Chapter 841: Peter, My Struggle is Real
Chapter 841: Peter, My Struggle is Real
Women, they can be such a nuisance, especially the prettier ones, and it's even worse when a bunch of them get together. Most of the time, they don't do anything productive and instead love to compare who's the fairest of them all.
Ever since Valeria and Catherine arrived, the atmosphere had been tense. Albert immediately pulled Nia away from the wooden house, retreating to the armchairs in their tent. He leisurely flipped through the copy of the Prophet in his hands.
"Looks like being too popular can be a troublesome thing too, huh!" Nia couldn't help but feel a little schadenfreude as she rarely saw Albert in such a flustered state, and she found it rather amusing.
"Yeah, so don't rub it in," Albert continued flipping through the newspaper, the recent days' issues all revolving around the Quidditch World Cup.
"Are you really okay, though?" Nia fiddled with the crudely made bracelet on her wrist and suddenly asked, "Are you sure this won't bring you trouble?"
"As long as you behave and don't go running off, there won't be any problems," Albert gently reassured her. "Remember to catch up on your sleep at noon so you don't feel drowsy at night. Although most Quidditch matches end within a few hours, or even less, there are sometimes exceptions."
Nia was quite knowledgeable about Quidditch; she had read Quidditch Through the Ages and was familiar with the rules of the game. In her opinion, the reason Quidditch was so popular was likely due to the lack of entertainment options in the wizarding world. Of course, it could also be because of the thrill and excitement of the sport, much like car racing.
"Have you told those two gorgeous ladies about your engagement?" Nia started gossiping about her brother's love life. To be honest, she couldn't quite understand how Isabell could remain so calm and collected while talking to Valeria and Catherine.
Nia truly admired Isabell for that, as she knew she herself wouldn't be able to do the same. Especially not in front of such beautiful women who might be interested in stealing her boyfriend, and she also suspected that Isabell's sister might have a secret crush on Albert.
"Isabell can handle that herself," Albert said, putting down the newspaper and looking at his curious sister with a soft sigh. Why did women always love gossip so much? He remembered that Nia used to dislike it when he interacted with other women.
His little sister was growing up.
"That sounds like something a scumbag would say," Nia remarked, raising an eyebrow. "You should make things clear to them."
"I already did," Albert protested. "And I've been consciously keeping my distance from them too."
"I have a friend who fell for a handsome and wealthy guy a couple of years ago, and they even slept together," Nia recalled. "Now, she's sharing a boyfriend with another beautiful girl."
"That guy sounds like a public toilet," Albert couldn't help but tease. "Speaking of which, why didn't your friend dump him?"
"Well, his personality and character are actually pretty decent; he's just not very good at rejecting people," Nia explained.
Just then, an owl flew into the tent and landed in front of them. Albert was puzzled as to why an owl would bring him a message all the way out here.
It was a small owl with a note tied to its leg, hooting incessantly.
Albert untied the note and read its contents:
Dear Albert, I heard you've arrived at the Quidditch World Cup campsite, so I couldn't wait to write to you. I hope we can meet, and I'd like to ask you to make a prediction for me about Peter Pettigrew. I want to know if that guy is still alive, and if so, where he's hiding now.
Also, I'll come by to visit before 10 o'clock. Hope I'm not disturbing you.
Regards, Sirius Black
"Is there something wrong with that letter?" Nia asked, noticing the strange expression on Albert's face.
"It's nothing. Someone wants me to do a divination for them," Albert mumbled, wondering how they knew he was here. He took out a quill from his pocket and wrote "See you later" on the back of the note before letting the owl take it away. Then, he checked his pocket watch and continued reading the newspaper.
Sirius Black arrived earlier than expected. Not long after the owl had left, Sirius showed up with a group of people: the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with Professor Lupin.
"Sorry to disturb you," Sirius said to Albert, "but this tent doesn't really seem like your style."
"This is quite a shabby place, isn't it?" Ron muttered. Sirius' tent was rather lavish, even more luxurious than what he was used to at home.
As soon as Ron finished speaking, he received a sharp glare from Hermione beside him.
"So, it's just you alone? I thought you'd be here with Isabell to watch the Quidditch World Cup?" Hermione naturally noticed the wooden sign outside, which bore the name 'MacDougal' instead of 'Anderson'.
"Isabell is entertaining some friends," Albert gestured for Sirius Black to sit down opposite him and then waved his hand, shooing the others away as if they were pesky insects.
"Dobby?"
Harry couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the house-elf serving them tea, "Are you working for the Andersons now?"
"Sorry, sir, my name is not Dobby, and you must be mistaken. I am not employed by any master," the house-elf replied sharply.
"Sorry," Harry said to the elf, "I mistook you for someone I used to know."
"That's quite alright, sir," the house-elf turned and left.
"Your house-elf?" Sirius Black eyed the elf curiously, "Are you really a Muggle-born wizard?"
"Of course I am," Albert diverted the topic, "You want to know if Peter is still alive, and if so, where he is now?"
"Yes."
Sirius placed a small bag of Galleons in front of Albert.
Albert didn't even glance at the money; instead, he refocused his attention on the crystal ball in front of him. The white mist inside the ball gradually dispersed, revealing reflected images of people.
One of them was unmistakably Peter Pettigrew.
"It seems that Peter Pettigrew is still alive and doing quite well for himself."
"But the Prophet reported that Peter died in Azkaban prison. The Ministry officials even went to confirm the body," Lupin suddenly spoke up.
"The body could have been a fake," Albert said to Sirius, "Looks like you haven't given up on taking care of him yourself?"
