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Chapter 188: The Luck Potion
Chapter 188: The Luck Potion
In the Great Hall, the antics of the brawling twins brought forth peals of laughter.
Albert merely glanced up at them, quietly shifting to the empty seat beside him. He pretended not to know the two goofballs in front of him and flipped over his notebook, feigning absorption in the benefits of his newly acquired Mastery in Potions.
Lee Jordan glanced at the still-scuffling twins before sitting down beside Albert and asking, "What were you thinking about just now?"
"I returned that gold card, and I'm wondering what Hoktak will give me as a token of his gratitude." Albert casually flipped through his notebook as he spoke, adding, "I'm a little curious."
"I thought you wouldn't care about a token of gratitude." Lee Jordan was surprised to hear Albert bring up the topic. In his impression, Albert wasn't the sort to care about such things.
Obviously not!
So...
Lee Jordan suddenly realized that Albert was diverting the topic! Just then, a long-eared owl flew towards them and dropped a small parcel into Albert's lap.
Albert smiled and said, "Look, it's here."
Lee Jordan: "..."
Just now, Albert was talking about tokens of gratitude, and now an owl had delivered one without delay.
"What's here?" Angelina asked as she joined them, having overheard Albert's comment about something arriving.
"A token of gratitude." Albert shook the parcel in his hand. Of course, he knew what it contained, but he opened it anyway. Inside was a folded piece of parchment and a glass vial filled with a golden liquid.
"What is this?"
Lee Jordan's eyes widened at the sight of the golden liquid in the glass vial. He had never seen a potion of this color before.
"It should be a Luck Potion." Albert replied without hesitation, "Also known as a lucky potion. There's probably about two spoonfuls worth, and the effects should last an entire day."
"A Luck Potion?"
The twins, who had been tussling, stopped their scuffle and crowded around, eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary lucky potion.
"What's a Luck Potion?" Angelina asked, her eyes fixed on the glass vial containing the golden liquid.
"Is this the legendary lucky potion?" Fred took the Luck Potion from Lee Jordan's hand and examined it before making a drinking gesture. "I really want to take a sip and try it out."
"Who sent it to you?" George asked curiously.
"Hoktak. I returned his item, and this is his token of gratitude." Albert explained briefly.
"You lucky dog! Your luck is already pretty good, and now with this bottle of Luck Potion, your luck will be through the roof!" George took the bottle from Fred, examined it, and then returned it to Albert, who promptly tucked it into his pocket.
"The Luck Potion doesn't bring true luck. It greatly enhances the drinker's abilities, making them more agile and successful in their endeavors." Albert explained as he read the letter, "In a way, its effects could be considered lucky. Unfortunately, this stuff is poisonous if consumed in large quantities."
"Drink a lot? Are you planning to get drunk on it?"
The group stared at Albert, feeling that he was being overly bold. How could he even think about getting drunk on it when his luck was already so good? Just receiving this Luck Potion as a token of gratitude was incredibly fortunate.
And yet, here he was, contemplating drinking it frequently?
"It's just a small bottle!" Angelina reminded him.
"There's no need to drink it all at once. A small sip should last for two to three hours. Moreover, I plan to brew it myself in the future." Albert said, "Once I've mastered the brew, you'll all have a chance to try it."
"Just make sure you don't accidentally poison yourself." Lee Jordan pretended to clutch his throat and made a dramatic show of dying from poison, "You said Luck Potions are difficult to brew, and one mistake could turn it into a deadly poison."
"You have to trust me on this." Albert smiled, "If we can have a little sip every six months, life will be much better."
"That doesn't sound too bad." George mumbled, "But I thought you'd suggest selling it for galleons."
"Forget about the money." Albert stood up, intending to put the Luck Potion away in their dormitory. He didn't want to carry it around and risk breaking or losing it; that would definitely make him cry in the bathroom.
"By the way, do you think we could use the Luck Potion to find the secret treasure hidden in the Forbidden Forest?" Fred lowered his voice as they walked down an empty corridor, bringing up the topic of their near-disastrous adventure from a few months ago.
