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Chapter 32: Albert's Tall Tales
Chapter 32: Albert's Tall Tales
The weather on Sunday was less than ideal, with rain still pouring outside the castle.
At seven in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and a freshly washed Albert yawned as he was dragged by his excited roommates towards the Great Hall for breakfast.
"I really don't get what's so exciting," Albert said, freeing himself from the twins' grasp and straightening his robe.
"It's Hogsmeade, the most fun place in all of Britain," Lee Jordan exclaimed dramatically.
"All of Britain?" Albert sighed, feeling like his thoughts were on a completely different channel from the three boys beside him.
As they made their way towards the Great Hall, the twins practiced their Lumos spell while walking. Unfortunately, their spell practice was cut short when they bumped into Filch.
And so, poor George was caught by Filch and brought to the caretaker's office.
With a gleeful expression, Filch pulled out a large roll of parchment from his desk drawer and spread it out in front of him. He then picked up a long quill pen, dipped it into an ink bottle, and began to write:
Name... George Weasley Offense... Misuse of spells in the corridors
Suggested punishment...
"Ahem, I only used Lumos because it was dim, you know, and it's still early. The corridors..." George lied through his teeth, even though the corridor they had just passed had torches.
"...You will clean bedpans in the hospital wing," Filch said, glancing at George with a malicious smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Perfect timing, as the bedpans haven't been cleaned all summer."
George's expression froze.
"You may go now, but I don't want to catch you using magic in the corridors again," Filch said, flashing a victorious smile before shooing George out of the office.
"Pfft!" Albert couldn't help but laugh after hearing George's story. He patted George's shoulder reassuringly and said, "Don't worry, I can teach you a simple cleaning spell. Cleaning bedpans will be a breeze, and it won't take long. Besides, Filch can only make suggestions for punishments; he can't actually punish you directly."
"That guy's a real pain," George grumbled, shooting a glance at Filch's office door. No one wanted to clean bedpans, that was for sure.
"Don't be glum, I'll buy you a butterbeer later," Albert offered, trying to cheer George up and quickly changing the subject. "By the way, what did you see in Filch's office just now?"
"What did I see? There were lots of drawers, and there were handcuffs and leg irons hanging on the wall behind the desk," George recalled with a frown. "That old coot—no, that old pervert definitely has some kind of fetish."
In truth, Albert thought that Hagrid's nickname, "Filthy Old Git," suited Filch better. After all, as a Squib, Filch was as useless as a barrel without a bottom at Hogwarts.
Ordinary people should stay in the world of ordinary people and enjoy their ordinary happiness.
However, Albert kept this thought to himself, as it wasn't nice to give others such insulting nicknames.
"Anything else?" Albert asked. "He must have confiscated quite a few things, right?"
"Yeah, I did see a drawer in the filing cabinet labeled 'Confiscated Goods, Highly Dangerous,'" Fred confirmed.
"I bet that's where he keeps all the stuff he's taken from students," Fred said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"If it's truly highly dangerous, it wouldn't be kept in such a place," Albert pointed out, remembering a certain valuable item—the Marauder's Map—that was likely stored in that drawer.
"Yeah, we thought so, too," the twins said, exchanging a glance and chuckling.
"You're not planning on..." Albert warned, "Because if you get caught, you'll be in big trouble."
"You're accusing us of something we haven't even done!" the twins protested in unison.
The breakfast spread was typically British, and Albert helped himself to a bowl of porridge with milk, along with a fried egg, two slices of ham, two slices of toast, a sausage, and a small salad.
"Hi, good morning!" a boy passing by greeted the twins.
"I think you're from Hufflepuff..." Lee Jordan began, unable to recall the boy's name and turning to Albert for help.
"Cedric Diggory," the boy introduced himself.
"Hello, Cedric," the twins greeted their neighbor. "Didn't expect to see you in Hufflepuff."
"I don't think there's anything wrong with Hufflepuff," Cedric said, clearly not fond of anyone badmouthing his house.
"We didn't say there was anything wrong with it," one of the twins said.
"It's just that Gryffindor is better," the other finished.
"Long time no see, Albert," said another student who approached and greeted Albert. "Didn't expect to see you in Gryffindor. You really gave me a fright."
"Long time no see, Gabriel," Albert smiled at his pen pal.
"You know each other?" Cedric Diggory asked, puzzled by the interaction with his senior. He had a good relationship with this senior.
"Of course, we met during the summer," Gabriel replied, giving Diggory a mysterious smile. "The one I told you about..."
Cedric Diggory looked at Albert with a very surprised expression. He had heard Gabriel mention this incident, but he had never mentioned the person's name.
After Gabriel walked away, the twins looked at each other and said in unison, "It can't be..."
"What?" Lee Jordan still didn't understand what was going on.
"That thing!" the twins said, still looking at each other.
"What thing?" Lee still didn't get it.
"Ahem, just remember to keep it a secret!" Albert coughed lightly, "Or else you won't be getting a Christmas present from me this winter holiday."
"We'll keep it a secret," the twins said meaningfully, raising their index fingers to their lips to indicate that they would keep the matter confidential.
"Hey, don't leave me out, you three jerks," Lee Jordan complained, feeling excluded from the small circle.
"Ahem, remember when we were on the train coming to Hogwarts, and we talked about that thing?" Fred reminded him.
"Fifty galleons," George added.
"Wow, that thing!" Lee Jordan finally understood what they were talking about. "How did you do it back then..."
"I don't want the whole school to know about this," Albert said, raising a finger to his lips to silence the other three.
"Okay, but you're amazing!" The Weasley brothers admired Albert's methods. If only they could make 25 galleons so easily.
"No wonder you were willing to bet all the galleons you earned," Lee Jordan said sourly.
"I might not lose," Albert said, shrugging off the comment and continuing his tall tale. "Do you know why wizards favor wands made of redwood?"
"Because they bring luck?" George asked uncertainly.
"Exactly," Albert continued his deception. "I had a hunch that betting might bring me a windfall, so I took the chance."
(End of Chapter)
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