Chapter 473: Who Fell for It?
Chapter 473: Who Fell for It?
"I can't believe you called it again," Fred said, turning his head to look around cautiously. Seeing that the corridor was empty, he lowered his voice and continued, "Dumbledore really is monitoring that area."
"I thought for sure we'd be docked a ton of points and given a stern lecture, maybe even detention. I can't believe the Headmaster just let us off with a warning to keep quiet," Fred whispered.
The trio had indeed been startled by the sudden appearance of the Headmaster. George turned to Albert, curious, "Did you do something to make him go easy on us?"
"I thought you guys forgot about your promise!" Albert raised his index finger and shushed them.
After their thrilling adventure, the group was feeling a bit hungry, so they made their way to the kitchen to scavenge for some late-night snacks. Now, they were on their way back to their dormitory.
"I bet they forgot already," Lee Jordan mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"If your mouth wasn't so full, I bet you'd be even more talkative than us," Fred snatched the grease-stained bag of potato pancakes from Lee Jordan's hand, glaring at his friend.
"Speaking of which, how can you eat so much after all that?" George shook his head at the sight of Lee Jordan's stuffed mouth.
Although they hadn't encountered the giant directly, just passing by its room had left a foul taste in their mouths, and they felt the urge to take a shower.
"Why wouldn't I be able to eat?"
As soon as Lee Jordan finished speaking, Fred took off his boot and held it up to his face.
"Ugh, you jerk! I almost puked up everything I just ate!" Lee Jordan exclaimed.
The next moment, the two of them were playfully scuffling.
"Honestly," Albert shook his head.
At that moment, the Gryffindor common room was still bustling with activity, yet an unusual quietness hung in the air. Some fifth and seventh years were diligently reviewing their lessons, while Percy, in his role as a prefect, maintained order in the common room.
Anyone who dared to speak loudly would immediately earn a stern glare from Percy.
So, as Fred walked into the common room, still chattering away, he found himself on the receiving end of Percy's wrath.
"Where have you lot been? And what's that awful smell? It's putrid!" Percy covered his nose and mouth, glaring at Fred for disturbing their study session.
"Do I smell?" Fred sniffed at his clothes and then offered his hand to Percy, only to be slapped away.
"Disgusting! Don't disturb the others while they're studying," Percy scowled.
Fred, enjoying the opportunity to rile up Percy, turned to look for his brothers, only to find that the rest of their gang had disappeared.
"Hey, wait up, guys!" Fred called out, paying no more mind to Percy as he hurried to catch up.
After a refreshing shower and scrubbing themselves with shower gel to get rid of any lingering stench, they finally sat down to enjoy the potato pancakes they had brought back from the kitchen.
Upon seeing Albert return, Tom immediately scurried over and nudged his head against Albert, asking for the fish treats they had promised him.
"By the way, you still haven't told us what treasure Dumbledore hid," the three friends asked, munching on their snacks as Albert fed the cat.
"There was nothing in the last room except for a mirror—the same one we saw in the Room of Requirement, the Mirror of Erised. That's it," Albert scratched Tom's ear and answered Fred, George, and Lee Jordan's lingering question.
"So, what about the treasure?"
"I think it's hidden within the mirror. It's probably some kind of magical puzzle set up by Headmaster Dumbledore. Most people wouldn't be able to solve it," Albert didn't lie, but he started to tell the truth, "This is most likely a magical mechanism set up by Headmaster Dumbledore. It's not something that an ordinary person could unravel."
"Ordinary people, yes, but are you ordinary?" George turned to Albert, suddenly nodding, "You're not just anyone, you're Albert!"
"Fine, I'm not ordinary," Albert rolled his eyes at the statement.
"Look, Albert finally admits he's not ordinary," Lee Jordan teased, patting Albert's shoulder after swallowing his mouthful of food.
"Don't change the subject," George raised his hand to stop Lee Jordan from continuing, asking directly, "So, what is the treasure?
