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Chapter 170: Something Fishy
Chapter 170: Something Fishy
As Albert walked down the corridor of the train in search of an empty compartment, he didn't spot any of his Hogwarts roommates.
They must not be here yet, he thought, preparing to find a vacant compartment for himself.
Just as he was about to enter one, he heard someone calling his name from the adjacent compartment. Looking up, he saw Lee Jordan waving at him.
"Albert, over here!" Lee Jordan approached, greeting Albert with a smile. "How was your summer?"
"It was great. My family and I went to a beach in France for a vacation," Albert replied, closing the compartment door and following Lee Jordan back to his own compartment with his luggage.
"Who was that guy you were talking to earlier?" Lee Jordan asked curiously as he opened the door, obviously having witnessed the standoff between Albert and Hectork through the window.
"His name is Hectork Dagworth, I believe," Albert briefly recounted his encounter in France and how he had received a warning letter from the Ministry of Magic upon his return.
"Another blunder by the Ministry?"
Lee Jordan expressed sympathy for Albert's predicament and shared his concerns about the Ministry's unreliable tendencies, as his own family also lived in the Muggle community.
"That's the Ministry for you. I never expected them to be reliable," Albert said disdainfully, pushing his luggage into the compartment.
Lee Jordan offered to help stow Albert's luggage onto the rack.
"No need, I can manage," Albert said, brandishing his wand and levitating his luggage to neatly place it on the overhead rack.
"Impressive," Lee Jordan said, giving him a thumbs-up. "So, that Hect... guy was looking for something from you?"
"Yeah, he came for the membership card I found," Albert said with a peculiar expression. "But he doesn't seem interested in helping me resolve the trouble."
"What a thick-skinned guy," Lee Jordan fumed. "You didn't give it to him, did you?"
"No, I flatly refused," Albert shook his head. "I told him that I would return it to him only after he helps me sort this out with the Ministry."
"And did he agree?"
"No, he tried to use magic to take it back. Fortunately, I don't have it on me at the moment," Albert added with a hint of sarcasm.
"What a... jerk, an irresponsible jerk," Lee Jordan scoffed, clearly disgusted by Hectork's behavior. He looked at Albert and asked, "What are you going to do now?"
"I think Mr. Dagworth will help me resolve this matter," Albert said confidently, brandishing his wand. Changing the subject, he added, "Not bringing my wand to France was a big mistake, which is why I ended up with this mess."
Lee Jordan managed a weak smile, unable to comprehend Albert's train of thought. However, seeing his confidence in resolving the issue, he was genuinely happy for Albert.
The two spent the next while chatting about their summer adventures.
As the time for the train's departure drew nearer, the smoky platform buzzed with even more activity, with students everywhere bidding farewell to their families while lugging their cumbersome luggage.
Around ten-thirty, Fred, George, and their family finally appeared on the platform.
Albert and Lee Jordan spotted them through the compartment window, saying their final goodbyes.
"I'll go get them," Lee Jordan said, popping a bean into his mouth and stepping out of the compartment to guide them, saving them the trouble of searching for their friends' location.
Moments later, footsteps approached, and Albert, still inside the compartment, faintly heard Lee Jordan's exclamation.
"Wow! You both got brooms!"
"It's the Nimbus Two Thousand and Five," Fred grinned widely. "Charlie finally convinced Mum to buy us brooms."
"Actually, we wanted the Nimbus Two Thousand and Six. But the new brooms are quite expensive..." George seemed a bit conflicted.
Buying two brooms at once was indeed a financial strain for the Weasley family.
Nevertheless, George and Fred were thrilled to finally have their own brooms.
Stepping out of the compartment, Albert greeted the twins, who were pushing their luggage towards them, with a "Congratulations."
"Albert, what model of broom did you buy?" Fred asked curiously, assuming that Albert would have splurged on the best broom available.
"I didn't buy a broom," Albert replied, surprising everyone.
"You didn't?" Fred repeated, taken aback.
"Nope," Albert shrugged.
"What about the Quidditch team then?"
"Well, I might not even make it into the Gryffindor team, and as you know, I'm quite busy at school, so I may not have the time to play," Albert explained.
Not only Fred and George, but Lee Jordan as well, stared at Albert with wide eyes, mouths agape. Everyone was eager to make it into the Gryffindor team, yet here he was, turning down the opportunity.
