Chapter 209: Growing Up Fast
Chapter 209: Growing Up Fast
As soon as Albert and his friends returned to the common room, they overheard their classmates discussing the upcoming Halloween performance. The renowned Hogwarts choir was preparing to present their latest rehearsal to the school's students and staff on Halloween night.
The Hogwarts choir? Albert recalled last year's performance, where the choir held giant toads, creating quite the "interesting" spectacle.
Back in the common room, Albert settled into an armchair to work on his homework. After a while, he stood up to stretch his legs and casually pulled out a thick book from his bag. Sitting back down, he began to browse through it, taking the opportunity to check the panel for any new tasks that had appeared recently.
The Dead Man. You have inadvertently discovered that Peter Pettigrew, who was supposed to be dead, is now at Hogwarts, and it seems to involve a big secret. How can you, with your insatiable curiosity, resist the opportunity to uncover this mystery? Find out why Peter Pettigrew faked his death.
Reward: 2000 experience, 1 skill point. "This task shouldn't be too difficult," Albert thought to himself, recalling that Pettigrew had faked his death because he was the Potters' Secret-Keeper, only to later betray them to Voldemort. This ultimately led to their deaths, and Pettigrew framed Sirius Black for the crime, resulting in his imprisonment in Azkaban for over a decade.
"If I didn't remember parts of the story, this task would've been quite challenging," Albert mused.
His gaze then fell on another task.
Introduction to Mandrake. You now have a basic understanding of Mandrakes, but the uses of this magical plant far exceed your imagination. Obtain a Mandrake and further your research.
Reward: Basic Mandrake Knowledge. Upon seeing this reward, Albert was left a little dumbfounded. He never expected to come across such a quirky task reward.
Basic Mandrake Knowledge? Common sense?
In other words, knowledge about Mandrakes? However, the question remained—where could he get a Mandrake? Should he steal one from the greenhouse? To be honest, Albert didn't want to resort to theft, and the Mandrakes in the greenhouse weren't mature yet.
Should he try to procure a mature Mandrake from the black market instead?
Albert recalled that there was someone in the Order of the Phoenix who specialized in such dealings, but he couldn't quite remember the person's name.
Moreover, Albert realized he had a bigger problem—how would he even acquire items from the black market given his age?
At his current age, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to deal directly with black market merchants.
Perhaps he could find someone to act as a proxy?
Hagrid? Albert immediately shook his head, dismissing the idea. Hagrid was unlikely to help him with this.
He didn't feel comfortable involving himself in such matters, as it could expose him.
Why hadn't he noticed this significant issue earlier?
Well, to be fair, Albert had recognized the problem, but he believed he could handle the tasks on his own. However, the issue of his age remained unresolved... Using a complex potion? Probably not.
Using the Imperius Curse to control someone and have them make the transaction? No, that wouldn't work either, as the curse was illegal, and getting caught would lead to even more trouble.
Or... should he write to Hector Dagworth-Granger, the renowned Potions expert, and seek his assistance? No, that probably wouldn't work either; Dagworth-Granger was unlikely to help.
"Age is indeed the biggest obstacle," Albert lamented.
Things had been going smoothly, and he had become a bit complacent.
It would be challenging to find an untreated Mandrake at a potion store as well! Wait, what about Felix Felicis? Even with that, Albert couldn't be sure if taking a sip of the liquid luck would help solve this dilemma.
"Sigh!"
With a deep sigh, Albert returned to the dormitory. He retrieved Dagworth-Granger's letter from the box where he kept his correspondence and read it once more before taking out a quill to write a reply.
Since acquiring the Potions Mastery skill, Albert had occasionally been able to impress Dagworth-Granger with his insights during their exchanges about improving potions.
At the end of the parchment, Albert mentioned the Mandrakes from their Herbology class and asked if Dagworth-Granger could assist him in obtaining one.
After sealing the letter, Albert took a deep breath. To be honest, he wasn't very hopeful that Dagworth-Granger would agree to help.
"Albert," Fred suddenly spoke up, "have you finished that essay on Grindylows for Defense Against the Dark Arts yet?"
"Oh, let me just find it," Albert replied as he opened his bag and flipped through Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, but he couldn't find the essay.
"What's wrong?" Fred asked with a peculiar expression. "You haven't written it yet?"
"Umm... probably not," Albert mumbled as he checked his notes and confirmed that he hadn't marked the Grindylows essay as completed.
"So, there are times when you forget to do your homework too," Jordan teased. "Why don't you just copy mine?"
"Do you have any books about Grindylows that I could borrow?" Albert asked, frowning. He intended to finish the essay that evening, even though it was...
"Hey, wait a minute! Isn't this the homework that was assigned in Defense Against the Dark Arts class today?" Albert suddenly realized that the trio had tricked him.
"Don't be mad. We saw you deep in thought, and Fred said you'd probably..." George struggled to hold back his laughter.
"Nonsense! I never said that," Fred quickly denied.
Albert rolled his eyes at the trio and decided to ignore them. Glancing at his pocket watch, he began packing up his things to return to the dormitory.
"Don't be angry, we were just joking," Jordan said hastily.
Once back in the dormitory, Albert used the Marauder's Map to confirm that there was no one nearby before reviewing what he knew about Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter. The task, "The Dead Man," was easily completed, almost as simple as drinking water.
1 skill point gained.
Unveiling the Secret. You have uncovered Peter Pettigrew's crimes. Expose him to the public and let everyone know what kind of person he truly is.
Reward: 5000 experience. "Looks like this is a consecutive task," Albert mumbled. He recalled that the previous consecutive task had offered generous rewards.
However, he thought it would be best to complete this one in a few years; doing it now would be too early. If there were no follow-up tasks, it would be a real letdown.
As for Black's innocence, Albert didn't feel it concerned him.
Black's imprisonment in Azkaban was largely due to his own mistakes.
Back then, Black hadn't denied the accusation, leading the Ministry of Magic to convict him without a trial and throw him into Azkaban. It was his own fault! (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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