Chapter 700: The Secret Base
Chapter 700: The Secret Base
This year's Halloween Eve was a rare treat for most Hogwarts students. They could enjoy a full day of fun in Hogsmeade Village and then attend the Halloween feast in the evening, effectively doubling their enjoyment.
And of course, Albert was no exception.
This was their last chance to relax before the Magic School Potions Championship.
After breakfast, Albert met up with Isabelle in the Great Hall, and the two of them left the castle together, heading towards the school gates.
Two Dementors stood guard on either side of the entrance, filling passing students with dread and unease.
As Albert approached the gates, he felt a strange chill wash over him.
"Don't worry, I'm here," he said, taking Isabelle's hand in his and summoning his Patronus with his wand. He cast the spell so that it encircled both of them, protecting Isabelle from the influence of the Dementors.
His actions drew curious glances from other students, who wondered about the glowing orb surrounding Albert and Isabelle. However, no one approached them.
As they passed through the gates, Albert clearly sensed the Dementors feeding on the happy emotions of the students walking by. There was no doubt that they would feast well tonight.
The cold wind blowing outside was a result of the large number of Dementors in the area, causing the weather to turn harsh.
Walking to Hogsmeade Village was not a pleasant experience, and many students had to wrap their scarves around their faces to protect their exposed skin from the biting wind.
"Let's use Disillusionment."
After they had walked some distance from the school, Albert led Isabelle to a secluded spot and cast a Disillusionment Charm on both of them. Then, using Apparition, they arrived near Hogsmeade Village.
"The Trace is such a nuisance," Albert muttered. "But once we have a place here, we won't have to worry about restrictions on our magic."
Before his seventeenth birthday, the only way to use magic freely without attracting the attention of the wizarding authorities was to cast spells within the wizarding world itself.
While his spells would still be detected by the Ministry of Magic, they wouldn't be able to pinpoint him as the caster.
After all, anyone in the magical community could be responsible, and the Ministry wouldn't have any reason to suspect Albert specifically.
"I thought you would have figured out a way around it by now," Isabelle said.
"The power of the contract can be confused and obscured, but it's too late now," Albert explained as he took Isabelle's hand and started walking towards Hogsmeade. "If I had cast a strong Confundus Charm on the contract when I signed it, we might have gotten away with it. But now... it's too late."
"Aren't you going to remove the Disillusionment Charm?" Isabelle asked.
"Not yet," Albert replied. "Let's go and see our house first. Bitt should have taken care of everything by now."
There were no Dementors near Hogsmeade Village, perhaps because the Ministry wanted to avoid any unpleasant incidents with students visiting the village.
As the two of them entered Hogsmeade, they made their way to a secluded corner on the eastern side of the village.
This was one of the reasons the house was so inexpensive.
The house had a small yard, and the plants were all withered. A warm yellow light shone through the windows, and as they approached, Albert knocked on the door five times—a secret signal.
"Master, are you invisible?" a house-elf asked, opening the door and looking confused as he stared at the empty air in front of him.
"I don't want people to know this is my house," Albert replied.
Only after the door was closed again did Albert lift the Disillusionment Charm from both of them.
The house-elf immediately served them tea and sweets.
"This place looks nice, although it's a bit old," Albert said, surveying the empty hall. "It was worth the money."
"What do you plan to use this place for?" Isabelle asked, curious as to why Albert had bought such a place.
"A laboratory," Albert replied, not intending to keep secrets from her.
"What do you plan to create here?"
"Even during the summer holidays, I can easily come here using a Portkey," Albert said, pointing to the briefcase on the table.
"A Portkey?" Isabelle asked.
"Yes, a Portkey. They were quite popular during the First Wizarding War," Albert explained as he opened the briefcase to reveal a descending staircase.
The briefcase had been enlarged using a Spell Extension Charm, and inside were two Portkeys.
"You certainly are prepared," Isabelle said with a strange expression. "If the Ministry finds out, they'll throw you into Azkaban."
"They won't find out," Albert said nonchalantly.
The two of them returned to the hall and began exploring the house together.
They checked the kitchen, study, bedrooms, and storeroom...
The house was empty except for some old furniture. Albert intended to bring in new items from the Muggle world.
"I still prefer a more spacious place," Isabelle said as she stood by the bedroom window, looking down at the yard below. "This place isn't very safe. If there's chaos in the wizarding world, we could easily be targeted."
"They won't find this place," Albert assured her. "I plan to cast the Fidelius Charm on this house, so no one will suspect us."
After all, a house-elf had been the one to purchase the property on his behalf.
Who would connect a house-elf to a Muggle-born wizard?
"We need a place to practice," Albert said mysteriously. "You can think of this as our secret base. From now on, we can meet here whenever we want and do whatever we like."
"You always like to keep things so secretive," Isabelle said, seeing the enthusiasm in Albert's eyes. "Maybe it's a common trait among Seers." She leaned closer to him.
"If things get really bad, we can always leave Britain," she whispered.
Isabelle was no fool, and she could tell that Albert wasn't optimistic about the future. She knew that there would be a period of "chaos," and Albert was actively preparing for any potential dangers that might arise.
"Don't worry, it's not as bad as you imagine," Albert whispered back, moving closer to her ear. "Otherwise, I would have taken you and run by now."
For the rest of the time, Albert and Isabelle discussed their plans for renovating the house.
He intended to create an inner and outer layer, similar to what Nicolas had done, so that only those granted permission by the owner could enter.
He also planned to use the Spell Extension Charm to enlarge the rooms within the house.
While a typical wizarding family might hesitate to do so, Albert had no intention of letting others into this house, so he wasn't concerned about breaking any rules.
Once Albert cast the Fidelius Charm, no one would be able to find this place.
Even if the Ministry officials came, they would only be able to stand on the street, clueless and frustrated.
(End of Chapter)
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