Chapter 25: Future Players
Chapter 25: Future Players
"You make Filch sound like some kind of dark overlord," Albert chuckled at the twins' assessment of Filch, finding it amusingly reminiscent of how students back home would describe their strict dorm mother as an old witch.
"No, everyone hates him," Fred said earnestly. "Even Percy, and he's not the type to complain. I can't think of any reason not to believe it."
"What do you mean, even Percy? He's your brother. Isn't it a bit much to speak ill of your own family like that?" Albert managed to hold back his urge to retort and instead checked his pocket watch. "Well, it's about time. Let's head to the Great Hall for breakfast, and then we can explore the castle some more."
This time, they took the route Albert had taken earlier, and the twins showed great interest in the secret passage. They passed through the moving staircase without waiting and soon arrived at the entrance hall.
As they entered the Great Hall for breakfast, the four long tables were mostly empty, and the enchanted ceiling above was gray and dreary, threatening rain at any moment.
"I guess we're among the earliest risers today," George Weasley remarked as he sliced a potato on his plate, glancing around the empty hall with a hint of resignation. "I can't even remember the last time I was up this early."
"Three years ago," Fred suddenly piped up.
"You remember that?" George stared at his brother in disbelief. "You're just guessing, aren't you?"
"Of course, I'm guessing," Fred laughed. "You don't actually believe me, do you?"
"Of course, I do," George replied.
"What are you drawing?" Li asked, curious.
"I'm recording the places we've been, planning to make a map of Hogwarts," Albert replied, flipping the parchment to show them.
"I'm more curious about what you're using to draw," Fred said, eyeing Albert's pen. He had noticed that Albert had been drawing without dipping his pen into any ink, which was unusual.
"This? It's a pen. Muggles use them for writing. A quill pen isn't very convenient to carry around and use," Albert explained, handing his pen to Fred. It was a birthday gift from Herb, nothing fancy, but he had been using it for many years.
"Feels a bit like a quill," Fred commented after examining the pen tip.
"Yes, the principle is similar to a quill, but the advantage of a pen is that it can store ink and be used for a long time," Albert said, passing the parchment to the three of them. "We're currently in the Great Hall. From here, the front foyer is outside. Going up the marble staircase leads to the moving staircase, and Filch's office is nearby. There are also two doors to the basement. The left one leads to the kitchen—if you're coming down the stairs, it's on your left—but I haven't been through the right one yet. I believe the kitchen is around here; the entrance is a huge silver bowl filled with fruit, and touching the big pear reveals the doorknob."
"You've recorded all this in great detail," Li said, taking the parchment and checking the location of the kitchen. He felt that he could probably find his way there too. He passed the parchment to one of the twins and asked, "Where are we headed now?"
"I want to locate the classrooms first so we don't get lost on our way to class next time," Albert said, taking back the parchment that George had returned to him. "Then, if it's on the way, we can look for secret passages. They're usually hidden behind tapestries, stone carvings, stone walls, or even inside paintings."
"Finding secret passages shouldn't be too difficult, based on what you've said," Fred said eagerly, having finished his plate of roasted potatoes.
"No, the key is that some passages require specific passwords or the touch of a particular spot," Albert shook his head. "I only found the kitchen because I happened to touch that particular painting and discovered the entrance by accident."
"Why did you think that painting had a secret, to begin with?" A girl's voice piped up from beside them, and Albert turned to see Angelina, a first-year student from the same house, with whom he had chatted briefly the night before.
"Because it was too suspicious," Albert replied matter-of-factly. "The size of that fruit painting is almost identical to the Fat Lady's. It's as if they're telling everyone, 'There's a secret passage here.'"
"Oh!" The four of them couldn't help but find Albert's line of reasoning a bit incomprehensible.
However, as it turned out, Albert's guess was correct.
This guy's got a sharp mind, they thought.
"Johnson, are you alone?" Albert asked, puzzled. "Where's your roommate?"
"You remembered my surname," Angelina said, her face lighting up in surprise. In fact, even her roommates couldn't remember her name yet.
After all, they had only known each other for a short time and had barely exchanged a few words. It would be more surprising if they could remember each other's names.
"I have a good memory," Albert said with a smile. "This is Li, and these twins are George and Fred. And no, don't ask me which is which because I can't tell them apart either."
"I'm George, George Weasley," one of the twins said.
"No, no, no, I'm George, and he's Fred," the other twin countered.
"Many twins like to play this game," Albert said, suddenly looking up as an owl flew towards them. "They dress alike and style themselves similarly, making it hard for others to tell them apart."
"You forgot to introduce yourself, Albert," Li Jordan reminded him.
"Oh, sorry, I got distracted by my owl," Albert said, tearing off a piece of bread to feed to Sheera, who was perched on the table in front of him. "I'm Albert Anderson."
"Anderson, aren't you going to eat?" Angelina asked, puzzled, as she made herself a sandwich.
"I already ate in the kitchen. Just call me Albert," Albert said, stroking his owl. "I have something to send home this weekend, so remember to come to the Great Hall in the morning."
Sheera hooted softly, indicating that she understood.
Another owl flew into the hall and dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet onto Albert's table. However, its aim was a bit off, and it nearly knocked over George's pumpkin porridge. If not for Fred's quick reflexes, the porridge would have been soaked, and with a bit of jam, it might have been edible.
"Can I borrow this to read?" Angelina asked, picking up the newspaper. "I want to check the Quidditch column."
"Oh, of course," Albert said.
"You like Quidditch, too?" the twins asked in unison.
"Of course, but it's a shame first-years can't participate in the Quidditch selection," Angelina said, sounding regretful.
"You can if Quidditch is short of players and you can get Professor McGonagall to agree," Albert said, noticing that the others were staring at him. He shrugged helplessly and added, "I know they say first-years can't participate in the selection, but there are always exceptions, right? Rules are meant to be broken."
"Oh well," Angelina sighed, not convinced that she could change Professor McGonagall's mind. "I heard that Gryffindor will have a graduating Chaser next semester, so I plan to sign up then. What about you guys?"
"Beaters suit us better," the twins said in unison.
(End of Chapter)
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