Chapter 279: Secrets
Chapter 279: Secrets
The two returned to the castle and stealthily entered the Room of Requirement without alerting any students.
Aided by the Felix Felicis, Albert feigned ignorance flawlessly.
"We did it!" Albert breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Professor Smith with an excited smile. "We did it, Professor. We succeeded."
"Yes, you did," Professor Smith said, his voice carrying a hint of relief. He patted Albert on the shoulder and said, "Let's go in together."
Professor Smith stepped into the room first, his actions not quite matching Albert's expectations. He quickly scanned the room, seemingly searching for something, but he didn't appear disappointed by the absence of the bronze book that was supposed to be here. It was as if he already knew what to expect in this chamber.
"There's nothing here, Professor," Albert said, feigning frustration as he looked around and noticed the writings on the wall. "Someone has taken the book left by Rowena Ravenclaw. How despicable of them!"
To be honest, he was a little disappointed that he didn't get to take a look at that bronze book.
Wait, if I could open the secret door of the Ravenclaw Chamber... Albert suddenly thought of a possibility. What if that bronze book...
"Dumbledore has indeed been here," Professor Smith murmured, his fingers trailing over the writing left by Dumbledore. "But why didn't he tell me about this?"
"What is it, Professor?" Albert asked softly, looking at Professor Smith's back.
"It's nothing," Professor Smith replied.
"Umm... Professor Smith, can I leave my name here too?" Albert asked cautiously.
It was akin to vandalizing a historical site, and to be honest, it was quite unethical.
However, Albert felt that he could leave behind some of his research findings here for future visitors to admire.
"That is your right." Professor Smith smiled at Albert. "Do you need my help?"
"No, I can manage this." Albert began looking for an empty spot to carve his name. After finishing, he walked over to Professor Smith's side and let his gaze fall on a particular name. Feigning confusion, he asked, "Is Will De Smith an ancestor of the Smith family?"
"I don't recall," Professor Smith shook his head. "But I know of a surname—Wildsmith!"
"Wildsmith?" Albert was taken aback. "Is that even a real surname?"
"Haven't you heard of it?" Professor Smith looked at Albert with a hint of amusement. "It's quite a famous surname, actually."
As Professor Smith mentioned the name, Albert felt a slight discomfort. The way he was being appraised... yes, Legilimency.
However, Professor Smith didn't seem to glean any useful information.
"No," Albert shook his head, his Occlumency skills, enhanced by the Felix Felicis, successfully masking his thoughts. "I've never heard of that surname before."
In truth, he hadn't.
"Many wizarding families in the magical world have their own secrets," Professor Smith explained. "While some ancient families have been lost to the annals of history, a significant number have persevered. The Smith family is one such example. However, some families go to great lengths to hide their existence, ensuring that others remain unaware of their true nature."
"The Wildsmith family?" Albert asked, puzzled. "But he's not one of your family members, is he?"
"I believe there might be some connection to the Smith family," Professor Smith didn't deny the possibility. "However, I am not currently the first in line to inherit the Smith family legacy, so I'm not privy to all the details."
"Why are you telling me all this, Professor?" Albert asked, his confusion deepening. He had a vague feeling that this was related to the issue of succession. To be honest, Albert had no desire to be entangled in a property dispute; such struggles were often ruthless and cruel.
"Because you are also a candidate for Wildsmith," Professor Smith stated directly, causing Albert's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"Can-candidate?" Albert stuttered.
"Yes, a candidate."
"What do you mean by 'candidate'? " Albert continued to feign ignorance.
"A candidate for inheritance," Professor Smith explained.
"Me? A candidate for inheritance? Are you sure?" Albert pointed at himself, his astonishment evident. "But I'm just a Muggle-born wizard. My parents are both ordinary people with no magical abilities. Are you sure the Wildsmith candidate isn't chosen from among those with exceptional magical talent, rather than outsiders like me?"
"Magical talent is indeed one of the factors," Professor Smith acknowledged, appraising Albert up and down.
"Izabel is also a magical prodigy!" Albert reminded him. "And she's a pure-blood witch, which would make her an even more likely candidate, according to you. From what I understand, pure-blood wizards highly value their lineage and aren't too fond of wizards of Muggle descent like me."
"Well..." Professor Smith trailed his fingers over the writings on the wall. "There's no doubt that one of your parents is a wizard."
"Impossible," Albert locked eyes with Professor Smith, his tone serious. "My parents and ancestors are all ordinary people with no magical abilities. I can assure you of that."
"I'm certain that you are a candidate," Professor Smith waved away Albert's assertions. "Otherwise, Professor Broadbent wouldn't have offered you his assistance so readily."
"What does Professor Broadbent have to do with this?" Albert suddenly understood why Professor Broadbent didn't like this man. No one would appreciate someone trying to dig into their family secrets.
"Let's drop this topic for now," Professor Smith interrupted Albert's questions. "You'll find out more in due time. Let's continue our previous discussion."
"Our previous discussion?"
"About the bronze book and that surname," Professor Smith clarified.
"To be honest, I'd rather not know," Albert coughed lightly. "The more I know, the more troublesome it becomes."
"But you already know," Professor Smith said, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "The bronze book that was originally here has been taken by Will De Smith."
"Is the bronze book at your house now?" Albert asked, his eyes widening. He brought his hands together in a pleading gesture. "Can I borrow it, please?"
"No, it's not with the Smith family," Professor Smith replied. "However, I did consult some records and found similar messages." He steered the conversation back to the topic of the surname. "Wildsmith is one of the most mysterious families in the entire magical world.
"I have no idea. I've never heard of any Wildsmith," Albert hesitated before continuing, "Is there really no other way?"
Albert truly had no clue.
