https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1052-The-Art-of-Social-Embarrassment/12527848/
Chapter 1051: This Person is Truly Despicable
Chapter 1051: This Person is Truly Despicable
After the Christmas holidays, Albert and Katrina, with Dobby's help, quietly returned to Hogwarts Castle.
After parting with Katrina in the entrance hall, Albert took the opportunity to visit Madam Pomfrey at the school hospital to check on Toadface's recovery.
As he stepped into the common room, he realized that some students had returned to school earlier than him.
Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were sitting by the fireplace, heads down as they worked on their holiday homework, while Hermione and Ginny were quietly discussing scarf patterns.
"Oh, great! You're finally here. We thought you wouldn't be coming until tonight," Fred and George said, jumping up from their chairs with big smiles on their faces as they saw Albert entering the common room.
"Holiday homework, huh?" Albert arched an eyebrow, seeing through the reason for the twins' enthusiasm.
"You know us so well," the Weasley brothers grinned. "This will make things a lot easier."
"Are you sure this is okay?" Hermione glanced at Harry and Ron, who were looking on with a mixture of envy and jealousy, and asked, "What about the end-of-term exams if you don't do your own holiday homework?"
"Everyone has their own strengths," Fred replied nonchalantly. "We're more practical than theoretical, and as for the end-of-term exams, who cares about them anyway?"
"Now that we have our O.W.Ls," George shrugged, a rebellious tone in his voice, "do we really need N.E.W.Ts?"
"Mum would have a fit if she knew," Ron warned.
"Don't lose them."
Albert set down the cat carrier and pulled out his wand, waving it gently and conjuring a folder out of thin air, which he handed to George.
"Mum actually knows a little," George said, taking the folder and returning to his seat to finish the holiday homework as soon as possible.
Albert bent down to pick up the cat carrier, intending to head back to the dormitory first.
"That... the Mind-Blocking Charm..."
Harry stood up abruptly, watching Albert walk towards the boys' dormitory staircase, looking as if he wanted to say something but was hesitating.
"Most Gryffindor students rarely go out of their way to suppress their emotions, so the likelihood of them learning the Mind-Blocking Charm is low," Albert paused in his steps and looked at Harry, who was about to pop a Calming Draught into his mouth. "There's no need to try to argue your case; I've already gotten confirmation from Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. And you're even more emotional than the three of them combined, so I'm not confident I can teach you the Mind-Blocking Charm within half a year. Half-baked knowledge could end up messing up your mind."
"But Dumbledore..."
Harry was about to speak when Albert cut him off.
"Trying doesn't guarantee success, but not trying guarantees failure," Albert said, no longer in a hurry to return to the dormitory. He sat down by the fireplace and opened the cage to let Tom out.
The fat cat yawned, lazily flicking its tail as it rubbed against Albert, trying to jump onto his lap, but was stopped in time.
"It's Snape," Harry said helplessly, flopping back into his chair.
"I know," Albert said calmly, surprising everyone with his next words. "I mentioned to the headmaster that you and Snape don't get along."
"Can't you just finish what you're saying?" Harry shot Albert a resentful look; he hated it when people left their sentences hanging.
"Well, the headmaster probably thinks that you and Snape can overcome your mutual dislike," Albert glanced at Harry, his tone indifferent.
Harry's mouth twitched, and the others exchanged bewildered looks, unable to understand why Dumbledore would think that.
"It's truly surprising... Dumbledore always..." Harry's expression was peculiar, "I dare say even Snape himself can't do it. He hates me, just like he hates my father, and I instinctively hate him."
"Maybe you can ask him to take a Calming Draught," Ron suddenly suggested.
"That's actually..." Harry poured a Calming Draught into his mouth and said, "a good idea, as long as he's willing to take it."
"I think that would be quite challenging," Fred mumbled. "It's like asking Percy to admit he's a fool."
"Percy is already the biggest fool in the world," George pointed out.
"By the way, I just dropped by the school hospital. Umbridge's skin condition is almost healed," Albert said.
"That's great news."
