Chapter 447: Fortune-Telling Predictions
Chapter 447: Fortune-Telling Predictions
The next morning, a gloomy sky loomed over everyone's heads as Albert sat down for breakfast. A light drizzle began to fall as he ate.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the Great Hall, followed by hushed whispers and murmurs.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know," George said, beating Lee Jordan to it as he went to find out the source of the fuss.
"This guy keeps stealing my glory," Lee grumbled, handing Albert a piece of parchment as he munched on a peanut butter-covered slice of bread.
"What's this?" Albert asked.
"The list of contestants for the Sweet Sixteen round of the Wizarding Card tournament," Lee replied through a mouthful of bread.
Only after finishing his meal did Albert pick up the list of contestants for the card game tournament. The selections for the Sweet Sixteen round had concluded the day before, and there weren't many surprises compared to the previous year.
If one had to point out a difference, it would be the emergence of a dark horse.
Isobel, who rarely played Wizarding Cards, had somehow managed to defeat her opponents and secure a spot in the Sweet Sixteen.
"I just heard that Filch found an unconscious Kenneth Toole in a third-floor bathroom," George reported, bringing back unpleasant news.
Fred paused in the act of spreading peanut butter on his bread and looked up at George. "Someone attacked Kenneth?"
"Yeah, Filch found him with his head stuck in a toilet, and his pants were pulled down. He looked pretty miserable," George elaborated.
Everyone had a pretty good idea of who might have done it.
Most likely, it was Flint from Slytherin.
Previously, Kenneth Toole had pulled down the pants of Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, leading to a grudge between the two. Earlier this month, Kenneth was found unconscious in a bathroom with his pants pulled down once again.
"If it happened in the third-floor bathroom, how come no one noticed him earlier?" Fred asked between bites of his bread, puzzled.
"My guess is that he was either under a Disillusionment Charm or locked in a stall. It would be hard to be found if he didn't come to his senses," Albert speculated as he tucked the list into his bag.
"This whole thing is weird," George muttered.
"Tell us what you're thinking," Fred urged.
"Do you think Marcus Flint would take revenge on Kenneth Toole twice?" George wondered aloud. "If the first time was revenge, what about the second?"
"Also revenge," Lee chimed in, quickly finishing his bread and grabbing his bag to leave the Great Hall with his roommates.
Fred and George didn't agree with Lee's viewpoint.
On their way to Divination class, Albert suddenly asked, "Did you guys teach Kenneth the Disillusionment Charm?"
"Yes, he's gotten a basic grasp of it, although he's not yet proficient," George replied, his expression thoughtful as he answered Albert's question.
"What you're saying is..."
"My guess is that Kenneth went looking for Flint to get back at him, but he ended up getting caught by the other guy," Albert shared his speculation with the trio.
If that were the case, some things would be easier to explain.
If someone came looking for trouble, they would definitely teach them a memorable lesson.
At that moment, Albert and his friends realized that the Disillusionment Charm wasn't as reliable as it used to be; Flint had clearly learned to guard against it.
"By the way, there's something else," George said in a low voice. "I heard that Kenneth can't remember who attacked him. His memory was probably modified."
"Looks like they came prepared!"
Albert didn't need to think hard to guess what was going on. Marcus Flint was clearly out for revenge.
"What are you going to do?" Fred asked, also sensing the trouble ahead. Ever since they had started working on their prank items, they had become less interested in wasting time on those guys.
"I'll look for an opportunity to take them all out at once and erase some of their memories while I'm at it," Albert decided, intending to put an end to the issue once and for all instead of dragging out the feud.
"Why don't you try divining during class later?" Fred suggested, as they were on their way to Divination class.
In the second half of the school year, they were learning crystal ball divination. Apart from Albert, who seemed to be able to predict the future, no other diviners had emerged, and most students were simply making up predictions to appease Professor Trelawney.
"That's not a bad idea.
"Albert ascended the stairs to the attic.
Before class began, Professor Trelawney announced that crystal ball divination would be the focus of their end-of-term exam, and they would need to tell her what they saw within the crystal balls.
'What do you think we should predict?' Lee Jordan whispered jokingly. 'How about Gryffindor winning the Quidditch Cup?' 'I think we should predict Gryffindor House ultimately defeating Slytherin House to win the House Cup,' Fred said without hesitation. 'In fact, we did predict the future accurately.'
'And what did you see?' George asked, lowering his voice. All he could see within his crystal ball was swirling white mist.
'Hmm, I saw... an ambush, and there were a lot of them,' Albert frowned, recalling the scenes that had flashed through his crystal ball. He speculated, 'You and Fred might be ambushed?' 'Child, tell me, what did you see in your crystal ball?' Professor Trelawney asked, having approached them without anyone noticing.
'I saw that the toilets were out of paper,' Albert mumbled.
'Does that mean it's best to bring your own tissues if you need to use the bathroom?' Fred teased with a strange tone.
The rest of the class couldn't help but snicker at Fred's joke.
Professor Trelawney frowned, looking less than pleased.
'Mr. Weasley, tell me, what did you see in your crystal ball?' Professor Trelawney's tone turned slightly sharper.
After being prompted by Professor Trelawney, Fred began to put on a show, taking about two minutes before he revealed that he saw a trophy and proclaimed that Gryffindor would win the Quidditch Cup this year.
'Well, dear,' Professor Trelawney sighed after glancing at the crystal ball, 'I'm sure you did your best.' 'She thinks Gryffindor will lose?' Fred scoffed as he watched Professor Trelawney walk away. 'Harry easily beat Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Gryffindor is definitely taking the Quidditch Cup this year.'
'That's not the point,' George whispered, 'Albert said we'd be attacked. They might bring a lot of people.' The trio had been training with Albert, and their combat abilities far surpassed those of most students. Even if their opponents were from higher grades, they wouldn't necessarily lose.
However, if the enemy had the advantage in numbers, the situation would be entirely different.
'Why don't we lure them out and take the initiative instead of just waiting to be ambushed?' Fred clearly disagreed with George's viewpoint. Knowing that they were going to be attacked and doing nothing to counter it wasn't their style, especially with Albert on their side. Even if they were at a numerical disadvantage, they might not lose unless Albert was taken by surprise and taken down first.
That probability was very small, as Albert could see through those poorly cast Disillusionment Charms.
Upon hearing Fred's words, Albert was taken aback.
He understood Fred's intention—was he suggesting they act as bait to draw out their opponents and take them all out at once?
That made some sense, but... it somehow felt wrong...
'We also can't be sure when they will launch their attack,' Lee Jordan, for once, tried to use his brain and think hard. 'Having a lot of people means they will likely strike during mealtimes or on the weekends when everyone is free.' 'If we're going to do that, we can use him,' George said, pointing at Montague from Slytherin, who wasn't the brightest bulb.
'I think that's a good idea.' The three of them looked at Albert, waiting for his final decision.
'Okay, let's do it.' Albert glanced at the newly updated mission panel and nodded in agreement with their plan.
After class, Albert deliberately spoke softly with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan about their next steps, making sure that Montague from Slytherin overheard their conversation.
'Do you think he believed us?' Lee Jordan watched Montague's departing back, unsure if he truly believed what he had just overheard.
After all, they had made it quite obvious, almost as if they wanted him to hear it.
'No,' Albert said quietly, 'but I think he'll try to be clever, and that's enough.' (End of Chapter)"
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