The ship stopped in the waters outside France. Yin Zebel on the deck reached out to brush her hair that was messed up by the sea breeze, and turned to look at her husband.
"You still can't seem to let go of what's going on in England."
"There's nothing I can do. People always hope that the future will develop in the direction they want, but the future is always full of unknowns." Albert looked at the towering cliffs in front of him and murmured, "Even if I can predict the future, I am not omnipotent."
Albert actually felt that it might be better to let things take their course, but he had already put in so much effort for this, and as long as he could hold on a little longer, a bright future would be right in front of him, and he would never allow himself to relax at the critical moment.
"Aren't we going to continue living on the boat?"
Katrina, wearing a beige casual dress, walked out of the cabin, along with Mrs. MacDougal, and the house-elf beside her was carrying a familiar suitcase.
"We need to borrow a friend's house temporarily." Albert explained to the others with a smile, "We have already communicated with the therapist, so there won't be any problems."
"Are you sure your friend is reliable?"
Katrina was surprised that Albert was willing to trust others, and was even more curious about the friend he mentioned.
On the contrary, Yin Zebeier next to him was very calm, as if he already knew what was going on.
"You know him too. Here he comes."
Albert left the deck and Apparated over the cliff.
“Welcome to France.”
Bud, dressed in trendy Muggle casual clothes, greeted Albert with a smile and gave him a big hug.
"Thank you, Bud, it's all thanks to your help this time." Albert was very grateful for Bud's help.
"You're welcome. You'd have been prepared even without me."
Bud looked at the ordinary-looking ship and nodded, "I dare say that as long as you hide in the sea, no one will be able to find you."
Albert just smiled and agreed with Bud's words. The ship was indeed his last resort.
When the house-elf appeared beside him with the box, Albert waved his wand and put the entire ship directly into the magic bottle.
"It seems that you have gone further than others." Bard withdrew his gaze from the magic bottle and said with a smile, "We should go."
With that, Bard Apparated away with Albert and the house-elf.
When the two appeared again, they came to a suburb where the villa that Bud prepared for them was. Although it looked a bit old, it could be seen that someone lived here and the villa was well maintained.
There was no doubt that Bud had lived here before.
"Mog is the secret keeper here." Bud introduced them. "However, he is not in Europe for the time being. It will be difficult to find him in a short time, so you don't have to worry about leaks."
Mrs. MacDougal secretly looked at Bud, and then looked at the villa in front of her that was protected by the Fidelius Charm, guessing their relationship with Albert. It was obviously a very close one, otherwise, with Albert's caution, he would probably let them live directly on the boat.
"Come in!"
A house-elf bowed to everyone and took the initiative to lead them to their respective rooms to rest.
"I heard that Dumbledore is dead?"
Bard and Albert sat alone in the living room chatting, and mentioned Dumbledore's death. The old man seemed to feel a little regretful for not being able to see Dumbledore off. After all, he was still his old friend.
"Well, he died. The circumstances were a bit complicated."
Albert briefly told Bud what happened.
"Dumbledore is as cruel as ever. He doesn't even spare himself when he gets angry."
When he heard that Dumbledore deliberately let Snape kill him, Bud's face trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but sigh at the cruelty of his old friend.
"I tried to persuade him." Albert shook his head slightly, "but failed. Otherwise, he could have lived for a few more years and the situation would not have become so bad."
"It's useless. Most people are actually very difficult to persuade, let alone Dumbledore. That guy is good at persuading others." Bard was not surprised by this. Although Dumbledore looked easy to talk to, his temper was as hard as a rock. It was impossible for him to be easily persuaded by others, especially by things he firmly believed in. Otherwise, how could he risk his life to plot against the mysterious man without even blinking an eye.
Given the mysterious man's personality and cognition, it is estimated that he will find it difficult to see through Dumbledore's conspiracy and arrangements in his lifetime.
"I can only say that most geniuses are like this."
Albert did not deny that at least he would not easily change his mind because of a few words from others, because they would rather believe in their own judgment.
"What happened in England after his death?"
Bud took a sip of iced juice and talked about topics that interested him.
"The situation is not good. The You-Know-Who and his minions will soon dominate the world." Albert looked at Bud and reminded him, "It's best not to return to Britain before this wizard war is over. There will soon be chaos over there."
"It seems that the Ministry of Magic is going to be finished?" Bud was a little surprised. "I thought the Ministry of Magic could continue to hold on for a while, but I didn't expect it to be worse than I imagined."
