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Chapter 458: Unexpected Outcomes
Chapter 458: Unexpected Outcomes
These past few days, despite nothing eventful occurring, many people's emotions were far from tranquil.
Ever since Albert's spoiler-filled revelation, Hagrid's mind had been occupied with thoughts of dragon eggs. Could he truly obtain the egg Albert had mentioned?
Although Hagrid wasn't exactly sure how exorbitantly priced dragon eggs were, as someone who loved dragons, he knew that acquiring one would cost a small fortune.
Owning a dragon had always been Hagrid's dream, and the thought that this wish might soon come true made him inexplicably anxious, often pacing back and forth in his small cabin with a silly smile on his face.
However, Hagrid was unaware that he, too, had become a source of worry for others.
Not long ago, Quirinus, who had successfully obtained a dragon egg, was also feeling agitated. This was because Hagrid showed no signs of leaving Hogwarts.
For Quirinus, whose health was deteriorating, this was not good news.
His body was truly reaching its limits.
Aside from the first time when Voldemort possessed him, Quirinus had never felt so close to death. The joy he had felt from obtaining the dragon egg had completely vanished.
He was truly nearing his end! However, Quirinus did not go insane despite facing imminent death. Perhaps it was because he knew he still had an alternative—the backup plan that Voldemort had left him.
Hunting unicorns and sucking their blood to prolong his life would be Quirinus' last resort.
At this moment, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was still secretly monitoring Hagrid, waiting for him to leave Hogwarts and for the opportunity to present itself.
Compared to the turmoil in Hagrid and Quirinus' minds, Hermione, who had been outshone by Albert's clever maneuvers, maintained a much more stable mental state. However, she felt an increasing sense of mystery and intrigue surrounding Albert.
Perhaps he was all talk.
Or perhaps he was a treasure waiting to be uncovered.
Hermione never mentioned these thoughts to Harry or Ron. She adhered to the agreement between them and silently kept Albert's secrets.
Whether it was due to Hermione's preoccupation during the tournament or simply bad luck, she encountered her strongest opponent yet, Truman, and was decisively crushed 2-0, bringing her journey in the tournament to an end in the quarterfinals.
Ron couldn't help but feel regretful about Hermione's elimination. He had initially thought that she would blaze a trail to victory and claim the ten galleons prize, but now...
Ron seemed even more disappointed about the loss than Hermione herself.
Harry, on the other hand, paid little attention to the wizard card tournament. Whether he won or lost was of no consequence to him, and the ten galleon reward was even less of a concern, as he had no shortage of money.
Recently, Harry had also been feeling agitated.
With Professor Quirinus' face becoming paler and his body weaker, Harry was worried that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor might not be able to withstand the pressure and end up revealing to Snape how to bypass the enchantments protecting the Philosopher's Stone.
"Harry," Hermione said, hesitating for a moment after hearing Harry's concerns, "I think your worries are unfounded."
"Unfounded?" Harry's face showed his shock and confusion.
"Do you know something we don't?" Ron looked around cautiously and whispered, "Is it just us who know that someone is trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone?"
"Are you suggesting that the professors involved in protecting the stone, or even Headmaster Dumbledore himself, are unaware of this threat?" Hermione countered in a hushed tone.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, neither speaking, as they waited for Hermione to continue.
"It's impossible, right?" Hermione took a deep breath and said, "After all, someone tried to steal it from Gringotts, and I believe there's a reason it was brought here. I've never thought that Headmaster Dumbledore has grown senile."
"How old is Headmaster Dumbledore anyway?" Ron asked bluntly.
"Probably... over a hundred, I suppose," Hermione replied uncertainly.
"Even you have to admit that the Headmaster is getting up there in years," Harry pointed out bluntly.
"Perhaps Headmaster Dumbledore is a bit older, but he's certainly not senile," Hermione shook her head, "and... Albert also believes that the Headmaster has other intentions for bringing the stone to the school."
"He told you that?" Harry couldn't help but glance towards the Gryffindor table, where Albert was presiding over the final round of the tournament.
"Yes, he thinks there's a reason why the stone was brought to the school." Hermione hesitated for a moment before whispering, "And, I think he might know how to tame Fluffy."
"You mean Albert might know how to tame Fluffy?" Harry exclaimed, his face filled with shock as he looked at Hermione intently. "But... Hagrid should only be telling Dumbledore about that."
"Albert and Hagrid have a good relationship, and he seems to be well aware of Hagrid's pet dog." Hermione noticed the astonished and perplexed looks on Harry and Ron's faces and quietly reminded them, "It's said that Albert also understands divination, so it wouldn't be surprising if he knew how to tame Fluffy through his crystal ball readings."
"If... I mean, if Anderson wanted to steal the Sorcerer's Stone!" A ridiculous thought suddenly popped into Harry's head.
"He wouldn't do that," Hermione denied, shaking her head.
"I'm just saying if," Harry said, choosing not to dwell on the matter further as he knew Hermione had a bit of a crush on Albert.
Ron also turned to look at the area where the finals were taking place, his mouth twitching slightly as if he wanted to say something.
The Wizarding Card tournament was coming to an end.
Among the students competing for the championship in the final round was not Sandra, but Ravenclaw's genius, Isabelle, and Hufflepuff's prefect, Truman.
The unlucky Sandra had met Isabelle in the semifinals and was eliminated with a score of 2-1.
Although the championship final was supposed to be the best of five games, the two players only played three games, with Truman losing three games in a row and losing so badly that he was questioning his life choices by the end of it.
"I knew this would be the outcome." Katrina said expressionlessly. She couldn't deny feeling envious, but since the winner was her sister, she was genuinely happy for her.
Isabelle's victory was completely within Katrina's expectations; it had always been like this since they were young.
As long as Isabelle wanted to, she was always the winner, no matter the field.
"I heard you've played Wizard Cards fewer times than you have fingers. Is that true?" Lee Jordan asked as he approached with a microphone while Albert presented the championship reward to Isabelle.
"That's not true. I occasionally play Wizard Cards, and Albert can vouch for me." Isabelle flashed a charming smile at Albert. "He taught me how to play, and I remember him saying that Wizard Cards will take the magical world by storm. As a student, how could I not know how to play? I owe my victories to Albert, as I learned the intricacies of the game from him."
Of course, they had no idea that Isabelle was just making it all up to avoid sounding too boastful.
"Looks like you lost fair and square," Diggory said, patting Truman on the shoulder in consolation.
Truman looked at the bag of sweets he had received as the runner-up prize, which he had bought from Duke Honey, and walked off to help Fred and George distribute Butterbeer to everyone.
Albert had found several older students who knew how to use the Refilling Charm, and he asked them to take turns casting it on the oak barrels to provide an endless supply of Butterbeer for the celebration.
The Wizarding Card tournament concluded amidst laughter and clinking glasses.
Outside the Great Hall, Professor Quirinus looked at the students celebrating the successful conclusion of the tournament, feeling inexplicably restless.
"Quirinus, perhaps we should have a chat." Snape appeared beside Quirinus without warning, his face expressionless as he watched the scene in the Great Hall, his tone unreadable.
"O-okay..."
Harry happened to catch sight of Quirinus and Snape walking away together, and the savior quietly tried to follow them to eavesdrop, only to be unsurprisingly discovered by Snape.
(End of Chapter)
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