"Don't tell me you haven't seen the treasure yet?"
If they didn't ask directly, the topic of conversation might have veered off in an unexpected direction.
"The treasure must be the Philosopher's Stone."
"What stone?"
"The Philosopher's Stone," Albert replied.
"What's that?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a magical alchemical creation." Albert explained, "But, there's no need for you guys to worry too much about the treasure. I suspect that particular Philosopher's Stone is most likely a fake."
"A fake? You mean the treasure is bogus?" Lee Jordan was momentarily confused by what this meant.
"Aren't you just stating the obvious? Albert must have tested it, otherwise he wouldn't say it's a fake." Fred stuffed the paper bag back into Lee Jordan's hands, gesturing for him to continue eating his pancakes.
"Hmm, I tried it, and nothing happened." As Lee Jordan prepared to devour the last pancake, Albert swiftly snatched it from him.
"You've eaten quite a lot already. It's not good to overeat at night; it's not healthy for your stomach."
"Yeah, it's not good for the stomach."
"Here, have some of these instead." George produced a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans out of thin air and handed it to Lee Jordan with a grin.
"And then?"
"Well, I asked Professor Dumbledore about it, and he didn't answer, but I suspect it's a fake."
"Why would the Headmaster put a fake Philosopher's Stone there?"
"It's a Philosopher's Stone." Albert corrected him.
"Oh, why?"
The three of them looked at Albert, awaiting his answer.
"If you knew someone was going to steal something from you, what would you do?" Instead of answering their question directly, Albert asked as he combed Tom's fur.
"I'd hide and try to catch that darn thief." said Lee Jordan.
"Since I know someone wants to steal my stuff, I'd definitely be on guard. I'd make sure the item couldn't be stolen, and then try to catch the thief." George's idea was similar.
"No, you'd replace it with a fake and put it in the original spot. That way, when the darn thief shows up, if you can catch them, great, and if not, at least they only steal the fake." Fred's idea wasn't too different either.
"So, that's probably what happened." Albert held Tom up high and grinned. "Right, Tom?"
"Meow!"
Tom chewed on his fish treats and meowed in response.
"I never thought it would be like that. I was saying how those magical mechanisms seemed too simple." George's face lit up with understanding.
"Simple? If it weren't for Albert, you wouldn't have even made it past the Devil's Snare." Lee Jordan couldn't help but tease him. "Without Albert, you wouldn't have gotten past that obstacle, would you?"
"Hmph! Mind your own business."
"So, the actual situation is just as you suspected before. The Headmaster is waiting for the thief to take the bait?" Fred asked in return.
"Is the thief really Professor Quirrell?"
"It doesn't seem likely. Professor Quirrell seems to have a minor role; why would he try to steal something from the Headmaster?"
"I think Snape is more likely to be the thief." Fred bluntly pinned the blame on Snape.
"What if we help the Headmaster and make the thief fall into the trap faster?" George suggested excitedly.
"How?" Lee Jordan asked tentatively.
"We could write a letter to Professor Snape... I mean, Quirrell, if he really is the one trying to steal from the Headmaster, he'll definitely act. And in the end, he'll fall right into the Headmaster's trap." George proposed, brimming with enthusiasm.
Seeing their eager faces, Albert was left speechless.
Hadn't they just promised the Headmaster to keep it confidential? And now, here they were, eager to become whistleblowers?
Even more enthusiastic than himself?
"Never mind. Let's not do that." Albert vetoed the idea decisively. "Professor Dumbledore must have his reasons for doing things this way. We shouldn't interfere and risk messing up his plans."
The reward for the whistleblower's task was actually quite mediocre. However, the task was a bit tricky; if not handled properly, it could end up burying oneself along with the whistleblower.
With such risks and a low reward, even if Albert were to consider taking on this task, he would need to choose the right time and opportunity to do so.
Ideally, he could use this opportunity to frame Quirrell.
What do you think, Tom?
(End of Chapter)
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