"Yes." Sirius didn't hide it, "The dead should lie quietly in their coffins instead of walking around like zombies as they do now."
"I agree with you."
Albert shifted his gaze back to the crystal ball, which displayed a very secluded room. Albert raised his hand and lightly tapped the crystal ball, causing the image to disappear once more and be replaced by a forest, followed by a double-eagle flag.
Sirius Black stared intently at the changes within the crystal ball, then lifted his head to look at Albert, awaiting his explanation.
"The double-headed eagle flag, could it be Austria, Montenegro, or Armenia? However, I believe it's most likely Albania. That forest in Albania... I assume it means Peter is heading there to find the mysterious man."
"I once dreamed of Peter and Voldemort murdering someone." Harry, who had been eavesdropping, suddenly interjected.
"Oh? Tell me about your dream." Albert looked at Harry with curiosity.
Harry then recounted what he had seen in his dream.
"What an incredible ability. I've never heard of a similar prophetic dream, but we can't rule out that possibility." Albert said to Harry, "As far as I know, you've never displayed any prophetic abilities, so I don't think it was a prophetic dream. Instead, there might be some connection between you and the mysterious man." Albert pointed to Harry's scar, "Although it seems unbelievable, it's already incredible that Voldemort wasn't able to kill him completely. I can't help you with this, but I suggest you seek out Dumbledore. He's the expert in this field."
"Alright, let's get back to Peter. It's really bad news that he's still alive." Albert smiled at Sirius, "Since you intend to contribute to the British magical community, I don't mind offering you some assistance. After all, Peter is still alive and has escaped from Azkaban, which is quite troubling."
As he spoke, Albert gently tapped the crystal ball again, and the image spun once more, transforming into a desolate mansion. Then, the scene changed to a person.
"Do you know this guy?" Albert pointed to the person in the crystal ball.
"He looks vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place him." Sirius frowned.
The scene in the crystal ball eventually changed to a desolate graveyard, and the image froze at a gravestone.
However, it was too dark to make out whose gravestone it was.
"They might return to Britain, especially since you may know that man." Albert analyzed, "Wormtail's hideout could be that dilapidated house, and Peter will likely make contact with the man we just saw. Lastly, there's the graveyard, which probably indicates where Wormtail will show up."
"That's it?" Harry widened his eyes in surprise.
"That's how prophecies work." Albert glanced at Harry and said to Sirius, "If you want to find clues, it's best to first figure out who the man in the crystal ball is. Also, if you want to find Wormtail, I can give you a little something that will help you have a nice chat with him."
Hermione found the whole situation absurd. She never expected that someone would be discussing plans to murder someone right here.
"Do you have a grudge against Wormtail?" Hermione was also surprised to discover this side of Albert.
"It's not exactly a grudge, but Wormtail definitely holds a grudge against me." Albert smiled.
"He has a grudge against you?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.
Harry and Ron were equally baffled, apparently not having paid attention to their previous conversation.
"Wormtail ended up in Azkaban because of Albert." Lupin's expression was complex, as he himself wasn't sure if he should support Sirius in killing his old friend.
"I'm not afraid of Wormtail seeking revenge, but I don't trust the ethics of Dark Wizards, and I don't want my family to be harmed." Albert took out a wooden box from his bag, which contained various potions. He picked up a golden pill, placed it in a small bottle, and handed it to Black.
"Once you find Peter, take this. It will be of some help to you." Albert said mysteriously.
"What is this?" Black curiously examined the golden pill in the bottle.
"Felix Felicis, it should last for about half an hour. I think that's enough time." Albert said nonchalantly.
"Give me more. I can pay for it." Sirius felt that he would need a bit more luck to find Peter.
"What is Felix Felicis?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"Liquid luck, a potion that brings good fortune to the drinker!" Hermione asked, "Can you brew Felix Felicis? I heard it's incredibly difficult to make."
"Can it truly bring good luck?" Ron felt that he needed some Felix Felicis to change his streak of bad luck.
"It was a gift from an old friend." Albert explained with a smile, "Felix Felicis doesn't bring true good luck, but it can be very useful at critical moments and produce unexpected results."
"I'll finish him off as soon as possible." Sirius Black pocketed the bottle and then seemed to remember something. He opened his mouth and said, "I heard you plan to open a joke shop with the Weasley brothers?"
"Yes, that's right." Albert nodded in confirmation.
"Lupin and I also plan to open a shop. We thought about your previous suggestion, but we feel it's not quite suitable." Black brought up this topic awkwardly, but he was taking Harry's advice to seek Albert's opinion. Perhaps he could get an unexpected result, as this guy was even more capable than he had imagined.
"What are you and Professor Lupin good at?" Albert suddenly asked, "Opening a shop isn't easy. At the very least, it shouldn't lose money, or the business won't last. If you're looking for something to do, I suggest you write a memoir. Professor Lupin can do the same. Turn your stories into books, and during that time, you can carefully consider what kind of shop you want to open and do some research."
The two men looked at each other, finding Albert's suggestion reasonable, but it would be difficult for them to settle down and write books. At least, Sirius would find it hard to stay put and write.
"If it were you, what kind of shop would you open?" Sirius asked Albert.
"I'd start a magazine, a Dark Magic Defense magazine." Albert answered without hesitation, "There's no magazine in the British magical world dedicated to Dark Magic Defense, and most wizards and students are rather weak in that area."
"That's a good idea." Sirius and Lupin looked at each other, intending to delve further into this idea.
(End of Chapter)
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