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Chapter 494: The Good Man, Potter
Chapter 494: The Good Man, Potter
Quirrell was finally out of the picture! Voldemort's recovery had been delayed, thanks to their efforts.
Harry Potter, the savior who had accomplished these feats, now lay unconscious in the hospital, yet to regain consciousness.
Of course, this was all a secret for now, but Albert knew it wouldn't remain so for long.
In Hogwarts Castle, secrets had a way of spreading alongside rumors, and soon enough, the entire school would likely be abuzz with the news.
However, Albert wasn't too concerned about that.
With the exams finally over, he could look forward to a relaxing holiday.
Having pulled an all-nighter the night before, Albert had slept in late that morning. After a leisurely breakfast, he took his cat, Tom, for a stroll by the lake.
Tom was currently rolling on the grass, occasionally crawling over to nudge his head against Albert's hand.
Noticing that Albert's attention had drifted elsewhere, Tom used his fluffy body to cover the two-way mirror that Albert was holding.
Albert raised his hand to stroke Tom's head and continued listening to the report from his house-elf, Dobby.
Under Albert's instructions, Dobby had already scouted the Forbidden Forest surrounding Hogwarts Castle.
Early that morning, after confirming with Dumbledore that Harry had been sent to the hospital, Albert had immediately dispatched Dobby to retrieve the Galleons that Quirrell had buried under a tree.
Thanks to the diligent work of the house-elf, who had followed his instructions to a tee, Albert had successfully recovered all the Galleons he had earned from Quirrell.
According to Dobby's report, there had indeed been some issues with the four bags of Galleons. One bag had been enchanted with a tracking spell, and three fake Galleons bore traces of unknown Dark magic.
Fortunately, due to Albert's strict instructions, Dobby had worn dragon-hide gloves throughout the process and hadn't been affected by the Dark magic. As per Albert's orders, the cursed items had been reburied.
In total, he had acquired 797 Galleons.
It was quite admirable how Quirrell had kept his word.
Then again, perhaps he had intended to retrieve the Galleons after obtaining the Sorcerer's Stone, assuming no one would dare touch them while he was still alive.
Unfortunately for him, he hadn't anticipated that someone would wait until after his death to dig them up.
Following Albert's instructions, Dobby deposited most of the Galleons in Gringotts.
By the way, the rental fee for a standard vault at Gringotts was at least 500 Galleons.
As far as Albert knew, most Muggle-born wizards struggled to afford a vault at Gringotts after graduating. The rental prices were exorbitantly high, and they usually didn't have a substantial amount of Galleons to store anyway.
It was somewhat surprising to Albert that Dobby had managed to secure a vault for him. He had assumed that he would need to be present in person, but the goblins had apparently allowed the house-elf to handle the transaction.
In truth, the goblins of Gringotts weren't particularly concerned about who deposited money with them. Moreover, house-elves were typically associated with ancient wizarding families, and they were symbols of status.
As long as there were no ill intentions, even the Dark Lord himself wouldn't be turned away.
Of course, the goblins wouldn't dare to do such a thing.
"Quirrell really is a good man," Albert said, scratching Tom's belly. "Don't you agree, Tom?"
Nonetheless, this experience had taught Albert that Galleons were hard to come by in the wizarding world. In fact, money was difficult to earn no matter where you went.
Windfalls were the key to getting rich; it was rare to amass a fortune through legitimate business means.
The vast majority of initial accumulations of wealth were tainted with blood.
Of course, Albert was just musing; he had long since moved past the stage of worrying about money.
The prophecy was indeed quite remarkable.
Though it was important not to abuse it.
Now that he had Galleons, Albert made sure to reward those who worked for him. Dobby, who had worked tirelessly through the night, received a generous bonus from his master—a small sum of Galleons that he could use to spruce himself up.
As for Dobby's so-called clothes, Albert had designed them himself.
They consisted of a piece of cloth with three holes cut out for the head and arms, secured with a cloth belt, and then trimmed to size.
And so, this was Bit's newest "outfit." There was no helping it; house-elves had a rule against wearing clothes, so to ensure Bit maintained some semblance of propriety, Albert had him create a unique ensemble that wasn't quite clothing.
This method of bribing a house-elf was incredibly effective. Through the two-way mirror, Bit could be seen sobbing his eyes out, and his loyalty to Albert had definitely maxed out.
Even house-elves desired a good outcome for themselves.
Albert tucked the two-way mirror back into the leather bag and, with a pleased smile, plucked a blade of grass from the ground to tease Tom with.
When Tom eventually tired of the game, Albert pulled out a book and sat on a self-conjured chair to read, relishing the moment of tranquility.
However, this peace didn't last long before it was interrupted by a set of hurried footsteps.
The Gryffindor Quidditch Captain rushed over, his cheeks flushed from running at full speed.
"What's going on with you?" Albert asked, although he already knew. He was hoping to trigger a new task from Wood.
With Harry Potter hospitalized, the only person who could help Gryffindor win the Quidditch match was himself, the substitute Seeker.
Of course, Albert didn't have absolute confidence. It had been a while since he'd played Quidditch, and even with his ego, he didn't consider himself skilled enough to effortlessly dominate on the field.
"Potter... Harry Potter is sick and hospitalized, still unconscious," Wood panted.
"I thought your relationship with him was strained?" Albert feigned surprise. "Why are you so anxious about him being unconscious?"
Wood was left speechless by Albert's words.
After Harry had caused Gryffindor to lose a significant number of points, everyone had started to antagonize the trio and spread negative rumors about them. Allegedly, the Quidditch players had even taken to calling Potter "Seeker."
Fred and George had told him about this.
"What did Madam Pomfrey say?" Albert closed his book, deciding not to further needle Wood.
"Madam Pomfrey doesn't know when he'll wake up," Wood replied, his expression gloomy. "We need your help. The Quidditch match is tomorrow, and if he doesn't wake up..."
"Don't worry, maybe Harry will wake up soon," Albert casually consoled him. "You should have faith in Madam Pomfrey's abilities."
"No, no, I can't pin my hopes on that. I want you to come to the Quidditch pitch with me for an emergency training session. After all, you're the substitute Seeker for Gryffindor," Wood insisted.
"Even if you say that, I might not be able to catch the Golden Snitch," Albert said, covering a yawn. "You should have some confidence in Harry."
Wood was about to be driven mad with anxiety.
The Quidditch Cup, which was within their grasp, was now slipping away?
No, he absolutely wouldn't tolerate that! It must not happen! Albert yawned and changed the subject. "Do you know why Harry suddenly fell ill and fell into a coma?"
"Well... I'm not quite sure about that."
Upon learning that Harry had fallen into a coma, Wood had almost gone crazy with worry. His first instinct was to find Albert, so he hadn't had time to consider other matters.
"Let's go visit Harry!" Albert suggested. "What's a good gift for the sick? Oh, I think it's carnations, right?"
"I'm counting on you. You're also a member of the team, and you wouldn't want us to lose the game for no reason, would you?" Wood grabbed Albert's hand and looked at him earnestly.
Just then, Albert finally triggered a new task and happily agreed to help Wood, stating that he would do his best. However, before that, he needed to retrieve his broomstick from the castle and also pay a visit to Harry Potter.
After all, Harry was a good man who had helped him solve so many problems. It would be rude not to visit him.
Yes, in addition to the carnations, he would also give Harry a 'good person' card! (End of Chapter)
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