Chapter 967: Taking Precautions
Chapter 967: Taking Precautions
"Who's there?"
Hearing the knocking at the door downstairs, Katrina instinctively poked her head out the window to try and get a clear view of who was outside.
Usually, hardly anyone ever came to their home.
However, there was no one at the door! Katrina seemed to realize something, and she felt a chill run down her spine. She regretted her impulsive action and quickly grabbed the wand on the table. Feeling relieved, she perked up her ears to listen for any sounds around her.
Was there someone downstairs?
"Who could it be?"
Ordinary guests wouldn't enter someone's home without the owner's permission.
The red-haired girl immediately became extra vigilant. Ever since Isabelle had gone off somewhere with Albert, most of the time, she was the only one left in the large house.
It was impossible for Katrina not to panic when a stranger suddenly showed up at the door. Isabelle had told her that the fake Moody, whom Albert had dealt with in the third project's maze, was a Death Eater, and it was likely that it would incur the retaliation of the "Mysterious Man's" minions.
In theory, even if the Mysterious Man wanted revenge, he would go after Albert Anderson. What did his family have to do with it? After all, the Anderson family had immigrated overseas, and it would be challenging for even the Mysterious Man to cross continents to find Albert's relatives. The only one left with a connection to Albert was Isabelle McDougall.
Although the two were currently just boyfriend and girlfriend, who knew if they would be implicated? It was truly hard to say how low the Mysterious Man and his minions would stoop.
It was eerily quiet downstairs, and Katrina hesitated about whether to temporarily retreat. She currently occupied the advantageous terrain (the stairs) and could use the Disillusionment Charm to retreat at any time.
As Katrina hesitated, some noises suddenly came from the hallway, alerting her.
However, what puzzled her was that the intruder didn't come upstairs but headed for the hallway.
"Not an enemy?"
If it wasn't one of the Mysterious Man's minions, then who could it be?
Katrina couldn't think of anyone who would come to their home at this time. If it was her mother, she definitely wouldn't knock on the door.
The intruder seemed to have no ill intentions, but could it be Isabelle returning? After much hesitation, Katrina quietly cast the Disguise Spell on herself and decided to sneak downstairs to check out the situation.
She gripped her wand tightly and tiptoed downstairs, stealthily making her way towards the hallway.
Then, Katrina froze.
A peculiarly dressed house-elf stood at the entrance of the hallway. Its left hand held a piece of parchment, and it had a wand in its other hand. Beside it was a somewhat familiar-looking briefcase, but for some reason, it gave the impression that the house-elf was always ready to run away with it.
The house-elf seemed to be confirming something as it kept staring at the parchment in its hand. After a while, it tucked the parchment into the pocket of its cloak-like garment and said to the corridor outside, "Please don't be alarmed, Miss Katrina."
The house-elf seemed certain that Katrina was nearby.
After speaking, the house-elf raised its wand and gently waved it towards the window, causing the open window to shut abruptly.
"Who are you?"
Katrina had just opened her mouth when the curtains in the hallway also drew closed, plunging the already dim hallway into complete darkness.
Before long, the lights in the hallway came back on, and to her surprise, two familiar figures appeared in her field of vision.
"What are you two up to?"
Seeing the two of them, Katrina breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the wand in her hand. She glared at the pair in front of her irritably.
"It's better to be cautious," Albert said, quickly glancing at the metal ring on his wrist as if confirming something.
"Cara, dinner is up to you," Isabelle said to the house-elf.
"Yes, mistress. Dinner will be ready soon," the house-elf replied cheerfully as it opened the briefcase and set about doing what it loved—cooking.
"Mistress?"
Katrina noticed the house-elf's address towards Isabelle and made a strange expression. Her gaze shifted between the two of them, as if asking, "Are you two married?"
The house-elf, Cara, was very efficient, and dinner was prepared in no time.
Out of safety concerns, Albert insisted on having dinner inside the trunk, waiting for Mrs. McDougall to return. Although Isabelle had already notified her mother in advance, she didn't know when her mother would be home.
"Why are you hiding in the trunk?"
Katrina stood at the doorway, looking around in surprise. She was amazed to see that the place had undergone a significant transformation, resembling a small manor.
