---
Chapter 167
Albert woke up in shock, startled by what he had just seen!!
He had no idea why he was seeing such a thing!
In his dream, there had been something something moving through space inside that house. But just as Barty Crouch Jr. cast the Killing Curse on Bertha Jorkins, Albert jolted awake immediately!!
He got out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom to wash his face.
...
...
...
After splashing water on his face, Albert froze in place, lost in thought.
He muttered to himself, "My God! What was that?! How could I possibly see Voldemort and his followers in that forest?!"
He couldn't understand it at all.
Albert knew very well that the connection allowing someone to see Voldemort's visions was only between Harry and Voldemort because of the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead.
But now… the same thing had happened to Albert.
He had seen the same visions Harry saw but through himself!
Albert returned to bed, trying to rest. The dream had left his head throbbing with pain.
He kept thinking over and over was there some sort of link between him and Tom Riddle too?
Could he be another Horcrux, just like Harry?!
Was the reason he'd seen that vision because Voldemort wanted him to see it?!
So many questions circled in his mind without answers, so Albert eventually drifted off to sleep, leaving time itself to reveal the truth later.
---
Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, three more weeks had flown by.
The Black family home was filled with noise and chatter unusually lively this time.
Not because of Sirius and Harry's presence...
But because the entire Weasley family, along with Hermione, had come to stay!
They were all there to prepare for the final match of the Quidditch World Cup, which would be held the next day.
However, the main reason for their gathering at the Black residence was something even greater
Sirius Black had invited the Weasleys and Albert had invited Hermione to celebrate Sirius's official exoneration and his long-awaited freedom!
---
After the cheerful feast around the long dining table, Sirius noticed something unusual about Harry.
He seemed tense constantly touching the scar on his forehead.
Concerned, Sirius set down his drink and asked,
"Harry, are you all right? You seem off today. What's going on?"
Everyone turned toward Harry at once.
Harry touched his scar again and replied softly,
"Last night… I had a really bad dream. I saw someone casting the Killing Curse on an old man."
The room fell silent.
Arthur and Sirius exchanged a long, uneasy glance.
Sirius was the first to speak.
"Are you serious, Harry? Tell us exactly what you saw in detail."
Harry nodded.
"All right."
He began describing his dream, step by step.
---
To truly understand it, one had to picture the scene carefully.
In the village of Little Hangleton, the locals still called the old, abandoned mansion "the Riddle House."
It stood on a hill overlooking the village, empty for decades since the Riddle family had lived there.
Its windows were boarded up, tiles missing from the roof, and thick vines crawling across the walls.
To the villagers, it was known simply as "the haunted house."
The elderly spoke of it often in their gossip circles, retelling the same story over and over each time more distorted than the last until no one was quite sure what had truly happened to Mr. and Mrs. Riddle and their son.
But one thing everyone agreed on:
they had all died.
The housemaid had run screaming down to the village, shouting hysterically,
"They're in there! Their eyes are wide open, cold as ice, still clutching their dinner forks!"
The police came quickly after all, the Riddle estate was located squarely in the Muggle world.
The townsfolk followed the investigation with morbid curiosity, not out of sympathy no one had ever liked the Riddles, who had always looked down on everyone else in the village.
Their only real interest was in who had done it, because it was unnatural for three people to die in one night.
In the local tavern, The Hanged Man, a heated discussion broke out about the murders until the maid entered again, breathless, to announce:
"The police have arrested Frank Bryce!"
Frank Bryce, the gardener who tended the Riddle estate, lived alone in a small cottage beside the mansion.
He had returned from the war with a bad leg and had since spent his days caring for the gardens.
Curiosity in the tavern spiked.
Drinks were ordered, whispers filled the room.
The maid continued, "He was always a strange man… never friendly… wouldn't even take a cup of tea when I offered!"
---
To be continued ...
---
🔥 Finally, the action b
egins! Perhaps in the next chapter, or the one after that, the flashback and Harry's dream explanation will reach their climax!