Chapter 328: Just What Have You Done?
Chapter 328: Just What Have You Done?
"What did Madam Grey want with you?"
Isabelle walked alongside Albert across the courtyard of the castle, casually bringing up the earlier incident.
"I helped that lady with a small matter," Albert replied vaguely, not intending to divulge the details about the diadem just yet. He had recently promised Dumbledore that he would keep the matter a secret.
Dumbledore had awarded Albert with fifty points and a Special Service Award.
Albert was quite satisfied with this outcome, as he didn't really care about the points. His primary motivation for returning the diadem to Dumbledore was the potential task reward.
He really wanted that special reward, but it wouldn't be easy to acquire three Special Service Awards during his time at school.
Of course, Albert also didn't want the matter of the Ravenclaw diadem to become common knowledge. If Voldemort learned of it when he came to Hogwarts next semester, it could spell trouble for him.
Albert had no desire to confront Voldemort directly. After all, it was Harry Potter's destiny to vanquish Voldemort, not his.
"A small matter?" Isabelle eyed Albert skeptically, her eyebrows arched slightly, but she didn't press further. She wasn't overly curious by nature, and she understood that if Albert didn't want to talk about it, it would be difficult to get an answer. She also knew that even with her Legilimency skills, it would be challenging to discern his true thoughts, and even if she could, she wouldn't invade his privacy in that way, lest their relationship be jeopardized.
No one liked having their thoughts laid bare.
As a smart person, Isabelle knew how to maintain their dynamic, and she was confident that Albert felt the same.
"It's not the right time yet, but when the time comes, I'll tell you," Albert said mysteriously.
"Alright, I'll wait," Isabelle said, lowering her gaze and casually changing the subject. "By the way, have you heard anything about Professor Smith?"
"Unfortunately, no. I've asked around, but no one seems to know anything about him. It's as if he's completely disappeared," Albert replied, his tone carrying a hint of relief. The matter had been handled cleanly, leaving no traces or clues behind.
"Oh, what a shame," Isabelle said, letting out a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Disappearance without a trace—that was the best outcome.
The pair chatted a little longer, discussing the affairs of the Wildsmith family, using that name as a code to exchange information. They found that both of them had limited knowledge of the situation.
They came to the mutual conclusion that Professor Broadbent hadn't divulged much to either of them, and they had both received invitations from him for the summer.
"If he wanted to tell us, he would have. If he doesn't want to, then there's no point in asking," Isabelle said nonchalantly, clearly not too concerned about the matter. As a genius, she had her own self-assurance.
Albert didn't plan to delve further into the matter, as he wasn't particularly interested in such things.
After all, he was a man with a cheat.
"Oh, by the way, do you remember the Runic Stone divination we did back then?" Albert suddenly asked. "That thing was pretty accurate. I did a divination for myself, and the result was the same as yours. It really came true in the end."
"Maybe it was just a coincidence," Isabelle said, not putting much stock in divination.
"No, it wasn't a coincidence," Albert whispered. "Some people can indeed predict certain omens through Runic Stone divination. There's a section about it in the Bronze Book, although it's not as direct as seeing the future with a crystal ball, it can predict some events."
"It seems you've learned quite a bit from that book." Isabelle's tone held a hint of envy as she referred to a book she had also read and understood to some extent, but not to the same depth as Albert. In his words, her knowledge of ancient magical scripts wasn't advanced enough to grasp the deeper intricacies of the text.
"I did learn quite a bit. Unfortunately, there are still some parts that I can't quite comprehend." Albert removed an amulet from his body and handed it to Isabelle.
"For me?" Isabelle examined the small trinket—a small, reclining lion with an eagle's head. "It looks nice."
"It's my latest research," Albert said. "Unfortunately, it's hit a bottleneck. I was hoping you could take a look and see if there's any way to break through."
"I will," Isabelle said with a smile, then added, "Someone's calling you."
"I know," Albert replied, seeing the twins waving at him. "I'll be off! They always think we're on a date when we're together."
"Oh!" Isabelle responded, then asked, "And what do you tell them?"
"What do you want me to say?" Albert didn't wait for Isabelle to answer and instead walked towards his roommates.
"An amulet, huh?" Isabelle pocketed it and turned to leave.
...
"Just what have you done?"
As soon as Albert approached, he heard George's accusatory question.
"What do you mean, what have I done?" Albert raised an eyebrow.
"That unlucky sod, Kenneth Tolan, was cleaning the trophies in the Trophy Room and noticed that you have two Special Service Awards!" Lee Jordan's voice was filled with excitement, and everyone around them turned to look.
"How would I know about that?" Albert rolled his eyes at Lee Jordan, annoyed. "He must have made a mistake!"
The trio seemed like they wanted to say more, but Albert cut them off.
Tilting his head in the direction Isabelle had left, he said, "Please, you didn't see..."
"I think she's in the fourth year!"
"Oh, I didn't know you..."
"We were just discussing Runic Stone divination. Remember, the one Professor Sybill Trelawney did for us? It came true!" Albert said nonchalantly. "Also, she's only one year older than me."
The four of them exchanged bewildered looks, momentarily confused by Albert's statement.
"I'm one year older than all of you," Albert said irritably.
"And?" Fred asked, not understanding.
"If I was born before September and she was born at the end of September, we would be in the same year," Albert explained.
This revelation left the trio stunned, their minds struggling to process this information before eventually realizing the truth in his words.
"The way you're sidetracking us, I almost forgot what I wanted to say," Fred said.
What is it? Albert wondered.
"We're currently in the lead by a narrow margin of points. What exactly did you do to get a hundred points added to your total?" Fred lowered his voice. "Everyone's talking about it."
"The Slytherins are about ready to blow a gasket," George said with glee. "I heard they went to Snape to protest."
"They think there's some foul play involved," Lee Jordan chimed in.
"Foul play?" Albert scoffed. "How would I know if there was foul play? And stop blaming me for everything that happens; I'm not your professional scapegoat."
(End of Chapter)
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