Chapter 179: A Disturbing Truth
Chapter 179: A Disturbing Truth
The class on Magical History was dull, and the entire classroom full of students was dozing off. It wasn't until the end-of-class bell rang that everyone regained their energy.
Before dinner, Albert planned to write back to the others. One benefit of maintaining correspondence with those famous wizards was that his experience in certain fields grew rapidly when they discussed and studied together. However, it also required a lot of time and energy to write back.
After all, they were all professionals. Aside from simple greetings, most of the letters' content revolved around academic questions or perspectives on specific fields.
To be honest, a letter like this was infinitely more prestigious than writing for an academic journal, even if the content was a bit informal.
But no one really paid attention to that issue. As long as they could understand each other, that was enough.
Albert often mentioned his doubts and novel viewpoints in his letters, and the recipients would gladly help clarify and discuss if they were able to.
Albert dined alone in the Great Hall, as Fred and George had gone to try out for the Quidditch team, and Lee Jordan had gone to cheer them on while watching the selection process.
After dinner, Albert returned to the Gryffindor common room to put his bag away in his dormitory before making his way to the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's office promptly at seven o'clock.
"Honeydukes," Albert said the password to the stone gargoyle.
The gargoyle suddenly came to life, jumping aside to reveal a hidden gap in the wall.
Albert stepped through the gap and onto a spiral stone staircase, which began to ascend slowly as the gargoyle returned to its place, blocking the entrance. The staircase carried him to a wooden door with a brass door knocker.
"Is this the magical version of an elevator?" Albert muttered to himself as he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time before knocking on Dumbledore's office door promptly.
The next moment, the office door opened.
"Good evening, Headmaster," Albert nodded slightly to Dumbledore.
"Come in, Mr. Anderson," Dumbledore smiled.
This was Albert's first time visiting the headmaster's office. It was a round room with portraits of Hogwarts' previous headmasters hanging on the walls, all pretending to be asleep.
Albert wasn't the only visitor in the office, which wasn't surprising to him.
Hector Dagworth had arrived early.
"Hector told me that there was a bit of a misunderstanding between the two of you," Dumbledore said to Albert, "He hopes to sit down and have a calm chat with you. I hope you don't mind?"
"Yes, a little misunderstanding," Albert nodded, "I also hope that this matter can be resolved smoothly."
"That's wonderful," Dumbledore said pleasantly, "Would you like something to drink?"
"No, thank you. After all, he is a Master Potioneer," Albert's tone was calm, but Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, clearly catching the underlying meaning in Albert's words.
Hector Dagworth was a Master Potioneer.
Who knew what he might slip into their drinks?
For example, Veritaserum.
"Oh, that's a shame," Dumbledore glanced at the silent Hector, not very optimistic about the outcome of this meeting.
The relationship between the two had clearly deteriorated beyond what Hector had described as 'not very friendly'.
"I went to the Ministry of Magic the day before yesterday," Hector finally spoke up, "I discussed this matter with them, but that short, fat, ugly woman simply wouldn't admit her mistake or apologize."
"I suddenly can't hear very well," Dumbledore pretended he hadn't heard Hector's words.
"That is a shame," Albert shrugged, his expressionless face not reflecting the sentiment in his words.
"One hundred, no, five hundred galleons," Hector named his price, "I really am powerless against the Ministry."
"Why don't you try bribing them?" Albert asked curiously.
"I'd rather give the money to you than to that detestable ugly woman," Hector's face twisted in disgust, clearly showing his dislike for the woman in question, "One thousand galleons, return my Gold Card."
"I see," Albert nodded, "Ten thousand galleons, and I'll return the card."
"Ten thousand galleons? Are you insane? This is blatant extortion!" Hector's face turned bright red, and he was nearly amused by Albert's audacity. He thought he had been more than generous.
"Yes, I am currently blackmailing you," Albert admitted bluntly.
This statement left Hector speechless, and even Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, neither of them expecting Albert to admit it so readily.
"Mr. Anderson, what would it take for you to be willing to return the Gold Card to Hector?" Dumbledore interjected.
"It's simple," Albert stated his condition, "Have Dagworth resolve the trouble he caused, and have the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol write a letter of apology to me personally. I think my request is more than reasonable, don't you agree, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Albert spread his hands, indicating his helplessness.
"Is that all?" Dumbledore frowned. He had noticed that Albert directly addressed Hector by his surname, clearly indicating his dislike.
"That's all I've ever wanted," Albert countered, "I just need Dagworth to fix the mess he created. I'll return the Gold Card to him, no galleons or any other form of compensation required. Isn't that fair, Headmaster Dumbledore?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore acknowledged that Albert's approach was faultless. He couldn't find any flaws in his request, making it seem like Hector was the one deliberately causing trouble.
