As April approached, the temperature outside began to rise, and the lilacs in the garden burst back to life with the arrival of spring.
Albert sat on the sofa in the sunroom, enjoying the long-missed morning sunlight as he read the latest newspaper.
He looked up at the McDougal sisters taking a walk in the courtyard, smiled and waved at Isabelle, then turned his attention back to the latest headline.
"Expecting a bunch of lunatics to behave themselves was unrealistic after all."
By the time he learned the latest news from the paper, several days had already passed. He set the newspaper down, summoned a notebook with his wand, and wrote down the useful information from the article:
Angelina had been attacked, Claire had gone missing, and Damocles had been tortured with the Cruciatus Curse.
"If Angelina's attack and Claire's disappearance were both related to me, then why were the Death Eaters using the Cruciatus Curse to interrogate Damocles?" Albert felt that something about all three incidents was profoundly off.
Were they looking for me?
Albert truly could not understand it. Though there was indeed deep hatred between both sides, after Voldemort took control of Mrs. Dale and Mrs. Mary, they should no longer have been trying to find him.
Yet this unreasonable thing had still happened.
Was it meant to muddy the waters, or...
Who else was trying to find me?
Albert picked up the wand on the table and summoned the Crystal Ball from the study. He gently placed a hand on it and stared at the figure emerging amid the swirling smoke, his expression becoming very strange.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Albert softly spoke the culprit's name.
"What did that madwoman want? To find me, or..."
If Voldemort's side had made any move, he would certainly have received some