Chapter 160
Albert was walking through the same alley where Barty Crouch Jr. and Peter Pettigrew had disappeared earlier, planning to use it himself to Apparate back home.
He had managed, in just two and a half months, to master a highly advanced level of Apparition the result of intense effort and constant self-training.
Thanks to that, he could now cross great distances in the blink of an eye.
When Albert finally arrived home, he was cheerful and refreshed after visiting the Granger family and getting to know them properly.
But as soon as he entered the house, he was surprised to find Harry Potter sitting inside, without any warning.
Harry greeted Albert with a smile.
Albert saw his father, Sirius, and Harry sitting at the large dining table, laughing and eating together.
Albert asked, "Oh, Harry? When did you get here?"
Harry couldn't answer right away because his mouth was full, so Sirius spoke for him, smiling, "Oh! We got here about an hour ago! Come sit and eat with us!"
Albert waved his hand dismissively. "I've already eaten at Hermione's house. I'm full!"
When Harry heard that, he remembered the letter Ron had sent him back at the Dursleys'.
He dropped his spoon into the bowl and asked teasingly, "So how was it, Albert? Did you have a nice time together?"
Albert immediately realized Harry was teasing him that mischievous grin gave it away.
He gave Harry a look of mock disgust but decided to play along. "It was great, actually! I didn't expect them to know so much about our magical world. I thought they were just like any other Muggle family."
Harry looked disappointed at that answer; what he really wanted to know was what had happened between Albert and Hermione.
He'd always enjoyed teasing Hermione, after all.
Albert told his father that he was going to his room to change and get some sleep.
Harry, meanwhile, was getting used to his new home.
Sirius had already shown him the room that would be his from now on.
Harry was amazed at how big and spacious the house was.
He said while looking up at the high ceiling, "Did Albert live here all this time, Sirius?"
Sirius paused for a moment, then smiled softly. "Yes! And you'll be living with us from now on too."
The two embraced again warmly.
A few minutes later, Sirius took Harry on a tour of the house, showing him all the rooms and areas. The farther they went, the more astonished Harry became.
He stopped when they reached the large library filled with magical books and spell tomes.
Noticing a small door beside one of the bookcases, Harry pointed at it. "What's that door, Sirius?"
Sirius replied, "That door leads to a special room that holds advanced spellbooks. Even I only managed to learn two spells from there. That's why it's called The Room of Advanced Books."
Harry smiled and said, "I bet Albert has learned tons of spells in there!"
Sirius smiled too, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm not really sure about that. You know, Albert doesn't talk much about those things with me. And I've only been out of Azkaban for about two months, so we haven't had much time to really talk."
Meanwhile…
A small rat scurried across a dark street, barely dodging a large truck that nearly crushed it.
But the rat didn't care about its narrow escape.
It kept running, muttering to itself, "The Dark Lord is still alive… I must find him… He'll reward me if I save him…"
The rat Peter Pettigrew was heading toward a grim, desolate place.
Only two of Voldemort's followers knew of this place: Peter himself and Barty Crouch Jr.
It was the Riddle House, where Peter believed the Dark Lord might be hiding, regaining his strength.
The old caretaker of the Riddle House was inside his small side room, as he had been for sixty years, faithfully guarding the property.
But tonight, heavy with sleep and lulled by the stillness of the night, the old man dozed off unaware that an intruder was slipping in.
Peter the rat squeezed through the narrow gap beneath the door and ran up the stairs toward the upper floor.
The Riddle House had two stories, and Peter searched both thoroughly but there was no trace of Voldemort, no sign that he had been there at all.
He whispered anxiously, "Oh no… I can't find any sign of the Dark Lord… Does that mean he was never here? Then where should I go to find him?"
He scurried back down the stairs, troubled and deep in thought.
Even though he was one of Voldemort's followers, Peter knew very well that the Dark Lord rarely revealed his whereabouts. Only a handful of Death Eaters ever
knew where he went.
That made Peter's mission almost impossible.
To be continued ...