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Chapter 1010: The Curse of Greed
Chapter 1010: The Curse of Greed
Although everyone was surprised that the Wizarding Card competition was held earlier than expected, it did not deter students from rushing over to watch the tournament.
The Anti-Toad Union had publicly announced that a grand gathering targeted at Umbridge would be held here.
This news inevitably reached Umbridge's ears. After learning about the Wizarding Card competition from a Slytherin student, Umbridge decided, after much consideration, to send a few Slytherin students to investigate first to avoid any unnecessary conflict with Anderson.
However, it turned out to be just an ordinary Wizarding Card competition.
The only surprising element was Albert's choice of heir for the Wizarding Card Club—the eccentric Luna Lovegood.
Everyone suddenly realized that Albert would soon be graduating, and this thought saddened most of the Hogwarts students.
"I know you're all wondering why we're holding the Wizarding Card competition early this year," Albert said calmly as he surveyed the students below. "This year is special, and I have a feeling that the activities of the Wizarding Card Club may need to be paused for a while."
This was undoubtedly bad news, and whispers filled the room.
"Why?" someone boldly asked Albert.
"I think you all can guess the reason," Albert said, gesturing for everyone to quiet down. "After all, with so many of us gathered here, someone is bound to be unhappy about it." He paused, then added, "Don't worry, though—the club won't be disbanded. We'll continue next year."
"Let the toad eat dung!" someone shouted, voicing the resentment that filled the room. Why should they be subjected to Umbridge's interference even when they were just participating in a club?
"I understand how you feel, but let's not dwell on it," Albert said. "She hasn't had it easy either, and she's provided us with a lot of entertainment this month."
Laughter filled the activity room. Albert was right—Umbridge had indeed brought them a lot of joy, albeit unintentionally.
"In addition to the usual ten galleons, the champion of this competition will receive a special gift from me," Albert said mysteriously. "You may look forward to it."
"What gift?" someone asked.
"I won't spoil the surprise," Albert replied with a smile. "Now, let's begin today's competition." He gestured for Luna to follow Lee Jordan and familiarize herself with the procedures. The Ravenclaw girl had been very enthusiastic about these activities and had always been an attentive learner.
Unlike the previous editions, the current Wizarding Cards were exquisitely designed after several rounds of improvements.
As the fireworks in the shape of the Hogwarts lion-eagle hybrid exploded above their heads, the atmosphere in the room ignited with excitement.
Lee Jordan took the microphone and, together with Luna, began hosting the Wizarding Card competition.
"What's Malfoy doing here?"
Harry, on his way to cheer for Ron, spotted an unpleasant figure in the crowd.
"Maybe he's here to spy for Umbridge," Hermione speculated, frowning as she noticed Malfoy whispering to his cronies. "I don't have a good feeling about this. I'll go inform George about this."
That night, Umbridge received the news and was so excited that she could barely sleep. She suspected that the so-called activity room was created using the Undetectable Extension Charm, which would be a convenient excuse to disband the blasted Wizarding Card Club.
A club with more than half the school's students as members was definitely not something Umbridge wanted to see, especially since it was founded by Albert Anderson. Who knew when he would suddenly rally the students against her?
Indeed, from the very beginning, Albert Anderson had shown no reverence for the Ministry of Magic.
The next morning, Umbridge rushed to the activity room with a few Slytherin students in tow, uninvited and unwelcome.
As Umbridge entered the room, an uncomfortable silence fell, and all eyes turned to her. Whispers filled the room.
"What's that toad doing here?"
"Albert was right."
"What a disgusting person."
Many students wore looks of disgust, and a few even drew their wands, preparing to give Umbridge a hard time.
"Mr. Anderson," Umbridge said, her face still bearing a fake smile as she surveyed the room.
No one answered, and the room fell into an uneasy silence.
Hermione's heart sank as she stared at Umbridge. Her worst fears were coming true. Not only was the first gathering ruined, but the Wizarding Card Club might also be affected. Who knew what Umbridge would do next?
"He's not here," Luna said, stepping forward through the crowd to face Umbridge. "If you have business with Albert, you can come back later this afternoon when he'll be awarding the champion."
"Then tell him that this activity room clearly violates the Ministry's ban on the misuse of the Undetectable Extension Charm," Umbridge said, her face contorted in a victorious smirk. "I will confiscate the illegal items on behalf of the Ministry, and he should await the Ministry's punishment." She relished using her authority to bully others.