"Why are you still hung up on that?" Albert frowned and turned to glare at Fred, warning, "Have you forgotten how close you came to becoming a spider's lunch?"
"Last time, our luck wasn't that great. But this time, with the Luck Potion and proper preparation..." George also seemed intrigued by the idea, "Also, if we learn a spell to deal with spiders, the three of us..."
"The three of you? You jerks, are you planning to exclude me?" Lee Jordan waved his fists angrily, "And didn't you say that the treasure map was thrown away by Albert in the Forbidden Forest? Without the map, how do you plan to find the secret treasure?"
"I believe what Albert says, and even if he did throw away the map, he'd definitely find a way to get it back." Fred shot Lee Jordan a look as if he were the stupid one.
"What kind of look was that?" Lee Jordan asked, annoyed.
"The 'you're stupid' look." Fred replied honestly.
"Hey, you've been roommates with Albert for a whole semester, and you still don't understand his character?" George added, taking the opportunity to tease Lee Jordan.
What Albert said might be true, but it was hard to tell how much of it was actually true.
Because his specialty was creating so-called facts.
"No way, I want to live a long life. I don't want to go back into the forest and risk being dragged away and eaten by the Acromantula!" Albert shook his head in refusal.
"It's a miracle you didn't catch them and sell them for money." Fred's expression clearly showed he thought Albert was joking.
"Do you still have the treasure map?" Lee Jordan asked suddenly.
"I told you, I threw it away in the forest." Albert replied.
"You must have found it again." Fred pouted, "You could have just used the Summoning Charm."
"I don't know that spell." Albert spread his hands to indicate his innocence. In truth, he really didn't know how to cast the Summoning Charm.
"You don't know it?" The three friends exchanged glances, clearly not buying his story.
As they turned a corner, they stopped discussing the topic as they noticed someone approaching—Professor Snape.
Upon seeing Albert, Professor Snape spoke, "Anderson, I have something to discuss with you."
"What is it, Professor Snape?"
"What is it about, Professor Smith?" Albert asked.
"I've made a breakthrough in my research on Boggarts. Come with me, and I'll show you the photos. It's a significant discovery; I'm surprised no one has thought to use this method to investigate Boggarts before." Smith's tone held a hint of excitement.
"See you later," Albert said to his roommates.
The three boys stared at each other, watching as Albert and Professor Smith walked away, and their conversation turned to the topic of Smith's recent research on Boggarts, wondering what the Dark Arts professor had discovered.
Following behind Professor Smith, Albert asked curiously, "Did you manage to capture a physical form of the Boggart?"
"Yes, I did," Smith replied as he opened the wooden door and invited Albert into his office. "I was able to capture its essence on camera—a swirling mist, proving that Boggarts indeed have no true physical form."
Professor Smith pulled out several photographs from his drawer. The images showed a swirling mass, resembling mist. He announced proudly, "I plan to publish this remarkable discovery in the 'Unbelievable' magazine."
"Congratulations, Professor Smith," Albert said with a smile.
"No, no, congratulations to you too, Anderson. You played a part in this as well." Professor Smith smiled back, "It was your idea, and without you, I wouldn't have made this discovery. So, I intend to include your name in the publication as well."
"That's not necessary, Professor. This is your achievement." Albert shook his head in refusal, "If you feel that you owe me, you can teach me some useful spells or alchemy."
"Well..." Smith's expression turned a bit odd as he nodded, "Your alchemy skills are only average, but I could offer you some guidance in that area."
"That would be fantastic." Albert said, "It's a shame that Hogwarts doesn't offer alchemy as a subject. It's quite a regrettable oversight."
"The subject has a rather high entry requirement." Smith explained, "Not many in Britain value alchemy these days, and the books on alchemy in the Hogwarts library are not very useful either. Typically, students have to wait until after graduation to delve into it on their own."
