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Chapter 336: Very Gryffindor
Chapter 336: Very Gryffindor
Beyond the stone door lay pitch darkness, obscuring everything from view.
As they stepped inside, torches suddenly lit up, causing the quartet to become more vigilant, anticipating another battle.
In their line of sight were two figures sitting across from each other by the burning campfire, seemingly engaged in a lively chat.
The only treasure in this place was in the hands of a middle-aged man sitting opposite the towering giant. Godric Gryffindor was polishing a silver sword and chatting amiably with the giant.
They warily eyed the two stone statues before them, wary of any sudden attacks.
After a few minutes, the statues remained still, quiet sentinels, while the cauldron by the campfire emitted tendrils of steam.
Albert and his friends exchanged glances, their gazes shifting to the stone statues as they cautiously approached.
"Look...at that sword!" George exclaimed.
At that moment, everyone's attention turned to the silver sword with its ruby hilt, held by the Gryffindor statue.
To be honest, Albert was truly astonished by this sword. He vaguely recalled Harry Potter retrieving Gryffindor's sword from the Sorting Hat and using it to slay the Serpent of the Chamber of Secrets.
But how did this weapon end up here?
"What a beautiful longsword," Lee Jordan murmured, transfixed by the silver blade.
"Is this the Gryffindor sword you mentioned?" George asked, turning to Albert.
"Yeah, it's definitely the fairy-forged magic sword," Albert nodded.
"Are you planning to take it with you?" Lee Jordan tried to remove the sword from the statue's grasp but to no avail.
"Take it with me? No, I won't be taking this sword," Albert shook his head. "The Gryffindor sword doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Gryffindor himself."
"What if we take it back to school?" Fred suddenly suggested excitedly. "Headmaster Dumbledore will surely award us a ton of points for this."
"I'll leave it here," Albert decided.
In truth, Albert had considered taking the sword back, but given that he had recently received a special contribution award, he doubted that Dumbledore would bestow another one upon him for returning the Gryffindor sword.
"Why not?" George asked, perplexed. "If we bring it back, we'll surely earn enough points to beat Slytherin House."
"I don't plan to expose this place just yet," Albert explained. "I intend to turn it into our secret base. It might come in handy someday."
"But it's deep within the Forbidden Forest," Lee Jordan protested weakly.
"We can always use the Disillusionment Charm," Albert reminded them.
"We agree with your decision," the twins nodded, supporting Albert's choice.
"Alright, I guess I'm fine with it too," Lee Jordan conceded with a hint of reluctance.
"Still, it's a bit of a shame that we came all this way and are leaving empty-handed," George said, his gaze lingering on the silver sword.
"There is treasure here!"
Albert pointed to the unassuming cauldron sitting over the campfire, containing a viscous, unknown liquid that resembled some sort of sinister culinary concoction.
The four of them had deliberately ignored it until now.
"That's the treasure?!"
"If I'm not mistaken, that should be the cauldron of the giant, Dwynwen."
"One of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain, the legendary cauldron of giant Dwynwen?" Fred exclaimed, astonished. He eyed the cauldron, from which bubbles of muddy liquid rose, and murmured, "It's said that this cauldron only cooks meat for the brave, and cowards cannot use it."
"You're suggesting that we...eat that stuff?!" Lee Jordan eyed the cauldron's contents and couldn't help but swallow nervously, his appetite completely gone.
Were they being asked to eat mud?
"I don't find this joke funny at all," George said, his face stern.
"Perhaps, it's also a test!"
Albert pulled out a candy, transfigured it into a spoon, and said, "Who wants to give it a try first? If anyone gets poisoned, I can always get you back to Hogwarts for treatment."
The three friends turned to Albert, their expressions skeptical as they retorted, "Why don't you go first?!"
"Just a small taste," Albert suggested, raising an eyebrow. "Think of it as eating a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans."
"Alright, I will!"
Mustering his courage, Lee Jordan tremblingly extended the spoon towards the cauldron of dubious cuisine. He scooped a small amount and reluctantly popped it into his mouth, forcing himself to swallow despite his gag reflex.
The next moment, his eyes widened in surprise, his face reflecting sheer astonishment.
"Are you alright?!" Fred asked, concerned.
"You're not poisoned, are you?!"