Malfoy and his Slytherin cronies wore smug expressions, clearly relishing the prospect of Albert's misfortune.
Upon hearing Umbridge's intention to confiscate their activity room and punish Albert, the crowd erupted in outrage.
"How dare you!"
"Have you lost your mind?"
Angry voices rang out from the crowd, everyone glaring at Umbridge with hatred, wishing they could draw their wands and cast nasty hexes on her.
"Who was that?" Umbridge scanned the crowd, and when everyone fell silent, she continued with a satisfied smile, "Alright, everyone out, now."
"Professor..."
"Yes, Miss Lovegood?" Umbridge narrowed her eyes at Luna, malice evident in her gaze.
Unafraid, Luna calmly reminded her, "I suggest you don't do that."
"What?" Umbridge's smile widened.
"Because anyone who tries to take possession of the 'Book of Origins' who is not the rightful owner will be cursed by the book. It's said to be a safeguard against illegal seizure," Luna explained calmly, recounting what she had been told long ago.
"What are you talking about...?"
"Alright, everyone, let's clear out!" George suddenly interrupted, taking the lead and heading for the door.
"Are we just going to let her take our activity room?" someone complained.
"Don't worry," Fred said with a meaningful glance at Umbridge, "It's Albert's property, and trying to take the 'Book of Origins' by force will bring bad luck. To be honest, I've never seen anyone get cursed by it before. This is a rare opportunity."
It took a while for everyone to leave the activity room, but they didn't go far, eager to witness Umbridge's cursed state.
"Alright, that's enough. Miss Lovegood, give it to me," Umbridge said, noticing the curious stares.
All eyes turned to Luna as Hermione even grabbed her hand to stop her, but Luna ignored it, bending down to pick up the 'Book of Origins' from the secret passage and handing it to Umbridge.
Umbridge scrutinized Luna from head to toe, noticing no changes, a cold smile playing on her lips as she decided to find an excuse to put her in detention later.
As Umbridge took the 'Book of Origins' from Luna's hands, everyone's eyes widened in surprise. Fred had been telling the truth about the curse.
The moment Umbridge touched the book, bumps started appearing on her arms, and even her face wasn't spared.
"Ahh!"
Umbridge's scream echoed through the corridor. She frantically threw the book away, and the bumps stopped spreading.
"Look, anyone who tries to illegally possess it will be cursed by the 'Book of Origins'," Luna said curiously, observing the bumps on Umbridge's face as she bent down to pick up the discarded book. "I suggest you visit the school hospital. Perhaps Madam Pomfrey will know how to lift the curse."
"We warned you," Fred and George said, looking at the unconscious Umbridge with helpless expressions, eliciting laughter from the surrounding students.
"But it's incredible that she fainted from her own ugliness."
"Ugh!" Someone started dry heaving.
"Serves her right," someone else laughed with glee.
"Haha, now she really does look like a toad," another student commented with schadenfreude.
"I can't believe there really is a curse," someone marveled at the changes on Umbridge's body.
"Who has a camera? Quick, snap a picture of the toad! I'm willing to pay a high price for it," someone shouted.
The students who loved stirring up trouble began to heckle, mocking Umbridge's pathetic state. The Slytherins who had accompanied Umbridge were also targeted, ending up on the floor, dazed and confused.
"What's going on here?"
An irritated voice cut through the chaos, belonging to Professor McGonagall, who had been drawn by Umbridge's scream.
"Professor, Umbridge tried to illegally take possession of the 'Book of Origins', so she was cursed by the book, you know, the one..." George tried to explain, but Professor McGonagall cut him off.
"Didn't you tell her?" Professor McGonagall glared at the Weasley twins, believing they were causing trouble.
"We warned her," George said, exasperated, spreading his hands, "but you know she's not one to listen, and she even said..."
"Where's Mr. Anderson? Go get him, and someone take her to the hospital wing," Professor McGonagall sighed, seeing the students' gleeful expressions.
"You guys go back to the competition," George told the other students, "I doubt the toad will be waking up anytime soon."
"George," Professor McGonagall said sternly.
"Yes, Professor, we'll take her to the hospital wing," George said with a grin, motioning for Fred to help.
The competition resumed, but everyone was abuzz with the news of Umbridge's curse. Many students crowded the hospital wing's corridor, and when Madam Pomfrey learned the details, she calmly announced, "I can't do anything about this curse. It's best to find the person who cast it, otherwise, we'll have to wait for it to wear off."
"Where's Mr. Anderson?" Professor McGonagall asked, turning to the Weasley brothers.
