Chapter 1023: A Malicious Incident
Chapter 1023: A Malicious Incident
Harry knew that Dumbledore had a lot on his plate, especially now that Voldemort had fully returned, the Ministry was constantly hindering his efforts, and there was the matter with the Order of the Phoenix. Yet, no one liked being ignored.
The brief conversation with Dumbledore had helped ease some of the resentment Harry had been feeling due to being overlooked, and it had brought about a slight change in his mindset.
Recent DA gatherings, Umbridge's mishaps, and the handy use of Skiving Snackboxes had made for a rather pleasant time for Harry lately.
However, Dumbledore didn't seem to have convinced Albert, and Hermione's research into the 'Advanced Guide to Occlumency' wasn't progressing either. Before they knew it, it was already the end of October.
The match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was fast approaching.
The only downside was Ron's performance. Due to his poor mental fortitude, Ron couldn't perform at his usual level, and his training sessions were dismal. He was no comparison to Harry's previous captain, Wood, and though Ron was working hard to improve his Quidditch skills, Harry knew that unless Ron overcame his psychological barriers, he would become Gryffindor's weak link.
Even as his friend, Harry couldn't make excuses for him.
Nevertheless, Harry remained optimistic about the upcoming match. After all, they had never lost to Slytherin.
The Slytherin team was well aware of this fact, and years of defeat had left them seething. They never believed they would lose to Gryffindor, and so, each time a match drew near, conflicts would inevitably arise between the two houses.
This time, not only did they have the bias of their Head of House, Professor Snape, in their favor, but the presence of the High Inquisitor, Dolores Umbridge, also bolstered the Slytherin students' confidence. Particularly after being prompted by Malfoy, the Slytherin team deliberately sought to clash with Harry, hoping to give Umbridge an excuse to disqualify him from the game.
Soon enough, minor scuffles broke out between the two houses.
Harry hadn't forgotten Professor Trelawney's warning, and he was well aware that if he got into a conflict with a Slytherin student, it would surely be used against him. Thankfully, he had his Calming Draughts, and so he managed to suppress his anger and engage in verbal sparring with the Slytherins, something he was growing to enjoy. He loved seeing them storm off in frustration, only to hit a brick wall with Albert.
And so, another student was added to the list of those who had to copy out the school rules.
When the troublemakers got nowhere with Snape, they finally realized how difficult it was to deal with this Head Boy. Especially after being caught causing trouble under his watch, they had no choice but to quietly copy out the school rules; not even their Head of House could help them now.
To quote Anderson directly: "Since you have so much excess energy, you might as well put it to use by copying the school rules."
Even Gryffindor students weren't exempt, and they certainly didn't hold back on their complaints. However, Albert's fair and just attitude earned him recognition and support from the other students.
As for High Inquisitor Umbridge, she never got the chance to discuss punishments with Albert, and no one knew why. In any case, Umbridge never proactively caused trouble for Albert.
Curious students eventually dug up Albert's status as a reserve member of the Wizengamot, and they believed this to be the reason why Umbridge didn't dare to push him too far.
Albert was happy to let them speculate, and the real reason would likely remain unknown to them forever.
Now, no one dared to cause trouble in front of Albert because they realized that as long as they didn't stir up trouble, he wouldn't bother them. He was fair and just and rarely showed bias towards his own house.
While this made the Slytherin students feel stifled, conceding to someone like him didn't seem like a disgrace.
They just needed to be more careful when causing trouble.
Of course, being well-behaved was out of the question.
The Slytherin house had never given up on their pursuit of victory, even if it meant resorting to despicable means to frame the Gryffindor players. They continuously tried to drag Harry into their schemes, knowing that if the Gryffindor team lost their Seeker, they would be doomed.
If they could stir up enough trouble, perhaps Umbridge would disqualify the entire Gryffindor team.
One day, Slytherin's Keeper, Miles Bletchley, cast a nasty jinx on Alicia, Gryffindor's Chaser, on his way to the library, causing her eyebrows to grow wildly out of control, completely covering her eyes and mouth.
