Chapter 1204: He's Better Suited to be the Savior
Chapter 1204: He's Better Suited to be the Savior
As dusk fell, in the Hogwarts kitchen, house-elves were bustling back and forth along the long tables, preparing a sumptuous dinner for the students of Hogwarts.
Suddenly, a sharp, discordant clatter rang out from a corner of the kitchen, startling the busy house-elves who were already in a fluster.
Several house-elves nearly dropped the food they were carrying.
A plate of stewed potatoes that was about to hit the ground suddenly froze in mid-air, as if someone had pressed pause, and then, like a replay, returned to the house-elf's plate.
"Sorry, I startled you."
A gentle voice rang out in the kitchen, and the flustered house-elves paused in their tracks, turning their heads toward the source of the voice.
"Mr. Anderson!"
One of the house-elves recognized the owner of the voice and called out Albert's name, and the other house-elves also broke into delighted smiles.
As they gathered around Albert, they noticed Hermione and Dobby by his side, and their smiles turned to unmistakable disdain and aversion. They sidestepped the two as if they carried some terrible contagion.
Nevertheless, two house-elves offered Albert a cup of tea and a pie.
"Thank you for your hospitality, but I don't want to disturb your work." Albert took the pie offered by one of the house-elves, smiled at them in gratitude, and then left the kitchen with Hermione and Dobby to avoid causing any further inconvenience to the busy house-elves.
"They seem to really like you. How did you do it? I mean, how did you make them like you so much?"
Hermione, looking envious, turned to Albert, who was holding the pie, and asked curiously about his secret to being liked by the house-elves.
The treatment she and Albert had received left her feeling inexplicably sour, and sometimes she wondered if she had truly done something wrong.
"As long as you respect them, they will naturally like you. Here, have some pie, and don't overthink it." Albert took a pie from the plate and offered it to Hermione and Dobby.
"Thank you, sir."
After a moment's hesitation, Dobby reached out and took the pie from Albert, taking a happy bite and expressing his gratitude.
"It's that simple. Just treat them as you would any other person, but many people can't seem to do that." Albert pushed the remaining pie toward Hermione and advised, "Don't do things that they dislike, even if you think they are right. What's right to you may not be right for others because, in the end, many things are relative."
Hermione took the pie, feeling a bit foolish, and watched as Albert waved goodbye to her. She didn't know what to say.
"Well, I should be going. I think you must be hungry too. Go and eat, your friends are probably waiting for your good news." Albert stretched out his hand to Dobby and asked the house-elf to take him out of Hogwarts.
"Goodbye."
Hermione watched as Dobby led Albert away, and she fell into a brief silence once more. She lowered her head to look at the pie in her hand and took a bite, her thoughts wandering.
After finishing the pie, Hermione made her way back to the Great Hall.
As soon as she entered, it didn't take long for her to spot Harry and Ron enjoying their dinner and speaking in low voices.
As Hermione approached, she noticed they had cast a Muffliato spell, so she undid it and heard them talking about Lavender. Ron seemed perplexed about their relationship.
"If I were you, I wouldn't do that."
Hermione sat down in the empty seat next to Harry and shot Ron a disdainful glance, saying calmly, "You've only been dating for a short while, and you're already thinking of breaking up with her?"
"Hermione, when did you get back?" Harry asked in surprise.
"I didn't say I was going to break up with her. I just feel like she's a bit too clingy." Ron stammered, "Like an octopus."
"Just now. Albert brought me back. The issues back home have been resolved, thanks to Albert and Kingsley." Hermione lowered her voice and continued, "A lot happened during that time. Fortunately, with their help, everything was resolved smoothly."
"You don't mind telling us about it, do you?"
Harry was curious about what had transpired during Hermione's leave.
"This isn't the right place. We should find somewhere else to talk." Hermione didn't intend to discuss it there, even with the Muffliato spell. She also didn't want Harry to abuse such spells.
"Let's go to the Room of Requirement. No one will disturb us there." Ron suggested.
After a quick dinner, the trio rushed to the eighth floor and entered the Room of Requirement, a safer place to discuss private matters. At least, they wouldn't have to worry about eavesdroppers.
However, to Harry's bewilderment, someone was already using the room, so they had to find another place.
"Someone's in there. Let's find another spot."
Harry frowned at the closed door of the Room of Requirement and led Hermione and Ron to a nearby empty classroom.
After ensuring that no one was around and recasting the Muffliato spell, Hermione recounted the events that had taken place after she returned home.
From the three time-related clues left by Cassandra before her death, to the mysterious person using a spell to locate her family and set a trap, intending to kill Albert, to Albert's quick thinking in rescuing Hermione's family and evading the mysterious person's pursuit, and finally, with the help of the Order of the Phoenix, sending her family out of the country from the airport.
"That guy is truly formidable. An ordinary person would have walked right into that trap." Harry couldn't help but exclaim after hearing Hermione's story.
It was evident from Hermione's account how dangerous the situation had been. If Albert hadn't been decisive, not only would Hermione's family have been in danger, but Hermione herself might have been at risk as well.
"Isn't the key point that my family was almost innocently dragged into this and nearly lost their lives because of Albert?" Ron muttered.
He actually felt that Hermione's family had been extremely unlucky, almost losing their lives for no reason.
"Albert didn't mean for that to happen, and it's partly because I asked him for help." Hermione had never blamed Albert, even if her family had lost their lives because of him.