"Flo Powder." Professor Smith didn't feel like explaining further, and the Ravenclaw bronze book truly wasn't in his possession.
"Oh, Flo Powder. I do know a bit about it. It's said that no one knows how to make Flo Powder," Albert felt like Professor Smith was about to unveil a piece of the inheritance mystery.
"The inventor of Flo Powder was indeed Ignatia Wildsmith," Professor Smith lifted the veil of mystery surrounding the surname.
"The production of Flo Powder is tightly controlled, and in Britain, only Flo-Bang Company is licensed to produce it. Their headquarters are located on Diagon Alley, but it's just a front," Professor Smith began to educate Albert about Flo Powder.
"There has never been a shortage of Flo Powder, nor has anyone else been able to replicate it. Its price has remained unchanged for a century, always two Sickles per spoonful."
"So, are you saying I might inherit the Flo Powder business and the Wildsmith family's vast wealth?" Albert felt he might have guessed part of the answer.
To be honest, the Flo Powder patent sounded enticing, but it would undoubtedly come with a host of troubles. Moreover, compared to the hassles of Flo Powder, Albert wasn't that interested in the Wildsmith family's wealth.
After all, when it came to money, as long as one knew how to make it, it could be earned effortlessly.
"Well, to be honest, I'm not entirely clear on the details either. Much of the information I have was gathered through great effort," Professor Smith admitted his own limited knowledge.
"However, Izabel is also one of the candidates."
"So... does the Wildsmith inheritance rely on talent rather than blood relation?" Albert asked, widening his eyes and steering the topic slightly off-course.
"There must be a blood connection, but the degree of relation is uncertain," Professor Smith replied.
"You mean Izabel could be my cousin?" Albert asked, surprised.
"I thought you'd be more interested in the Flo Powder matter," Professor Smith remarked, feeling a bit weary of Albert's evasive attitude. He could tell that Albert wasn't genuinely interested and didn't want to know more.
"Well, there's one thing I'm quite curious about. Flo Powder has been around for centuries, so why hasn't anyone truly reverse-engineered it?" Albert asked.
"Well, allegedly, someone once managed to create Flo Powder. However, they were probably eliminated by the Wildsmith family. After all, if it were you, you certainly wouldn't let the Flo Powder formula leak out, would you?" Professor Smith replied.
"Why kill them? If someone could create Flo Powder, they must be a talented individual. I would definitely coerce or entice them to work for me," Albert said nonchalantly, joking around.
Professor Smith was left speechless for a moment. After a brief silence, he continued, "Later, some people tried to create Flo Powder using the methods that had been spread, and thus, 'Fake Flo' was born. This powder contains ingredients such as Erumpent horn powder."
"Were they successful?" Albert asked curiously.
"No, it's a dangerous mixture. It can cause burns and even blast people out of chimneys. Healers at St. Mungo's treat at least one patient injured by 'Fake Flo' every year," Professor Smith shook his head.
"Those people must have been idiots. This formula was probably spread by the Wildsmith family to mislead others," Albert speculated maliciously.
Professor Smith: "..."
"Professor, I have a question!" Albert suddenly exclaimed.
"Why do I know so much about it?" Professor Smith countered.
"Exactly!"
"Because... I was once a candidate too!" Professor Smith didn't intend to hide this fact. "You must have guessed as much."
"You gave up?" Albert asked.
"Not exactly. I was probably found to be unsuitable and thus, discarded," Professor Smith explained.
"Why were you deemed unsuitable? I think you're amazing, Professor!" Albert was being sincere. Professor Smith wasn't very old, yet he had already achieved notable accomplishments in various fields.
"I don't know," Professor Smith shook his head. "In any case, I wasn't a match, and the information I gathered was through certain special means. Perhaps only the chosen heir is informed of all the secrets."
"Hmm... I feel like this whole situation is quite troublesome. Why can't they just let Izabel inherit everything?" Albert bluntly expressed his disinterest.
"Well, what about you? Are you sure you don't want it?" Professor Smith asked, clearly astonished.
"I don't want it. Earning money is easy for me," Albert tapped his head as he spoke, "Besides, I'm already so capable. Why would I want to walk down a path laid out by someone else?"
Professor Smith was momentarily lost for words. He hadn't expected Albert to look down on such wealth. However, there was one thing he had to admit—Albert was indeed exceptional, more so than most people.
Perhaps this was the pride of a genius.
Professor Smith suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy toward Albert. With a hint of resentment, he added, "That's a massive amount of money we're talking about! Centuries of accumulation—a fortune beyond imagination!"
"I don't want it!" Albert shook his head. "Whoever wants to inherit it can have it. I'm not greedy for what doesn't belong to me. While I do love Galleons, I'm not a greedy person."
"Sigh, now I understand why Professor Broadbent has high hopes for you," Professor Smith couldn't help but sigh. "If it were up to me, I'd place my bets on you too."
"You're making me blush with all your praise," Albert continued, "I heard that you're quite close to Izabel's family. Could you perhaps talk to them and tell them that I'm giving up on that candidate status? And maybe ask them if I could borrow some of their ancient books?"
"You should go to the Ravenclaws for that," Professor Smith said softly.
"I think Gryffindor is just fine. People shouldn't discriminate based on their house," Albert said earnestly.
Professor Smith fell silent for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't think the chances are high, but think it over carefully before making a hasty decision."
"No, I think I'd rather give it up," Albert insisted, firm in his decision. He truly didn't want to be entangled in this matter.
The Professor in front of him seemed to still yearn to become the so-called heir. Wait, did he want to get rid of Albert and Izabel?
That couldn't be, could it?
There was no enmity between them.
Or perhaps, out of resentment for not getting what he desired, Professor Smith harbored ill intentions?
Albert felt he was getting closer to the truth.
(End of Chapter)
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