The three of them headed into the castle to find Albert.
Yet the ancient castle, stripped of its usual vitality, looked gloomy and eerie. Even the ghosts who often drifted through its halls had vanished without a sound.
Used to the noisy castle from their school days, Harry and Ron found it unsettling and instinctively reached for the wands at their belts.
"Where do you think Albert might be?" Hagrid was the first to break the silence.
"Probably in the library, or the Room of Requirement on the Eighth Floor," Harry said after a moment's pause. "Of course, he could also be in the Defence Against the Dark Arts office. Do you know where that is?"
"I think Albert's most likely in his office, and then the library." Ron seemed to recall something and turned to Harry. "Did you bring the Marauder's Map?"
"Hermione has the Marauder's Map." Harry shook his head. "She seemed to be planning to come back and finish seventh year, so she borrowed it from me."
Ever since Harry had become an Auror and started working for the Ministry of Magic, the Marauder's Map had been of little use to him, so he naturally did not carry it around.
Thus, the three of them could only try to find Albert themselves.
They first knocked on the door of the Defence Against the Dark Arts office on the Third Floor. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no one inside, so they could only try their luck at the library on the Fifth Floor.
Fortunately, luck was on their side. The library door was half-open, and familiar yet unfamiliar voices drifted from within.
When they pushed open the door and entered the library, they found Albert and Cedric ending their conversation and turning to stare at them.
Cedric looked