After leaving the safe house, Albert used Transfiguration to disguise himself as a red-haired middle-aged man. He could not head straight to Diagon Alley; that would be far too conspicuous, putting himself in danger and, more likely, bringing trouble to the three of them and their newly opened joke shop.
It was best not to let too many people know he was connected to that shop. Otherwise, the Death Eaters might very well set their sights on it.
After all, what he was about to do would indeed make him a few enemies.
When Albert stepped into The Leaky Cauldron, he found the once-lively pub utterly deserted. There was not a single customer. The elderly proprietor sat behind the bar, and upon hearing Albert's footsteps, stopped polishing his glass and looked up hopefully, expecting the customer before him to sit down for a drink.
Albert nodded to Old Tom, then crossed the pub's hall beneath the man's disappointed gaze and headed for the small yard at the back where the rubbish bins stood.
The entrance to Diagon Alley was there.
Rather than Apparating directly to Diagon Alley, he had entered through The Leaky Cauldron because he wanted to get a sense of the current situation in the wizarding world without drawing anyone's attention.
Albert raised his wand and tapped a brick in the wall. A doorway immediately appeared, leading onto a winding cobblestone path. He stepped through it and entered Diagon Alley.
Diagon Alley had changed completely. Its former prosperity was gone, replaced by a grim and desolate street. Death Eater wanted posters were plastered everywhere, while countless shabby stalls had suddenly appeared along both sides of the road. Their vendors were wizards who had once lingered at the edges of the gray market. Now that the Ministry of Magic