleasant, but unfortunately, there were quite a few people active in the area, so they couldn't linger for too long.
"What were you two talking about just now?" Isabelle asked.
"About the joint attack on Death Eaters by the magical governments of various countries." Katrina asked, "By the way, are we having seafood paella again for lunch?"
"Maybe we'll have a seafood barbecue. It's been a while since we last had one, and I remember there's still quite a bit of French champagne left in the cellar from last time." Albert had set up several cages that morning, intending to change up their menu.
"Do you think they'll succeed?"
Isabelle picked up the fat cat dozing on her beach chair and placed it on the table, then lazily lay back down. After diving for half an hour, she felt a bit tired.
"Unlikely," Albert said bluntly.
"I recall you seemed quite eager about this before."
Isabelle suspected that Albert had a hand in this, intending to force the Aurors of the International Wizarding Confederation to fulfill their duties. The wizards living in Britain had been hard-pressed by the onslaught of Death Eaters lately, and it was about time they caught a break.
Of course, it could also be that Albert simply disliked the people of the International Wizarding Confederation for their inaction and wanted to force them to step up.
After all, it was infuriating to see a group of power-hungry individuals standing idly by and watching the chaos unfold without lifting a finger to help.
"I'd love to see the Aurors clash with the Death Eaters, but unfortunately, the mysterious man has returned to Britain." Albert gently stroked Tom's cat head and said softly, "I suspect he might have sensed something."
"Sensed your scheme? Perhaps he'll trace it back to you." Katrina teased.
"Don't make me sound so sinister. I just gave him a hard time. Besides, that guy's too stingy, don't you agree, Tom?"
"Meow!"
Tom the cat jumped directly from the table onto Albert, forgetting his own weight. Fortunately, Albert managed to catch him with magic just in time; otherwise, he would have needed medical attention.
"I don't think those Aurors stand a chance against the mysterious man," Katrina suddenly said.
She was well aware of the situation in Britain, where Scrimgeour had a bunch of Aurors at his side, yet they were like decorations when faced with the mysterious man.
"That's to be expected."
"Then why are you still…"
"They can hold him and the Death Eaters back," Isabelle finished, understanding Albert's intentions.
"Yes, they're the International Wizarding Confederation, after all. How could they possibly remain indifferent to all this?" Albert gazed at the comfortably dozing Tom and whispered, "They should be striving for peace in the wizarding world."
"So, you're forcing their hand."
Katrina agreed that Albert's actions were justified.
She was well aware that their current peace was due to Albert. Otherwise, they would have been dragged into this terrifying wizarding war, facing utter ruin.
Ultimately, the International Wizarding Confederation had failed to fulfill its obligations, which was why Albert had to give them a nudge.
"Is Dumbledore like that too?" Isabelle asked curiously.
"Dumbledore? Perhaps. I don't know him that well." Albert thought carefully before answering, "All I know is that even after his death, he's still pulling the strings and getting Snape to do his bidding."
"What bidding?"
"To defeat the mysterious man, of course."
Albert had only recently learned of the mysterious man's quiet return to Britain.
The volatile man was clearly displeased by the intrusion of a group of Aurors into his home and was preparing to deal with them.
This was turning out to be quite interesting.
The only question was how many people would die because of it.
Speaking of which, Albert felt he was becoming increasingly cold-blooded and was even starting to resemble that old miser.
He knew that Voldemort had no interest in provoking the magical governments of various countries, and likewise, those countries had no desire to provoke Voldemort.
There was even an unspoken understanding between the two sides, evident since the first wizarding war.
Undeniably, as one of the victims of the 'International Wizarding Confederation Confidentiality Act', Albert despised those in power who were unwilling to fulfill their corresponding obligations.
Since they were reluctant, Albert gave them a gentle push, so to speak, to help them along. This way, whether they liked it or not, they would be drawn into the war.
As for evidence?
There wouldn't be a trace of it.
Even if someone sensed something amiss, it wouldn't matter unless it was someone like the mysterious man.
Because he had simply helped Kingsley a little, offering somewhat reliable advice.
Of course, Albert was unaware that Voldemort now hated him even more, but even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared. Ever since Voldemort tried to kill him, one of them had to fall.
"Looks like a lot of people are going to die."
Isabelle guessed that her husband was probably planning to drag all the European countries into the fray, turning them into the vanguard against the mysterious man.
(End of Chapter)
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