Chapter 100: His Tooth
Chapter 100: His Tooth
Upon returning to the changing room, Albert immediately took out his wand and cast a drying spell on himself to get rid of the rainwater on his body.
"Put your removed protective gear and Quidditch robes in the basket over there," Charlie instructed, pointing to a large basket in the corner. "By the way, everyone should go see Madam Pomfrey at the hospital wing later to get some potion to prevent catching a cold from being out in the rain."
"You just want to go and gloat in front of those poor Slytherins, don't you?" Erin immediately saw through Charlie's mischievous intentions.
"Jack should also be checked by Madam Pomfrey. He took quite a fall out there," Daniel added with a slight cough.
"It's all your fault!" Jack complained loudly.
"How did you manage to... dry your clothes like that?" Wood exclaimed, noticing Albert about to drape a winter cloak over himself.
"Of course, with a drying spell," Albert replied, seeing the confused looks on their faces. "You guys... don't know this spell?"
Everyone exchanged glances, and indeed, not a single person in the room knew about the drying spell.
Albert suddenly felt at a loss for words.
"There's a record of the drying spell in the book, 'Practical Household Magic,'" Albert said, looking around the now quiet changing room. It was the same book that Professor Flitwick had suggested he read, although he hadn't actually gotten around to reading it himself.
"You actually read that kind of book?" Erin eyed Albert with surprise.
"Isn't magic supposed to make our lives easier?" Albert rubbed his nose and said, "I feel like I'm about to catch a cold."
"Achoo!" Mario sneezed, complaining, "Let's get back to the castle. I want to take a hot shower first."
"Thanks for your help," Erin said with a smile.
After Albert helped dry off the others with the drying spell, they all headed back to the castle together.
When they reached the corridor of the hospital wing on the second floor of the castle, they found a large crowd gathered there. These were mostly spectators who had braved the rain to watch the Quidditch match and were now seeking Madam Pomfrey's help for preventive potions against colds.
The arrival of the Gryffindor team drew everyone's attention, and the crowded hallway made way for them.
Charlie greeted acquaintances with a smile and led the team into the hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey was busy distributing potions, and Charlie gave her a quick greeting before pretending to help Jack onto a bed. He flashed a malicious smile at Montague, the Slytherin Chaser in the neighboring bed, and Albert read their lips: We won! "Madam Pomfrey, we also need some potions to prevent catching colds after being out in the rain," Erin said to the approaching nurse.
"It's on the table. One small cup each, help yourselves," Madam Pomfrey said as she came over to examine Jack's injuries, grumbling about how chaotic the match had been and that they deserved their injuries.
It took her less than a minute to heal Jack's wounds.
As they were drinking the preventive potions, the Slytherin team also arrived, and the atmosphere in the ward immediately became tense.
"Alright, don't crowd here," Madam Pomfrey ushered Charlie's group out of the ward, and Albert spotted the substitute goalkeeper, Vicky, whom he had knocked out a tooth. He also saw the two unlucky players who had tried to intercept him but failed to stop their brooms in time and crashed into the crowd. They were being supported by their teammates and seemed to have sustained rather serious injuries.
"By the way, the guy who threw the bat at you has been put in detention by Professor McGonagall," Mark said, turning to Albert just before they left the ward. "The bat he threw hit someone, and he and another unfortunate soul who tried to stop you didn't manage to brake in time and crashed into the Slytherin crowd, injuring several people..."
Mark's voice was loud enough for everyone in the hospital wing to hear, and the students nearby who were collecting their potions couldn't help but snicker.
The Slytherin team turned around with furious glares, and if they hadn't been in the hospital wing, a fight might have broken out.
"What happened to your teeth? Are you alright?" Daniel asked, his eyes falling on the substitute goalkeeper, Vicky, as he struggled to hold back a smile.
"Ahem, let's go," Charlie quickly pushed the group, leading them away from the hospital wing.
"I hope Madam Pomfrey doesn't fix his teeth so he'll always have a lisp when he speaks," Fred laughed, "By the way, who did that? It was so cool!"
"I think it was Albert who knocked out his tooth," Jack replied, and before he could finish his sentence, he started laughing.
"Don't look at me. He knocked out his own tooth by running into my elbow," Albert said innocently, "I was focusing on the Snitch and didn't have time to hit him. He just ran into my elbow for some reason, and it still hurts a bit."
"Maybe he has a weird condition where he feels uncomfortable if he's not hit in the face. I hope Madam Pomfrey can cure him," George said with feigned sympathy, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
"Let's go celebrate our victory."
"We're going to the kitchen to see if we can scavenge some food," Fred and George said as they headed toward the kitchen.
"No need, Professor McGonagall has already prepared something for you!" Lee Jordan suddenly appeared from around the corner and patted Albert on the shoulder, "I saw everything. You knocked out the Slytherin goalkeeper's tooth."
"He knocked it out himself," Albert corrected.
"You guys didn't notice how ugly Professor Snape's expression was when you caught the Snitch," Lee Jordan began, but Albert raised his finger to signal him to stop talking. He looked around and, seeing that Professor Snape was not nearby, gave Lee Jordan's shoulder a light punch.