"The taste is...surprisingly good!" Lee Jordan blinked, his expression incredulous as he said, "It's like meat soup."
"You're not pulling our legs, are you?!" George clearly didn't believe Lee Jordan's words.
"Why would I be tricking you?" Lee Jordan scooped up another small spoonful and nodded. "It really does taste like meat soup. I feel all warm inside; it's a strange sensation."
"Perhaps this is the legendary giant Dwynwen's cauldron!" Fred muttered as he prepared to take a taste as well, but Albert stopped him.
"Wait a moment longer to see if there are any other effects." Albert was cautious, worried that consuming it might lead to poisoning.
"I think Bertie Bott might have been here before," Lee Jordan speculated. "He probably got his inspiration from this place."
"Was Bertie Bott a Gryffindor student?" Fred asked.
"He should be," Albert replied.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because every mouthful is an adventure." Lee Jordan recited the slogan of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. "That's very Gryffindor, isn't it?"
"Maybe," Albert said noncommittally; he wasn't well-versed in this area.
After waiting a few minutes to ensure Lee Jordan suffered no ill effects, the other three also tasted the food in the cauldron. Indeed, as Lee Jordan had said, it tasted like meat soup.
"It's incredible," Albert marveled, looking at the food in the bowl. After eating, he felt warm and energized.
"Isn't it said that fairy-forged silverware never gathers dust or grime?" Albert turned his head to look at Godric Gryffindor polishing the sword, and he couldn't help but scoff. He reached out and took the silver sword from the statue, running his finger along the spine of the sword, pausing momentarily on the name inscribed there as he muttered, "Looks like it's the fairy who's lying."
"How did you get the sword out of its grasp?" Lee Jordan asked in shock.
Ignoring Lee Jordan's question, Albert said mysteriously, "Do you know the story behind the Gryffindor sword?"
"Come on, don't keep us in suspense," Fred urged.
According to Albert, Godric Gryffindor wanted a handy longsword, so he asked the Fairy King, the most skilled silversmith of the time, to forge one for him. However, after the Fairy King crafted the weapon, he was very reluctant to part with it and pretended that Gryffindor had stolen it from him...
As Albert narrated this ancient tale, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were left stupefied.
"So, do the fairies now believe that...this story is true?"
"That's what the records I found suggest," Albert replied.
Of course, these records weren't discovered in the Hogwarts library but rather in Broad's mansion, which truly housed many ancient documents, most of them handwritten.
"I never knew about this," Lee Jordan said, feeling like he had gained a lot of knowledge. But then he realized something and asked suspiciously, "You're not pulling our legs again, are you?"
"I remember Fred's older brother works at Gringotts, right!" Albert suddenly exclaimed. "You can ask him when you get back, and he'll know."
"The fairies believe that everything they create rightfully belongs to them, and that when wizards buy their creations, they are merely renting them temporarily. They believe that upon the original purchaser's death, the item should be returned to the fairies. When you pass it down to your descendants without paying the fairies again, in their eyes, it's no better than theft."
"But why would the fairies make up such a lie?"
"To cover up the truth!" Albert replied without hesitation. "The Fairy King failed to retrieve the sword because he hit a brick wall. Godric Gryffindor threatened the Fairy King, saying that if he persisted, he would use that sword to kill the Fairy King and his subjects."
"Later, the fairy society began spreading the story that Gryffindor had stolen the sword, and to make this lie come true, the Fairy King instilled this belief in his people to solidify the notion that Gryffindor had stolen the sword."
In his previous life, there had been similar cases in certain countries.
"In fact, the Fairy King's plan was quite successful, but it also brought trouble to the fairies. The fairies who held this belief didn't have a good relationship with wizards, did they?" Albert said scornfully. "This incident also indirectly led to the two fairy rebellions in the 17th and 18th centuries."
"Of course, history is now difficult to unravel. Whether it was the fairies or Gryffindor who lied is hard to determine, but I'm more inclined to believe the fairies are the liars..."
"Why?" The three friends asked, perplexed.
"Look at this..." Albert pointed to the inscription on the sword's spine.
"Godric Gryffindor."
"Only fairy silversmiths possess the skill to work with silver, which means this name was inscribed at Gryffindor's request." Albert spoke softly, "This sword undoubtedly belongs to Gryffindor." (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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