Meeting at the Tavern, Paradise Lost / Playing the Spoiled Playboy, Getting Up Early to Fish

"That's true, but my application was rejected." Harry feigned helplessness and frustration. "The Ministry of Magic has imposed a travel ban on me and won't accept my application. Left with no other choice, I have to resort to this last resort: traveling by plane like an ordinary person."

"You can come with me. I got the exit permit from the Department of Magical Transportation days in advance," Moody said urgently. "The Portkey for both the outbound and return journeys are ready. The Portkey Office of Ministry of Magic of each country along the route has also been notified. You just need to follow me the whole way."

"How can that be?" Harry retorted righteously, as if he were entirely concerned for Moody. "You're getting too close to someone like me; the Ministry of Magic will have a problem with you. So I think we should stick to the original plan and just fly there."

"You... kid, you said you're going to take a plane, do those two also have... passports?" Moody was speechless for a moment after Harry's words, but he quickly realized the key point.

"They don't have passports," Harry said without hesitation, "But I can hide them in the trunk for now."

"Then I can hide inside too."

"I won't allow it!"

"You?!"

Moody's expression suddenly froze. So this kid was just playing him for a fool?!

"Mr. Moody, I'm really just worried about you. You're already so old, how could I bear to let you be stuck in that trunk for hours?" Harry said in the manner of a dutiful junior. "I think it's settled then. We'll go catch the plane, and you can go get the Portkey yourself. Godfather, Severus Snape, let's go straight to the airport."

Before Moody could react, Harry grabbed Sirius, and the two behind him Apparition, disappearing from Moody's and the others' sight.

"That brat!" Moody glared angrily at the spot where Harry had just stood, almost glaring his magic eye out of the ground.

He realized that this kid was just trying to intimidate him.

Harry was already on the Ministry of Magic's blacklist, a minor wizard who was strictly prohibited from crossing borders by the Department of Magical Transportation. Therefore, the best reason for Moody to join Harry's small group was naturally to provide Portkey.

In this way, Harry and the others would have to rely on Moody for both the outward and return journeys, making it difficult to abandon him midway.

But now, Harry has pulled off a Muggle travel scheme, catching Moody completely off guard.

Left with no other option, Moody could only Apparition to the border of Britain to retrieve the first Portkey prepared by the Ministry of Magic.

Meanwhile, Harry was already preparing to board the plane in an orderly fashion.

By the way, Albania offers visa-free entry to Albanians, so flying there is actually quite convenient.

"Phew... this breeze, this sunshine, so comfortable~"

Hours later, when Harry arrived in Tirana, the capital of Albania, he immediately fell in love with the climate.

A gentle breeze, a bright and sunny day, and... the sky that most captivated Harry's gaze.

Unlike the often overcast skies of Britain, the Albania sky is a true blue. When Harry looks up at the sky, he can't help but want to transform into an eagle and soar in that clear blue expanse.

Even Rowena in Harry's mind seemed to sense the unusual situation and began to send Harry a faint, trembling feeling.

Albania, the land of the eagles!

Chapter 538 Encounter in the Tavern, Fallen Paradise

If the Albania sun was bright for Harry, then it was absolutely scorching for Sirius and Snape.

In mid-to-late July, Albania's temperature was generally above 30 degrees Celsius, a full 10 degrees higher than that of Britain at the same time. Naturally, characters like Sirius and Snape, who rarely saw the sun, couldn't stand such 'sultry' weather.

Sirius, his mouth dry and parched, had even unbuttoned his robes, revealing his tattoos and pectoral muscles that would make many women turn their heads and scream, but he was still drenched in sweat.

As for Snape...

"Severus Snape, why don't you take off one of your clothes? I'm really afraid you'll collapse from exhaustion before we even find Voldemort."

Honestly, looking at Snape's face, a mixture of sweat and greasy hair, Harry had absolutely no idea why he insisted on wearing two thick layers of trousers under his robes...

Why are men in their thirties covering themselves up so tightly?

Look at Sirius, he's practically shirtless.

"Stop nagging." Snape snapped at Harry expressionlessly, then seemingly calmly cast a Scourgify on himself, but soon beads of sweat appeared on his forehead again.

"Alright, whatever makes you happy."

There's nothing we can do. Let Severus Snape wants. After all, he's Potions Master. Even if it causes heat rash or heatstroke, he can still cure it.

Unlike Snape, who was clearly uncomfortable in the heat, and Sirius, who was panting like Animagus, the environment in Albania was truly paradise for Harry.

Surrounded by such pure natural scenery, he even felt as if his vision was completely bright, and he could see things in the far distance.

