Voldemort's Conspiracy Draws Near "Good afternoon, Professor."
Albert knocked on the door to the Headmaster's Office and smiled as he greeted the old man behind the desk. He was actually rather surprised that Dumbledore knew he had come to Hogwarts.
But on second thought, it was hardly strange. This was, after all, the other man's stronghold of many years. With Sirius's earlier break-in, it was perfectly normal for him to have set up defensive wards and alert measures.
If it had been his own place, Albert would certainly have taken similar precautions to prevent anyone from quietly infiltrating Hogwarts without his knowledge.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Anderson. How is Mr. Diggory?"
Dumbledore set down the Daily Prophet in his hands, looked up at Albert as he entered the office, and gave him the gentle smile of an old friend.
"He's awake. Madam Pomfrey said Cedric will be fine after a few days of proper rest." Albert sat down in the chair beside the desk. "I hope you'll allow him to recuperate here for a few days. St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries isn't exactly safe right now."
"Of course." Dumbledore's gaze swept over the headline on the newspaper beside him as he asked with a smile, "Would you like something to drink?"
"Milk tea."
"I just heard about that matter from Scrimgeour. You did the right thing. This isn't the time to confront Lord Voldemort."
With a light flick of Dumbledore's wand, a steaming cup of milk tea appeared out of thin air before Albert. The headmaster then handed him the newspaper he had just finished reading. Its latest headline read:
The author of Parting the Mist to See the Future, Prophecy Master Cassandra Vablatsky, has mysteriously disappeared from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
"I suspect