The Wildsmiths' Concerns
As night fell, Albert folded the Marauder's Map and put it in his pocket. Amidst the whistles of Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, he left the Room of Requirement.
The three seemed to have some strange misunderstanding about Albert's statement that he had an appointment with someone else.
Albert was too lazy to explain to them. Let them misunderstand. It wasn't like he hadn't dated Isobel before.
When Albert reached the Third Floor through the secret passage, he took out his pocket watch, glanced at the hands, and saw that it was still a few minutes until seven o'clock in the evening.
That was enough time for him to get to Professor McGonagall's office.
Just past seven, Albert put his pocket watch in his pocket and knocked on the office door.
A moment later, footsteps could be heard from inside the door.
Professor McGonagall opened the door and looked at Albert standing outside, saying, "Very punctual."
"I'd like to borrow it for a moment..."
Albert was interrupted by Professor McGonagall before he could finish speaking.
"Bard has already written to me about this." Professor McGonagall took two steps back, making way for Albert to come inside and talk.
"You should know how to use Floo Powder, right?"
"I know how to use it."
"That's good." Professor McGonagall handed the box of Floo Powder to Albert, then suddenly reminded him, "You must be back before curfew."
"Understood." Albert took a pinch from the box and sprinkled the Floo Powder onto the fireplace.
With a whoosh, the fire in the fireplace roared up with emerald green flames, rising higher than the two of them.
Albert walked straight into the fire, shouted "Diagon Alley 192," and was sucked into the flames. His body felt like it was spinning rapidly in a washing machine, with a whooshing sound rushing past his ears.
He didn't know how much time had passed when Albert felt himself fall headfirst onto the cold stone ground.
"Sir, are you alright?"
A sharp voice rang in Albert's ears; it was House-elf.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Please take my hand, sir, and I will take you to the banquet venue."
As soon as Albert got up from the ground, the House-elf reached out and grabbed his wrist, then Apparition and disappeared from the spot.
When Albert finally came to his senses, he found himself standing in a brightly lit hall.
The House-elf beside him pushed him to sit in a chair.
"Good evening," Professor Broad greeted Albert with a smile. "It seems you're not quite used to this kind of travel yet."
"Yes, I'm feeling a bit unwell." Albert suppressed his nausea and nodded slightly to the people present. He noticed that Sera Harishis was also there.
"I think you'll get used to it eventually," Tiberius Ogden said gently.
"Aren't you surprised to see me here?" Sera Harishis winked at Albert and said with a smile.
"I can probably guess why," Albert said.
"I hope you won't mind spending Easter with us old folks." Ge Bo Smith gave Albert a friendly smile. "After all, we don't get to spend much time together, and as family, we need to take some time to nurture our bond."
The House-elf quickly served all the food, which was mainly France and Italy cuisine, but all of it was easy to digest.
"I know you might be a little surprised. Although some rules cannot be changed, rules are ultimately inanimate, while people are alive, and people are more important," McDougal said calmly.
"So, I've become one of you ahead of time?" Albert asked curiously after swallowing the lobster meat covered in cheese from the seafood noodles.
"You could say that," Professor Broad nodded with a smile.
"Can you tell me what made you make this change?" Albert asked, listening intently as he continued to devour Italy seafood pasta.
"I recently visited an old friend who told me that the Mars that could bring war are still shining brightly above us," Tiberius Ogden said softly.
"Seer?" Albert put down his fork, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and looked at Tiberius, asking, "Is this an indication that fighting will break out again soon?"
"Yes, he is very good at stargazing and Divination." Ogden sighed. "He told me that there have been many signs over the past decade that the wizarding world is just going through a brief period of peace between two wars."
"I've also heard some rumors lately, related to the Lord Voldemort," Albert said calmly. "It's said that the Lord Voldemort has his eye on the Philosopher's Stone, and that stone is currently at Hogwarts?"
"This is not good news," McDougal frowned. "It's hard to imagine Dumbledore doing that."
"Potter is enrolled this year," Professor Broad reminded him. "Everyone calls him the Savior, and I think something might happen between them."
"Yes, you guessed right. I also think something will happen between them." Albert cracked open the lobster claw that had already been smashed.
"As Wildsmith's heir, we expect you to prioritize your safety." Ge Bo Smith showed no other negative feelings towards him despite the fact that his grandson had been killed by Albert.
Sometimes, Albert felt it was incredible.
"Oh, of course I'll protect myself, after all, I haven't lived enough yet," Albert said earnestly.
During the dinner, they talked about many things: the First Wizarding War, and even earlier, the events that unfolded in the Wizarding World caused by the first Dark Lord.
Whether it was Ogden, Smith, or even Harishis, they were all passing on their experience to Albert.
They were all very worried about the outbreak of the Second Wizarding War, and even more worried that the war would last a long time.
Voldemort made everyone only dare to call him "that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," not just because his name was enchanted, but because of the fear that had been etched into people's hearts for years, or even longer.
"If anything bad happens, I hope you will hide, or simply leave Britain and wait for the war to end before returning," Ogden said earnestly to Albert.
Escaping may be a weak act, but it is undoubtedly the best solution.
"Because I'm Gryffindor student?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow.
Clearly, the reason why they emphasized this to him at this time was because they were worried that he was Gryffindor student.
The students of Gryffindor are not lacking in courage, but facing Voldemort or his minions head-on is clearly not a situation they want to see.
The Wildsmith Family is so secretive that if they all hide, you won't be able to find them even if you wanted to, and very few people know they exist.
"Don't worry, I value my life more than you do, and besides, I can actually Divination," Albert said calmly.
"That's precisely why we're worried." Professor Broad sighed softly. "When you were a freshman, you dared to venture into the Forbidden Forest all by yourself. I know you actually did a lot of preparation, but you still took the risk. Even if the risk is low, it's still a risk."
"I don't need to bring up last year's events," McDougal said with a sigh.
"You love adventure too much. You may prepare carefully for every adventure, but we don't want you to take risks because no preparation is ever perfect."
"Don't worry, I won't joke with my own life," Albert said calmly. "Besides, there's Isobel."
"Isobel is a good kid too, but you're more suitable," Ogden said.
"I heard you two are on a date?" Morg asked tentatively.
"Yes, we are indeed dating," Albert admitted directly.
"See? I told you they'd end up together," Professor Broad winked and smiled at the others. "They have very similar personalities."
"That's great. Let's get married after you graduate," Ge Bo Smith decided. "Then we'll settle down abroad and not come back to Britain for a while. We'll all leave Britain to avoid the upcoming Second Wizarding War."
Albert was speechless upon hearing this.
Frankly, using the word "war" to describe it is a bit of an exaggeration.
Moreover, he knew that the so-called Second Wizarding War would not last as long as the First, and that Voldemort would soon be defeated by the Saviors.
The concerns of those present are undoubtedly unnecessary.
But Albert couldn't very well tell them that Voldemort would soon be defeated after the Second War began.