The others couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Of course, the only one in the corridor who wasn't happy was Filch. The caretaker stood at the entrance of the hospital wing with a mop and bucket, shooting them dirty looks as he waited for the students to disperse so he could clean up the muddy footprints in the corridor.
As soon as they returned to the common room, a boisterous cheer erupted. Everyone called out Albert's name, and several hands reached out to pull him into the room.
There were cakes, pies, candies, and a large jug of pumpkin juice on the table in the common room, and many people gathered around Albert, eager to hear about the thrilling moment when he caught the Snitch and the incident where he knocked out the Slytherin goalkeeper's tooth.
However, Albert insisted that the substitute goalkeeper had knocked out his own tooth by crashing into Albert's elbow.
After all, he was a good person and wouldn't do such a thing.
Finally free from the crowd, Albert took a small plate with a slice of cake and sat down in an armchair in the corner.
"Not bad, I didn't expect you to be a decent Quidditch player," Field said, propping her chin up with her hand. "If you were a little older, I might have chased after you myself."
Albert felt a bit embarrassed. Were all foreign girls this forward?
Of course, he knew Field was just teasing him, so he quietly retorted, "Actually, I don't really like girls who are older than me!"
"Older?" Field rolled her eyes at Albert and changed the subject. "How's your Summoning Charm practice going?"
"It's going well. I'm trying to summon other things now," Albert thought about his progress in Summoning Charms and nodded in satisfaction. "Soon, I'll be able to successfully summon an umbrella."
"Why would you want to summon an umbrella?" Field asked, puzzled.
"Of course, so I don't have to carry one around when it rains," Albert said earnestly. "Britain is a rainy place, and sometimes when you go out without an umbrella, you end up getting soaked."
Field: "..." That actually made sense.
Danny's gaze fell on the substitute goalkeeper, Wiki, as he struggled to contain his laughter and asked, "Ahem, let's go. " Charlie quickly pushed the group, ushering them away from the hospital wing.
"I hope Madam Pomfrey doesn't fix his teeth," Fred said, unable to hold back his laughter. "Whoever did that was brilliant!"
"I think it was Albert who knocked it out," Jack said, still laughing before he could finish his sentence. He had tried to block Albert, but...
"Don't look at me," Albert said innocently. "I was focusing on the Snitch. He crashed into my elbow himself. I didn't have time to hit him. My elbow still hurts from the impact."
"Maybe he has a condition where he's uncomfortable if he's not slapped in the face," George said sympathetically, amusing everyone around him.
"Let's go celebrate our victory," Charlie said.
"We'll go to the kitchen and see if we can scavenge something to eat," Fred and George said, heading off to the kitchen to try their luck.
"No need," came a voice from the corner. It was Lee Jordan, who had suddenly appeared and slapped Albert on the shoulder. "Professor McGonagall has already prepared something for you! I saw it all, Albert. You knocked out the Slytherin goalkeeper's tooth!"
"He knocked it out himself," Albert corrected.
"You guys didn't notice how ugly Professor Snape's expression was when you caught the Snitch," Lee Jordan continued. "It was as if someone had smeared a lump of..." Albert raised his finger, signaling for him to stop talking, and Lee quickly looked around before giving Albert's shoulder a light punch.
The others couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Of course, the only person in the corridor who wasn't happy was Filch. The caretaker stood at the entrance of the hospital wing with a mop and bucket, glaring at them with ill intent. He was maintaining order and waiting for the students to disperse so he could clean up the muddy footprints in the corridor.
As the group returned to the common room, they were greeted by raucous cheers. People called out Albert's name, and several hands reached out to pull him into the room eagerly.
The common room table was laden with cakes, pies, candies, and a large pitcher of pumpkin juice. Many students gathered around Albert, eager to hear about the thrilling moment before he caught the Snitch and the incident where he knocked out the Slytherin goalkeeper's tooth.
However, Albert insisted that the substitute goalkeeper had crashed into his elbow and knocked out his own tooth.
He was a good person and wouldn't do such a thing.
After finally freeing himself from the crowd, Albert took a small plate with a cake and sat down in an armchair in the corner.
"Not bad," said Field, leaning on her chin and teasing him. "I didn't expect you to be a decent Quidditch player. If you were a little older, I might have pursued you myself."
Albert was a bit embarrassed by the forwardness of the foreign girls.
Of course, he knew Field was just teasing him, so he quietly countered, "Actually, I don't really like girls who are older than me!"
"Older?" Field rolled her eyes at Albert and changed the subject. "How's your Summoning Charm practice going?"
"It's going well," Albert replied, thinking about his progress in Summoning Charms. "I'm trying to summon other things now. In a while, I should be able to successfully summon an umbrella."
"Why are you summoning an umbrella?" Field asked, confused.
"So I don't have to carry one when it rains, of course," Albert said earnestly. "Britain is a rainy place. Sometimes when you go out without an umbrella, you end up getting drenched."
Field: "..." It did make sense.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
