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Chapter 244: A True Braveheart
Chapter 244: A True Braveheart
Fred and George ran wildly, soon becoming exhausted and leaning against a tree trunk to catch their breath.
"At least that monster didn't chase us!" Fred plopped down on the snow, still shaken as he looked back at the trail. They had just barely escaped being bitten by the three-headed monster.
"Scared me to death," George said, patting his chest. "How dare Hagrid keep such dangerous monsters in the Forbidden Forest."
"We should've listened to Albert and left earlier," Fred regretted not heeding Albert's advice. "By the way, where are Albert and Lee Jordan? Didn't they leave before us?"
"How should I know?" A hint of anxiety flashed across George's face as he looked back at the snow-covered forest path. "They left before us, so they should be ahead, right?"
However, there were only two sets of footprints in the snow.
Albert and Lee Jordan were obviously still behind them, but why hadn't they encountered them during their frantic escape? The two fell into a brief confusion, knowing that even in their panic, they should have noticed others on the path.
Fred and George looked at each other uneasily. "Do you think we took the wrong path?"
"I... I don't think so. Were there any forks in the road?" Fred looked at George, hoping for an answer.
"How would I know?" George shook his head, licking his dry lips as he gazed back at the way they had come. "Should we go back and look for them?"
"Go back?" Fred's voice rose in pitch as the image of the dreaded three-headed monster flashed through his mind. But... they couldn't just leave Albert and Lee Jordan stranded in the forest! "Okay, let's go back and check." Fred hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
In the face of danger, their first instinct was not to abandon their friends.
In fact, if they had been thinking clearly, they would have realized that Albert, the brave soul who dared to venture alone into the Forbidden Forest at night to take on a group of Acromantulas, wouldn't likely get lost on the outskirts of the forest.
Unfortunately, their mad dash had left their brains oxygen-deprived, preventing them from thinking straight.
As Fred and George retraced their steps, they ran into Lee Jordan, who had recently parted ways with Hagrid. The spell that had disguised him had been lifted, and he was still brooding over Albert's disappearance.
"Where's Albert?" Fred asked, puzzled by Lee Jordan's glum expression.
"How should I know?" Lee Jordan shrugged.
"How can you not know? Weren't you together when you left earlier?" George frowned.
"We turned back..." Lee Jordan cleared his throat, a hint of accusation in his voice. "You guys just left me there... and I was worried about your safety, so I went back to check on you."
"Well, we didn't notice," Fred said, his face showing his displeasure. "Those two must have sneaked back to watch us make fools of ourselves."
"That monster was just too terrifying..." George was still shaken by the encounter.
"You mean Fluffy?"
"Fluffy? You mean the three-headed monster?" Fred was gradually calming down.
"Yeah, Hagrid's pet," Lee Jordan grumbled. "I just got chewed out by Hagrid. That jerk Albert sneaked off on his own. By the way, why were you guys running so fast just now?"
"Speaking of which, was Hagrid there too?" George asked, perplexed.
"Of course," Lee Jordan muttered. "Otherwise, how would I have gotten away from that monster? If you two hadn't insisted, I wouldn't have..."
"Alright, enough complaining," Fred interrupted their grumbling. "Shouldn't we go look for Albert now?"
"Forget him, let's just head back to the castle."
Lee Jordan shook his head.
"Are we just going to leave him be?"
"He'll be fine. He's probably back at the castle roasting snow mushrooms," Lee Jordan said, rolling his eyes at the pair. "That guy has some nerve, sneaking off like that."
"True, and he just disappeared on his own," Fred commented.
"Who's sneaking off?" a voice suddenly cut in from the side. The trio turned to see a figure stepping out from behind a large tree, and it was none other than Albert, who had mysteriously vanished earlier.
"You hid from us!" Lee Jordan accused, the first to speak up. "Do you know how long Hagrid scolded me for?"
"I know, or else I'd be getting scolded too, right?" Albert readily admitted, cutting off whatever else Lee Jordan had been about to say.
"We told you to hurry up, but you didn't listen. It's not my fault," Albert shrugged helplessly.
"We almost got bitten by that monster!" Fred complained.
"Yeah, running away like that was pretty dumb. Next time, don't give your back to the enemy," Albert chastised them. "If Hagrid hadn't been there, you two probably would've been bitten by Fluffy."
"Were you hiding there and laughing at us the whole time?!" Fred suddenly realized, outraged at the mischievousness of this fellow.
"Who told you to stay behind and get chased by the dog? You can only blame yourselves," Albert shook his head, as if it were all their own doing.
"But you were there too!" George's face twitched as he forced a wry smile.
"So I left first!" Albert replied.
Fred and George were left speechless for a moment, unable to retort.
"Remember not to tell anyone about this, or Hagrid might come after us," Lee Jordan said with a laugh, remembering Hagrid's warning.
"We won't," Fred and George knew better than to spread such a story, despite their harrowing experience with the monster.
The four of them headed straight for the kitchen, where they roasted and devoured the snow mushrooms they had found with the help of the house-elves. The taste was simply divine.
"Speaking of, is it really appropriate for Hagrid to keep such a dangerous creature in the Forbidden Forest?" Fred asked worriedly. After all, they would often venture into the forest, and encountering that beast again was not an appealing prospect.
That three-headed dog was truly formidable, and if not for Hagrid's presence, they might have been bitten or even killed, as Albert had suggested.
"Don't worry, once it's fully grown, it probably won't stay in the Forbidden Forest. Headmaster Dumbledore will likely have it sent back to Greece," Albert mumbled between mouthfuls of food.
"What if the Headmaster doesn't know about it?" Lee Jordan countered.
"Then I'll write a letter to Headmaster Dumbledore and tell him about it," Albert replied without hesitation.
"That monster isn't even fully grown yet, is it?!" George asked in disbelief.
"No, Fluffy isn't that big yet. Next year, it'll probably be about Hagrid's size," Albert explained, having read up on the three-headed dog. He knew that Fluffy would still be at the school next year and would even be borrowed by the Headmaster to guard the Sorcerer's Stone.
"I still don't understand how Hagrid can be sure it won't hurt anyone," Fred grumbled, still feeling that Hagrid was taking a huge risk.
"He trains it like he did with Fang, and it does seem to be somewhat effective," Lee Jordan countered, having witnessed Hagrid successfully calling off the beast. Suddenly, he recalled something and turned to Albert, his expression complex as he asked, "Did you really pet one of its heads?"
"Wow! Weren't you scared?" Fred and George exclaimed in shock. Petting one of those heads would require immense courage.
"It wasn't that big back then. It felt pretty good, actually. It was a unique experience," Albert reminisced, thinking back. His only regret was not capturing that moment with a picture—a missed opportunity.
(End of Chapter)
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