As April approached, the temperature outside began to rise, and the lilacs in the yard were revitalized with the arrival of spring.
Albert sat on the sunroom sofa, enjoying the long-missed morning sunlight as he read the latest newspaper.
He looked up at the McDougal sisters strolling through the garden, smiled and waved at Isobel, 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 it down, summoned his notebook with his wand, and wrote down the useful information from the newspaper:
Angelina had been attacked, Claire had vanished, and Damocles had been tortured with the Cruciatus Curse.
"If Angelina's attack and Claire's disappearance were both connected to me, then why had the Death Eaters tortured Damocles with the Cruciatus Curse?" Albert felt that the three incidents carried a strong sense of incongruity.
"To find 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 not have continued trying to find him.
Yet this unreasonable thing had still happened.
To muddy the waters, or...
Who else was trying to find me?
Albert picked up the wand from the table and summoned the crystal ball from his study. He gently placed a hand on it and stared at the figure appearing amid the swirling smoke, his expression turning very strange.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Albert quietly spoke the culprit's name.
"What did that Madwoman want? To find me, or..."
If Voldemort's side had made any move, he would definitely have received some news.
So this seemed more like Bellatrix acting on her own?
Well, it was