"Sometimes, having the right doesn't necessarily solve the problem."
Hector said angrily, "I know, so I'm not trying to reason with you, I'm threatening you."
Albert's tone as he uttered the threat was as casual as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner.
"Mr. Anderson..." Dumbledore knew there was no other way around this unless Hector fulfilled that not-unreasonable request.
"I understand what you mean, Professor Dumbledore," Albert replied calmly, "but unfortunately, I don't see any sincerity in Dagworth at all." His calm tone belied the underlying threat in his words as he continued, "In my opinion, respect is a two-way street. If Dagworth doesn't give me any face, why should I bother returning the favor?"
Dumbledore was quite surprised. To be honest, he had a good impression of Albert, but he never expected the young boy before him to have such a tough side.
"I've already said that I went to see the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, but she disagreed, and there's nothing I can do about it," Hector said, gradually calming down.
"Then use unconventional methods," Albert suggested.
"Unconventional methods?" Hector repeated.
"If the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol is still unwilling to apologize for her mistake, then just have the new head issue an apology," Albert said nonchalantly. "You can publish an apology in the Prophet, shifting all the blame onto the previous head. After all, this incident was the Ministry's fault, and specifically, the fault of the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. If you don't know how to handle this matter, I can recommend a reporter who is very skilled in such matters. As long as you're willing to pay a small amount of galleons as a fee, she'll be happy to help."
Both Hector and Dumbledore stared at Albert, their eyes wide.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm just stating the facts," Albert shrugged. "Of course, I don't want to see any Ministry personnel lurking around my house afterward. To be frank, I've never trusted the way they handle things."
Hector suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
The boy in front of him was merely stating facts, but the calmness in his tone as he did so made Hector feel incredibly uncomfortable.
He even felt that if he had tried to be tough, the boy might have already figured out a way to deal with him.
As Albert had said, these were just facts.
Scary facts.
"I know what to do now," Hector finally said after a long silence, nodding. "Although I don't understand why you're so fixated on that damn apology letter, I think you'll soon receive a handwritten apology from the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol."
"Are you curious as to why I want it?" Albert narrowed his eyes, looking at Hector and then turning to Dumbledore.
The latter seemed quite interested as well.
Hector nodded.
"This incident wasn't my fault, so why should I bear the consequences? Why should I be the one to pay for the Ministry's mistake?" Albert countered.
Hector opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to respond.
"When you make a mistake, just apologize sincerely. That's the cheapest and most peaceful way to resolve the issue," Albert said disdainfully, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "My family has always taught me that if someone isn't willing to solve a problem peacefully, then don't be polite—just punch them until they're willing to resolve it peacefully."
Both Dumbledore and Hector's expressions froze.
Of course, they didn't think there was anything wrong with Albert's upbringing; after all, he was still willing to resolve things peacefully.
However, for Hector, this was a painful realization, as he felt he was the unfortunate recipient of that figurative punch in the face.
"Why don't you want the galleons? One thousand galleons is a huge sum for anyone," Hector said, feeling more at ease now that the issue was resolved. He didn't rush off but stayed to chat with Albert amicably.
As Albert had said, if you give me respect, I'll return it.
"Knowledge is mankind's greatest wealth," Albert replied without hesitation.
Hector was taken aback, but Albert continued, "This means that knowledge is equivalent to wealth. As long as you have enough knowledge and find the right way to use it, you can quickly turn it into actual wealth."
Hector was speechless, and although he felt that this argument was a bit far-fetched, he knew that Albert had convinced him.
After all, Albert was an expert in ancient magic, and this statement was a reflection of his confidence in his field.
"Now I understand why Broderick has such high hopes for you; his eye for talent is indeed something I can't match," Hector said with a sigh, offering his hand to Albert. "I'll get this matter resolved soon. If you have any interest or questions about potions, feel free to write to me."
"If I do, I'll be sure to write to you, Mr. Dagworth," Albert nodded.
"If you ever feel dissatisfied with the Ministry, you can take matters into your own hands. With your talent, I'm sure you could become the Minister of Magic within thirty years," Hector added as an afterthought before disappearing into the fireplace. "Broderick's connections are even broader than you imagine."
"I'm not interested in that sort of thing."
"What a shame!" Hector's voice echoed from the fireplace.
"It seems that this matter has been resolved perfectly," Dumbledore said with a smile, looking at Albert. "I think Filius will be quite disappointed that you didn't end up in Ravenclaw."
"Any house but Slytherin suits me," Albert said as he turned and left.
(End of Chapter)
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