Even more surprising to her was the sight of steaming hot springs, which hadn't been there the last time she had entered.
"Of course, it's for safety reasons," Albert reminded her solemnly. "Last night, a Death Eater appeared near my house. You should be able to guess the reason without me having to spell it out."
"A Death Eater?" Katrina was bewildered. "How did you know? Weren't you already in hiding?"
"They triggered the alarm I left behind," Albert said flatly, as if the fact that a group of dark wizards had shown up at his doorstep was a minor inconvenience. "Of course, they don't know that I'm already aware of this."
Perhaps he had anticipated that something like this would happen from the very beginning! "You came to find me because..." Katrina asked, puzzled.
"To bring you to a safer place," Albert stated his intention directly.
Hearing Albert's proposal, Katrina asked with a strange expression, "Are you sure you're not joking?"
"This place is no longer safe," Albert said.
"You should know my mother's character better than I do. She won't agree to this," Katrina said, looking at Isabelle, hoping that she would stop Albert's nonsense.
"We won't know unless we try," Albert said, looking at the sleeping Tom after finishing his meal. "Also, what you did just now was wrong. In this situation, you shouldn't have come down to check. Even if you wanted to find out who was downstairs, your method was incorrect."
It was too risky.
Especially without any strength of her own and not being the protagonist, taking such risks could easily lead to an early demise.
"What method?" Katrina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The Homonculus Charm," Albert replied.
"What's that?" Katrina asked, confused, as she had never heard of this spell before.
"It's a spell that allows you to mark people's locations on a map," Isabelle explained gently. "You can see who's around by looking at the map."
"Was the house-elf looking at the parchment because of this?" Katrina took the parchment and saw that the map was marked with dots of ink, indicating the names of the house-elf, Cara, and the three of them.
"Correct," Albert confirmed. "Even if you disguise yourself through spells or potions, you can't hide from the Homonculus Charm unless you use a very strong shielding spell, which only highly skilled wizards can accomplish. Believe me, the Mysterious Man and his minions, unaware of this, will surely be unprepared."
"Well, this method is indeed very practical," Katrina said, realizing why the fake Moody had lost to Albert. No wonder he had been able to defeat the fake Moody and his accomplices; the enemy had been planning an ambush right under Albert's watchful eye.
Even with prior notice, Mrs. McDougall was still busy at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Illnesses and didn't return home until late. She looked exhausted.
However, upon seeing Albert and the girls emerge from the trunk, Mrs. McDougall didn't seem too surprised and was instead more interested in the house-elf's dinner.
"So, you want me to hide like your family is doing?" Mrs. McDougall asked with a peculiar expression as she listened to Albert's story while eating her seafood rice.
"Yes." Albert admitted directly, though he knew it was impolite.
"Do you foresee that the Mysterious Man will come after me?" Mrs. McDougall asked, and the atmosphere in the hall became a bit oppressive as soon as she finished speaking.
"I haven't tried to make a prophecy, but I don't think we should trust the Mysterious Man's integrity. No matter what they do, I wouldn't be surprised." Albert replied.
Although he knew the chances of success were slim, he had to try.
"I have my own work and won't hide." Mrs. McDougall shook her head in refusal.
"Maybe you can temporarily take on a different job, like writing a book to teach people how to treat magical injuries and illnesses." Albert sincerely suggested, "I know it's rude of me to say this, but I think you've experienced the First Wizarding War and know what it was like. This time, it will only be worse."
"Worse?"
"The Ministry of Magic will collapse and fall under the control of the Mysterious Man. I'm worried that because of my connection to you, they will implicate you." Albert continued without hiding the truth, "A Death Eater showed up at my old house yesterday."
"A Death Eater? Are you sure?" Mrs. McDougall furrowed her brows.
"I'm certain. Even if I strengthen the defenses around the house, it's not safe. Powerful wizards can easily break through them." Albert paused and continued, "Even if we move to a different location, it's still not safe. If the Death Eaters really want to capture you, they will storm into St. Mungo's and take you away. They won't care about such issues."
"Has the situation deteriorated to such an extent?" Mrs. McDougall's frown deepened.
"Not yet, but it won't be long." Albert warned.
"Why don't you and Isabelle leave Britain?" Mrs. McDougall was not too concerned about her own safety.
