Chapter 397: It's Great to Have Met You!
Chapter 397: It's Great to Have Met You!
Upon hearing Wood mention their old companions, Fred and George exchanged a glance, falling into a brief silence. They were, of course, well aware of Mario, Danny, and Jack's dreams.
The former acrobat trio had aspired to form a circus troupe and perform around the world. However, reality could be cruel; without sufficient funds, their dream hadn't even gotten off the ground.
What about their own dreams?
To open a joke shop! How much money would that require?
Fred and George weren't sure, and they hadn't even looked into it yet, but they knew it would take a lot more than a few dozen Galleons.
They would need to rent a store, advertise, source materials and technology, and they lacked the funds, experience, and know-how. Without a bit of luck, their dream could end before it even began.
In fact, it was almost impossible for the twins to save up a hundred Galleons before graduation.
Not having money could be so cruel sometimes.
Now, the twins understood why Albert always said that money was sometimes truly important.
They looked at Albert simultaneously, suddenly feeling fortunate. Albert had said he would help them, and given his track record of never letting them lose money, Fred and George were confident about opening their joke shop after graduation, or perhaps more accurately, confident in Albert.
It was truly wonderful to have such a friend! They considered themselves lucky.
Of course, Albert was unaware of Fred and George's thoughts as he ate and casually responded to Wood's questions about Quidditch.
Wood had high hopes for Harry, believing that this year's Quidditch championship would belong to Gryffindor House.
Harry felt embarrassed and kept his head down as he ate.
He knew that his position on the team originally belonged to Albert, even though Albert seemed to not want it... Nonetheless, hearing Wood praise him still made Harry feel a bit uncomfortable.
"I enjoy flying, but Quidditch matches aren't for me. I don't have enough time to train with everyone," Albert said calmly, looking at Harry. "However, there's one thing you should be careful about—don't get yourself into a state where you can't play in the matches."
"Consider this a pre-warning."
"A pre-warning?"
"Yes, a pre-warning," Fred reminded him with a frown. "Although you may think it's an exaggeration, Albert's words usually come true, so you need to be careful."
"Yes, Harry, you need to be careful of that bunch of jerks from Slytherin. They'll often do anything to win," Wood quickly realized what Albert meant and reminded Harry.
"No, no, Wood, Slytherin will do anything to win, always," Lee Jordan interjected.
"If you have time, you can teach Harry how to use Marc's feint," George suggested.
"Marc's feint?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"It's an effective countermeasure, especially against nasty opponents. You always need some excuse to punch them in the nose," Fred said, making a punching gesture. "Of course, since it's a feint, you won't actually hit them."
"If you do hit them, then it's just their bad luck," George shrugged.
Harry's mouth hung open in surprise, leaving him speechless.
Lee Jordan's gaze fell on Albert, who was getting up to leave, and he asked, "Where are you going?"
"I have something else to do. See you," Albert replied as he left.
"See you!"
"Damn, is he heading to the library right after eating?" George muttered, watching Albert's departing figure.
"Probably not. I think he might be going on a date," Lee Jordan speculated.
"Should we follow him?"
"That's a good idea."
The three curious guys quickly finished their food and followed Albert.
"What are they doing?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"They're probably going to... spy on Albert's date, aren't they?" Wood had, of course, also heard about Albert's situation and felt that what Fred and the others were doing was rather inappropriate.
Yes, very inappropriate.
"A date?" Ron repeated, not quite understanding what the word meant.
When the trio discovered that Albert was not going on a date but was instead returning directly to the Gryffindor common room, their enthusiasm waned, and they decided to pay a visit to the 'All You Need' shop to perfect their prank equipment. The three had set up a laboratory there, and Lee Jordan worked part-time as a tester for their prank items while also providing suggestions.
"What's going on?"
Seeing George bump into the door, Fred pulled him up from the ground and asked with a frown.
"Can't get in. Someone's inside," George replied.
"That's right, I know!" Fred suddenly exclaimed.
"What do you know?"
"Do you think Albert might be inside? Don't forget, the 'All You Need' shop doesn't appear on the map. Maybe they're hiding in there for their date, and they won't be disturbed!"
Lee Jordan and George were initially taken aback but soon found the idea convincing. Perhaps Albert had shared the secret of the 'All You Need' shop with his girlfriend! Yes, they must be inside dating; otherwise, why couldn't they get in?
"But how is he doing it?" Lee Jordan wondered, confused. Wasn't Albert just in the common room?
"Don't forget, he can be in two places at once," Fred said, stroking his chin. "Only students who have chosen the twelve subjects will know how to use the cloning spell. And don't forget, that girl, Isabelle McDougall, is also a genius. She must have a way to be in two places at once as well."
No wonder they never caught the two dating.
Albert was completely unaware that his ruse had been seen through.
Of course, even if he had been, he probably wouldn't have minded. So what if they knew?
...
At that moment, Albert stood at the entrance of the common room, covering his face as he witnessed the scene before him.
So, this is why Tom's weight hasn't been going down? Tom was in the arms of a girl, being teased with fish treats.
He had actually been tricked by a tiny fish treat.
What a greedy cat.
"Miss Granger, I think you've found your first friend."
"Um..."
Hermione looked up at the approaching Albert, flustered, like a child who had been caught doing something wrong.
"Please don't feed Tom anymore. Haven't you noticed that his weight is well above the standard?" Albert said to Hermione with a serious expression.
"Sorry, I just..." Hermione lowered her head.
"Tom has been spoiled by my grandparents," Albert said, scratching the cat's ear helplessly. "I wasn't paying attention, and he got so chubby."
"Sorry!" Hermione's voice became even softer.
"It's fine as long as you don't do it again," Albert softened his tone, not wanting to seem like he was scolding a child. "I've been trying to help him lose weight lately. Maybe you can help too."
"What should I do?"
Albert took out a cat teaser and waved it in front of Tom, immediately capturing the cat's attention as he reached out to bat at it.
"Try this."
Albert handed the cat teaser to Hermione.
Hermione was a bit hesitant, noticing the gazes of the others, and took the teaser somewhat awkwardly.
"I'm usually very busy and don't have much time to spend with Tom," Albert said gently as he picked up the chubby cat and rubbed his belly. "If you have time, could you help me take care of him?"
"Yes, of course," Hermione said, looking at Albert with a bright smile.
(End of Chapter)
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