Chapter 490: Talk to Dumbledore
Chapter 490: Talk to Dumbledore
"Albert, can we talk?"
Towards the end of May, at a Wizarding Card party, Harry approached Albert with a request.
However, the fallout from the lost points incident still lingered, and most of the Gryffindor students remained displeased with Harry. Upon hearing him call out to Albert, several girls shot him unfriendly glares.
"Oh, of course," Albert said, apologizing to the group and bidding Lee Jordan farewell before leaving the hall with Harry.
Harry led the way to an empty classroom.
"What's this about?" Albert asked, amused by Harry's mysterious demeanor as he closed the door behind them.
"It's like this..."
Harry recounted to Albert the conversation he had overheard between Quirrell and Snape.
"So, you think Snape found out how to get past the enchantments from Professor Quirrell?" Albert inquired after hearing Harry out. "And you came to me to... expose Snape?"
Snape was being framed again, and Albert found it rather amusing.
"Yes, we don't have any better options," Harry said resignedly.
"Go to Dumbledore; you should have done that a long time ago," Albert suggested.
"Quirrell is terrified and won't come forward to testify for us," Harry shook his head.
"Is evidence that important?" Albert countered. "Dumbledore has always been an enlightened headmaster; sometimes, you don't need proof. At the very least, going to see him will definitely make him more vigilant. I mentioned this to you a long time ago, but it's clear you haven't done anything about it."
Harry opened his mouth, unsure how to respond.
"Don't hesitate," Albert said, patting Harry on the shoulder. "Since you think Snape is trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, you should go to Dumbledore. Otherwise, all this pondering won't get you anywhere."
In truth, Albert was also curious to see what interesting developments would unfold if the famous Harry Potter went to Dumbledore to accuse Snape of plotting to steal the Sorcerer's Stone.
"If that's all, I'll be going," Albert said as he turned to leave, but Harry stopped him.
"Wait..."
Harry seemed to be hesitating again.
"What else?" Albert asked.
Biting his lip, Harry told Albert about their previous trip into the Forbidden Forest to investigate the attacked unicorn, and he also revealed that Snape was trying to obtain the Sorcerer's Stone for Voldemort.
"So, another unicorn has been killed?" Albert sighed softly.
Harry recalled what Hagrid had told them, and Albert was also aware of the situation, having predicted the unicorn attacks long ago.
When Harry discussed this with Ron and Hermione, he even suspected that Albert knew no less about the "truth" than they did.
"Filius Flitwick told me that Voldemort was trying to use unicorn blood to extend his life," Harry said.
"Hmm, that's a likely guess," Albert said, looking up at Harry. "Do you know why people don't dare to use Voldemort's name to refer to the Dark Lord directly and instead call him the 'Mysterious Man'?"
"Because they're afraid of Voldemort?" Harry ventured.
"Of course, that's one reason," Albert replied. "The other reason is that the name is enchanted."
"The name is enchanted?" Harry was puzzled, as this was clearly beyond his comprehension.
"Yes, it's enchanted," Albert continued, seeing the confused look in Harry's eyes. "If you use that name, he'll know."
"I see..." Harry murmured.
"Since you and I both come from the Muggle world, we don't have as much fear of that Dark Lord," Albert said. "I call him the 'Mysterious Man' simply because that's what needs to be done. Although you may think I'm exaggerating, I still need to remind you that if you keep using that name, one day it will bring you unnecessary trouble."
"Is this a prophecy?" Harry asked.
"Even without a prophecy, I can guess what will inevitably happen in the future," Albert said. "Sometimes, it's not that hard to deduce certain future events from the information we already have."
"Then what should I do?" Harry asked, setting aside his concerns about the name for now. "If Snape really gets his hands on the Sorcerer's Stone, Voldemort will return, and he'll turn this place into a school for teaching dark magic."
"Hmm, I don't have much advice to offer," Albert said after some thought. "As long as Dumbledore is the headmaster, you don't have to worry about Hogwarts becoming a school dedicated to dark magic."
Looking into Harry's eyes, he added, "I'll say it again: if you have a problem, go to the headmaster."
Harry felt disappointed. He had hoped that Albert would provide some clever ideas to resolve the issue, but instead, Albert kept reiterating that he should go to Headmaster Dumbledore.
Although Albert said that Dumbledore was enlightened, Harry still doubted if the headmaster would take them seriously.
After all, children's words were often not taken seriously, especially since their relationship with Snape had always been poor, and they were highly likely to be seen as trying to frame him.
He really didn't want to end up in such a situation.
After the party ended, Fred specifically asked Albert what Harry had wanted.
"About Harry," Albert began, deciding not to hide the truth from his roommates. "He told me that our dear Professor Snape might be trying to steal something hidden in the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor, and Potter wanted to know if I could help him expose Snape's plot."
"And what did you say?" George asked curiously.
"I told them they could go to the headmaster and report it," Albert replied with a smile.
"If I were Potter, I definitely wouldn't do that," Lee Jordan said irritably. "Dumbledore would think they made up that story to get Snape expelled."
"That's most likely what would happen," George agreed.
In certain matters, underage wizards didn't even have a say.
"I think if Albert went to see Headmaster Dumbledore, it might have a surprising effect," Fred said, glancing at Albert and nodding.
"I'm not going to bother with something that's so thankless," Albert shrugged. "You guys should stop stirring up trouble; the end-of-term exams are coming up soon."
He changed the subject and, with a grin, looked at his three roommates. "If you fail your exams, you'll be held back a year."
"You should be worried about Fred and George," Lee Jordan said, puffing out his chest. "I've already prepared for the exams, and my grades will definitely crush Fred and George's."
"Why don't you say that you're going to crush Albert's grades?" George retorted irritably.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
