"This weather... is really horrible!"
Albert walked out from the corner of the street, looked up at the gray sky above his head, and suddenly turned his head to look in a certain direction. His sight penetrated the thick fog and fell on the roof not far from the street. Several Ministry of Magic employees were holding wands, stirring up wind and snow to block the view of passers-by.
In the sky above the city of London, Aurors riding on brooms are taking advantage of the cover of wind and snow to summon their respective patronuses to drive away the Dementors entrenched in the sky above London.
Albert blew a breath of hot air into his palms, rubbed them vigorously, tightened his windbreaker, walked along the dim street, and finally turned into a steaming coffee shop.
As soon as I opened the glass door, a hot breeze filled with a strong aroma of coffee blew towards me. Probably because of the bad weather, there were not many customers in the store.
His eyes swept across the store and fell on a customer in the corner, a middle-aged man with red hair, who was drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!" Albert walked over and greeted the other person.
"No, I just arrived!"
Scrimgeour put down the newspaper, smiled and asked Albert to sit down. "What would you like to drink? It's my treat today."
"A cappuccino," Albert said to the waitress.
After the waitress left, Scrimgeour lowered his voice and said, "I heard from Kings what happened to Snape."
They didn't use magic to mask their voices, as that would have made them even more suspicious.
"Oh, it seems that Kingslai is still upset about this!"
Albert understood what the other party meant. He was obviously also very concerned about whether Snape would backstab Dumbledore.
Although Scrimgeour is now more like a politician, he has never forgotten Albert's death warning. In fact, as long as you have a normal mind, you will realize the importance of Dumbledore. Although it is not enough to make the mysterious man and the Death Eaters dare not act rashly, the deterrent effect is there.
"Is this true?"
Scrimgeour risked his life to meet Albert. He needed an answer to make a judgment on the future situation.
“It is true, but that could change.”
Albert nodded slightly to the waitress and took a sip of his coffee cup. “You know, the future is hard to predict.”
"Can you help him?" Scrimgeour asked bluntly.
"You mean Snape?"
Albert was very surprised by Scrimgeour's decision. It seemed like he was planning to kill Snape!
However, this is not surprising, since Snape was once a Death Eater and Albert predicted that he might be harmful to Dumbledore.
Putting the two together, doesn't it prove that he is still a Death Eater? And the Ministry of Magic's policy towards Death Eaters is generally to kill them directly.
If killing Snape could save Dumbledore, Scrimgeour certainly wouldn't mind doing it.
He's just a Death Eater. If he dies, he dies. It's better for everyone.
"I don't know. It's hard to say. I think what the future will be like still depends on Dumbledore. You know, the older a person gets, the more stubborn he becomes. It's hard for others to convince him." Albert shook his head slightly, indicating that he was not optimistic about Scrimgeour's plan. "Perhaps, you can find time to go to him, and then you can talk slowly."
"We talked about it, and he doesn't think it's Snape's problem."
Scrimgeour actually didn't understand why Dumbledore would protect Snape, especially when Albert predicted that Snape would kill him, which was obviously suspicious.
As for the reason, Scrimgeour couldn't think of it for the time being, but he always felt that Albert should know something. The guy in front of him knew a lot of secrets.
"You'll have to ask him yourself."
Albert put down his coffee cup with a smile and shrugged, "I don't like Snape anyway. I support you in wanting to get rid of him. As for Dumbledore doing that, he must have a reason."
"Kinsley thinks so, too."
Scrimgeour still felt that Albert must know something but just didn't want to tell him, and that Dumbledore had never intended to tell him these secrets from the beginning.
In fact, anyone with an eye can see that Dumbledore has been running around during this period, definitely to target the mysterious man, but he has never intended to tell anyone, just like the guy in front of him. This makes Scrimgeour both annoyed and helpless. Is he, a dignified Minister of Magic, so untrustworthy
"The principal is probably preparing some secret weapon." Albert seemed to see through Scrimgeour's thoughts and smiled and said, "For some things, the fewer people know about them, the higher the chance of success. And I think he is right not to let you know."