"That's all thanks to Fudge. That guy messed up the Ministry of Magic before he left. It was good enough that Scrimgeour didn't explode on the spot when he took over the Ministry of Magic."
Albert knew too well what the Ministry of Magic was like. Scrimgeour was able to stabilize the Ministry of Magic more by relying on the reputation he gained from cracking down on Death Eaters and dark wizards, forcibly suppressing the internal conflicts within the Ministry of Magic and uniting against external enemies.
"It's a pity for Scrimgeour."
Bud didn't continue the topic. He was obviously very clear about the situation in the Ministry of Magic and what role Albert played in it.
"I reminded him, but he obviously didn't want to be a deserter." Albert took a sip of his teacup. "But I think he should have been mentally prepared when he became the minister."
"Well, even if he is willing to give up, those pure-bloods will not let him go easily." Bard shook his head. "Don't forget, so many dark wizards and Death Eaters were killed by Scrimgeour. They also have relatives, friends, and family."
"I understand what you mean." Albert nodded to show his understanding. "Do you think those pure-blood families will hate me for this?"
"The connection between them may be deeper than you expected." Bard kindly reminded, "This is also the reason why many pure-blood wizards are fearless. They have more choices. Those who escaped the control of the Imperius Curse were not just those Death Eaters."
"It's unexpected, but the You-Know-Who is not what they thought." Albert said meaningfully, "I know very well that the reason they are fearless is because of their pure blood, but the You-Know-Who is not Grindelwald. The Death Eaters are just tools and servants to him. They can be sacrificed at any time when necessary. The Malfoy family is a ready-made example. Sooner or later, they will suffer a heavy blow because of this."
"You see things more clearly than I do, but you still have to be careful. Although you are doing it secretly, there is no shortage of smart people in this world, and your identity does not make you a good person to some people." Bud shook his head and reminded.
"I don't work for the Ministry of Magic, and the Ministry of Magic is about to collapse."
"I remember you predicted that this war would not last long."
"Well, after the You-Know-Who takes control of the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, their power will soon reach its peak. Death Eaters and dark wizards have never been content with what they have. It is only a matter of time before they rise and fall, and the process is very fast." Albert's eyes seemed to see through the future. "Dumbledore has put everything on Harry's shoulders. All we have to do is wait patiently for the You-Know-Who to turn back into a mortal."
"It seems that you have found the You-Know-Who's weakness. Is the person who executes the plan the Savior?" Bud was a little surprised, but he quickly figured out the reason and nodded, "Harry Potter is indeed a more suitable candidate. Although I don't quite agree with putting everything on one person... I still hope that he can successfully solve the You-Know-Who problem."
“I believe he can do it and I hope he can do it.”
Bud looked at Albert, trembled his lower lip and said, "Although I don't know what kind of agreement you and Dumbledore have made, nothing is more important than being alive."
"I know exactly what I'm doing." Albert smiled confidently. "I'm just waiting. You have to be patient in everything."
"That's good."
Bud seemed to remember something and suddenly said, "Since you are coming to France, I plan to leave France for a while. You should have contacted the therapist already!"
"Yes, I have already contacted her."
"That's good."
Bard quickly said goodbye and left with the house-elf. He planned to go to Spain and disappear for a while.
"He's gone?"
Katrina looked at Bud's departing back, then looked at Albert and said, "You two have such a good relationship. I always feel like you are hiding some big secret."
"Are you curious?" Albert asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Does your sister know?" Katrina asked.
"Yin Zebel is very smart and guessed it right away." Albert said with a smile, "So, don't expect me to tell you."
"I never expected to."
Katrina rolled her eyes and didn't dwell on the matter any further.
“I’m more concerned about whether this place is really safe?”
"It's more convenient here. Although it does involve some risks, the risks are not high." Albert knew very well that the only risk was the therapist, but he had done his best to ensure that the other party was reliable.
"Unless the You-Know-Who comes after us personally, but that possibility is not high. Most of his attention should be focused on controlling the British Ministry of Magic recently. With Scrimgeour and the Ministry of Magic helping to attract his attention, he won't be interested in paying attention to us for the time being."
Of course, Albert also provided more than one layer of protection.
"Scrimgeour is unlucky."
Katrina suspected that the other party was tricked by Albert.
"That was his own choice, so he can't blame anyone else."