Chapter 1102: An Unfortunate Prophecy
Chapter 1102: An Unfortunate Prophecy
"Good morning, Professor."
"Good morning, Mr. Anderson, and Sybill, it's been a while," Dumbledore greeted Albert with a smile before turning his gaze towards Professor Trelawney.
"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore. I..."
"Professor Trelawney wishes to resume her position at the school," Albert finished the sentence for her.
"Oh, of course, not at all," Dumbledore smiled at Professor Trelawney. "Hogwarts will always be your home."
Professor Trelawney heaved a sigh of relief.
"Now, Professor, I'd like you to make a prophecy for Professor Dumbledore," Albert took out a glass vial from his Changeling Lizard leather bag and poured out a Felix Felicis, handing it to Professor Trelawney. "This is Liquid Luck."
"A prophecy for me?" Dumbledore repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, for certain reasons," Albert said vaguely. "Anyway, give it a try. Perhaps the Felix Felicis will stimulate your divination abilities."
"Mr. Anderson, your way of thinking never ceases to surprise me," Dumbledore was astonished at Albert's intention to use Felix Felicis to unlock Professor Trelawney's divination potential.
It was indeed an interesting approach. Felix Felicis could enhance the user's abilities across the board, and it might just be what was needed to unlock Professor Trelawney's dormant talents.
"How do you feel?"
Albert put away the vial as Professor Trelawney looked on.
"It's quite extraordinary, but I'm not sure if I can enter the prophetic state you mentioned. Perhaps I can use Tarot cards to divine for Professor Dumbledore," Professor Trelawney took out a deck of Tarot cards from her pocket, shuffled them briefly, and then fanned them out towards Dumbledore.
Dumbledore was well aware of Professor Trelawney's ability to predict the future, but it required her to enter a specific state, rather than relying on Tarot card readings. Nonetheless, he drew a card.
"The lightning-struck tower!"
Professor Trelawney murmured as she looked at the card Dumbledore had chosen, "Disaster, misfortune, and death. This is not a good omen."
"Oh, it seems that not even Felix Felicis can help?"
Albert was a little disappointed but still smiled at Professor Trelawney. "Professor, I've asked a house-elf to send your luggage back to your old room."
"Oh, I should be going then."
As Professor Trelawney turned to leave, she suddenly paused, and in a hoarse voice unlike her usual tone, she said, "The Dark Lord will soon have his wish fulfilled—his lifelong enemy shall perish at the hands of one he trusts—and he shall welcome death willingly."
An eerie silence fell upon the Headmaster's office.
Professor Trelawney opened her eyes, looking bewildered, as if she had just realized someone was watching her. She turned her head towards the two men with curious expressions and muttered something before turning to leave again.
"Professor, it's dinnertime soon. Don't be late," Albert reminded her.
"Oh."
Professor Trelawney soon disappeared from the entrance of the Headmaster's office.
"That was quite a surprise!" Dumbledore exclaimed.
"It seems that the Felix Felicis did have some effect," Albert said softly. "Professor Trelawney has a strong inherited prophetic talent, but she is completely unable to control this sporadic prophetic ability. It's like... a child who hasn't yet attended Hogwarts for training. If we can find a reasonable way to develop it, she should be able to harness it."
"To be honest, I never chose Divination as a subject, and I don't have much patience for it," Dumbledore admitted. "Predicting the future is an incredibly difficult task because the cause-and-effect relationships of people's behaviors are always complex and changeable. Many prophecies never come to pass."
"You do believe in them, though, or you wouldn't have offered Professor Trelawney shelter," Albert pointed out. "You also hope to gain more useful prophecies from her."
"Oh, I see. So, you've foreseen my death," Dumbledore said calmly, as if discussing something mundane.
"I just wanted to perform a simple verification to see if you would still die," Albert explained.
"Western culture is fascinated by the concept of fate, believing that prophecies are unchangeable once heard," Dumbledore mused.
"That is a common notion, but I think it's mostly nonsense," Albert disagreed.
"Sirius Black didn't die," Albert said suddenly. "I changed that prophecy, even though I never revealed its contents to him."
