Chapter 435: Enlightenment
Chapter 435: Enlightenment
Albert never expected that Hermione would directly question him about his doppelganger. When had their relationship become so close? Even Albert himself was surprised.
Facing Miss Granger, who was staring at him with wide eyes, Albert smiled slightly, raised a finger to his lips, and said mysteriously, "For now, just think of it as a doppelganger spell. This is actually a secret, and I can't tell you exactly how it's done yet. If you really want to know, wait until you're in your third year. When you have the option to take all the courses, you'll be eligible to know how I manage to be in two places at once, and you'll be able to do it too."
In fact, Hermione didn't expect Albert to reveal the answer either. She just wanted to see his reaction to knowing that she had discovered his little secret. But Albert's response was even calmer than she expected, and he even hinted that the doppelganger was related to taking all the courses in the third year?
"Courses?" Hermione asked, "How many courses do you need to take?"
"Twelve," Albert replied honestly. "If you want to take all the courses, you need to be prepared for a heavy workload."
"So that's why there are five more courses than we have now," Hermione realized, thinking back to Albert's emphasis on choosing all the courses. It seemed that the ability to appear in two places at once was to accommodate students who wanted to attend multiple classes simultaneously.
"Figure it out yourself," Albert said softly. "Don't spread it around, or Professor McGonagall will be unhappy."
"I won't tell anyone," Hermione nodded seriously. From Albert's words, she could tell that Professor McGonagall knew about this, and perhaps she was even the one who taught him how to appear in two places at once.
"I have another question," Hermione continued.
"Ask away," Albert said.
"Is the object in the restricted corridor on the fourth floor the Philosopher's Stone?"
"You guys already guessed that, didn't you?" Albert neither confirmed nor denied.
"Harry said that Snape wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone that Dumbledore hid in the school," she continued, seeing that Albert didn't respond. She then recounted the incident during the last Quidditch match against Slytherin, where Snape had jinxed Harry's broom, intending to make him fall to his death.
"Well, Snape is indeed not a good person," Albert acknowledged. "But I don't think Harry would have died even if he had fallen from his broom. To be precise, as long as you know the Cushioning Charm, it's almost impossible for a wizard to die from a fall. I'm sure all the professors in the audience knew that charm, so the likelihood of Harry dying was practically zero."
Hermione was stunned. Her assumption had been easily refuted, and what Albert said made perfect sense. Although she hadn't learned about the Cushioning Charm, she could deduce its effect from Albert's words.
With most of the Hogwarts professors in the audience, would Harry have really died if he had fallen?
If he had, it would only reflect the incompetence of the professors.
"But why would Snape do such a thing?" Hermione became even more confused.
"You need to think about it from different perspectives," Albert guided her. "The truth may be completely different from what you imagine."
"Why don't you just tell me directly?" Hermione asked.
"What I say may not necessarily be the truth," Albert explained. "But by thinking it through, you may uncover the truth."
Hermione furrowed her brows and paused to consider the various possibilities.
"If I were you, I wouldn't easily believe what Albert says. He's very good at using sweet words to deceive girls," Isabel teased, winking at Hermione.
"I should get going," Hermione said.
"See you later," Albert replied.
"But why does Snape want to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" Hermione persisted.
Hermione made a mental note of this and then turned back to Albert, asking, "Does he want the gold? Does he want to become immortal?"
"The lure of immortality is indeed hard for many to resist," Albert nodded. "If Harry is truly worried about the Philosopher's Stone, I suggest he speak to Headmaster Dumbledore about it. As the savior of the wizarding world, I believe that even if he can't convince the headmaster, he should at least be able to raise his concerns and make him more vigilant against anyone trying to steal the stone."
"The professors won't believe us..." Hermione trailed off.
"I know it's unlikely that the professors will believe Harry, but the headmaster might," Albert said. "He's a remarkable man, and as the greatest wizard of all time, Dumbledore can tell if someone is lying to him. I don't think anyone can steal the stone from the school without him knowing."
Hermione opened her mouth but couldn't find the right words to respond.
"Why wouldn't others think of what you've just considered?" Albert looked directly into Hermione's eyes. "Am I right? But it's definitely a good idea to think things through, even if it's not in line with the typical Gryffindor personality."
...
"So, according to Albert, you're saying that Snape can't steal the Philosopher's Stone from under Dumbledore's nose?" Hermione's revelations surprised both Harry and Ron, as Albert seemed to be refuting most of their speculations.
However, Harry had to admit that some of Albert's points made sense. Did Snape really want to kill him by jinxing his broom? As Albert said, even if he had fallen, the professors in the audience wouldn't have let him die.
Wouldn't Snape be aware of that?
Of course, unless he was a fool.
Snape was no fool, so why would he do such a thing?
"He wanted Slytherin to win the Quidditch match, and you know those Slytherins will do anything to win," Harry shared his thoughts with Hermione and Ron. "Besides, Snape is their Head of House. I wouldn't put it past him."
As Harry spoke, his expression grew darker as he became more convinced of his theory. "And don't forget, Snape is going to be the referee for the upcoming Quidditch match."
Even Hermione had to admit that Harry's reasoning made a lot of sense! "Harry, do you plan to talk to Headmaster Dumbledore about this?" Hermione asked quietly.
"I don't think I can convince him," Harry shook his head, showing a rare moment of self-awareness. He didn't think he could persuade the headmaster to suspect a teacher in the school without any solid evidence.
(End of Chapter)
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