Chapter 220: Pickling Vegetables?
Chapter 220: Pickling Vegetables?
"It might rain later," Fred said, looking up at the dark, cloudy ceiling and addressing the group beside him.
"If I were you, I'd finish the food on your plate while it's still hot. It won't taste as good cold," advised Albert, who was cutting his potato and egg pancake with a knife and fork. House elves had just served this dish to the students.
"I'm curious," Angelina said between mouthfuls of bacon, eyeing Fred and his friends strangely, "why you'd want it to rain."
The rainy season had been going on for quite a while, and rainy weather was becoming a nuisance.
Fred was about to respond when he was interrupted. A student hurried over to their table and said to Albert, "Are you Albert? I've heard your name before. Professor Smith asked me to give this to you."
"Thanks," Albert said, nodding at the messenger after glancing at the note.
"What is it?" Angelina asked curiously. "An invitation?"
"An invitation," Albert confirmed after a quick scan of the parchment. "Professor Smith is inviting me for tea."
The others exchanged glances. If anyone else had said this, they wouldn't have believed it, but it was different with Albert. It was common for him to be invited for tea by professors; it had happened frequently the previous year.
"You're so lucky," one of them commented.
Indeed, only a handful of students at Hogwarts received special treatment from professors, and even the student body president might not get the kind of attention Albert did. It wasn't just about good grades; one also needed solid connections.
As they spoke, an owl flew towards Albert and dropped a package into his lap, momentarily diverting everyone's attention.
Albert picked up the package and, recognizing the sender's name, guessed what was inside.
Dragon claw powder—an ingredient Albert had purchased from a potion shop in Diagon Alley.
Recently, he had spent ten galleons on a pint (568 ml) of dragon claw powder, and now he had acquired the two most difficult-to-obtain ingredients for making the Befuddlement Draught.
"You're quite popular," Aria said with a strange tone. As they spoke, two more heavy letters were delivered by owls and placed in front of Albert, who tucked them into his robe pockets.
"Pen pals?" Hannah asked.
"Old friends," Albert replied.
"Literally," George clarified, referring to the letters.
The girls at the table were momentarily stunned, not quite processing what they had just heard.
"I have to go. I'm having tea later, and if it rains, I'll meet you back in the common room," Albert reminded them before leaving. "Remember to finish your homework first."
"That guy is so mysterious," Hannah murmured as she watched Albert walk away. "He seems to have a lot of secrets."
"Who knows?" one of the others shrugged.
"I heard he's dating a Ravenclaw girl," Aria suddenly piped up.
"When did that happen? How come we didn't know?" Fred and his friends exchanged glances, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"That Ravenclaw genius," Aria nodded towards a particular direction. "Lots of people have seen them chatting together."
"I think they're two years apart," the girls continued to gossip.
"Actually, they're only a year apart. Albert's birthday is in September," Aria clarified with a friendly smile.
"Genius meets genius? How nice!"
...
Unaware of the gossip swirling behind his back, Albert entered the Room of Requirement and put on a pair of earmuffs before beginning the preliminary processing of the mandrake.
"This kind of feels like pickling vegetables, doesn't it?" Albert commented as he buried the cleaned mandrakes in a barrel of salt.
Now that he had acquired a large quantity of salt, he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to prepare mandrakes. Although he knew they would become dangerous Dark magic items, Albert believed it was well worth the minimal risk. They would be an excellent tool for pranking, with an effect comparable to a Blast-Ended Skrewt, and the element of sound made them all the more unpredictable.
If Voldemort hadn't risen to power and the future looked peaceful, Albert probably wouldn't have been so keen on creating such items.
After all, Dark magic items were inherently risky. They could be dangerous to create, and it was said that regular contact with them could influence a wizard's behavior and personality, making them more irritable and aggressive.
Once Dumbledore died and Voldemort and his followers started targeting Muggle-born wizards, Albert, as a Muggle-born himself, would be in danger. It was only natural that he would want to create some items for self-defense.
While some items couldn't be sold, others could be used to start a business. The fact that the Weasley twins in the novels had become extremely wealthy through their ventures was quite telling.
Galleons might not seem important, but they could solve a lot of problems. After all, being penniless was not an option.
As a time traveler, Albert understood that wealth without the power to protect it was a sin, and it could ultimately become a target for others to plunder.
He needed strength, and that was non-negotiable.
Next, he would need the outer covering of a swamp-plunderer, a magical creature that was a natural enemy of the mandrake. Their favorite food was the mandrake, and by storing mandrakes in containers made from the skin of swamp-plunderers, he could effectively suppress their power.
This was probably what people meant when they said children shouldn't cry at night! He would also need containers for storing Dark magic items, and... he needed to learn the Traceless Extension Charm. This spell was also strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic, and he wasn't sure if he could find any related books in the library.
Lastly, he had to design combination containers, taking into account the risk of carrying a Dark magic item with him.
Albert jotted down these tasks in his alchemy notebook. After closing it, he pulled out another notebook and glanced at the information within, frowning slightly.
A new task had appeared on the mission panel.
Alternative Motives
Everyone knows that the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is cursed, and each professor who has taught the subject at Hogwarts has had their own reasons for taking on the risky job. You seem to have discovered a secret about Rowena Smith's decision to teach at Hogwarts. Find out why Professor Smith chose to teach at Hogwarts.
Reward: 2000 experience, 1 skill point, and randomly acquire one of Rowena Smith's skills.
Ever since this task appeared, Albert had felt that Professor Smith was acting strangely. And now, she had suddenly taken an interest in ancient runes and invited him for tea?
Yes, no matter how he looked at it, something was definitely amiss.
(End of Chapter)
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