"But I believe prophecies can be altered," Albert continued, looking at Dumbledore. "As you said, the cause-and-effect relationships of people's behaviors are complex and ever-changing. And I tell you this because I believe your death stems more from your choices and your summer plans."
"
"You believe my summer plans will lead to my death," Dumbledore said expressionlessly.
"You might run into some trouble." Albert shook his head.
"Do you think I'll be able to find a Horcrux?" Dumbledore asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I believe you will." Albert replied confidently.
"That's wonderful news." Dumbledore said, his mood brightening.
"I hope you will attend my wedding before executing your summer plans." Albert said calmly, his voice steady.
"My credibility has always been excellent."
"If you're willing to help me, I'll tell you something important regarding Harry." Albert suddenly interjected.
"You seem to enjoy making deals with people."
"The most reliable relationship between people is mutual benefit." Albert whispered, "I've been trying, and it's been quite successful."
"That's true." Dumbledore smiled, "Thanks to you, we have Harry's situation under control, and it seems you've convinced Trelawney as well."
"I told her that Grawp wouldn't stay at Hogwarts forever. In a few years, he'll return to his own kind in the Forbidden Forest."
"That's fantastic news, I'm sure Grawp will be happier back with his own kind." Dumbledore was a little surprised but trusted Albert's divination.
"By the way, do you know about Hagrid's brother?" Albert asked suddenly as he turned to leave the Headmaster's office.
"I believe Hagrid's efforts will bear fruit."
"Then that's good."
As Albert left the Headmaster's office, he was immediately surrounded by a group of students.
"They said they saw you coming back."
Lee Jordan slapped Albert on the shoulder and asked, "Are Fred and George coming back?"
"They're gone, why would they come back for the exams? Are they masochists?" Albert retorted.
"How enviable!"
"Do you plan to stay for the exams?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, I plan to graduate from school normally. It's only fitting to see it through to the end." Albert smiled.
"Oh, and by the way, Umbridge will be leaving the school today. I think she'll probably sneak out during dinnertime."
"Now that's big news!" Lee Jordan exclaimed excitedly, "Maybe we should give Umbridge a proper send-off ourselves."
The news spread like wildfire throughout Hogwarts.
Members of the Anti-Umbridge League felt that a farewell ceremony for Umbridge was in order, and the proposal gained widespread support.
Instead of discussing the details of the send-off with the others, Albert made his way to Hagrid's hunting cabin.
"Oh, Albert, come in, come in," Hagrid greeted him warmly, "You're just in time, look what I just made."
"What is this?"
Albert raised an eyebrow as he stared at the glass of greenish liquid with ice cubes in it.
"This is dandelion juice."
"Dandelion juice? Are you sure?"
Albert felt an innate repulsion towards it.
"Don't you like it?"
"No, I've only had dandelion tea, never the fresh juice. Let's forget about it."
"What a shame, it's quite refreshing during the summer." Hagrid poured himself a large glass and took a gulp, smacking his lips.
"By the way, where were you hiding before?" Albert quickly changed the subject.
"I was hiding in the mountains out there," Hagrid pointed in the direction of Hogsmeade, "There's a cave up there where I stayed. Thanks to the food you prepared for me, otherwise I wouldn't have known what to do."
"Umbridge will be sneaking out during dinnertime today. Do you want to see her off?" Albert asked with a smile.
"Oh, is that annoying woman finally leaving?" Hagrid looked pleased.
"Yes, and she's likely headed to Azkaban." Albert pulled out a newspaper from his pocket, "She's been accused of using the Cruciatus Curse on Harry."
"That crazy woman, she belongs in Azkaban with those soul-sucking fiends." Hagrid grumbled.
"There's been an uprising among the soul-sucking fiends. They no longer guard Azkaban." Albert unfolded the newspaper and tapped on the third page, informing Hagrid of the latest news.
"Oh dear." Hagrid took the newspaper and suddenly looked up at Albert, "By the way, I heard from Hermione that you gave Umbridge a good thrashing with a whip."
"She intended to have the Aurors arrest me, so I lost my temper and took it out on her and the Aurors." Albert feigned innocence.
(End of Chapter)
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