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Chapter 495: After the Coma
Chapter 495: After the Coma
After leaving the school hospital, Albert headed straight back to his dormitory to retrieve his broomstick.
Along the way, he overheard groups of students whispering and discussing what had transpired between Harry and Quirrell in the dungeons.
Many students were spreading the news that the renowned savior, Harry Potter, had successfully stopped the dark wizard, Quirinus Quirrell, from stealing Dumbledore's treasure hidden within Hogwarts Castle.
However, what exactly had happened in the dungeons remained a mystery.
Why had Harry Potter fallen into a coma? This question still lingered in everyone's minds.
The headmaster didn't seem to mind the students speculating about the thrilling events, allowing their imaginations to run wild with theories.
Nonetheless, the general consensus was that Harry had successfully navigated the magical obstacles set by the professors and thwarted Quirrell's attempt to steal the headmaster's prized possession.
For some reason, Potter suddenly gained a multitude of friends and admirers, and visiting him in the hospital and bringing gifts had become a peculiar trend at Hogwarts.
Where there is happiness, there is also sadness.
Draco Malfoy was less than pleased with Harry Potter's newfound status as the hero who prevented Quirrell from stealing the headmaster's treasure. He much preferred when Potter was the despised outcast.
As Malfoy grumbled about this to his two lackeys, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were looking to cause some mischief, happened to overhear him.
So, they messaged Albert, and together, they taught Malfoy a lesson.
Malfoy snapped out of his daze and realized that something felt amiss in his stomach; it kept growling incessantly. He hastily dismissed his sidekicks and rushed to the nearest bathroom.
As soon as Malfoy sat on the toilet, a loud splashing sound emanated from the stall. When his expression eased slightly, the toilet, seemingly unable to withstand the pressure, suddenly exploded into pieces, sending Malfoy jumping to his feet, screaming as the shards pricked his behind.
His intestines continued to churn, and amidst the splashing noises, something even more dreadful occurred.
A putrid stench filled the stall, causing Malfoy to forget his own name, let alone how he managed to escape the bathroom. He stumbled out in a daze.
In the corner, the group hidden under the Bubble-Head Charm laughed so hard they could barely breathe.
"Did you get it on camera?" Fred asked excitedly.
"Yes," George replied, bent over with laughter. "I bet Malfoy will have a toilet phobia from now on."
"Let the Malfoy brat keep acting tough," Fred said with a smile, as their families had a long-standing feud.
"By the way, did you sneak out to meet Harry last night?" Lee Jordan suddenly asked, turning to Albert. "I bet you know what happened in the dungeons."
"I went on a date last night," Albert replied honestly. "Wood only told me about Potter's hospitalization a little while ago."
"You think we'll believe that?" Fred said, his face clearly showing that they thought Albert was trying to pull a fast one on them.
"I just visited him with a bouquet of flowers. Everyone's giving gifts to our hero. What are you guys planning to give him?" Albert casually changed the subject.
"Beans from Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans," Lee Jordan answered without hesitation. "I still have an unopened box. What about you guys?"
"How about this?"
Fred thought for a moment and then pointed at the toilet seat. "We could mail-order a new toilet seat for Harry, along with a greeting card telling him what just happened. Oh, and this photo too, I think he'll love this gift."
"I think he'll like it too!" George nodded in agreement. "By the way, isn't Wood supposed to be giving you extra training?"
"Yeah, you guys forget I can cast a Body-Binding Charm!" Albert waved to the three of them and walked away, smiling.
Wood's training was simple—it was meant to help Albert regain his form and ease him back into flying and catching the Golden Snitch after his long absence from Quidditch.
Of course, Wood still hoped that Harry would wake up, but Harry ultimately disappointed him.
In the end, it was up to Albert, the substitute Seeker, to take the field.
The game was more intense than expected, and the players didn't rely solely on Albert for victory, having lost the confidence that came with having Harry Potter on their team.
No matter how one looked at it, the so-called crash course training seemed very unreliable.
However, the most painful part was that the players became distracted, causing the match to reach a stalemate, with Ravenclaw even slightly leading Gryffindor.
The game had been going on for two hours, and Ravenclaw's ambition to win the Quidditch Cup was evident. They only needed to pull ahead by a sufficient margin to defeat Gryffindor and Slytherin and claim the Cup.
To that end, they repeatedly sent their Seeker to intercept Albert.
The score gap gradually widened, and cheers for Gryffindor grew scarce. Just when most people thought that Gryffindor would miss out on the Quidditch Cup this year, Albert made his move. He began a steep dive at incredible speed, and the Ravenclaw Seeker also spotted the Golden Snitch, quickly diving after it.
"Stop him!"
Screams echoed across the pitch as everyone stood up tensely, watching the intense action unfold. Ravenclaw players rushed towards Albert, attempting to hinder him and give the Snitch time to get away.
Unfortunately for them, Albert effortlessly dodged the players and Bludgers, weaving through the gaps. He executed a downward dive towards the ground, and just when everyone thought he would crash, he abruptly halted.
"Gryffindor wins!"
Lee Jordan screamed in excitement.
"Once again, Albert proves that even as an amateur, he's better than all of you professionals!"
The Gryffindor players flew towards Albert, embracing him tightly as if they wanted to squeeze the life out of him.
The three Chasers, who were girls, showed no restraint and planted kisses on Albert's cheeks and forehead.
In that moment, Albert felt a pressure that he shouldn't have had to bear at his age. Eventually, he even forgot how he ended up being lifted high into the air by his teammates.
However, the feeling of holding the Cup high was pretty good.
On their way back to the castle, they ran into Hagrid, the gamekeeper of the school, who seemed to be deep in thought.
"Congratulations on winning the match." Hagrid waved at Albert, looking as if he wanted to say something. "Can I borrow Albert for a few minutes?"
"What's up?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's all my fault!" Hagrid suddenly covered his face with his hands and sobbed. "I told Quirrell how to subdue Fluffy! All for a dragon egg, and Harry almost lost his life!"
Albert was a little surprised by Hagrid's self-blame; he could feel the other's pain and regret.
"I think Harry almost dying has little to do with you," Albert said, glancing at the new task. He cleared his throat and continued, "Harry's encounter was entirely the result of his love for adventure. Even if he hadn't gone, Quirrell still wouldn't have been able to get the fake Sorcerer's Stone. Can't you see that?"
"That was just a trap."
Albert stated a cruel fact. "What Harry did was pretty much meaningless. Even if he hadn't done it, Quirrell still wouldn't have been able to take the Philosopher's Stone."
Hagrid was stunned by Albert's words, left speechless.
Albert looked around to ensure they were alone before lowering his voice and continuing, "I know Nick, and I've seen the real Sorcerer's Stone. You probably don't know this, but long before Quirrell, I had already passed through those obstacles and seen the stone. It was a fake, although it looked exactly like the real one."
"Don't be surprised. Dumbledore knows about this," Albert said calmly. "If you feel guilty about Harry, why don't you send him a gift, too?"
"A gift?"
"A photo of his family. I think that would be the most precious gift for Harry. You should be able to manage that, right?" Albert asked in return.
"Of course, of course! I'll send an owl to Harry's parents' old schoolmate right away and ask for a photo. I'm sure they'll be willing to give Harry a picture," Hagrid replied.
At that moment, Hagrid looked as happy as a three-hundred-pound child as he hurried back to his gamekeeper's hut.
Albert checked the task completion prompt and nodded in satisfaction. Although the experience gained wasn't high, it was still pretty good overall.
(End of Chapter)
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