Chapter 177: A Heap of Happenings
Chapter 177: A Heap of Happenings
By the end of class, everyone was covered in dirt and looked exhausted, as if they had just finished a hard day's labor. After they returned to the castle, showered, and changed into fresh robes, they hurried to their next class—Transfiguration—and ended up collectively late as they were pressed for time.
Professor McGonagall was not pleased, and though her expression softened slightly after hearing their explanation, she still deducted five points from Gryffindor.
During Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall had them review important concepts from the previous year, tasking them with transfiguring a beetle into a button.
Compared to the end-of-term exam last year, where they had to transfigure a mouse into a snuff box, this wasn't too difficult. However, most of the students couldn't do it, perhaps because the knowledge they had acquired had gone on a summer vacation and hadn't returned to their minds yet.
Lee Jordan's beetle scurried across the desk and accidentally fell to the floor, where it was promptly squashed by Albert. He had to get another one, much to Professor McGonagall's displeasure.
Once again, Albert was the most relaxed student in Transfiguration class. He effortlessly transfigured the beetle into a delicate silver button, earning five extra points from Professor McGonagall.
"I don't expect you to forget everything you learned last year right after the summer holidays," Professor McGonagall said sternly, fixing her gaze on Fred. "Mr. Weasley, if you continue to torment that poor beetle, I will put you in detention."
"Professor, we weren't allowed to use magic during the holidays," Fred replied.
"I didn't expect any better insight from you, Miss. Fortescue," Professor McGonagall said, her stern gaze silencing the unfortunate Gryffindor girl before she could say more. "I suggest you all take the time to review, or you'll fall behind in the upcoming lessons."
"You should be aware that Transfiguration is a challenging subject. If you wish to excel, you must put in extra effort," she added.
"Yes, Professor," the students chorused.
As for how much they actually understood, that was another matter.
Before the class ended, Professor McGonagall stopped Albert to inform him about a Transfiguration Club gathering that evening.
As expected, Katrina MacDougal, one of the few students in their year with a talent for Transfiguration, had also been invited to join the Transfiguration Club.
"If you don't know where Classroom 21 is, you can ask Mr. Anderson," Professor McGonagall said to Katrina.
"Congratulations," Albert said to Katrina after the professor left.
"It was to be expected, wasn't it?" Katrina lifted her chin. "I'm ready whenever you are to continue our wager from last term."
"Don't you need to prepare?" Albert asked.
"Are you trying to back out, or do you think I would fall for that?" Katrina eyed him suspiciously, wanting to make sure he wasn't playing games with her.
"Oh, of course not. I've just been busy lately. How about next weekend?" Albert suggested after a moment's thought. "I need some time to prepare. Ten questions might be a bit challenging."
"I know your type," Katrina said with a strange tone. "They say Albert Anderson is a liar, that out of ten sentences he speaks, five are false, three are nonsense, and only two are true."
"Who said that?" Albert frowned, clearly displeased. "I'm an honest person, and yet there are those who would call me a liar."
"Who knows," Katrina said, bringing the conversation back on track. "Remember to bring ten galleons. Don't try to weasel out of it by saying you don't have any money."
"Don't worry, I'm definitely richer than you," Albert said with a smile. "By the way, do you know where the Transfiguration Club meets?"
"Yes," Katrina replied.
"Are you aware of the Transfiguration Club's tradition?" Albert asked.
"What tradition?"
"You have to transfigure a chair for yourself using a Transfiguration spell," Albert helpfully reminded her. "If you have time, practice it so you don't end up being the joke of the club by not being able to transfigure a chair."
"That's simple," Katrina said, raising an eyebrow, clearly unaware of this custom.
"Well, if you don't understand, you can ask Isabel. She's also a member of the Transfiguration Club," Albert said, getting ready to leave.
"Of course, I know. Isabel is also in the Charms Club. Speaking of which, why hasn't Professor Flitwick invited you to join his Charms Club yet?" Katrina asked, puzzled.
"Not yet," Albert replied.
"That's odd," Katrina muttered. In truth, she had already received an invitation from Professor Flitwick.
In a sense, Katrina was also a genius, but she was a weaker version of Isabel, and the unfortunate younger sister remained in her brilliant older sister's shadow.
"Maybe..." Albert suddenly said, "...it's because we haven't had any Charms classes yet."
"You... Humph, of course, I know that," Katrina huffed, turning and walking away.
Watching her go, Albert shook his head and quickened his pace to join his roommates in the Great Hall for lunch.
When Albert entered the Great Hall, Fred and George were deep in discussion about something, and Lee Jordan handed him a piece of parchment.
"For me?" Albert asked, taking the note that Lee had offered. "Who's it from?"
