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Chapter 302: Hagrid's Troubles
Chapter 302: Hagrid's Troubles
"Hurry, Fred! Lee Jordan's out, I spotted Albert. Flank him from the sides, don't let him get away again!"
George's voice rang out in the forest as the trio pursued Albert, attempting to take him down with their spells.
The idea of practicing combat drills in the Forbidden Forest was Albert's suggestion.
If they were to venture into the forest in search of Gryffindor's secret treasure, they would need to know how to fight within its confines. With numerous trees obstructing their path, casting spells accurately at moving targets would be a challenging task.
Moreover, the most crucial aspect was for the group to learn how to handle potential ambushes, while also improving their physical endurance to prevent exhaustion during their exploration.
The previous encounter with the eight-eyed giant spiders had made Albert extremely cautious. He believed that those large spiders held ill intentions towards any wizard who ventured into the forest, and they could cause significant trouble during their next foray into the depths.
"Disarm!"
A flash of red light streaked by as Albert dashed out from behind a tree, only to quickly retreat as a chunk of bark was blasted off the tree behind him.
"Cornered?" Albert muttered. He had successfully taken out Lee Jordan with the Disarming Spell, but now he found himself blocked by the twins.
"Get Albert! Next time we go to the Three Broomsticks, he's treating us!" Fred shouted, his face flushed with excitement.
This wasn't the first time such a situation had occurred, but in the previous encounters, it was always Albert who emerged victorious.
Later, they established a rule prohibiting the use of the Disguising Spell and the Iron-Skin Spell, forcing them to rely solely on their accuracy in a one-on-one duel.
It was similar to shooting a gun; beyond a hundred feet, accuracy diminished, and hitting the target relied purely on instinct. This practical combat exercise was also a test of their precision with spells and their ability to dodge.
Albert took a deep breath and charged, engaging the twins in a contest of accuracy with their spells.
"We expected you'd do that," Fred and George said in unison.
"Disarm!"
By now, they had developed several strategies to counter Albert, whether it was diverting his attention or facing him head-on.
As for flanking and escaping, Albert no longer had that option.
"Disarm!" All three of their spells went wide, sending dirt flying.
"Disarm!" Albert halted and aimed the Disarming Spell at Fred, successfully causing his wand to fly out of his hand.
Before Fred could dart behind a nearby tree, another Disarming Spell came hurtling toward him.
Albert swung his hand, and to George's astonishment, the Disarming Spell was swatted away, colliding with a tree and leaving a charred mark.
Witnessing this, George froze, only to be struck by Albert's Disarming Spell and eliminated from the practice duel.
"You're cheating!" George shouted angrily at Albert. But as he snapped out of his daze, he realized what had just happened. Albert had used the Protective Ring; otherwise, how could he have deflected the spell with a mere slap?
"We didn't say you couldn't use the Protective Ring," Albert retorted, unapologetic.
Fred and George were about to argue further when they heard a voice not far away.
"Who's there? Come out, I see you!"
"Hagrid," they muttered.
Albert's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly cast the Disguising Spell on himself before slipping behind a tree, intending to sneak away unnoticed.
"Where's Albert? That rascal ran off on his own!" Fred and George scrambled for their wands, but as they picked them up and prepared to cast the Disguising Spell on themselves, Hagrid emerged into view, glaring at them suspiciously.
"What are you lot doin' in the Forbidden Forest?" he asked.
"Practicing magic," the twins replied quickly, their wits kicking in. "Stunning Spells and Impediment Jinx, you know. We can't practice inside the castle, so we came to the forest outskirts."
"Practicing magic?"
"Albert's here too. He heard you coming and sneaked off," George immediately ratted out, intending to drag his roommate into the mess as well.
"Albert, where is he?" Hagrid looked around, frowning in question.
"He probably heard you coming and deliberately hid," Fred said through gritted teeth.
"Don't even think about running off." Hagrid issued a warning, scanning the surroundings. "Albert, come out. It's time to head back."
However, there was no response, as if there wasn't anyone around at all.
"He must have slipped away on his own," Fred and George said angrily.
"Alright, if I catch you wandering around in the Forbidden Forest again, maybe I should let Professor McGonagall teach you a lesson." Hagrid said.
"There won't be a next time, Hagrid. We promise," the twins said in unison.
"Your promises are worthless." Hagrid didn't believe their empty words at all.
When they returned to the school, they found Albert and Lee Jordan feeding Ya Ya by Hagrid's hut.
"You two sneaked off as well?"
"We were looking for you," Lee Jordan said innocently, blinking his big eyes. "Albert said you guys were headed towards the Forbidden Forest, so we came to take a look."
"Hmph, you two little rascals, come with me to see Professor McGonagall." Hagrid grunted, dragging Fred and George towards the castle.
"Hagrid, can we talk about this?"
"You should've talked to me before going into the Forbidden Forest."
"They're really pitiful!" Lee Jordan said, taking pleasure in their misfortune.
"Who told them to be so slow?" Albert put on an innocent face. It's better for two people to be in trouble than three! "That's true." Lee Jordan maliciously smiled.
The next time they saw Fred and George, the twins were full of resentment and didn't pay any attention to Albert. "We have to copy the school rules," they muttered to themselves.
"That's great. Knowing the school rules will let you find loopholes in the future." Albert said carelessly. "Alright, don't be angry. Next time we go to the Three Broomsticks, I'll treat you."
"You've read the school rules before?" Lee Jordan asked curiously.
"Of course, I read them a long time ago." Albert started to gloat. "There are quite a lot of them, so you'll probably have to copy for a long time."
"Thanks a lot for reminding us." Fred said, gritting his teeth.
"Did I just hear someone mention copying the school rules?" Katrina walked over, her gaze lingering on the twins for a moment before she handed a letter to Albert.
"A love letter?" George teased.
"Obviously not." Albert rolled his eyes. Katrina, standing beside him, glared at George and walked away.
"I remember Percy writing something like that to a Muggle girl in the village before," George explained casually.
"I remember that girl's name was..."
"Thanks a lot for blabbing about it. And by the way, I didn't write her a love letter, nor were we lovers. We were just ordinary pen pals," Percy suddenly appeared, his face gloomy as he spoke to Fred and George. "I heard you two caused trouble again and were confined by Professor McGonagall."
"We're heading to the library now. We still have a lot of homework to finish. See you, Percy," the twins prepared to slip away. They didn't want to run into Percy at this time.
"I just saw that many more of Gryffindor's gems are missing." Percy's eyes flashed dangerously, and he coldly warned, "Also, if I find out that you're spreading rumors about me..."
"No, we wouldn't do something so excessive."
"Ahem, we wouldn't gossip either." Albert said as he and Lee Jordan headed towards the library.
(End of Chapter)
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