Chapter 223: Little Kids Know Nothing About Love
Chapter 223: Little Kids Know Nothing About Love
Three days had passed since the quartet captured the Jumping Umbrella Mushroom in the Forbidden Forest, and Albert's correspondence with Dagworth continued.
In the morning, among the letters he received, Dagworth mentioned that the next time they met in Hogsmeade, he would guide him in making the Pepper-Up Potion.
It seemed that the Master of Potions had a place of his own in Hogsmeade. However, he seemed to have forgotten that Albert was only in his second year and was not yet of age to visit Hogsmeade.
Looks like I'll have to sneak out again.
Nevertheless, having a teacher was a good thing; it saved him the trouble of figuring out how to brew the Pepper-Up Potion on his own.
Putting away Dagworth's letter, Albert began to write a reply. Dagworth's caution regarding the Pepper-Up Potion far exceeded his imagination. Perhaps this was what people meant when they said that the more you know, the more cautious you become.
However, Dagworth didn't know that for Albert, learning to brew the Pepper-Up Potion was no more difficult than brewing any other ordinary potion. After all, the experience used to upgrade his skills was the same, and the only difference was the expensive cost of practice.
Even with his skills, Albert didn't expect to succeed on the first try, especially with a potion like the Pepper-Up Potion that didn't allow for even the slightest mistake.
"What a mess."
Just then, voices could be heard outside the dormitory, and the door was pushed open. Fred and George walked in, followed by Lee Jordan, who was holding a greaseproof paper bag.
"Wow, what's that?"
As soon as the trio entered the dormitory, they spotted the large glass jar on the floor, inside which a bluish flame was burning strangely.
"It's a type of magical fire that I found in a book the other day. It's quite useful for warmth," Albert explained to his roommates as he turned his head towards them.
"This thing is pretty handy. As expected of something that caught your interest," Fred commented as he moved closer to the fire to warm himself, finding it quite useful.
"Of course. It's also waterproof," Albert said as he picked up his teacup and took a sip of the hot milk tea. He then turned to Fred and asked, "What were you guys saying about a mess?"
"The Quidditch training," George replied dejectedly. "Charlie even lost his temper over it. He seems to think we're going to mess up this year's Quidditch match."
"You need experience," Albert consoled them. "It's rare for a team to win from the very start. With the major changes in the Gryffindor team this year, aside from those true geniuses, accumulating match experience is essential. The key to victory will lie with the Seeker."
"Genius, are you referring to yourself?" Fred mumbled.
"I never said that," Albert denied with a shake of his head.
"By the way, what kind of magical fire is this that you can just bottle up like jam?" Lee Jordan was even more curious about the fire in the glass bottle.
"Do you know about the Goblet of Eternal Flame?" Albert asked suddenly.
"You don't mean to tell us that this is the Goblet of Eternal Flame, do you?" George replied with a look that said he thought Albert was joking.
"Well, I never said this was the Goblet of Eternal Flame," Albert shrugged.
"Come on, tell us what you plan to do with this," Fred said, deliberately changing the subject and no longer talking about Quidditch.
Moreover, they all felt that Albert wouldn't have conjured this out of thin air.
"It's a hand warmer," Albert said as he handed a silver metal tube to Fred, who took it and found that it was surprisingly warm.
"What's this for?" Fred asked in surprise.
"To keep warm in the winter, similar to a hot water bottle. I can't be sure how long the effect will last, but it should be more than a month," Albert thought for a moment and then added, "Safe and reliable, guaranteed."
The expressions on the faces of Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were instantly priceless, all wearing looks that said they thought Albert was pulling their legs.
"By the way, where did you get this armchair from? It's really comfortable to sit on," Lee Jordan handed the greaseproof paper bag to Albert and plopped himself down on the armchair, pulling the woolen blanket over himself. The warmth made him feel like taking a nap, and he couldn't help but yawn.
"Of course, it's from a transfiguration spell. The first thing you do when you join the Transfiguration Club is to transfigure a chair for yourself, sort of like an entrance ticket to the club!" Albert opened the greaseproof paper bag, revealing cream biscuits inside. He took a bite of a biscuit and continued, "It's only natural that I would enjoy it."
"Of course, just look at who made it," the twins said as they pulled Lee Jordan up and sat down themselves to experience the warmth.
"Naturally," Albert took the hand warmer back from George and smiled, "This isn't quite finished yet, and it's a gift for someone else. I can't lend it to you to play with."
"Someone else? Do you mean Isabelle?"
"What?" Albert almost choked on his biscuit, looking bewildered at the three of them with their strange expressions. "Why would you say that?"
"A lot of people are saying that you and Isabelle are dating," George reminded him.
"This is a birthday gift for my sister," Albert rolled his eyes and asked impatiently, "And who said I was dating Isabelle?"
"Is it a rumor?" Lee Jordan looked puzzled. "Someone saw you and Isabelle whispering in the corridor tonight."
"It's a rumor," Albert didn't want to continue this topic.
Although Europeans usually started dating at a young age, Albert couldn't help but doubt if these three knew anything about love at all.
In his words, twelve-year-old kids knew nothing about love.
"What's with that look?" Lee Jordan didn't like the condescending look Albert was giving him, as if he were looking at a little kid.
"It's nothing. I just think it's too early to talk about love with you guys," Albert said impatiently. "And don't you think this is a bit gossipy?"
He and Isabelle had actually been discussing the bet, and Katrina had been present at the time. Obviously, someone had twisted the facts and spread this rumor, something that gossip-loving journalists often did.
His relationship with Isabelle was still at the stage of getting to know each other, and their friendship wasn't even fully developed yet, let alone romance.
"Too early? I heard that Muggles come of age at sixteen," Fred said, surprising Albert.
"You know about that?"
As far as Albert knew, the so-called coming-of-age ceremony was popular in Britain.
"Percy mentioned it. He has a Muggle friend," Fred explained.
"I remember you guys mentioning it before," Albert recalled.
"That girl came of age before the summer holidays and soon after, she slept with a Muggle she had just met. Percy was in a bad mood for the entire summer because of that," the twins revealed, leaving Albert dumbfounded.
"How did you find out about that?" Albert frowned.
"We sneaked a look at Percy's diary," Fred said mischievously, winking at Albert.
"Sneaking a look at someone else's diary is not a good idea. It's neither interesting nor funny," Albert criticized sternly.
"We were just concerned about our family. Really, aside from that one time, we haven't done it again, and we can't understand French anyway," Fred swore.
After sharing a dormitory for so long, the three of them knew that Albert was proficient in many languages and sometimes recorded things in other languages. Even if they wanted to sneak a look, they wouldn't be able to understand it.
As far as they knew, Albert had written several letters directly in ancient magical text, which they wouldn't be able to understand even if they were shown.
Albert looked at the Weasley twins and felt speechless. He suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for Percy. Having such younger brothers was truly unfortunate.
PS: If you're interested, you can take a look at the short story "Percy's Diary."
(End of Chapter)
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