Chapter 121: A Clear Vision
Chapter 121: A Clear Vision
Gryffindor was still riding high on their victory over Hufflepuff. With one more win against Ravenclaw, the House would likely claim the Quidditch Championship Cup.
Currently, Gryffindor's chances of winning were high. As long as Slytherin defeated Ravenclaw or they managed to beat Ravenclaw themselves, the Cup would be theirs.
During breakfast, Charlie sat across from Albert, poring over his Quidditch tactics. Fortunately, Charlie had already finished eating and left; otherwise, Albert and the others didn't know how much longer they would have had to listen to his ramblings.
After finishing the sausages on his plate, Albert turned to Lee Jordan beside him and said, "Next time, keep your distance from Charlie during breakfast. These Quidditch captains can get pretty crazy."
"What did you say...?" Lee Jordan replied casually, and then the fruit in front of him started billowing thick, black smoke.
"Cough, cough! What are you up to?" Albert coughed uncontrollably, covering his mouth and nose with his hand as he looked in the direction of the smoke, initially thinking that a fire had broken out. However, he soon realized that the smoke was coming from the fruit on Lee Jordan's table.
"I was just..." Lee Jordan coughed, his dark face turning even darker from the smoke.
The fruit continued to emit thick smoke, forcing Lee Jordan to use an empty bowl to cover it. Still, the smoke seeped out from under the bowl.
"Wow, that's some thick smoke! What did you do?" George opened the overturned bowl, causing the smoke to surge out and attract a lot of attention.
"I was just trying to see if I could restore a bitten fruit to its original state," Lee Jordan explained, scratching his head awkwardly. "But I accidentally lost focus for a moment, and this happened."
"Do you know how to get rid of the smoke?" Lee Jordan pleaded with Albert for help.
"Finite Incantatem," Albert said as he pulled out his wand, tapping the still-smoking fruit with the tip and casting the general counter-spell.
The fruit no longer emitted smoke, but it had turned completely black, as if it had been charred by intense flames.
"What spell did you use just now?" Albert asked, poking the fruit with his fork. It quickly crumbled into a pile of charred ash.
"I don't know," Lee Jordan replied, still looking bewildered.
"By the way, what spell were you practicing?" George asked, pinching some of the ashes between his fingers.
"Reparo," Lee Jordan admitted.
"You can practice with a piece of torn newspaper instead," Albert suggested, surprised that anyone would use fruit to practice the Repairing Charm.
He suddenly remembered that he hadn't read the newspaper that day and asked, "Has anyone seen my copy of The Prophet today?"
"It's right here," Fred said, handing the Quidditch column of The Daily Prophet to Albert.
"Any headline news?" Albert asked as he unfolded the newspaper.
"I just finished reading the front page. Cornelius Fudge has become the Minister of Magic," Fred informed him. "Apparently, the new minister sends a flock of owls to Dumbledore every morning to consult with him about Ministry matters."
Albert opened The Prophet and glanced at the front-page news, then suddenly remarked, "He's a smart one."
"Why do you say that?" George asked, puzzled.
"Initially, Fudge might not have been confident in his abilities," Albert said without hesitation. "Dumbledore's popularity far surpasses that of the other candidates, so Fudge wants people to know that his decisions are influenced by Dumbledore."
"This reduces prejudice in the wizarding world and gives him time to gradually adjust to his position. It also shows that he's making an effort to excel as the Minister. In fact, Fudge has received positive reviews since taking office."
"In a few years, Fudge will grow more confident. It's a process—no one can step into the role of Minister of Magic and instantly be perfect at it."
"Makes sense," Fred nodded in agreement.
Later, Albert knew exactly what Cornelius Fudge had become. Albert's evaluation of Fudge was: "He let power and wealth cloud his judgment."
The four-year election system was actually quite reasonable. If Fudge had diligently served out his four-year term as Minister of Magic and then stepped down, Albert believed that Fudge would have received nothing but praise within the Ministry. Even if he didn't continue as Minister, he could still land a comfortable position.
It was a pity that the position of Minister of Magic was essentially a lifetime appointment, unless one chose to step down or was forced out.
"Have you guys figured out how to turn a mouse into a snuff box yet?" Susan interjected abruptly. "I heard that it might be on the Transfiguration exam."
"The final exam is still four months away," Fred said as he folded up the newspaper and glanced at Susan. "Don't panic, we still have plenty of time."
"I heard that if you do terribly on the exam, you could get held back a year!" Susan warned.
"I've never heard of anyone getting held back," Fred shook his head. "As long as you put in some effort before the exam, there's no way you'll fail."
"Has anyone ever actually been held back?" George was curious about this topic.
"Who?" Jordan wanted to know as well.
"Probably not."
Albert frowned slightly. He vaguely remembered a Slytherin student who had been held back, but he didn't want to dwell on whether or not it was true. As long as he didn't get held back himself, that was all that mattered.
"I'm so jealous of Albert," Jordan said enviously. "He barely has to study and he'll still get high scores."
"Yeah, we're jealous of Albert too," the Weasley twins chimed in together.
"Shut up and scram," Albert scolded them.
"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat softly.
Albert turned around to see who it was and asked, "What's up?"
"The next meeting has been rescheduled for 3:30 pm next Saturday. Don't forget the time," Isabelle reminded them.
"Why the sudden change?" Albert asked, puzzled.
"The new issue of 'Transfiguration Today' will be on sale this weekend, and Professor McGonagall plans to use something from it for...
...Anyway, just don't forget the time," she finished.
"Okay, got it," Albert nodded.
"How's Professor McGonagall's club going?" Susan asked curiously.
"It's tough," Albert thought for a moment before answering. "We're covering a lot of advanced topics, and Professor McGonagall even encourages us to write to experts in the field to maintain friendly contacts."
"Have you written to anyone?" Jordan asked.
"Don't ask," George suddenly cut in.
"Why not?" Everyone was confused.
"I really don't want to..." George began, but was interrupted by Albert.
"Don't worry, you won't be able to hear it. No one replied to my letter," Albert said calmly.
"Really? No one at all?"
"Who would take a first-year student's letter seriously?"
"Aren't you angry? Don't you care?"
"I don't mind," Albert said nonchalantly. "When I become the winner of the 'Most Promising Newcomer Award' from 'Transfiguration Today', they'll reply to my letters then."
"You certainly have a clear vision."
"You haven't... left yet?" Albert turned his head and saw Isabelle sitting behind him, leaving him speechless.
"Let's go, we have two Herbology classes this morning. Don't be late," George stood up and reminded them.
As the four of them stood on the road leading to the greenhouse, they looked at the pouring rain outside and asked, "Did you guys bring an umbrella?"
"No."
Everyone turned to look at Albert.
"I've already mastered Summoning Charms, so it doesn't matter if I don't have an umbrella," Albert said as he took out his wand, waved it, and instantly summoned an umbrella.
"What about us?" Fred asked.
"Just walk in the rain," Albert said, holding the umbrella and walking towards the greenhouse.
After a moment of hesitation, George, Fred, and Jordan ran after Albert, and the four of them huddled together under the umbrella, making their way to the greenhouse in the rain.
(End of Chapter)
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