Chapter 211: Felix Felicis
Chapter 211: Felix Felicis
The Halloween feast was always a grand affair, and everyone loved this holiday. Not only did they get a half-day break, but Hogwarts also prepared entertainment programs, followed by a grand feast in the evening—just thinking about the sumptuous dishes prepared by the house-elves was enough to make one's mouth water.
At least, that was the case before the savior, Potter, arrived at Hogwarts.
With the persistent rain, Albert and his friends huddled in the common room, playing Wizarding Chess all afternoon. Many students in the school now knew about this card game, and quite a crowd had gathered to watch them play, making the atmosphere lively.
Especially with Albert's gradual optimization, the cards used were no longer as crude as before. Nowadays, the number of cards had become the main constraint on the promotion of Wizarding Chess; some students who were interested in the game couldn't get their hands on a deck. This was the big issue that had come up during the last Wizarding Chess Club gathering; their membership had already reached over twenty people, including students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
As for Slytherin, no students from that house had joined yet, and they were not particularly welcome. The others were also not inclined to include them in their fun.
In the evening, Albert finally headed downstairs with Fred and the others to attend the feast on Halloween Eve.
The Halloween banquet proceeded as it always did. Professor Dumbledore stood up first and gave a brief speech, wishing everyone a happy Halloween and adding, "Eat!"
As always, his concise speech won applause and cheers.
"Yes!"
Albert clapped along with the others, feeling that Dumbledore was adorable and really understood people's desires. The empty plates were soon piled high with food by the house-elves.
Albert, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan filled their plates with their favorite foods.
"I love this steak," said Lee Jordan, his mouth full, making his speech slurred.
"Bats... on your head," Fred said suddenly, in the middle of eating a turkey leg.
Lee Jordan reflexively looked up, only to find nothing, realizing that he had been tricked by Fred. He turned angrily to glare at Fred, who pretended to be oblivious and focused on his food.
Albert was eating a piece of fried pork chop, which tasted quite good.
"Look over there..." George nudged Albert's arm with his elbow and nodded towards a particular plate that held Albert's familiar potato and egg pancake.
"This tastes good," said Shan Na, who was eating the potato and egg pancake. She looked at the two quizzically and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"That's the delicacy Albert taught the house-elves to make last time," George explained, winking at Shan Na.
"I didn't know you were a food connoisseur," Shan Na said, but before she could finish her sentence, they heard the sound of a fork dropping onto a plate. They turned to see Lee Jordan pointing towards the stage, where the Hogwarts choir had just made their entrance. Their outfits, however, were quite comical.
There was no helping it—each student was dressed in robes and hats symbolizing their respective houses. The sight of the Slytherins in their green robes and pointed hats made Albert want to laugh.
To be fair, the regular wizarding robes were fine, but the addition of the hats was a bit much for the students.
The Hogwarts choir was actually quite good. At the very least, on a Halloween with no other entertainment, they were a welcome surprise. Accompanying their loud singing were toads in their hands, and Albert found the combination unexpectedly enjoyable.
The banquet lasted a long time, and it wasn't until the food on the plates had been devoured and the golden plates had returned to their original spotless state that the Halloween feast came to an end with Dumbledore's closing announcement.
"I feel sleepy after eating so much!" Albert yawned, covering his mouth. He had eaten too much, especially the large slice of chocolate cake for dessert.
"I plan to go for a night stroll and pay a visit to Snape's private ingredient warehouse," Albert suddenly announced to his roommates. Outside the window, lightning flashed, and the sound of thunder rattled the glass panes.
"Isn't this a bit rushed?" Fred frowned slightly. They hadn't prepared yet, and this didn't seem like something Albert would usually do.
"Don't worry, I plan to drink some of this to ensure the plan goes without a hitch." Albert smiled and took out the Felix Felicis he had won before, waving it in front of the three. "With Felix Felicis, I'm sure I'll succeed."
"Wow, you're actually willing to use Felix Felicis."
The three were astonished. Felix Felicis was a precious potion that money couldn't buy, and with it as assurance, their worries vanished.
"Won't it be a waste?" Lee Jordan mumbled.
"I won't need much, just a small sip. A few hours of good luck will be enough!" Albert said, "Now, let's rest for a while, and we'll get up in the middle of the night to carry out the plan."
In the end, Albert was woken up in a daze. He glanced at his pocket watch, which read one o'clock in the morning.
Albert washed his face to fully wake himself up, then picked up the small bottle of Felix Felicis and took a measured sip.
"How do you feel?" George asked quietly.
Albert didn't answer; he closed his eyes to sense the changes brought about by the potion.
A thrilling feeling spread throughout his body, as if anything were possible. Albert felt that he could do anything, and everything seemed effortlessly achievable.
"Wonderful, it's truly wonderful," Albert said confidently. "Tonight, I'll go alone. You guys don't need to come."
"What?" Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were shocked. They couldn't help but complain, "You're not going to take us with you? How are we supposed to have fun together now?"
"No, I'll go alone," Albert said confidently. "I feel like it's best to follow my intuition and do things my way. Everything will go smoothly."
"Are you sure you don't need our help?" Fred asked in astonishment.
"Yes, trust me, I know what I'm doing," Albert said, raising his wand and casting a perfect Disillusionment Charm on himself. Such a masterful casting of the Disillusionment Charm would likely go unnoticed even by the professors at Hogwarts.
"Perfect," Albert murmured to himself, feeling like he had given himself a super buff. The sensation was fantastic.
"Is this really Felix Felicis?" George held up the bottle in front of him and looked at his companions. Albert's state made them uneasy; they had never seen Albert so proud and arrogant.
Especially when Albert burst out laughing, the three couldn't help but worry.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Albert said confidently as he headed for the door. Before leaving, he added, "Come down and help me open the door in an hour."
Albert, now invisible, made his way downstairs. With Fred and the others covering for him, he slipped out of the common room.
(End of Chapter)
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