Chapter 174: A Watchful Gaze
Chapter 174: A Watchful Gaze
"Oh, I lost again. Can we still enjoy a friendly game?"
In the Gryffindor common room, George, who had just lost another round of Wizard Cards, slumped powerlessly into a chair. He carelessly tossed the remaining cards in his hand back onto the table and complained, "Why am I always the loser?"
"Of course, it would be strange if you could beat me at this point," Albert said as he organized his own deck. He patted George's shoulder consolingly and said, "After all, I invented this game, and with your current skills, it's not possible to beat me yet. You should play with Fred or Lee Jordan; your skills are probably on par with each other."
"No, no," Lee Jordan chuckled. "George and Fred definitely can't beat me."
"You didn't mess with your deck again, did you?" Albert eyed Lee Jordan suspiciously, his expression implying that he suspected cheating.
"Do I look like the sort of person who would do that?" Lee Jordan protested indignantly.
"It doesn't seem like something you'd do, but what about that Avada Kedavra card last time?" Fred glared at Lee Jordan with contempt.
"Ahem, that card..." Lee Jordan cleared his throat. "I was just testing whether or not to include Unforgivable Curses. But it doesn't seem very appropriate, so I just removed it from my deck."
"No need," Albert said after a moment's thought. "I'll modify the effect of the Avada Kedavra card. If a player uses the Avada Kedavra card and fails to defeat their opponent, they will lose the match immediately."
"Why?" The three asked in unison.
"Because any wizard who uses the Avada Kedavra curse will be captured by the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic and sent to Azkaban!" Albert explained as if it were obvious. "This card is meant for the Dark Wizard faction. Only players who choose the Dark Wizard path can avoid an immediate loss even if they use the Avada Kedavra card and still fail to win. However, for three rounds, their opponent will get an Auror card on the field each round."
"Dark Wizards are pursued by Aurors after using Unforgivable Curses? That's quite interesting." Lee Jordan found the idea intriguing and immediately took out his notebook to jot down Albert's suggestion.
"Will there be a Ministry of Magic faction in the future?" Fred asked with certainty. "Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, and Dark Wizards?"
"If possible, there could also be factions for the Magical World, Fairies, and Magical Beasts," Albert explained. "Of course, the gameplay would vary. For example, your Quidditch deck and my Spell deck."
"Why do I always lose when I use my Professor deck?" George interrupted with a protest. "It's not fair the way you've set it up."
"George, you have too many high-star cards," Fred said, covering his face. "You can't use them in the early game, so you lose."
"Yes, Fred is right," Lee Jordan nodded in agreement. "You put three ten-star Dumbledore cards in your deck. You can't use them until the tenth round at the earliest. In my opinion, one is already enough, but you put in three. What are you trying to do?"
"By the tenth round, you won't be able to beat me," George said.
"In fact, it's unlikely you'll even make it that far," Fred added, unable to hold back his criticism of George's strategy of holding out for a big move.
"What if we increase the players' health to thirty?" George suggested.
"Fifteen to twenty is enough," Lee Jordan shook his head in rejection. "You should understand how to coordinate. For someone like Albert, who specializes in spells, you should have a card to counter him."
"Don't we already have one?" Albert reminded them. "The Quidditch Match Prohibition card."
The card prohibited players from using spells during a Quidditch match. For the next three rounds, no spells could be used by anyone, and all Quidditch players on the field received a +1 attack boost.
Fred's deck was entirely composed of Quidditch cards, so he had three of these cards. However, even with this setup, he still couldn't beat Albert.
"What are you all up to?" Angelina asked as she approached the group, her curiosity piqued by the sight of the four huddled together.
"Playing cards, a game Albert invented," Fred explained casually.
"Card game?" Angelina looked at the paper cards on the table, her confusion evident. She had never heard of such a game in the magical world.
George handed a card to Angelina, who was stunned to see that it had her name on it.
"The number next to the sword symbol is the attack value, the number next to the heart symbol is the health, and the text below describes the card's effect," Albert explained.
"Do you want to join us for a game?" Fred smiled. "My deck is the same as George's, this is Lee Jordan's deck, and this is Albert's."
"It's quite interesting." Angelina put down Lee Jordan's card and asked curiously, "But why are you using real people's names?