A gentle breeze blows, and even my ears become more sensitive, as if I can easily hear the melodious tunes drifting from afar, mixed in with the wind, much like the songs hummed by unknown birds.

"Harry, that pub you mentioned... is Mad-Eye Moody really waiting for us there?" After walking for a while under the blazing sun, Sirius casually wiped the sweat from his chest and asked.

"He'll definitely go there; after all, that's the only place to stay if he wants to enter the Dark Forest."

Albania's Dark Forest is a notoriously dangerous place among the country's sorcerer communities. It is nestled among the mountains in the southeastern part of the country and is associated with many chilling legends.

Vampires, Werewolf, all sorts of dark creatures, and infamous dark wizards... this is a paradise for the fallen.

All of the above is what Professor Quirrell taught Harry in his first-year Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, and the wizarding tavern on the edge of the forest that Harry and the others were going to was also planted by him personally.

Of course, Quirrell was lecturing on vampires in class, but as everyone now knows, he actually encountered Voldemort.

We've arrived.

After carefully examining the low building in front of him, Harry recalled the location Professor Quirrell had mentioned in class and the dilapidated sign outside the tavern, finally confirming that he hadn't come to the wrong place.

Well... the reason he was so sure was because Harry heard an incredibly loud Voice of Magic coming from inside the tavern.

They're all quite violent...

"Great! I'm dying of thirst, I definitely need to go get a good drink!"

Upon hearing that they had arrived at their destination, Sirius excitedly rushed inside.

Although Snape didn't react excessively, he subconsciously quickened his pace.

Then, they stood frozen at the doorway.

When Harry strolled into the dilapidated tavern, the two men were locked in a tense standoff with the people inside.

There weren't many people in the tavern, but everyone there had an unfriendly expression, even the guy who seemed to be the owner.

They exuded the aura of dark wizards, and several of them, with their pale faces, looked nothing like humans.

Sirius and Snape both gripped their wands tightly, clearly aware that this place was not as welcoming as the Leaky Cauldron.

"What are you all standing there for? Come over here right now, I've been waiting for you for ages!"

Just then, an impatient shout broke the tense atmosphere in the tavern. Harry and his two companions, seeing that it was Moody who had arrived earlier, quickly looked around and rushed over.

"Wait! Answer me, who taught my student the Patronus Charm?" Just as Harry was about to sit down, Moody suddenly drew his wand and asked.

"Remus Lupin," Harry replied calmly.

"Very well... don't you need to verify my identity?" Moody asked, frowning.

"I've confirmed it; you're not faking it."

Harry responded with his head down, and following his gaze, Moody noticed that the kid had somehow acquired a map in his hand.

The map clearly marked the names of the four of them, as well as everyone else in the tavern!

"What is this thing? The spell on it seems very powerful." Moody's Magic Eyes examined the map in Harry's hand with suspicion. He could sense a complex spell on it, but he couldn't figure out its specific principle.

"This is a surveillance map. When not in use, it's just a piece of parchment, but if you activate the Homonculous Charm, it can immediately display the names and relative locations of almost all creatures within a certain area. Even invisibility and Polyjuice Potion won't help you escape detection. With it, we can prevent being followed and find Voldemort much easier."

Harry was definitely well-prepared this time. He had studied Lupin's family spells for so long, and now it was time to put them to good use.

"Even so, we can't let our guard down. Look around you." Moody's magic eyes swept around, and he said in a low voice, "They're all dark wizards, and most of them are utterly wicked. If you hadn't all come in at roughly the same time, someone would probably already be after you."

"Understand."

Harry nodded. Albania is arguably the poorest country in all of Europe, and its population is not large at all, so it's easy to imagine how scarce the local wizarding resources are.

The dark wizards in the tavern are very likely fugitives from other countries; this remote and impoverished place is perfect for them to hide in.

Moreover, these guys are all very sensitive; Harry and the others clearly provoked them when they first entered the tavern.

If Moody hadn't yelled that, someone might have already started a fight.

Even now, the gazes directed at me from all around are mostly hostile.

Several ugly old hags were brazenly staring at Sirius's bare chest... and some of them were even looking at Harry.

In places like this, is it really safer to follow the styles of Moody's and Severus Snape's...?

"Anyway, please be very careful. It's almost night now, and it's not safe to go into the Dark Forest. We'd better wait until daytime to make our move," Moody whispered as a final instruction. "We'll rest here tonight. Be careful not to display your valuables, and always keep your wand within reach!"

Harry generally agreed with Moody's suggestion to rest here, but the way those dark wizards were looking at him was just too disgusting.