Suddenly, he added, "I've decided to include your name anyway. It's not right to claim sole credit for a discovery that was partly yours."
Albert was taken aback but didn't refuse again.
"By the way," Professor Smith's eyebrows furrowed, "I overheard you talking about entering the Forbidden Forest and something about a secret treasure? That's not a wise idea. The forest is dangerous, and you shouldn't be fooled by any treasure maps."
"Yes, I know." Albert nodded.
"Then what about Messrs. Weasley? What were they on about?" Professor Smith inquired, looking suspicious.
"Last semester, Fred and George were tricked into entering the forest by someone using a treasure map. I'll make sure they drop that idea; they won't be fooled again," Albert explained briefly.
"Good." Professor Smith nodded, "While the outskirts of the forest may not be too dangerous, the deeper you go, the more perilous it becomes. Don't be foolish enough to venture in unprepared; you'd need more than a few lives to spare."
"I understand. Well, I'll be off then." Albert bid farewell to Professor Smith and turned to leave, but then he turned back and asked, "Can I have one of those photos?"
"Of course." Professor Smith readily agreed, as he had several more on his desk.
Albert tucked the photo into his robe pocket and left the office.
"A secret treasure, huh?" Professor Smith watched Albert's retreating back, a strange gleam in his eyes.
...
As Albert walked away from the office, he took only a few steps before noticing a male student walking towards him. The other boy glanced in his direction as well.
Then, the student walked up to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office and knocked on the wooden door.
"That guy looks like... Smith?" Albert muttered to himself, wondering if they knew each other.
But it wouldn't be surprising if they did; Britain wasn't that big, and most wizards with the surname Smith were probably related anyway.
Upon returning to the common room, Albert didn't find Fred, George, or Lee. He placed the Felix Felicis into a wooden box and put the box in his drawer, casting an Anti-Alohomora Charm on it to ensure no one could open it.
At least, most students wouldn't be able to.
The drawer also contained his personal notes, camera, the protective bracelets he had made before, and... the map to the secret treasure in the Forbidden Forest.
Entering the Forbidden Forest? Albert did consider it, and now with the Felix Felicis, his chances of success had increased significantly.
However, he didn't plan to go anytime soon. It would be too dangerous, and he had to wait until he became stronger, strong enough to ensure his safety.
While thrilling adventures were enticing, his life was undoubtedly more important.
Just as Albert was about to put the map back into the drawer, the door opened, and the three friends walked in, catching him red-handed with the map.
"See, I told you the map was still with Albert." Fred wore a 'I-told-you-so' expression.
Albert calmly put the map back into the drawer and cast a spell on it before shrugging and saying to the others, "Don't venture too deeply into the Forbidden Forest without proper preparation. We'll go together when I'm ready."
The three boys exchanged glances and then burst into laughter.
"See, I knew Albert liked adventures too." George patted Albert on the shoulder, "When will you teach us the spell to deal with spiders?"
"If you want to safely enter the Forbidden Forest and search for treasure, just learning the spider repelling spell won't cut it." Albert shook his head, "Even if you learn that spell, you'll eventually be eaten by the spiders."
"Why?" Lee Jordan looked confused.
"Because the Acromantulas' strongest ability is their ambush." Fred explained, "In the forest, if they succeed in ambushing you, you're as good as dead."
"Then why are you guys still alive?" Lee Jordan huffed.
"Last time, the giant spiders didn't intend to kill us right away." George explained, "But this time, it might be different."
As he spoke, he pointed at Albert, "Last time, Albert saved us by defeating a whole bunch of Acromantulas, and I think those spiders will hold a grudge."
"Hold a grudge?"
"I've looked into Acromantulas, and they can talk and are quite intelligent." Fred explained, "Next time we encounter them, they'll probably... just kill us outright."
"It seems you're not just blindly rushing into the forest to meet your doom." Albert was somewhat relieved. If Fred and George were merely thinking of recklessly adventuring into the forest, he would have had to reconsider.
(End of Chapter)
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