She was well aware that by standing with Harry against this mysterious person, they would inevitably encounter similar troubles. Solving the problem was enough; she never had excessive expectations.
"But..."
Ron wanted to say more but ultimately kept quiet.
"I heard from Kingsley that they plan to send your aunt's family into hiding by next summer to protect them from Death Eaters," Hermione said to Harry.
"My family can't all go into hiding; they need to work," Ron frowned, thinking of his own family's situation.
There was no doubt that the Death Eaters despised the Weasley family. Fred and George had followed Albert in defying He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and Ron himself had joined Harry in opposing him. All except for the traitors, Percy and Ginny, were standing against the Dark Lord.
They were undoubtedly on the Death Eaters' hit list.
Oh, Ron thought, the prospect of the Death Eaters targeting his family was truly terrifying.
Or, they might torture his family to try and extract information about Harry's whereabouts, or hold them hostage to lure the Order of the Phoenix into a trap. Ron's face darkened as he imagined a bleak future.
"Don't worry, Ron. Kingsley said the Ministry has other plans for your family," Hermione reassured him.
"But what if the Ministry falls? Albert predicted its collapse," Ron said, his face grim.
"Perhaps they'll find a house protected by the Fidelius Charm!" Hermione whispered comfortingly. "Sirius doesn't mind them using the Order's headquarters as a temporary safe haven."
"Why is Voldemort so eager to get rid of Albert?" Harry asked, voicing his confusion. This whole situation was highly unusual; it was unlike the Dark Lord to personally set a trap for someone.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I think Albert might pose a threat to him," Hermione analyzed. "Albert's Divination is incredibly accurate, and his predictions mostly come true. Plus, he's incredibly powerful. If he truly unites the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix to strike against the Death Eaters, it would be a significant disadvantage for them. In fact, the recent cases are a testament to that; the Death Eaters have suffered heavy losses."
"Sometimes, I think Albert would make a better savior than me," Harry said self-deprecatingly. "He's almost capable of anything; you know that guy has no limits."
"Harry!" Hermione looked at her friend with concern.
"Albert managed to unite the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix to fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. That's something even Dumbledore couldn't achieve, yet Albert pulled it off effortlessly," Harry said bitterly.
He felt it was entirely reasonable for Voldemort to want Albert dead, and the boy-who-lived suspected that Albert might even be higher on the Dark Lord's hit list than he was.
"Don't think like that, Harry. Albert believes you are the true savior," Hermione whispered soothingly. "He also said that there are some things you can do better than him or Dumbledore."
"Some things?"
Harry looked at Hermione, puzzled, but soon understood what she meant. The search for Horcruxes required secrecy, and Albert and Dumbledore were undoubtedly under constant surveillance by Voldemort. If their actions were exposed, it would spell disaster. Harry, on the other hand, could move more discreetly, at least compared to the latter two.
"Is this one of the perks of being too weak?"
Harry's voice carried a hint of bitterness. If only he could be stronger, if only he had Albert's abilities... But he, the so-called chosen one, was merely an underage wizard.
Hence, Scrimgeour never saw him as the savior but as a mere publicity tool for the Ministry.
After their brief conversation, the trio returned to the common room. As soon as Ron entered, he was accosted by Lavender, and the two engaged in an enthusiastic wrestling-style kiss, much to the embarrassment of their peers.
Just then, Ginny approached them, shooting a disdainful glance at Ron before handing Harry a roll of parchment.
"Here, Harry. Professor Dumbledore asked me to give this to you."
"Thanks, Ginny..." Harry muttered, unfurling the parchment and quickly scanning its contents. "By the way, Ginny, when's the next D.A. meeting? Everyone's been asking about it."
"Well... I've been a bit busy lately with the Wizard Card Club, and Quidditch practice... I don't think I'll have time until after the Christmas break," Harry replied. It wasn't that he didn't want to hold a D.A. meeting; he was just swamped with other commitments.
"How about I get Cedr..."
Before Harry could suggest that Cedric lead the meeting, Hermione stomped hard on his foot, causing him to bite back his words.
"Ouch! Hermione, why'd you step on my foot?" Harry complained, rubbing his sore toes.
"Albert wants you to use the D.A. meetings to rally support and gain more student followers," Hermione explained seriously after Ginny had left. "If you hand the meetings over to Cedric, it defeats the purpose. The whole point of the D.A. is to unite people around you."
"I thought the main point was to teach everyone how to defend themselves against Dark Magic," Ron interjected, having momentarily escaped Lavender's clutches.
While he knew this to be true, Hermione's words still came as a surprise.
"Well, that's part of it, but Albert does intend to use it as a way to gain loyal supporters for you," Hermione said, looking at Harry and Ron. "Teaching defense against the Dark Arts is just a convenient excuse."
"For me?" Harry mumbled.
To be honest, Harry wasn't too fond of this idea, but Albert seemed to think that he might need to rely on a group of loyal followers again, just like last year.
"Albert wants to use the D.A. meetings to unite people behind you in your fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He thinks you need allies, or rather, we need allies, and so does the Order," Hermione said, believing Albert's plan made sense. "It's tough to fight alone, Harry."
"But... I really don't have the time right now, especially if I have to keep my commitment to the Wizard Card Club," Harry said.
To be honest, Harry wasn't much of a fan of the game; it required both attention to detail and a strategic mind.
"No, Harry. We promised we'd help," Hermione refused outright.
Luna couldn't manage the club on her own, and they had promised Albert they'd lend a hand.
(End of Chapter)
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