Harry had been there to witness it, and those damn Slytherins hadn't missed the opportunity to mock and provoke him, trying to goad him into drawing his wand and cursing them.
Harry had indeed wanted to teach them a lesson, but Hermione had held him back.
"Harry, they're trying to goad you into it. Don't fall for it. We should..." Hermione quickly pulled Harry back, preventing a serious conflict.
"It's useless," Fred shook his head. "Snape won't admit anything. He might even claim that Alicia jinxed herself with a Hair-growth Charm."
"There are at least fourteen witnesses here," Hermione said loudly.
"Do you think Snape really cares about so-called witnesses?" Lee Jordan scoffed. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened."
"I wish Albert were here," Ron said angrily.
"Don't rely on Albert for everything. He's busy too," George said softly. "Since they dared to make the first move, we don't need to hold back either."
"What are you planning to do?" Hermione asked warily.
"We're not planning to do anything," the twins said in unison, exchanging a glance.
Hermione clearly didn't believe them, knowing that the Weasley twins were definitely plotting something.
The next morning, Hermione received news that Miles Bletchley had seemingly gone missing.
That guy had barely finished sending Alicia to the hospital wing before he got his comeuppance.
Hermione went to find Albert, only to be met with a silent question.
"Do you have any evidence?"
This was a world that abided by the rule of law, and everything required evidence. Hermione, of course, had none, and even if she did, it wouldn't be of any use. All she wanted was for Albert to rein in the Weasley twins and prevent them from making a huge mess.
Now, everyone was talking about Miles Bletchley's disappearance, and many Slytherin students believed it to be retaliation from the Gryffindors. But they had no evidence.
At least, not until they found Miles Bletchley.
Snape was furious about Miles Bletchley's disappearance and vowed to expel whoever was responsible if they were caught.
He even asked the Slytherin students to help search for the missing student within the castle.
Unfortunately, the Slytherin team spent an entire morning searching to no avail. It was as if Miles Bletchley had vanished into thin air.
Albert, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan had just finished their lunch and were preparing to head to the library to finish their homework—or rather, copy their homework, as these boys had been too lazy to do it themselves lately.
“Perhaps they should look in the toilets,” Fred said with a smirk. “Slytherins always like to stick their heads in the toilets.”
Albert glared at Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, and he could guess what had happened. This incident was definitely their doing! “Every time the Slytherin team stirs up trouble, Harry is there. They like to provoke Harry and try to get him disqualified from the game.” George said with disgust, “I bet that toad has some sort of deal with the Slytherin team, they’re just looking for an opportunity to take Harry down.”
“That’s certainly the Slytherin style, isn’t it?” Albert said calmly, “Using any means necessary to achieve their ends.” “How can you be so calm?” Lee Jordan muttered, “I’ve always been curious, how do you manage to persuade Snape?”
“You want to know?” “We all want to know.” Fred said.
“Snape denies the truth because there is an inherent inequality between students and professors. Whether you like it or not, the fact that he is a professor cannot be changed.” Albert explained as the three boys listened curiously, “But if a professor were to witness it themselves, they couldn’t refute it. I suppose that’s how it is.” Well, it was mostly because Albert was fierce enough that no one could imitate him.
As they passed by the corridor outside the fifth-floor bathroom, they saw a young Ravenclaw student rushing out of the boys’ bathroom in a panic, almost colliding with Albert.
“What’s going on?” Albert asked, puzzled, looking at the boy in front of him.
“There’s…” The commotion attracted the attention of other students, who cast curious glances their way.
“There’s what?” Albert asked, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder, signaling for him to calm down and speak slowly.
“There’s a weirdo… standing on the sink, scared the wits out of me.” “A weirdo? Let’s go take a look.” Albert drew out his wand and quickly walked into the boys’ bathroom, followed by a few onlookers who were more curious than cautious.
