Chapter 425: The Truth Will Out
Chapter 425: The Truth Will Out
"What in the world is this?"
Lee Jordan covered his mouth and nose as he surveyed the table, now splattered with a yellowish-green liquid. He directed his question to his friend standing beside him.
"Undiluted pus from a Bubotuber," Albert replied, giving a little twitch of his nose as he narrowed his eyes. "Cleverly disguised, I must say. If I hadn't been careful, it could've been disastrous."
"Who on earth do you have a grudge with?" Angelina exclaimed, still shocked from witnessing Albert open the malicious package. "Who would send you something like this? You could've been seriously hurt!"
The students in the vicinity began to whisper among themselves, curious about the commotion. Those who didn't know what had happened drew closer, eager to find out the cause of the strange smell.
"Any idea who's behind this?" George asked.
Truth be told, George found it hard to believe that anyone would target Albert. After all, he didn't seem the type to make many enemies.
"A Slytherin student, most likely," Albert replied nonchalantly, glancing at the new task on his mission panel. There weren't many suspects who would resort to such a tactic, and whether or not a Slytherin was directly responsible, he was certain they were involved in some way.
Aside from the students of Slytherin, the only other likely suspect was Professor Quirrell.
Perhaps Albert's persistent questioning had finally driven the professor to send this unpleasant package as a warning.
Alternatively, it could've been the work of the older Slytherin students he had crossed paths with. The younger students were less likely, as they wouldn't have easy access to undiluted pus from a Bubotuber unless their families were willing to help, which seemed improbable.
"A Slytherin student?"
The room erupted into a buzz of excited chatter at this revelation.
"There's plenty left in the package. Now I can experiment with using this undiluted pus to create an acne-curing potion." With a wave of his wand, Albert carefully collected the remaining pus from the bubotuber into a glass vial.
"Aren't you even angry about this?" Angelina asked, incredulous that Albert seemed so unfazed by the incident that could've disfigured him.
"Getting angry would only give them the satisfaction they're seeking," Albert replied, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
The group fell silent, unsure how to respond to Albert's words.
"In a way, they've done me a favor," Albert continued, holding up the vial of pus. "I've been wondering where to get my hands on some undiluted pus from a Bubotuber, and now I don't have to worry about sourcing the ingredient."
"You mean for that special ointment you mentioned before?" Fred asked eagerly, recalling a previous conversation. He knew that if Albert succeeded, they'd have a highly marketable product on their hands.
As Albert often said, girls loved beauty products, and they wouldn't hesitate to spend their money on something that promised to keep their skin clear and blemish-free.
"Whoever sent this will be fuming when they find out!" George said with a laugh, noticing the glint in Albert's eyes. He had a feeling someone was about to be on the receiving end of some well-deserved payback.
He didn't believe for a second that Albert couldn't guess who was behind this, and even if he hadn't figured it out yet, he surely had some suspects in mind. After all, Albert was skilled in divination, so tracking down the culprit shouldn't be too difficult.
Several girls in the room were intrigued by Albert's mention of a potential acne cure. They eagerly requested that he notify them if he succeeded in creating an effective ointment for removing pimples, promising that they'd be willing to pay handsomely for such a product.
When it came to beauty, these girls were more than happy to spend their galleons.
Back in the dormitory, the twins and Lee Jordan continued to discuss the incident.
Then, they watched as Albert retrieved his divination crystal ball from his trunk.
The three of them fell silent, their eyes fixed on Albert as he began to manipulate the crystal ball. Soon, white mist swirled within it, and they thought they caught glimpses of vague shapes.
"Well?" George finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. "What did you see?"
"A suspect," Albert replied, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Who?" the three friends asked in unison.
"Professor Quirrell."
"Professor Quirrell?" The trio echoed, baffled. They couldn't fathom why the professor would send such a thing to Albert.
"But you two haven't really..." Fred began, only to be cut off.
"It's because I keep asking him questions, isn't it?" Albert finished. "He finally snapped and decided to send me this as a form of payback?"
"But Professor Quirrell doesn't seem the type to do something like this," George protested.
"You know him well?" Lee Jordan asked, raising an eyebrow.
At Albert's question, the others fell silent. Did they truly know the professor? No, not really.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Fred asked.
"There's no rush," Albert replied, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "I have plenty of ways to deal with him, and they won't be as straightforward as sending a nasty package."
"I bet Professor Quirrell has no idea that you've already figured out it was him," Lee Jordan commented.
"Of course not," Albert replied confidently. He pulled a book from the shelf and began browsing through it for information on using undiluted pus from a Bubotuber. He thought his sister Isabelle might find it useful, and perhaps even Isabella, though he'd never seen her with acne. She might already know how to make the potion, for all he knew.
Albert sent a message via the communication quill, and soon received a response from Isabella, who provided him with a recipe she'd found in a book.
With Isabella's guidance, Albert set to work brewing the potion in the Room of Requirement. The resulting concoction resembled a yellowish paste. When applied to the face, it effectively removed blackheads, leaving the skin smooth and clear.
However, as Isabella explained, it wasn't quite the same as the ointment Albert had intended to create. His goal was to develop a treatment for inflamed pimples, but he found this discovery intriguing nonetheless. Even the presence of blackheads couldn't dampen a girl's pursuit of flawless skin.
Albert shared his idea for an ointment to treat inflamed pimples with Isabella, and to his surprise, the Ravenclaw genius expressed interest in collaborating with him on this project.
It took them just three days to successfully develop the ointment—a thick, yellowish salve that, when applied to the face, could reduce the redness and swelling of pimples within a few hours.
Not only Isabella but most of the girls in the school were thrilled to learn of this development.
(End of Chapter)
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