Chapter 678: Greed for Money
Chapter 678: Greed for Money
On their last night in France, the Lemaire couple had the house-elf prepare a sumptuous dinner with all their favorite dishes.
During the meal, Mrs. Pernelle reminisced about her school days. Rumor had it that Mr. Lemaire was a bookish and shy boy back then...
Isabelle also shared the story of how the couple first met. Compared to the young and timid Mr. Nicolas, Albert was... Well, the dinner ended with laughter all around.
The next morning, after bidding farewell to the Lemaire couple, Albert and Isabelle traveled through the fireplace in St. Nicolas Village to the wizarding street in Paris, France.
They had already informed Mr. Kenner of their plans, and soon they quietly returned to the old apartment in London via the hidden International Floo Network.
"It's a good thing we didn't eat this morning."
As they emerged from the fireplace, Albert reached out to steady Isabelle, who had also tumbled out.
"I hate that feeling!"
The two waited in the dusty room until they had recovered, then Albert retrieved the Invisibility Cloak he had prepared beforehand from his Undetectable Extension Charm bag and quietly left the old apartment.
The key to underage wizards performing magic outside of school without the Ministry of Magic noticing was simple: don't use magic outside of the wizarding world.
Within the wizarding world, the Ministry couldn't be sure who was casting spells.
Moreover, the main reason for prohibiting underage wizards from performing magic outside of school was to prevent them from using magic indiscriminately and exposing the wizarding world.
Albert didn't want any trouble with the Ministry, so he was always careful in this regard.
They found a secluded spot, removed their Invisibility Cloaks, hailed a taxi, and headed for the Leaky Cauldron.
"How do you feel?"
After getting off near the bookstore, Albert paid the fare and asked the girl beside him with a smile.
"What do you mean, how do I feel?"
"About using Muggle transportation."
"Muggles can live pretty well even without using magic."
After entering the Leaky Cauldron, Isabelle asked Albert, "What time is it now?"
"It's half an hour before the agreed-upon time!" Albert put his pocket watch back in his pocket and looked around for Katrina, who was supposed to meet them.
"She's not here yet. What would you like for breakfast?"
Albert pointed to the empty seat beside him, intending to eat while they waited. They hadn't eaten anything that morning due to their use of the international Floo Network.
"I'll have the same as you." Isabelle examined the wanted posters on the wall, recalling Albert's prophecy, and frowned.
Wanted posters of Black were plastered all over the Leaky Cauldron, with a reward of one thousand Galleons. Any wizard who provided information to the Ministry of Magic would also receive a bonus.
That was, of course, assuming the Ministry managed to capture Black.
It was common knowledge that expecting the Ministry to catch Black was like expecting Black to turn himself into Azkaban.
"Is it related to Potter?"
"Probably... yes."
Albert walked up to the counter and asked Tom to prepare two breakfasts. While inquiring about Black, Albert spotted Harry Potter coming down the stairs.
The savior of the wizarding world looked at him with a hint of surprise.
"Harry Potter, what are you doing here?" Albert asked, feigning ignorance.
"Mr. Potter is temporarily staying here," Tom replied with a smile.
"Oh, is he? Are you having a falling-out with your relatives?" Albert repeated, playing along.
Harry nodded awkwardly, looking a bit confused, as if to say, "Don't you know?"
"I've just returned from France, and it seems quite a lot has happened while I was away." Albert pointed to the wanted poster on the wall. "Any news on Black?"
"No," Tom shook his head. "The Ministry hasn't been very reliable in this regard. They even released Dementors and still couldn't find Black."
"Tom, do you think I could get the reward if I provided a clue?"
"Do you know where Black is?"
"No."
"He's a Seer." Harry noticed Tom's bewildered expression and explained.
"If the Ministry is willing to pay, of course." Albert smiled slyly.
"You're so greedy for money." Harry muttered, "But it wouldn't hurt to make some extra Galleons. With your ability..."
"I'm not going to do something that's not worth the effort. It's hard to say if the Ministry would be willing to pay that price." Albert shrugged. "Oh, here's my breakfast. See you at school."
He returned to Isabelle's side and began to eat, filling her in on the information he had gleaned from Tom.
"Seers, they're not very reliable," Tom grumbled.
"He's very skilled. He's never been wrong before."
Harry knew of Albert's abilities and believed that Fudge should pay him to make a prophecy, which could save them the cost of the bounty and the wasted manpower in searching for Black.
Harry looked at Albert and Isabelle's table with a puzzled expression, considering whether to join them. It wasn't often that he encountered someone he knew, and he was curious about the black dog and the omen of death. He wanted to hear their explanation.
Just as Harry was about to take a step forward, he stopped and changed his mind.
A pretty red-haired girl stood by their table, staring at the pair with an odd look in her eyes. For some reason, the atmosphere around them felt strange.
"Here."
Katrina handed Albert the book list that the school had sent.
"Take this. We got you a present." Albert took the list and pulled a gift box from his Undetectable Extension Charm bag, handing it to Katrina.
"This is a gift we chose for you."
In fact, this was something Albert had asked the house-elf to buy from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions when they had decided to return to Diagon Alley for shopping.
Since they were going shopping together, it was only right to get a gift for his little aunt.
Katrina hesitated, staring at the package for a long time before looking at Albert. Her eyes seemed to ask, "Do you expect me to be bought off so easily?"
"Did you come alone?" Isabelle asked.
"Mom just left. She already gave me the money... What's with that ring?" Katrina didn't bother to look at the package, but her eyes had caught sight of the silver ring on Albert's left hand, and Isabelle had an identical one on her finger.
"It's from our teacher." Albert replied calmly.
"It was a gift from Mr. Lemaire when we first met." Isabelle regretted not taking off the ring.
These two must be hiding something from her! "You two aren't..."
Katrina obviously didn't believe it. She couldn't imagine Isabelle wearing the ring on the wrong finger, and the fact that they wore their rings on the same finger was too much of a coincidence.
"Ahem, aren't you going to open the package?" Isabelle interrupted, trying to change the subject. "We thought that hat would look great on you."
"Have you eaten breakfast? Do you want to order something?" Albert also tried to steer the conversation away from the rings.
"No, I'm not hungry!" Katrina looked a little dazed, deep in thought.
"Let's shop separately. I'll go buy the books for you." She had just sat down but stood up again, clearly not wanting to stay there any longer.
Albert and Isabelle exchanged glances, watching Katrina's retreating back.
"Mom probably didn't tell her about us." Isabelle sighed.
"Do you want to follow her and make sure she's okay?"
And so, leaving their half-eaten breakfast behind, they quietly trailed after Katrina into Diagon Alley.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