Ignoring Scrimgeour's gloomy expression, Albert continued, "Don't blame me for saying something harsh. You are his target, and you don't intend to hide. Sooner or later, something will go wrong. How can you let him tell you? Isn't this a leak?"
Scrimgeour's face grew even darker, but what Albert said was true.
Besides, what's wrong with the Minister of Magic? In the eyes of those powerful wizards, he is just that.
Especially in someone's eyes, he could die at any time.
Dumbledore never took the Minister of Magic seriously, and he didn't even care about the position. Voldemort also didn't take the Minister of Magic seriously, and when necessary, he would just kill him and replace him with someone else. But what about Albert Anderson
It seems like another Dumbledore.
However, he is not as gentle as the old man, which makes him more frightening.
He knew better than anyone how those dark wizards and Death Eaters died.
"A secret weapon? How confident is he, you know..."
“The guy with almost no nose,” Albert added.
"Well, the guy with almost no nose." Scrimgeour didn't care about Albert's nickname for Voldemort, and continued, "I mean... wait, and he wouldn't... I still think I shouldn't take risks. I'm already old, and it's more important to be stable."
"You have to talk to him yourself, but I don't think your chances of success are high." Albert actually felt a little sympathy for Scrimgeour, at least a little sympathy for the man in front of him. To some extent, Scrimgeour was also implicated. If Dumbledore died suddenly, he would soon become Voldemort's target.
Unfortunately, there are no ifs in this world. When he chose to become the Minister of Magic and planned to confront Voldemort head-on, many things were already determined.
"In fact, you already knew it, didn't you?" Scrimgeour exhaled and suddenly asked, "You never thought of changing from the beginning. What on earth are you thinking? It's really hard to understand."
"For the final victory."
"Can we really win?"
"You'll have to ask him." Albert shrugged, and when he picked up the coffee cup, he found it was empty.
“I hate the Riddler!” Scrimgeour sighed.
"You still have a chance," Albert said. "It all depends on your choice."
"Forget it, I already know my ending anyway!" Scrimgeour became more and more convinced that these two guys were secretly planning something. What was so worthy of Dumbledore risking his life on them? This made the Minister of Magic doubt his life.
However, the answer is not difficult to guess. It is definitely aimed at Voldemort. It is estimated that only the famous Dark Lord is qualified to enjoy such treatment, and the person in front may be an insider, or... the executor.
"There's still time. You can think about it slowly. Don't rush to make a decision." Albert put down the empty coffee cup and asked, "Anything else?"
"The hotel has been completed. I would like to invite you to come over and take a look, and help out a little." Scrimgeour extended an invitation to Albert. This was also what they had agreed on before. Albert would be the confidential keeper of the shelter.
Finding someone else won't make people feel at ease.
Albert was a little surprised. He originally thought it would take longer to complete, but he didn't expect the Ministry of Magic to be so efficient.
"Well, everyone has been working overtime during this period."
Scrimgeour folded the paper and put it in his briefcase, then went to the counter to pay.
As soon as the two walked out of the coffee shop, a gust of cold air blew towards them. Albert reached out and tightened his windbreaker, then followed Scrimgeour to a nearby public toilet.
"Let's go."
He pointed to the briefcase in his hand.
Albert recognized it as a door key at a glance. He put his hand on it and was pulled away by a force.
When he regained his footing, he found himself in an abandoned place with a tall, dilapidated hotel in front of him.
Yes, it's a hotel.
Scrimgeour converted an abandoned hotel into a shelter for the families of Ministry employees.
"Shelter 1," Scrimgeour introduced, leading Albert through the outer defensive magic.
“Hmm.” Albert was stunned when he heard the name, and asked, “Are you still building other shelters?”
"According to the original plan, there are also Shelter No. 2 and No. 3, but I'm not sure if there will be enough time." Scrimgeour stopped and turned his head to Albert and said, "Okay, I have transferred everyone. I will trouble you from now on."
"It seems that you invited Dumbledore."