Sighing, Albert reminded them, "More importantly, if all of us join the team, we'll be inviting resentment. If we lose a match, Charlie will instantly become the target of everyone's blame. I've mentioned this to you before."
The three of them fell silent.
Although reluctant to admit it, Albert's concerns were not without merit.
"Alright, don't block the passage," Albert gestured for them to move away from the corridor, allowing others to pass.
"Charlie's going to be really disappointed," George mumbled as he picked up his luggage and walked away, presumably to find Charlie.
"Sorry, just a moment," Albert said to the young woman, then waved his wand to levitate Fred and George's luggage into the compartment.
"Your magic is getting better and better," Fred managed a weak smile. "Now we don't have to bother with the luggage."
Not long after the group entered the carriage, Charlie rushed over. He sat down next to George and asked, "You don't want to join the team?"
"I'm not sure I'll have any extra time to practice Quidditch," Albert explained casually. "As you know, I've already joined Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Club. By the way, this term's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is likely someone I know..."
"Who? Who's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year?"
"Rowena Smith," Albert replied. "She's an incredibly powerful witch. I've been corresponding with Rowena all summer, and if possible, I want to take the opportunity to learn from her."
Charlie remained silent for a long time. He knew that Albert was making excuses for him, but he still said, "If the team can't find a suitable player, I hope you'll join then."
"Okay, I'll try my best," Albert hesitated, then nodded in agreement.
"But what about your broom?" Charlie frowned slightly.
"Don't worry, I have galleons. If I really need to, I'll buy a flying broom from the Quidditch specialty store," Albert reassured him.
However, that statement sounded a bit too much like a wealthy brag.
"Hmm, that's good then." Charlie sighed and suggested, "You can consider the Sweeper Seven Stars series. It's very affordable, and the current mainstream model is the Sweeper 6, which is faster than the Sweeper 5 and suitable for Seekers."
After saying this, Charlie left, looking a bit dejected.
George had already told him about Albert's decision.
By withdrawing, Albert was trying to avoid putting too much pressure on Charlie.
What a nice guy! "Charlie's very ambitious. He really wants to win a Quidditch Cup," George said, looking at the closed compartment door. "As long as we win, no one will dare say anything."
"With several newcomers joining the team this year, the probability of winning..." Albert's words were cut short as Fred clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Shut up, you should say we'll definitely win," George said sternly, a bit afraid of Albert's jinx-prone mouth.
To divert the conversation, Fred asked, "By the way, what was that rubber duck you sent us during the summer for?"
"Oh, that's a little toy for bathing. Muggles usually put it in the bathwater," Albert explained with a smile.
Fred and George stared at each other, wide-eyed. They decided it was best not to tell their father about this.
"What's this about a little yellow duck?" Lee Jordan asked curiously.
"A gift from Albert. He said it's a toy he bought abroad," Fred explained.
"Ahem." George coughed forcefully, awkwardly changing the subject. "So, has your issue been resolved?"
"No, I haven't heard back from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic," Albert readily changed the topic. "I guess they just threw my letter into the trash after reading it."
"They wouldn't do that, would they?" Fred and George exclaimed in unison.
"Why do you think they threw your letter away?" Lee Jordan found it hard to believe that Albert was baselessly accusing the Ministry. There must be a reason or evidence for his statement.
Albert mentioned Hectork's intention to give him 20 galleons as a token of gratitude.
"You didn't tell me this earlier," Lee Jordan complained.
"I mentioned it briefly before, but I can tell you again," Albert said nonchalantly.
"You refused?" Fred and George looked at Albert with a mix of envy and admiration. "Twenty galleons, wow!"
"Why aren't you guys thinking about this more carefully?" Albert looked at Fred and George, who were still lamenting the loss of twenty galleons. He couldn't help but remind them, "Why is he willing to offer twenty galleons but not help me resolve the issue with the Ministry?"
"I think Albert's right. This issue shouldn't be that difficult to handle, and yet he's offering twenty galleons to smooth things over. It does seem a bit odd," Lee Jordan agreed, finding Albert's reasoning compelling. "Twenty galleons is a significant sum. It's not a small amount by any means!"
(End of Chapter)
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