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Chapter 1328: Two Powder Kegs
Chapter 1328: Two Powder Kegs
"Is there a gathering today?"
Angelina brought freshly baked sponge cakes to the table as she prepared for the upcoming afternoon tea session.
"No, I have other matters to attend to this afternoon," replied Albert as he took a bite of the cake, his eyebrows raising slightly at the unexpected cheese filling.
Alice, who was pouring hot water into the teapot, widened her eyes at his words and looked him up and down before asking, "Then why are you here today?"
"It's as if I only show up for gatherings," Albert said with a hint of amusement. He murmured a thank you and accepted the cup of tea that Shan Na offered, taking a delicate sip.
"Well, I usually only see you at those gatherings," Angelina said, counting on her fingers as if tallying the number of times Albert had appeared that month.
"Ahem, I brought you the spoils from your recent endeavors." With a wave of his wand, Albert conjured a leather case out of thin air and said with a smile, "If you don't welcome me, I'll be on my way."
"At least leave the goods," Lee Jordan said with a laugh as he handed a manuscript to Shan Na. His eyes then fixed on the case Albert had summoned, and upon opening it, he found it filled with an assortment of odd items.
"I wonder why we ever considered this junk worthy of being spoils," Lee Jordan picked up an old silver arrow and quipped, "This broom is even more dilapidated than the silver arrows Albert bought from Mundungus."
"There weren't many valuable items to begin with, and these are already among the more precious ones," Albert said as he took out a small bag from his pocket and tossed it onto the table. "You can discuss what to do with these Galleons."
"I remember there not being much!"
Lee Jordan's reflexes were quick as he snatched the money bag before Kenneth could, emptying its contents onto the table with a clatter of coins.
"Not much?" Angelina echoed, her eyes taking in the pile of coins before turning to Lee Jordan.
"Indeed, not many. Perhaps a little over twenty Galleons, but I can't recall the exact amount," Albert said as he finished off another sponge cake, this time with a red bean filling that he found superior to the cheese one.
"That's not a lot," came a disappointed reply.
"It's not a small amount, either," someone else chimed in.
"Don't forget how many Dark Wizards we took down recently," Kenneth reminded them. "Most of those Dark Wizards are poor, otherwise, why would they risk becoming one? If they were truly wealthy, they wouldn't join the patrol. You'd understand if you just used your brains a little."
"Are you calling me stupid?" Alice narrowed her eyes at Kenneth.
The latter shrugged and remained silent to avoid a beating.
"Ever since they learned of your habit of looting," Albert continued, refilling his cup of tea, "they've been more cautious about carrying valuable items. Unless you plan to raid the Dark Wizards who frequent the Hog's Head, that is."
"Why is that?"
"Dark Wizards often conduct their little side businesses there, smuggling Dark Arts artifacts or..." Kenneth was all too aware, having engaged in similar activities with his father before.
"We are not robbers," Shan Na interjected.
"Of course not," Lee Jordan agreed with a smile. "We're just taking down Dark Wizards."
"Don't go to Hogsmeade," Albert said, alluding to the reason he had mentioned the place earlier.
"Why?" The group turned to him, having assumed he intended to take action against the Dark Wizards in Hogsmeade.
"It has become the headquarters of the Dark Wizards," Albert explained.
"What happened?"
"A large number of Dark Wizards have poured into Britain, and Hogsmeade is fast becoming their paradise. As a result, the number of Muggles dying under mysterious circumstances is skyrocketing. Slaughtering Muggles is even turning into a form of entertainment for them," Shan Na said, her face contorted in disgust.
"Are we really going to let this slide?" Truman asked, furrowing his brow as he looked at Albert. They all knew that only Albert had the capability to address this issue.
"It seems the Death Eaters are deliberately turning Hogsmeade into Europe's largest black market, which is the main reason for the influx of Dark Wizards. The original residents of Hogsmeade have been forced to move out," Albert said, and then added as if a thought had just occurred to him, "Perhaps only the owner of the Hog's Head remains, stubbornly keeping his business open in that hellhole, which is even more chaotic than Knockturn Alley."
"If Hogsmeade truly becomes that kind of place, won't Hogwarts students be unable to spend their weekends there anymore?" George commented, feeling sorry for the students.
"Have you calculated it?" Albert asked.
"Yes, we have. We're missing thirteen Galleons and six Sickles. Apparently, some students didn't pay," Fred said, clearly annoyed. "We gave them a 20% discount, and they still tried to freeload off us."
"They betrayed our trust," George added, not so much upset about the money but more so about the feeling of being taken advantage of. It made them feel foolish.
"It's only natural. Freeloading is human nature," Albert said nonchalantly. He had anticipated this outcome when the twins suggested taking payment after delivering the goods.
However, he let it slide as it would be a learning experience for Fred and George.
