Chapter 465: Seizing the Unawares
Chapter 465: Seizing the Unawares
"Fried potato wedges with tomato sauce, anyone?"
Lee Jordan popped a saucy wedge into his mouth, eagerly offering the greasy treat to Albert across the table.
"No thanks, too much oily food isn't good for you. It's unhealthy and will make you put on weight," Albert declined, washing down his breakfast with a gulp of milk. He finished off the fried eggs on his plate and reached for the last slice of toast, generously spread with blueberry jam.
"Don't scare them," muttered Angelina disapprovingly, withdrawing her hand from the plate of wedges. Like most girls, she was conscious of her weight and looks.
"So, what are your plans for the holidays?" Angelina asked, taking a seat next to Susan and waving a casual greeting to Albert. She picked up a slice of toast and began spreading it with jam.
Studying together during the holidays was more enjoyable and efficient.
"Let me just find it... Ah, here it is!"
Albert rummaged through his bag and pulled out a piece of parchment from one of his notebooks. He magically duplicated it and slid the copy across the table to Angelina.
The girls gathered around curiously, eager to see Albert's holiday plans.
"It's less than I expected," Susan remarked, unsurprised. After all, geniuses like Albert didn't need to spend excessive time on revision.
"As long as I can maintain efficiency, it's enough. Spending more time would just tire me out," Albert replied matter-of-factly.
How truthful his words were, however, remained uncertain.
"This looks good," Fred commented, pleased with the study plan, which mostly consisted of completing homework assignments. "Remember to lend me your notes to copy later."
"Two hours of revision isn't enough," Susan shook her head.
Just then, a swarm of owls burst into the hall, several of them eagerly fluttering towards Albert's table. They jostled for space, knocking over the jar of jam in their haste.
Albert spotted a white owl dipping its head into George's bowl, pecking at the oatmeal within.
"What a mess!"
After the owls dropped off their letters and packages, Albert's table was in disarray.
Fortunately, he was almost done with breakfast, with just a final bite of toast remaining.
"You're as busy as ever, aren't you?" Fred laughed, placing his empty plate back on the table. George, meanwhile, contemplated the bowl of oatmeal that had lost its appeal.
Albert gathered his letters and packages—three thick envelopes, a note, two parcels, a purple invitation, and the day's issue of the Prophet.
He started with the note, which was from Hagrid. It informed him that Hagrid planned to try his luck at the Hog's Head that evening.
Previously, Albert had asked Hagrid to send him a note if he intended to visit the pub, so he could provide another "prophecy."
Of course, the so-called prophecy was merely an excuse.
Albert intended to take advantage of Quirrell's absence from Hogwarts to secretly tackle the challenges guarding the Philosopher's Stone.
He wasn't particularly keen on engaging in dangerous boss battles himself, so his best option was to strike when the boss was away and sneak through unnoticed.
Albert pulled out a piece of parchment from his bag and wrote a quick note to be delivered to Hagrid by Sheila, letting him know that he would visit later in the afternoon.
As for the three thick envelopes, they were from three old friends. One of the parcels was a mail-order package he had sent for, and the other was from home—inside was the expected Easter egg.
"Your Easter egg arrived early this year. Easter hasn't even started yet!" Lee remarked, eyeing the colorful egg in the parcel.
Albert paid no attention to Lee Jordan's remark and instead retrieved a letter from the parcel. He tore it open and quickly scanned its contents. It was from Daisy, who wrote that since the entire family would be visiting her grandfather for Easter and Sheila happened to be around, they decided to send the letter earlier.
Nia's letter was also among the contents, in which she complained about the dullness of school life and included a report card to showcase that she hadn't been slacking off and had performed excellently in the recent tests.
This was done intentionally by Albert, who wanted to show that he valued her academic performance.
Of course, if her grades slipped, the girl wouldn't receive satisfactory birthday or Christmas presents.
Albert stored everything away in his Chameleoleo belt and quietly unfolded the newspaper to peruse the day's issue of the Prophet.
Only after the others had finished eating did he suggest they head to the library to revise together.
Albert's notes were always in high demand, as he had a knack for marking the important parts. When revising, one only needed to focus on memorizing the highlighted content.
As long as one didn't slack off, the revision process was actually quite efficient, and everyone was satisfied, feeling no worry about the upcoming term-end exams.
In the afternoon, Albert went to find Hagrid alone, remembering to mention the evening's plan to his roommates.
"Don't make a fuss. Prepare yourselves first, and we'll make the final decision after I get back from Hagrid's," Albert instructed.
The three roommates exchanged glances, perplexed by Albert's mysterious behavior. They didn't understand what he was up to, but they had no objections.
After all, Albert's plans always had their reasons, and all they needed to do was trust him. As always, Albert was reliable.
The fact that Hagrid intended to take early action was a fortunate turn of events for Albert, as he couldn't very well refuse an Easter dinner invitation from Mog.
"Come in, lad! Ye're here!" Hagrid greeted him, opening the wooden door and ushering Albert inside. For some reason, Hagrid kept staring at him.
"What is it?" Albert asked.
"Ye didn't bring yer crystal ball?" Hagrid inquired, unable to contain his curiosity.
"It's right here," Albert replied, clearing a space on the table. He asked Hagrid to watch over Ya Ya while he took out the crystal ball from his Chameleoleo pouch and placed it on the table.
Albert focused his attention on the crystal ball, attempting to make a prophecy. However, just as he caught sight of a dragon egg being handed over to a rough palm, an excited scream rang out from within the room, startling him so much that he jumped to his feet, nearly overturning the crystal ball.
"It's a dragon egg, I tell ye! I'm sure o' it! A dragon egg, right there in yer hands!" Hagrid exclaimed, pointing at the crystal ball with gleeful eyes.
"Shut up, Hagrid!" Albert snapped irritably.
Unbothered by Albert's tone, Hagrid continued, "Then what 'appened? Why did it jus' stop there?"
Albert stared at Hagrid, who was beaming with excitement, then at his crystal ball, and finally back at Hagrid, astonished that Hagrid could see what was inside the crystal ball.
Could it be that his crystal ball divination had improved?
"What did you see just now?" Albert asked directly.
"Is somethin' wrong?" Hagrid questioned.
"My divination skills aren't particularly strong. Typically, only I can see what's inside the crystal ball," Albert explained, his expression odd as he studied Hagrid.
"A hand passed a dragon egg to another, bigger hand, and I'm sure that bigger hand was mine!" Hagrid declared excitedly.
At that moment, Hagrid felt like dancing with joy.
Albert looked at Hagrid skeptically, muttering, "Could it be that my divination skills have truly improved?"
"What was that?" Hagrid asked, leaning forward.
"It seems that you might actually get that dragon egg this time, but you should try to act more normal and not be so eager. To be honest, the way you're behaving now might ruin everything. Remember, prophecies don't always come true," Albert cautioned. "Otherwise, if things go awry, don't come complaining to me afterward."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
