Although Snape no longer minded people knowing where he lived, a wizard's home address was still something best kept secret.
After all, the fewer people who knew it, the better.
Otherwise, enemies—or even someone who simply disliked you—might show up at your doorstep.
Arthur understood this well.
That was exactly why he had placed a curse on his own home address, preventing others from revealing it without permission.
Yet today, in a single day, three more people had learned Snape's address.
Fortunately, none of them were his enemies.
Otherwise, Snape would have had a real headache.
Snape clearly didn't want to dwell on the subject any further.
He changed the topic and looked at Dumbledore.
"You didn't come here just to ask when I moved, did you?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore replied.
"But would you mind adding another set of utensils for this old man? Let's talk after dinner."
There were simply too many people present.
The matter he wanted to discuss wasn't suitable for everyone to hear—
Especially the Granger parents or Fleur, who was currently staying at Arthur's house.
And, of course, there was another reason.
He hadn't eaten dinner yet.
So Dumbledore shamelessly asked Snape for tableware.
Snape was already used to Dumbledore's thick skin.
With a flick of his hand, he used a wordless wandless Levitation Charm to bring a set of utensils from the kitchen and place them before Dumbledore.
Dumbledore smiled approvingly.
"Wordless wandless magic. It seems your strength has improved greatly."
His tone sounded like a teacher praising a student.
Snape didn't bother responding.
He silently stuffed a bite of food into his mouth and chose the policy of silence while eating.
Seeing Snape ignore him, Dumbledore turned to Lucius instead.
"I didn't expect your whole family to be here," Dumbledore said.
"I heard about what happened earlier today. No one was injured, I hope?"
He was referring to the attack on the Malfoy family that afternoon.
Although Lucius didn't particularly like Dumbledore, he still maintained proper aristocratic etiquette.
"We're fine," Lucius replied.
"Thanks to Arthur's help."
"That's good to hear," Dumbledore nodded.
"Arthur is as reliable as ever."
He then asked,
"So what are your plans now?"
Lucius answered,
"The wizarding world is becoming increasingly unstable. Nowhere feels safe."
"So we plan to temporarily stay at Severus's house."
In truth, it wasn't the entire wizarding world that was unsafe.
It was unsafe specifically for the Malfoy family.
Now that Voldemort had returned, who knew if he would try to kill Lucius again?
Dumbledore nodded in agreement.
Indeed—
Living near Arthur was an excellent choice.
With Arthur around, their safety was far more assured.
Nearby, Mrs. Granger overheard that the wizarding world was unsafe, and she immediately became nervous.
Even though she knew Arthur and Hermione were powerful, that didn't stop a mother from worrying.
She asked anxiously:
"What's happening in the wizarding world?"
"Is it dangerous?"
"Will it affect the children's schooling?"
"If it does, can they take a leave from school?"
Her rapid-fire questions left even Dumbledore stunned.
For a moment, he didn't even know where to start answering.
This was precisely why he hadn't wanted to discuss serious matters in front of so many people.
Just explaining everything would be troublesome.
Instead of explaining, Dumbledore simply reassured her.
"Please rest assured, madam. It's only a small incident."
"Our Ministry of Magic will resolve it soon."
In truth—
Dumbledore was lying.
If the Ministry could solve the problem, he wouldn't be here tonight.
He had come to ask Arthur for help.
Still, Mrs. Granger relaxed slightly after hearing his reassurance.
Dumbledore stopped talking and quietly continued eating.
Whatever needed to be said could wait until after dinner.
After the meal ended, Leah voluntarily suggested chatting with Mrs. Granger next door.
Mr. Granger and Fleur could also sense that Dumbledore had something confidential to discuss.
So they politely excused themselves as well.
Soon, only a few people remained:
DumbledoreSnapeLuciusArthur
Arthur grabbed an apple from the table and took a large bite.
Dumbledore glanced at him.
"Didn't you eat enough?"
He assumed Arthur might have lost part of his dinner because Dumbledore had joined the meal.
Arthur waved his hand.
"No, no."
"This is just dessert."
Then he said,
"Anyway, let's get to the point."
"What did you come here for?"
Dumbledore explained,
"I would like you to accompany me in searching for Voldemort's whereabouts."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't I already give Harry the tracking disk for Bellatrix?"
"Just track Bellatrix and you'll find Voldemort. Why do you need me?"
Dumbledore looked slightly embarrassed.
"Well… the main issue is that I lack manpower."
Arthur stared at him in disbelief.
"You're joking, right?"
"You're the Minister for Magic and the founder of the Order of the Phoenix, and you're telling me you lack manpower?"
Dumbledore sighed.
"You know Dolores Umbridge, don't you? She was Fudge's close confidant."
"She has gathered Fudge's remaining supporters inside the Ministry and is opposing me."
"After learning about the tracking disk you gave Harry, I proposed assembling a team in the Ministry to track Bellatrix."
"But Umbridge persuaded the lower-level Ministry staff to reject the proposal."
"She claimed the disk emits an ominous aura and must be a Dark artifact."
"Worse, she's been spreading rumors that I've been cursed by the disk and have lost my sanity."
"Now very few people in the Ministry are willing to follow my orders. Many only pretend to cooperate."
"As for the Order of the Phoenix… you know its membership is small."
"Against Voldemort, we're still far from enough."
"That's why I came to ask for your help."
Arthur listened to the entire explanation and could only shake his head.
What a mess.
The legendary White Wizard had become Minister for Magic—
And somehow managed to play a winning hand terribly.
It seemed that after spending too long at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had forgotten how to play political games altogether.
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