Chapter 1221: Twelve Winning Secrets to Captivate Witches
Chapter 1221: Twelve Winning Secrets to Captivate Witches
As March approached, Harry finally held another DA gathering amidst constant urging from his friends. Towards the end of the gathering, everyone was astonished to find Fred and George Weasley, along with Lee Jordan, quietly appearing in the Room of Requirement.
The trio donned sleek black leather jackets, instantly drawing countless envious glances.
"Those leather jackets are so cool," Ernie Macmillan said as he walked up to Cedric and asked tentatively, "Do you know where they got them?"
"They're the newest product from the Wizarding Fashion House. I heard the shop got the idea from Albert's set of Fire Dragon robes," Cedric guessed Ernie's train of thought and reminded him with good intentions, "Those things are frighteningly expensive."
"Very expensive?" Ernie lifted an eyebrow.
"Anyway, I can't afford it," Cedric admitted, feeling a pang of envy. He had just started working and couldn't afford to spend hundreds of Galleons on a jacket. Despite their offers to lend him the money, Cedric declined after some consideration.
"What is this made of?" Ron asked curiously as he reached out to touch Fred's jacket, voicing the question on behalf of most of the boys present.
"Top-quality dragon hide," Fred replied with a grin.
"Albert helped us make some modifications," George added.
"You can consider this Fire Dragon leather jacket as the best defensive gear sold in a Dark Magic Defense specialty store," Lee Jordan relished the attention they were receiving.
"Is this a defensive item?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"Yes, and Minister of Magic Scrimgeour has also custom-ordered one for himself. If it weren't for the exorbitant price, he would probably have gotten one for each of the senior officials in the Ministry," George said.
Apparently keen on demonstrating the superior defensive capabilities of the black Fire Dragon leather jacket, George unexpectedly drew his wand and cast a Stunning Spell at Fred. To everyone's surprise, the red spell was deflected by the jacket.
"Wow!"
This spectacle instantly captured the attention of numerous students. However, when they inquired about the specific price of the Fire Dragon leather jacket from Lee Jordan, they unanimously gasped in shock.
"Over a thousand Galleons, are you guys robbing us?" Michael Corner blurted out.
"High-quality dragon hide can resist most malicious curses, coupled with Albert's profound expertise in Dark Magic Defense. Ordinary spells will be directly deflected by this jacket, as you've just witnessed. Even if hit by a Dark curse, its power will be significantly weakened. The only drawback is the exorbitant price, which is due to the use of superior Fire Dragon hide and Albert's modification fee," George explained to the intrigued crowd, "Of course, it also provides excellent insulation. Otherwise, you think we'd dare to wander around wearing just a jacket."
"How did you guys get here?" Harry asked, walking up to the Weasley twins amidst the whispers, a reproachful tone in his voice, "You should be helping to teach everyone about Dark Magic defense instead of sneaking off like this."
"We just got here," Fred said, unembarrassed.
"And we came to tell you something," George added.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
"I think you've heard that we're being pursued by the mysterious person and Death Eaters," Fred said.
"Is it related to this?"
"Yes."
George clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention, "If you've been reading the latest issue of the 'Defense Bulletin,' you'll know about the difficult situation the Defense Association is currently in... We've been targeted by the mysterious person."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were taken aback, clearly not understanding the purpose of the Weasley twins' revelation.
"Are you really being chased by the mysterious person?" Bones asked Cedric, feeling that Fred, George, and Lee Jordan didn't seem to have a sense of urgency about being pursued.
"It's not as serious as they make it sound. The mysterious person is very busy and probably doesn't have time to bother with small fries like us. Only Albert qualifies to be targeted and hunted down by the mysterious person," Cedric shrugged, "At most, we might be watched by Death Eaters, who are always trying to find Albert through us."
"Actually, they've been wasting their time from the start. With Albert's personality, how could he possibly let people know where he lives so easily?" George shook his head slightly, as if mocking the foolishness of the mysterious person and the Death Eaters.
"Then how are you..."
"Avoiding the pursuit of the Death Eaters?"
"We have our own base, which is also the headquarters of the Defense Association. It's a place similar to the shelters provided by the Ministry of Magic, and it's very safe. Even the mysterious person can't get in," George paused, then continued, "It can completely ensure the safety of the members, and we're currently staying there as well."
"If you haven't made up your mind yet, it's enough to privately support Harry in resisting the mysterious person. After all, that's a very adventurous thing to do," Fred smiled, indicating that he understood everyone's choice.
"Recently, we'll take the time to talk to you about the current state of the British magical community..." Lee Jordan took three radios out of a bag and handed them to the three heads of the colleges, then continued, "The time is 9 pm, and it's not every day."
"The reason we came here today is actually to remind you of something," Fred put away his smile and spoke seriously, "Albert has predicted that some very bad things will happen this year."
"What do you mean by very bad things?"
The Room of Requirement erupted in chatter as everyone knew that Albert's prophecies were powerful, and his words were likely to come true.
"We don't know either, but Albert said that a lot of bad things will happen, and you'll know when the time comes. He asked us to prepare in advance, but I think many of you here support Harry, oppose the mysterious person, and some are even members of the Defense Association. You have the right to know this," George's words effectively aligned everyone present with their cause.
"I think what they're doing is not good!"
As she listened to Fred and George cajoling the others, Hermione frowned, feeling that students who weren't mentally prepared might end up doing more harm than good by hastily joining the Defense Association.
"Don't say that. We're just giving them a choice. Someone needs to unite everyone, or we'll end up being devoured one by one," Lee Jordan stood next to Harry, watching Fred and George speak passionately on the small stage, and whispered, "Harry, I suggest you increase the frequency of the DA gatherings, and Fred and George can come to help you.