"They said it's from Headmaster Dumbledore," Lee replied, curious about why the headmaster would be sending Albert a note.
"The headmaster?" Albert opened the note directly and scanned its contents.
Dear Albert, I hope you can join me for some afternoon tea in my office at seven o'clock this evening.
Your faithful,
Albus Dumbledore P.S. I like mead.
"What does Dumbledore want with you?" Fred asked, perplexed.
"Tea," Albert replied, handing the note to Fred.
"Tea?" The three of them crowded around and, after reading the note, wore baffled expressions, unsure why the headmaster would want to have tea with Albert.
"Strange, huh?" Albert retorted.
"Not really, not for you anyway," George said.
Last semester, Professor Blodue had frequently invited Albert to his office for tea, chess, and chats.
"But what's going on today? Why is everything happening at once?" Albert could guess why Dumbledore wanted to see him, but he found the timing interesting.
Speaking of which, was Hector Dagworth planning to get his golden card back through Dumbledore?
Albert found the situation intriguing. He didn't think Headmaster Dumbledore would make him hand over the golden card.
At the very least, Albert's first impression of Dumbledore was positive.
"What about the Quidditch player selection?" Fred suddenly asked.
"I'll have to apologize to Charlie," Albert said with a helpless and frustrated expression. "The Transfiguration Club is also meeting at this time. Why does everything have to overlap?"
"You've got a lot on your plate," Lee Jordan said sympathetically to Albert. Seeing him get up, he asked, "Where are you going now?"
"I need to pass a message to Professor McGonagall," Albert said as he made his way to the Ravenclaw table and approached Katrina. He spoke to her about the matter.
Katrina looked at Albert with a strange expression and muttered, "You're so unreliable."
"I'm the first person you've called unreliable," Albert said, spreading his hands. "If you don't know where Classroom 21 is, I'll take you there after lunch."
"Alright!" Katrina actually had no idea, and when she said she knew, she meant Isabel knew. However, she didn't refuse Albert's offer to show her the way.
When Albert returned to the Gryffindor table, Fred was already filling Charlie in on his situation.
"Headmaster Dumbledore wants to have tea with you?" Charlie asked, his expression confused.
"Sorry, Charlie, I have too much on my plate," Albert apologized. "I might also be joining Professor Flitwick's Charms Club, so I'm sorry about Quidditch. Besides, I think you're the better Seeker for Gryffindor."
Charlie froze for a moment, then forced a smile. He understood Albert's implication and sighed helplessly, "Alright, I'll keep the spot as a backup Seeker for you."
After patting Albert's shoulder, Charlie turned and walked away.
"I can't believe you turned him down," Lee Jordan said, surprised. "I think you'd make a great Seeker. Your flying skills are amazing."
"It's just the way things are," Albert spread his hands helplessly. "Using my connections to get the position would ruin team morale."
"What if the Charms Club and Transfiguration Club meetings overlap?" Fred asked curiously.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Albert said, expressing his interest in the Charms Club as he enjoyed magic that was "convenient."
"That's true, you're not even in the Charms Club yet," George muttered. "Speaking of which, I didn't know Hogwarts had clubs like these."
"Yeah," Albert nodded. "In fact, there's also a Wizarding Card Club."
"How come I didn't know about that?" Lee Jordan paused, not putting two and two together right away.
"You're so slow," Fred covered his face, exasperated.
"When did I join this club, anyway?" Lee Jordan asked.
"Are you saying you don't want to be a part of it?" Albert feigned surprise and asked.
"Who said I don't want to? When did we even form this club?" Lee Jordan grumbled.
"Just now."
"Just now?"
"That's right, just now," Fred replied with a 'can't believe you don't know' expression.
"Just now," George nodded in agreement.
"What class do we have this afternoon?" Lee Jordan quickly changed the subject.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," George replied promptly. "Don't change the subject."
"And we have History of Magic," Fred added. "I hope the new professor is as interesting as Professor Blodue last semester.
"I remember it's about battling Boggarts," Lee Jordan continued.
"Battling? That word doesn't seem quite right," Albert shook his head. "At most, we'll learn how to drive away Boggarts, not fight them or get scared or fainted by them."
"You probably already know how to deal with Boggarts, don't you?" George suddenly asked.
"Of course, it's in the books," Albert admitted. "The spell is 'Riddikulus'."
"Come on, did you eat the whole book of 'Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection' or something?"
"How did you know?" Albert pretended to be surprised and looked at George.
"Don't forget the sauce," Lee Jordan chimed in, wearing a 'I knew it' expression.
"Don't steal my line," Albert complained.
The group couldn't help but laugh at this exchange.
(End of Chapter)
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