Chapter 212: Success
Chapter 212: Success
Snape's private storeroom was located within his office, and if Albert directly broke into the office, it would most likely alert Snape. Usually, a Hogwarts professor's bedroom was situated in the compartment next to their office. Even if Snape was asleep at the moment, it would still be unwise to intrude directly.
Albert's original plan was to lure Snape away by having the Weasley brothers create a disturbance, then sneak into Snape's office to steal the potion ingredients. However, after taking the Felix Felicis, Albert's first impulse was to steal a Mandrake from Greenhouse Three.
Why steal a Mandrake from Greenhouse Three?
Albert didn't know himself, but the intuition brought on by the Felix Felicis urged him to do so, and he decided to head to the greenhouse first.
At night, the doors of Hogwarts Castle were already closed, but that didn't stop Albert. He left the castle via the secret passage on the third floor.
The heavy rain outside had stopped, but the air was damp and cold.
Albert tightened his cloak and, before stepping out of the secret passage, used Transfiguration to create boot covers for his shoes to avoid leaving any traces of mud.
The greenhouse was some distance from the boathouse, and Albert quickened his pace. Everything went smoothly. He arrived at the entrance of the greenhouse and easily unlocked the door of Greenhouse Three, which was secured with an Anti-Alohomora Charm, using a length of wire. Before entering the greenhouse, Albert waved his wand and conjured a ball of light to dispel the darkness within.
All the plants cultivated in Greenhouse Three were dangerous, and Albert dared not be careless. He carefully navigated his way through the hazardous flora, making his way to the corner where the potted plants were kept.
Albert was very familiar with these plants, having repotted the Mandrakes just that morning. He waved his wand again and cast a spell on the pot, making it float and follow him.
Before leaving, Albert also took the brown earmuffs that were placed in a box nearby.
As for why he took the earmuffs?
Albert felt they might come in handy.
On his way back, Albert entered the secret passage and removed the boot covers from his shoes, then used the Vanishing Spell to eliminate all traces of his passage.
Just before exiting the narrow passage, Albert glanced at his pocket watch and noted that there was still some time before the agreed-upon period with the Weasley brothers.
"I'll temporarily store these ingredients in the Room of Requirement," Albert thought. "I'll return them in a couple of days after the task is complete." As he thought this, a crazy idea suddenly popped into his head.
Yes, it was a crazy idea.
Albert clearly felt that he should follow this impulse.
However, he decided to act on this crazy notion.
Thus, Albert strode toward Snape's office, with the floating pot of Mandrake following close behind him.
Snape's office was located in the basement, a place Albert had never been. However, with the help of the Marauder's Map, it wasn't difficult to find its location.
A few minutes later, Albert stood in front of Snape's office.
As expected, the entrance was warded with an Anti-Alohomora Charm, but that still didn't stop Albert's wire. Perhaps it was due to the influence of the Felix Felicis, but unlocking the door with the wire took less than a second.
The door creaked as Albert pushed it open. He cautiously stepped inside and directed his gaze toward the door of the private storeroom. Instead of rushing to find the potion ingredients he needed, Albert gently closed the door, took out the earmuffs from his cloak pocket, put them on, and only then did he carefully make his way toward Snape's bedroom.
And then... Albert did something astonishing. He pulled the Mandrake out of its pot, and in the next moment, a terrible wail filled the entire room.
Snape, who had been sleeping soundly, was abruptly jolted awake by the Mandrake's cry, only to be rendered unconscious again, defenseless against the piercing shriek.
As Albert replanted the Mandrake, he muttered softly, "What a thrill. Tomorrow, Snape will probably think he had a nightmare."
He drew out his wand and gave it a slight flick, causing the dirt that had spilled onto the floor to fly back into the pot, covering the Mandrake's roots.
Before leaving the room, Albert even went to Snape's bedside and thoughtfully straightened the bedcovers before exiting and making his way to the private storeroom. He used the wire to unlock the door, and as expected, the alarm went off.
Snape had placed protective enchantments on his private storeroom, and intruding without first disarming the wards would trigger an alarm, immediately alerting Snape.
Unfortunately for Snape, the alarm was useless because he was currently unconscious, and it might be morning before he woke up, by which time it would be impossible for him to know what had just transpired.
Albert cast a Summoning Charm and effortlessly located the snake eggs of the Ashwinder, fragments of Boomslang skin, and a bicorn horn, all of which were stored by Snape. As for dragon claw powder, Albert didn't take it since it could be purchased at a potion shop, albeit at a high price. But that wasn't a problem because he had galleons.
It wouldn't be long before Snape discovered that someone had stolen his potion ingredients, so Albert also intended to mislead Snape into thinking that he was planning to brew a complex potion.
Before leaving, Albert checked the Marauder's Map and saw that the Mandrake's cry had indeed caused a commotion. However, he still had plenty of time because, from the moment Snape was knocked out to the opening of the private storeroom and the retrieval of the three ingredients, only less than a minute had passed, and the others hadn't had time to react yet.
Albert placed the ingredients into a conjured box and left Snape's office. Before departing, he relocked both the private storeroom door and the office door.
To paraphrase a certain line: Silently, I came; silently, I depart; I wave my wand, and take with me Ashwinder eggs, fragments of Boomslang skin, and a bicorn horn.
Indeed, the Felix Felicis lived up to its reputation as a luck-enhancing potion.
As Albert walked through the underground passage, he occasionally glanced at the Marauder's Map and saw that Filch had woken up and was on his way to investigate the source of the noise.
It seemed that the two doors had provided some sound insulation.
The two almost brushed past each other, and Filch had no chance of discovering Albert under the Disillusionment Charm.
Before the others could react, Albert had already reached the eighth floor, stashed the potion ingredients and the Mandrake in the Room of Requirement, and returned to the Gryffindor common room.
Surprisingly, Madam Fat Lady was not present, but this turned out to be good news for Albert.
Soon, the appointed time arrived, and Fred promptly opened the entrance to the common room to let Albert in.
As for the castle behind him, which had fallen into complete chaos, it no longer concerned Albert.
(End of Chapter)
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