"We don't know, Professor. We can't find him at the moment, but he'll definitely be here soon to award the winner of the Wizarding Card competition."
George explained with a smile.
"All right, that's enough. Off you go now," Professor McGonagall said, shooing the students away before turning to look at Umbridge lying on the bed. She asked Poppy, "What's wrong with her?"
"It's just a regular faint, but those bumps might not be curable with potions," Poppy replied calmly. She didn't like Umbridge and liked it even less that she had caused the disbandment of the Wizarding Card Club, as she herself was a fan of the game.
"What a greedy fool," Professor McGonagall shook her head and walked away. She was aware of the curse, but she had handled the book herself and hadn't been affected by it.
Unexpectedly, Umbridge had been cursed the moment she touched it, apparently intending to make it her own.
The competition continued amid the buzz about Umbridge's curse. Some people took pleasure in her misfortune, believing she deserved it, while others worried if Albert would be punished because of it.
The Wizarding Card tournament pressed on in this atmosphere, and the already tight schedule, compressed from several days to a shorter time frame, became even more rushed due to Umbridge's earlier interruption.
Albert arrived at the activity room around 5:30 pm to preside over the final showdown between the last two contestants.
After hearing from a group of enthusiastic students about Umbridge's antics, Albert wasn't too surprised, knowing that she would target the club sooner or later.
Albert's calmness soon rubbed off on the others, and everyone wondered if he would fall out with Umbridge over this incident.
The final showdown lasted only ten minutes, with the ultimate champion being a second-year Ravenclaw witch named Ora Quirk. She had overwhelmingly crushed her opponent.
"Congratulations. This is an extra gift from me," Albert said as he placed a bag of galleons in the champion's hand and handed her his new book.
"This is a book I recently completed. It's not available in bookstores yet, but I hope it will be of some help to you!"
The crowd burst into excited chatter upon hearing about Albert's new book, as there had been rumors that he had compiled a book on Dark Magic Defense.
"When do you plan to start selling this book?" someone asked.
"After I graduate," Albert replied calmly. "That's when people will need my book the most."
"Well then, let's give a round of applause for our youngest champion, and now is her moment of glory."
The fireworks symbolizing Ravenclaw exploded overhead, and enthusiastic applause filled the activity room.
Albert waved his wand, and the tables in the room were cleared, replaced with an abundance of snacks and butterbeer. Albert raised his glass to toast the young champion and offer his congratulations.
"I'll go deal with the Umbridge issue first," Albert said after drinking a cup of butterbeer.
"Is that okay?" Lee Jordan frowned.
"What could possibly go wrong?" Albert asked.
When Albert arrived at the school hospital, Umbridge had already woken up, and her temper seemed to be at its worst as she muttered curses under her breath.
Professor McGonagall was having a quiet conversation with Madam Pomfrey, looking rather pleased.
"To be honest, I was quite surprised when I heard the news," Albert said calmly, not showing any signs of being flustered.
"You know, many people have touched that book, but no one has ever been truly cursed by it," Professor McGonagall added.
As if alerted by Albert's voice, Umbridge jumped off the bed in a fit of rage and rushed towards him.
"You..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she was silenced, clutching her throat in horror as she glared angrily at Albert, wishing she could strangle him. However, she found herself unable to move a muscle, standing there like a statue.
"I think she needs a calming draught," Albert said as he waved his wand, and a bed with long legs scurried behind Umbridge, causing her to fall onto it. The bed then swiftly returned to its original position.
"She's lucky she didn't come into prolonged contact with the Book of Origins, or the curse would have become permanent," Albert interrupted Professor McGonagall, who was about to speak, calmly explaining the situation. "Her symptoms aren't severe. The curse will fade within three days at most, and she should make a full recovery within a week."
"I need to talk to her alone about this matter," Albert said, indicating for the two professors to leave them for a while.
"Alright, but I hope..." Professor McGonagall started to say.
"I'll handle this, don't worry," Albert assured her.
After Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey left, Albert approached Umbridge's bedside. Her eyes widened with fear as she watched him take out his wand from his robe pocket.
A few minutes later, Albert left the hospital wing.
"Professor, I've temporarily persuaded Umbridge," Albert announced cheerfully. "I'll temporarily halt the activities of the Wizarding Card Club, and Professor Umbridge has agreed not to pursue the matter further."
Professor McGonagall looked at Albert skeptically, then at the now quiet hospital wing, curious about how he had managed to convince Umbridge.
(End of Chapter)
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