"So, we plan to revert to our old mail-order method. Payment first, then goods," Fred stated, outlining their solution.
They all agreed that they had been too naive and trusting in the past.
"You didn't really lose out, did you?" Albert said as he pushed the last sponge cake toward the twins. "Thirteen Galleons and six Sickles for a lesson learned is a bargain.
"You're right about that."
George found an empty spot and sat down, biting into an egg cake, his previous gloom seemingly swept away.
"It's actually potato-filled?" Fred asked in surprise.
"What about you, Cedric?"
Albert was here to find Cedric, as Hogwarts was currently in an uproar due to Neville and the DA. If this wasn't stopped, who knew what would happen next.
Upon catching Albert's gaze, Cedric quickly explained, "What's happening at Hogwarts isn't my problem."
The Weasley twins' joke products were the biggest inducement, and he absolutely refused to take the blame for it.
However, the Weasley brothers didn't want to take the blame either and were trying to wriggle out of it.
"Their opponents are Dark Wizards. Even if they want to cause trouble, they must be well-trained, not acting like a bunch of fools." Albert tapped the table lightly with his index finger, silencing Fred and George, "They need to know their limits, or they'll end up attracting Death Eaters."
"The mysterious person definitely doesn't want Hogwarts to descend into chaos, and we don't want that either, so it's best to keep the pranks and mischief from going too far."
"Neville will be disappointed. He dreams of driving the Death Eaters out of Hogwarts," George said, stealing a glance at Albert.
"And then have Hogwarts go up against the Death Eaters?"
Neither Fred nor George spoke, implicitly agreeing.
Albert was certain that the Weasley twins were behind all of this.
"It's too early for that."
Finishing off his cake, Albert glared at Fred and George, "You two stay away from Hogwarts for now."
Turning to Cedric, he added, "Also, get Neville to calm down recently. I think things are about to blow up over there."
"That won't be easy."
Cedric smiled bitterly, "I've reminded Neville and Ernie more than once, but it hasn't helped much. They're getting carried away with their string of victories."
No one would willingly stop before reaching the finish line.
"Maybe they need to stumble badly before they come to their senses."
He looked at Albert, hoping for some good advice.
"Are you asking me to bail them out?" Albert raised an eyebrow.
Cedric nodded.
Albert stared at Cedric for a moment, making him feel slightly uncomfortable, before saying, "It seems like you're getting impatient too."
"I just feel that..."
"You can tell them directly that they will definitely fail. Although I can get them out of trouble, they can only temporarily hide in the shelter, and doing so will also cause Hogwarts students to lose their last bit of resistance." Albert thought for a moment and continued, "You tell them directly, and let them make their own choice."
"Is it to embrace the inevitable failure and suffer the consequences, or to give up on these seemingly foolish actions, return to underground training, continue to deal with the Death Eaters at Hogwarts, and protect the students at the same time?"
He spoke bluntly, and while Albert couldn't interfere with Neville's decision, he hoped they would choose the latter.
"You're being awfully... harsh."
Cedric opened his mouth, then smiled wryly, a look of helplessness on his face.
"I dared to bring you trouble with Umbridge because I had the ability to bail you out and clean up the mess. But they don't have that, and this time it's more serious because their enemies are the notorious Death Eaters, not Umbridge, who relies solely on her position."
"You're quite hurtful," Angelina said.
"Umbridge wouldn't kill, but the Death Eaters will." Albert replied irritably, "And this is war, not a game. Most of you don't even seem to realize that."
"We know this is war."
"I don't want someone from the association to lose their life before the others realize that we are at war." Although Albert was reluctant to admit it, he felt this was the most likely outcome.
Because that was the nature of humans.
To most members of the Defense Association, the current war seemed more like an exciting game.
It was thrilling and interesting.
And their dueling skills were improving at a rapid pace.
The price of getting everyone to reset their mindset was a little too high.
"Where are you going?"
"To do something important."
"Isn't the gathering important?" Qiu Zhang asked in confusion.
"There's something even more important that I need to do." Albert waved and prepared to leave.
"When do you plan to continue the training to resist the Killing Curse?" Kenneth suddenly asked.
"First, make sure you've laid the foundation. While I'm away, help keep an eye on them, as well as those in the shelter. Don't let the students who joined us have a hard time." Albert stopped and turned to face everyone, "If any of you complete the most basic training, I'll teach you some of my tricks as a Christmas present this year. So, you have a little over two months left."
"I think he's treating us like kids," Qiu Zhang said, turning to Cedric.
"In Albert's eyes, we're all probably just kids who need his care," Shan Na said, not surprised.
"Okay, little George, let's go tell everyone the good news!"
"Shut up, little Fred."
The twins left, walking shoulder to shoulder towards the training room.
(End of Chapter)
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