"That was Albert's inspiration from the Chocolate Frog cards." Fred explained, "If you want your own card, Albert can make one for you."
"Really?" Angelina looked at Albert expectantly.
"Of course." Albert pulled out a blank card from his notebook, along with a pen, and began to fill it out, giving her the same health and attack stats as Lee Jordan. However, Angelina's card had a unique effect: "Score First in Quidditch: Gain a significant boost in morale by scoring the first 10 points in a Quidditch match, granting all teammates on the field a +1 attack boost for this round."
"I like this!" Angelina exclaimed with a smile. Indeed, scoring first in a Quidditch match would be a tremendous morale booster.
"Care to join us for a game?" Fred offered, handing his deck to Angelina.
Angelina took the deck and drew a card, only to find another familiar face.
"Violent Beater: Swing your bat and strike an enemy hard, dealing 2 points of damage. When Erin and Mack appear on the field together, deal 2 points of damage to an enemy each round," Angelina read out Erin's card effect and couldn't help but giggle. She found this game more interesting than she had expected. "How do you play this game?" she asked, intrigued.
A few minutes later, Angelina had lost decisively to Albert.
"I actually lost." Angelina found this unfamiliar game intriguing and could tell that Albert's deck was completely different from Fred's.
"I told you not to play with Albert." Lee Jordan reminded her, "It's normal for you to lose to him. I don't think anyone can beat him at this point."
"Why?" Angelina asked, puzzled.
"Because he invented the game." Fred sighed, "Until we figure out the right card combinations and strategies, no one can beat him."
"That's true." Angelina glared at Albert and complained, "And here you are, playing with us without any shame?"
"Well, I believe it was you who approached me first." Albert shrugged helplessly, "I had initially suggested for you to play with George."
"Oh, is that so? George, let's play a game then." Angelina invited George to join her.
...
A few minutes later, George slumped dejectedly in his chair, clearly not interested in playing anymore.
"I told you," Lee Jordan sigamed at George's expression, "If you don't replace some of those high-star cards, you're only setting yourself up for failure."
"However, I can understand Albert's good intentions." Fred suddenly realized something.
"What do you mean?"
"To help Angelina gain some confidence."
"Poor guy." The two looked at George with a knowing expression.
"Hey, what's with that look?" George protested.
"What are you guys up to?" Charlie walked over at that moment, holding a notice for the Quidditch tryouts that he was about to post on the Gryffindor bulletin board.
"Playing a card game." Angelina smiled and handed Charlie one of the cards.
"Card game? What's that?" Charlie took the card from Angelina, his curiosity piqued, and read aloud: "Devil Captain: After undergoing intense hellish training, grant all teammates on the field a +1 attack boost."
Wood, standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh out loud at the description.
"It seems my training has been too easy on you all." Charlie glared at the group, his gaze lingering on Albert.
"Ahem, these cards are all Albert's doing." Fred quickly shifted the blame.
"That's right, all made by Albert." George immediately agreed.
"The Devil Captain card was Fred and George's idea. They insisted it was more fitting." Albert ruthlessly threw the twins under the bus.
"Do I have a card?" Wood asked, intrigued.
"Here's one." Fred quickly changed the subject, "Goalkeeper: Help a designated teammate block 2 points of damage."
Wood was relatively satisfied with his card, but he noticed that most of the players' names were only in Fred's deck...
"Why is it only Gryffindor?" Wood asked, looking at Albert with a furrowed brow.
"For now, there aren't any cards for the other houses." Albert nodded, "I plan to consider making them in the future, but time is limited, so I'm focusing on these cards for now."
"What about the professors at school? Are there cards for them too?" Angelina asked curiously, "What about the headmasters?"
"Most of them have cards." Fred handed a card of Snape to Angelina, who burst out laughing after reading it.
The effect of the Slytherin Headmaster's card was, "The Stare from Behind: You're being watched, and it sends chills down your spine. It's best to do nothing, as the targeted opponent's attack power drops to zero."
"Ahem, is that so?" Lee Jordan pretended to clear his throat, attempting to mimic Snape's usual tone, which caused the group to burst into laughter.
It seemed that everyone had experienced the eerie feeling of being stared at by the Potions Master.
(End of Chapter)
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