Albert understood what Scrimgeour meant. It was obvious that he was going to let Dumbledore use the Fidelius Charm and then let him act as a secret keeper.
"Yes, he should be here soon." Scrimgeour took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
After a while, Dumbledore appeared out of nowhere, nodded slightly at the two people here, greeted them and said with a smile, "It seems that I came at the right time!"
"I was hoping we could talk later," Scrimgeour said suddenly.
"Of course, no problem, but I still stick to my opinion." Dumbledore had guessed what Scrimgeour wanted to talk to him about, and changed the subject, "Let's start now."
He actually didn't feel strange. Albert was enough to cast the Fidelius Charm. He obviously wanted to talk to him at this time, but there were some things he couldn't tell Scrimgeour.
"here we go!"
Dumbledore raised his wand and pointed it at the hotel in front of him. He whispered a spell and waved his wand. The hotel in front of him began to become blurry, as if a layer of mist was covering his eyes. Then the hotel disappeared out of thin air. It should be said that he was hidden.
Dumbledore pointed his wand at Albert, who seemed to sense something and his body trembled slightly. Some memories about Shelter No. 1 became clear again, along with Shelter No. 1 in front of him.
"Okay, it's done!"
Dumbledore looked at the hotel which had completely disappeared from his sight, nodded with satisfaction and looked at Albert.
"No problem." Albert said softly, "Welcome to Shelter No. 1, located in the suburb of Bidford, Devon!"
When Albert told Dumbledore and Scrimgeour the exact location of Shelter No. 1, Shelter No. 1 reappeared in front of Dumbledore and Scrimgeour.
"Oh, by the way, this thing is for you."
Albert seemed to have thought of something. He waved his wand gently, and parchment and a quill appeared out of thin air. He wrote something on it and handed it to Scrimgeour.
"What are you giving me this for?"
Scrimgeour glanced at the contents of the parchment, which were the words Albert had just said.
"With this thing, you can use it to transfer residents here without my presence," Albert explained.
"Don't you need to come here in person?"
Scrimgeour was a little stunned. Of course he knew the Fidelius Charm, but what about this parchment
"No need, just get my permission. Just keep the parchment safe. It's like me telling them the exact location of Shelter No. 1. I suggest you destroy it with fire after use." Albert reminded kindly.
"Indeed, it is a more sophisticated way of using it." Dumbledore explained to Scrimgeour that he was actually very familiar with this method and it was not surprising that Albert would use it.
"Now that the work has been done, I will leave first. See you another day." Albert nodded slightly at the two of them, then Apparated away.
"Wait..." Scrimgeour originally wanted to pull Albert and Dumbledore to have a chat together, but Albert slipped away first.
There was a brief silence around.
"Have you talked about it?" Dumbledore asked suddenly.
"Well, we talked about it. I suspect you are planning something." After Scrimgeour and Dumbledore walked into Shelter No. 1, they talked about some very sensitive issues.
He didn't actually expect to get some useful information from Dumbledore, but he was still a little unwilling to give up, so he asked directly. As for whether Dumbledore would answer or not, that was his business.
"Some things are not suitable for too many people to know." Dumbledore said after a moment.
"Where's Anderson?" Scrimgeour asked.
"Mr. Anderson guessed it himself." Dumbledore shook his head. "Besides, it's OK for him to know because he is also involved and can keep it completely confidential, so I'm not worried."
"What about Snape? Do you trust him so much, or do you think letting Snape kill you is an essential part of the whole plan?" Scrimgeour couldn't help but sneer. He still couldn't help but get angry because this matter concerned his own life.
"You can think of this as part of the plan. Severus has always been mine."
"He is a Death Eater and a double agent. Don't you think it's ridiculous that you trust him and put your life in his hands?"
"No, I believe he has reformed."
"It's incomprehensible!" Scrimgeour muttered. "You are simply crazy."
“Something has to give.”
"Enough, I've had enough. You're just like that Anderson, always keeping things mysterious." Scrimgeour left in a rage. He knew very well that the other party would not tell him anything. He hated this group of Riddlers.