As soon as he entered the bathroom, Albert spotted the ‘weirdo’ that the boy had mentioned.
“Is that… Miles Bletchley?” Indeed, the unfortunate Slytherin Keeper had finally been found in the boys’ bathroom, standing in an awkward position on the sink like a ballet dancer, wearing a tutu, and resembling a swan with outstretched wings. He was pinned there, leaving the onlookers stunned and speechless.
“Go get Snape, or some Slytherin students, and tell them that Miles Bletchley has been found.” Albert stared at the bizarre figure, casting a spell to release him from all the enchantments, and lowering the hapless victim down.
“He certainly has a unique style.” Fred commented with a strange expression.
“Maybe it’s a special hobby.” “I bet that if he were a statue, he’d scare off quite a few people.”
This remark elicited a burst of laughter, as everyone took pleasure in the misfortune of the Slytherin Keeper.
“That’s enough!” Albert waved his wand, conjuring a stretcher, and placed Miles Bletchley on it. He then turned to a few boys who were still laughing raucously and said, “Alright, you’ve had your laugh, now take him to Madam Pomfrey at the hospital wing. I think he needs some care.”
“You, and you,” Albert pointed at two boys who had been laughing the loudest, “I think you two should be the ones to take Miles Bletchley to the hospital wing!” After speaking, he cast a few revival spells on Miles, improving his initially pale complexion.
The two boys who had been singled out looked at each other and eventually agreed to help.
After all, it wouldn’t take much time, and they could also enjoy the spectacle.
“What are you lot up to!” Just as the group was leaving the bathroom, Snape stormed over with a group of Slytherin students, looking furious.
“What are we up to?” Albert ignored Snape’s anger and said calmly, “We were on our way to the library when we happened to find him here. Since he’s your student, why don’t you take him to the hospital wing yourself? I’ve already given Miles Bletchley some emergency treatment, and I’m sure Madam Pomfrey will be able to help him recover.” As he spoke, Albert tucked his wand back into his robe pocket and prepared to leave with the others, ignoring the stares of Snape and the Slytherin students.
“Mr. Anderson, can you explain what’s going on here?” Dolores Umbridge appeared in the corridor with a fake smile.
“We were on our way to the library when we came across this young man.” Albert said, looking at the nervous Ravenclaw student, “What’s your name again?” “Stuart Ackley.” The boy replied, trembling.
“You’re a brave young man, and you should stay calm when faced with a problem.” Albert patted Ackley on the shoulder and continued, “Stuart Ackley found Miles Bletchley in the bathroom, and it startled him. So, we went in to check, and we found Miles Bletchley standing on the sink in a strange outfit, looking like a sculpture. I asked someone to notify his Head of House, and then we brought him down and gave him some emergency treatment. We were just about to take him to the hospital wing for further care, and you’re wasting our time here. Did I miss anything?” “No, that’s about it.”
“It’s strange, I used the bathroom earlier this morning and didn’t see Miles Bletchley.” A Hufflepuff student chimed in.
“Alright, if you have any questions, you can ask Miles Bletchley himself when he wakes up. As the person involved, I’m sure he knows better than anyone what happened.” Albert noticed that Snape and Umbridge seemed like they wanted to say something, so he interrupted, “That’s all.” “I will.”
Snape’s gaze swept over Fred and the others, but they had long since learned Legilimency and wouldn’t give Snape any opportunity.
“Alright, break it up and disperse!” Albert clapped his hands and said.
“Mr. Anderson, do you have any idea who might be behind this?” Umbridge asked.
“You should ask Miles Bletchley.” Albert replied impatiently.
“I received information that it was done by a Gryffindor student.” Umbridge’s smile was filled with malicious intent.
“I’ve heard that too, but rumors are just rumors. We need evidence, or perhaps you witnessed it yourself?” Albert said calmly, “You should wait until Miles Bletchley wakes up and ask him directly, instead of jumping to conclusions here.” (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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