"Is this matter urgent?" Harry asked, a little surprised.
"Not exactly, but I feel that the knowledge of Dark Magic Defense we currently possess is quite limited. It won't hurt to learn more, just in case," Lee Jordan said softly.
"Do you want to drag them into this wizarding war?" Hermione asked, a tremor in her voice.
"They were already dragged into this war the moment they joined the DA gatherings," Harry said, seeing more clearly than most.
"Albert said the same thing," Lee Jordan said, giving Harry a thumbs-up.
After Fred and George finished their speech, the gathering started to disperse, with many students coming over to bid Harry farewell.
"Oh, by the way, Harry, Albert asked me to tell you something," Fred said to Harry after everyone had left.
"What is it?"
"If you need one, he can make time to tailor one for you." Fred tugged at the Fire Dragon leather jacket he was wearing and addressed Harry.
"For free?" Ron blurted out.
"What are you thinking? It's already a lot for Albert to make time to help, and you still want it for free?" George glared at his younger brother, his face full of disdain.
"Not now," Harry shook his head. He didn't have that kind of money, and he had to consider Ron and Hermione's situation. If the price was reasonable, he wouldn't mind spending some money to buy one for Hermione and Ron each, but unfortunately, that thing was ridiculously expensive.
"Then forget it." George wasn't surprised and turned to Ron, "I remember your birthday is coming up."
"You actually remembered my birthday." Ron said in a disgruntled tone.
"Of course, we even got you a birthday present." Fred said, taking out a package from a bag and handing it to Ron. He reminded him, "Remember to open it on your birthday. We might not have the time to send you a gift by then."
"What is this?" Ron was puzzled and didn't expect to receive his birthday gift in advance. "The two of you only got me one gift?"
"This is more meaningful than other gifts." George patted Ron's shoulder and smiled, bidding farewell to the others. Before leaving, he reminded Ron, "Remember, it's best to open the package on your birthday."
"How mysterious." Ron muttered. He didn't pay attention to Fred and George's words and, after the meeting, returned to the common room, where he found an opportunity to open the birthday gift from Fred and George.
The three of them exchanged glances when they saw that it was a book.
"This is unbelievable. They actually gave me a book. I always thought they would send me one of their joke props." Ron looked disappointed, as he wasn't much of a reader, and he handed the package to Harry.
"The Twelve Winning Secrets to Captivate Witches," Harry whispered, his expression astonished, not expecting Fred and George to give Ron such a book.
"I've heard of this book. It's actually not very useful. Only an emotional idiot would need to read this kind of thing." Hermione's gaze swept over Harry and Ron, and she couldn't help but curl her lips in disdain. "I remember Lavender and Parvati used to study a similar book."
Hermione had actually read something similar and knew what kind of content was in this book.
However, she always felt that emotions were a one-sided thing. When you disliked someone, everything they did would seem wrong.
Nevertheless, for emotionally dull people like Ron and Harry, this book was indeed a great help, effectively opening their rigid minds.
"Are you planning to break up with Lavender?"
After reading "The Twelve Winning Secrets to Captivate Witches" and carefully studying its content, Ron said seriously to Harry, "Yes, I think it won't be difficult to break up with her. Right now, she..."
"Sorry, mate," Harry raised his hand in a stopping gesture, "I don't know what you plan to do, and I really want to support you, but I have too many things on my mind right now, and I really can't spare the energy to help you with this."
"It's actually quite simple." Ron explained his plan to Harry, "All I need to do is spend more time with Hermione, or when we both leave the dormitory, I think Lavender will probably get the wrong idea and then make a big fuss. At that point, I..."
"...won't need to initiate the breakup?"
Harry was surprised by Ron's idea of breaking up and became curious about the content of "The Twelve Winning Secrets to Captivate Witches."
"I don't want to do this either, but every time I hint at breaking up, she clings to me even more desperately." Ron said helplessly.
"You'll have to figure this out with Hermione yourself, if she's willing to cooperate with you." Harry didn't know what to say about his best friend's relationship troubles. He quietly took out his notebook and began organizing the tasks he had accumulated recently.
"Harry, do you want to take a look at this book? I think you might need it, too." Ron handed "The Twelve Winning Secrets to Captivate Witches" to Harry. "It covers everything you need to know about girls and how to approach the girl you like."
"Okay, I'll take a look later." Harry put "The Twelve Winning Secrets to Captivate Witches" aside and continued organizing his thoughts in his notebook. The most important task at hand was to determine the number of Horcruxes, obtain Professor Slughorn's memory, confirm whether Voldemort had indeed created seven Horcruxes, and find out how many Horcruxes Dumbledore had found.
Harry was well aware that the task of finding the remaining Horcruxes would ultimately fall on his shoulders.
That day, on his way to the library, Ron took the initiative to talk to Hermione about his plan to break up with Lavender.
"I'm sorry, Ron, but I can't do that." Hermione directly refused Ron's request, "I suggest you talk it out with Lavender clearly. I think it shouldn't be difficult for you."
"No, it's very difficult." Ron sighed helplessly, "Unless you can help me come up with a suitable reason."
"Maybe you can tell Lavender that we will soon be involved in the second wizarding war, and you don't want to drag her into this cruel war." Harry said without hesitation.
"That's a good idea." Hermione nodded in agreement, "You can also tell her that we can't be sure if we will survive this war, indicating that you don't want to burden her."
This was not a lie but a cruel fact.
(End of Chapter)
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