He said wealth shouldn't be flaunted, but Harry really wanted to try throwing a bag of gold into the tavern's main hall before leaving.

I wonder how many people a hundred Galleon can kill...

Chapter 539 Pretending to be a playboy, fishing early in the morning

Late at night, while carefree people are already fast asleep, the poor boy is hunched over his desk, diligently memorizing.

"Hey, you keep a diary?" Sirius, who was about to go to bed, curiously glanced at Harry as he sat at the table writing and drawing. "But this isn't your handwriting, is it? Such beautiful cursive, it's obviously written by a girl~"

Room assignments at night are quite particular. Although it's good to keep things simple when traveling, Harry couldn't possibly agree to share a room with three men... One was the limit he could accept.

Of the three 'big men' traveling with Harry, all of them would definitely want to sleep with Harry, but Harry didn't want to sleep with Moody, and Sirius and Snape absolutely didn't want to sleep with each other, so it was inevitable that the godfather and godson would share a room.

But now, Harry has some regrets.

Sirius is not only hyperactive but also a bit talkative, which is definitely due to his excessive excitement at sharing a room with him. He's almost forgotten that they came here to take down Voldemort.

And ever since Harry entered Albania, Rowena had been constantly nagging in his head, sometimes saying how nice the place was and urging Harry to stay a while longer as a grand tour; other times urging Harry to hurry up and find the hollow tree in the Dark Forest where Helena hid the Ravenclaw's Diadem, saying she wanted to spend some time there reminiscing...

Dealing with both of them at the same time was giving Harry a real headache, to the point that he started feeling homesick as soon as he stepped out the door.

Sigh, he'd rather have a headache dealing with Hermione...

"Godfather, let's go gather some information on our own tomorrow morning," Harry suggested softly, closing his diary after dealing with Rowena. "It's unlikely we'll get much useful information by going with Mr. Moody."

"Indeed." Sirius nodded; he understood Harry's considerations.

Mad-Eye Moody was so famous that in the tavern that afternoon, he only had to shout once to intimidate the group of ill-intentioned men and let them know that Harry and his gang were under his protection.

However, while this might reduce their own troubles, the guys in the tavern would be more reluctant to contact them, which would definitely affect their ability to gather information.

"In that case, I'll transform into Animagus tomorrow and scout out the forest's outskirts first. But..." Sirius, who had been all serious just a moment ago, suddenly revealed a lewd expression the next, "That handwriting just now doesn't look like Hermione's. Which girl were you whispering to remotely?"

"Godfather, instead of wasting your time gossiping about me, you should worry about yourself." Harry rolled his eyes helplessly. "Such good genes are wasting if we don't use them. Besides, I'm waiting to be your kids' godfather!"

Sirius's appearance, even from Harry's male perspective, is absolutely impeccable.

If he finds a good-looking partner in the future, and they have a child who inherits the best features from both parents...

At that time, little Black might very well dominate the entire Britain Wizarding World just with his face.

"Hey, you're thinking too far ahead, time for bed~" Sirius laughed and shook his head, then casually flopped back onto the bed.

To be honest, what Harry just mentioned really caught him off guard.

He thought that after his release from prison, he could simply stay by his godson's side for the rest of his life, but he later discovered that Harry didn't need him to protect him at all.

On the contrary, he has been receiving care from Harry all along, and his mentality has even gradually returned to that of his teenage years when he was inseparable from James and the others.

Perhaps, I can really try to pursue a completely new life...

Nothing more was said that night.

As dawn broke the following day, Sirius transformed into a black dog and quietly left the tavern, while Harry went to the front desk alone.

He picked the most expensive food in the tavern, ordered an expensive drink of unknown ingredients, casually found a seat, and began to enjoy it, seemingly without any suspicion whatsoever.

There were already some wizards in the tavern, and when they saw Harry's appearance, their faces all showed a degree of disdain, as if to say, "Just as I expected."

There's no way around it, Harry's appearance is just that deceptive.

Surrounded by three adult wizards, including Mad-Eye Moody, he acted alone early in the morning, spending lavishly without any sense of danger. Coupled with his seemingly refined, non-prescription glasses... In a place like Albania where information is underdeveloped, unless someone could truly recognize him as Harry Granger, everyone would assume he was a scion of a wealthy family out to "see the world."

Given Moody's intimidating presence, these dark wizards might not actually dare to lay a hand on Harry when he's alone. So, his 'playboy' behavior will likely only catch petty thieves.

Fortunately, just as Harry finished his food and drink and was almost empty, someone finally crept up to him furtively.

"Distinguished sir, would you mind having a chat?"