"Do you mean to say that You-Know-Who went to Austria?"
The following noon, Kael raised an eyebrow in mild confusion as he looked at Professor McGonagall, who had come to deliver the news.
Today was the day to relocate Harry, yet Voldemort chose to leave the United Kingdom at such a critical moment?
"Someone spotted You-Know-Who at the place where the Swiss border meets Austria," Professor McGonagall said, "This information came from Ms. Maxime; it should be accurate."
"What did Professor Dumbledore say?" Hermione asked urgently, having just arrived.
"Dumbledore has already gone," Professor McGonagall replied, "However, he mentioned that he might not be able to join tonight's operation. He advised you to use the previous backup plan."
The room fell silent, with no one speaking.
Honestly, although everyone took tonight's operation seriously, they weren't overly anxious... because Dumbledore was still with them.
With Dumbledore, they firmly believed that tonight's operation wouldn't fail; everyone was convinced.
In the plans created by Moody and Kingsley, there was even an alternative that involved using Harry as bait, to draw out the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who hidden in the shadows, and engage in a direct battle with them.
But they knew that neither Sirius nor the Weasleys would agree to such a plan, so they kept it to themselves.
Yet, this was their true intention.
At that time, they planned for Dumbledore to handle You-Know-Who while they took care of the Death Eaters in a direct battle, or perhaps... a decisive war.
For that, they secretly made various preparations, devising a series of detailed plans.
However, the prerequisite for all this was Dumbledore's participation, otherwise, their confrontation with the Death Eaters wouldn't amount to much.
"Dumbledore has already gone?" Moody asked again.
"Yes," Professor McGonagall replied, "Half an hour ago, Ms. Maxime sent a letter. After reading it, he left hurriedly and asked me to inform you."
The room fell into silence once more.
Everyone understood what Professor McGonagall meant and had long anticipated this possibility, so they considered it while planning.
Yet, everyone was aware that anything happening at this time was part of Voldemort's scheme, and they felt Dumbledore wouldn't fall for it.
No one expected him to be so straightforwardly deceived, leaving the United Kingdom without even discussing with everyone.
Nonetheless, this demonstrated that something of higher importance than relocating Harry was involved, otherwise, Dumbledore wouldn't act so decisively.
But what exactly was it?
As everyone pondered, they still couldn't discern what was special about Austria.
Could it be because three consecutive International Confederation of Wizards meetings were held there?
No, it's still quite some time before the conference starts, so even going would be futile. But then, what could be the reason?
Everyone furrowed their brows, thinking deeply, yet remained clueless.
Only Kael squinted his eyes with thought.
Regarding Austria, there's one place that can't be ignored… not some so-called grand hall for the International Confederation of Wizards, a place that sounds impressive but is essentially just a bigger room.
The truly renowned place is a prison, Nimongard Tower.
Unlike Azkaban, Nimongard houses only one person, Gellert Grindelwald, a legendary wizard who nearly conquered the entire European Magical Realm sixty years ago and was Dumbledore's close friend.
Their paths diverged due to a reason, eventually becoming arch-enemies due to differing stances.
If there's indeed a person capable of influencing Dumbledore's decisions at such a critical moment, it would undoubtedly be Grindelwald.
So, is Voldemort's target Nimongard?
Kael contemplated.
Perhaps, but it might also be a ploy to draw Dumbledore to a distant location, coincidentally choosing there.
Regardless, Voldemort succeeded.
The appointed time for action was drawing near, yet Dumbledore departed the United Kingdom. If Voldemort returns promptly, the situation could escalate significantly.
Kael took a deep breath, rubbing his forehead.
Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, having delivered the message, soon left. She had other tasks, unable to partake in this operation.
Those remaining at No. 12 Grimmauld Place glanced at each other and promptly began urgently discussing countermeasures.
Fortunately, they had anticipated such circumstances earlier, so they weren't overly panicked.
At six o'clock, Tonks and Dedalo set off, accompanied by another witch whom Kael hadn't met before.
Simultaneously, Hagrid arrived. Riding the lightweight motorcycle with a black sidecar, he appeared at Grimmauld Place amidst the roar of its engine.
"Oh, Hagrid, I've told you before, avoid using such conspicuous things," Moody frowned.
"Don't worry, I didn't let it fly once we got to London," Hagrid said, patting the sidecar, "Besides, when Harry was very young, I used this bike to take him to Little Whinging, so I thought I'd use it to bring him back from there."