Ron turned to Harry, wondering if he had heard correctly.
"Maybe we can continue to turn her into a cat," Harry said calmly as he looked at his holiday homework. "I got some Polyjuice Potion from Professor Moody. We can keep her lying down for another two months."
"Using the same trick twice, if Toadface falls for it again, she's a complete idiot."
Albert despised Umbridge, but he didn't think she was foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice. No doubt, she was seething with anger, biding her time until she recovered to unleash her wrath on Potter.
Whether or not Potter was responsible, Umbridge would likely blame them anyway, as she needed an outlet for her pent-up rage, and Potter had conveniently handed her the perfect opportunity.
Even before the end of the holidays, Harry was greeted with complicated gazes from his fellow Hogwarts students.
At the very least, most of them no longer shunned him as a liar regarding the Azkaban breakout.
The slap in the face that the escape had dealt to the wizarding world was simply too resounding, forcing them to confront the harsh possibility of Voldemort's resurrection.
Now, wherever Albert went, he could hear students discussing the breakout and the latest issue of the 'Defense Courier,' with even professors joining in on the conversations.
According to Fred and George, there had been a surge in DA membership, with numbers nearing a hundred. The Death Eaters' escape had left many feeling vulnerable, and learning black magic defense and self-protection through DA was exactly what they needed. Moreover, the sheer number of DA members had created a bandwagon effect.
Along with the growth of DA, the Anti-Toad League was also flourishing. Thanks to the article "The Secret Behind the Lie," many students now despised Umbridge, and nearly half of the student body claimed to be members of the Anti-Toad League.
"If most Hogwarts students wear these badges, what do you think Toadface will do?" Fred handed Albert a Gryffindor lion head badge and then pressed it, causing it to rotate and transform into a toad shape.
"We got the idea from the 'Stinking Potter' badges Slytherin made last year. With a tap, it transforms into a toad shape, indicating membership in the Anti-Toad League," George explained their latest product to Albert.
"Are these going to be free, or..."
Albert examined the badge and noticed the Anti-Toad League's mission details, which had just been triggered.
Currently, the League's membership stood at 35% of the student body, but the mission required 60% for completion, making it quite challenging.
"We're thinking of selling them for two Sickles each," George said.
"That's too cheap."
"What price do you think is appropriate?" Fred asked.
"One Galleon."
"That might be too expensive, and no one will buy them," Lee Jordan chimed in.
"Make them into symbols of each house and give free versions to members of the Anti-Toad League as a benefit. If they lose it or have it confiscated, they can buy a new sales version for one Galleon," Albert suggested.
Albert never expected to sell these badges but influencing most Hogwarts students to get one wouldn't be difficult, as people loved a good bargain, regardless of the world they lived in.
"Also, your method isn't subtle enough. Tapping it to transform it into a toad shape is too simple, and you should add more functions, such as making it heat up slightly when Umbridge is nearby. If you plan to sell these badges, they need to offer more features, and this technique has other potential applications."
"Going forward, members of the Anti-Toad League can greet each other by simply showing their toad badges."
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were taken aback by this suggestion.
"There's strength in numbers," Albert continued. "If everyone carries these badges, do you think Umbridge would dare to expel over a hundred students at once? As the magazine says, to deal with Toadface, we need to unite and not give her opportunities to pick us off individually, especially since she's almost recovered. I'm sure she'll be looking to take her anger out on someone as soon as she's out, and if you don't want to be her targets, you'd better act fast and make use of this opportunity. Once this blows over, it'll be much harder to rally support for the Anti-Toad League."
"What if things get out of hand?" George asked, furrowing his brow.
"If you don't want to stay in school, you can always graduate early," Albert replied. "It'll also help boost your popularity, and by then, you won't have to worry about customers for your joke shop."
"I thought you didn't want us to graduate early?"
"Aren't you already preparing your shop? Anyway, the price is still a bit high. Once the mysterious person returns, you can negotiate for a better deal. For now, start thinking about how you want to design the shop and what joke items you plan to sell." Albert tapped the parchment in his hand.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