"We're safe. No one even knows the exact location of the town we're settled in. Even if they did, there's nothing they could do. The Fidelius Charm ensures that no one can find us." Isabelle reassured her.
Mrs. McDougall looked at Albert and nodded, "It seems that you have been prepared for a long time."
"Yes." Albert admitted, "If the situation takes a turn for the worse, I will take Isabelle and leave Britain. I have already prepared an escape route."
"Then I'm relieved." Mrs. McDougall knew that Albert's arrangements were made with her safety in mind, but... she didn't intend to give up her current work.
"I won't hide." She looked at her daughter and said, "However, you can arrange a safe place for Katrina. My biggest concern is for the safety of you sisters."
"Mom!" Katrina frowned, not willing to leave her mother behind and hide.
"Albert is right. If the Mysterious Man resurfaces, it's better for you to find a safe place to stay." Mrs. McDougall looked at Katrina and said, "Anyway, it's boring for you to stay at home, and it's not safe. Don't blame Albert. I've experienced the First Wizarding War, and I know what it was like. Many of your relatives died because of it. Hiding and staying away from trouble may be the best option."
"What about you?"
"Death Eaters rarely kill pure-blood wizards who remain neutral." Mrs. McDougall was quite shrewd. Although Albert seemed to reveal a lot, he actually didn't disclose anything crucial. Even if he were captured, they wouldn't be able to extract any useful information from him."
When necessary, Mrs. McDougall could claim to be on the side of the pure-blood wizards. As for her daughter marrying a Muggle-born wizard? She would tell the Death Eaters that Albert was actually a descendant of a well-known wizarding family, but they had a falling out and changed their surname.
Was there any falsehood in these words?
Not at all.
"What about meals?" Katrina was still struggling with the idea.
"I can take care of myself." Mrs. McDougall said, "Don't forget, I raised you girls."
"I can ask the house-elf to help." Albert offered a backup plan, "But I still suggest that you temporarily stay somewhere else. If anyone intrudes here, we will know immediately and come up with a response. As for a temporary residence, I've already prepared one for you."
Katrina suddenly realized that Albert had known from the start that he wouldn't be able to convince Mrs. McDougall and only wanted her to move to a different location.
"Katrina, go pack your things. You'll be leaving with Isabelle tonight!" Mrs. McDougall turned to Isabelle and said, "Take care of your sister."
"I will." Isabelle replied seriously.
Before long, the house-elf picked up the suitcase and disappeared with a pop.
Looking at the empty hall, Mrs. McDougall sighed softly, her gaze falling on the photo in the frame. She closed the "Witch Weekly" in her hand and slowly closed her eyes, listening to the music playing on the radio.
......
......
"Have we arrived?"
When Katrina stepped out of the box, she found herself in a dilapidated house.
"This place is anti-Apparition, so only house-elves can directly apparate here. That's why you don't have to worry about being tracked."
After Albert checked that there was no one around, he gestured for them to follow him.
"You're very cautious."
Katrina knew that Apparition could be tracked, although it was difficult, but the Ministry of Magic should be capable of doing so.
But... apparating directly into an anti-Apparition area was a whole different level of trouble.
Who knew what could happen?
As Katrina followed them out, she realized they were in a remote location, no wonder Albert had said that no one knew where they were.
"Follow me!"
Albert raised his wand and said to Katrina, "This place is completely abandoned, so we won't be disturbed by Muggles."
"Of course, as long as no one knows we're here, no one can find us. And..."
Albert took out a silver card and handed it to Katrina, "Without the permission of the Secret-Keeper, no one can find our residence."
As he spoke, he raised his glowing wand and brought it closer to her, allowing Katrina to clearly see the words on the silver card, "Remember the content but do not read it out loud. Think of the sentence you see in your mind."
"Rose Manor is located in the town of Camelford."
Just as Katrina thought of the content on the silver card, a house of considerable size appeared in front of them, seemingly newly renovated but still bearing signs of its age.
"Let's go inside to talk." Albert opened the door and walked in first.
"This is a manor?" Katrina's gaze fell on the sign that said 'Rose Manor', but she was pulled inside by Isabelle. The house-elf, Cara, closed the door behind them, and the house disappeared once again as if it had never existed.
(End of Chapter)
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