Chapter 496: The Prophecy About the Chamber of Secrets
Chapter 496: The Prophecy About the Chamber of Secrets
"You really mail-ordered a toilet seat?"
Lee Jordan, who was eating grilled sausages, turned his head towards the parcel that had been dropped by an owl. He looked at Fred and George incredulously, as he had originally thought that the two were just joking and didn't expect them to actually mail-order a toilet seat as a gift for Harry during his convalescence.
"Of course it's real. When have you ever known us to lie?"
Fred and George exchanged a glance, their eyes glinting with mischief as they looked in the direction of the Slytherin table.
"You don't plan on doing that again, do you?"
Lee Jordan followed the Weasley twins' gaze and noticed that Malfoy was still looking a bit dazed from yesterday's events.
"No, no. We just wanted to reinforce the impression." The two grinned mischievously and turned to Albert, "And we're out of the Cleansing Pills you gave us last time."
"Sorry, that was the last batch I had." Albert closed the letter, his mouth twitching slightly as he sighed helplessly, "If you do that too often, it's easy to get caught."
"Well, I guess that guy's lucky then." George muttered.
"We're going to visit Harry later. Do you want to come with us?" Fred pointed to the toilet seat and asked, "We can also give him his get-well gift."
"Sure, I'll come along. It's on the way." Albert didn't refuse.
After breakfast, the four of them went to the school hospital, where Madam Pomfrey only allowed them five minutes of visiting time.
Harry was sleeping soundly in his bed, showing no signs of waking up.
On the table next to the bed was a mountain of candies, presumably gifts from Harry's friends and admirers.
"Being a hero and a savior is cheap these days." Albert couldn't help but sigh, "Potter's had it rough."
After he finished speaking, he waved his wand lightly and conjured a bunch of yellow chrysanthemums, replacing the carnations in the vase.
"Why do you say that?" George asked, puzzled.
Albert smiled but didn't answer.
"You always say such incomprehensible things." Fred began unwrapping the toilet seat package, intending to place it next to the pile of gifts.
"What if one day, everyone says that Potter is a fraud, and all the wizards in the British wizarding world believe that Potter is a liar. Would you consider him a liar or a savior?" Albert suddenly asked.
The three of them were a bit baffled and didn't know how to answer the question.
"I suppose... not a liar." George said uncertainly.
"People would think he's a liar, not a savior." Albert said self-mockingly. He actually disliked this kind of thing.
Just then, Madam Pomfrey walked in.
"You've been here for almost ten minutes. Get out now."
As Madam Pomfrey was about to shoo them away, her eyes fell on the toilet seat in Fred's hand, and she frowned slightly, "Mr. Weasley, are you planning to give a toilet seat as a gift?"
"It's chocolate, it just looks like a toilet seat."
Fred lied, placing the toilet seat on the table and hurrying out of the hospital wing.
"Chocolate? I can't tell that it's made of chocolate." Madam Pomfrey picked up the toilet seat and looked at the fleeing group, "I really don't understand what's going on in students' minds these days."
She wouldn't allow such an item to remain in the hospital wing, and as she prepared to confiscate it, Dumbledore walked in and happened to see Madam Pomfrey holding the toilet seat.
"They were undoubtedly just trying to cheer Harry up."
"This kind of thing isn't very hygienic to have here." Madam Pomfrey said as she left with the toilet seat.
In the corridor outside the hospital wing, Lee Jordan was asking Fred if the toilet seat was really made of chocolate.
"How is that possible!" Fred replied irritably.
"I bet Madam Pomfrey will confiscate it." Albert said helplessly, "Actually, you should find someone to custom-make a chocolate toilet seat."
The three of them gave Albert odd looks.
"Did I say something wrong?" Albert asked in return.
"No, no, you're right." Fred patted Albert's shoulder, "Maybe we can use chocolate to make some disgusting-looking gifts. Percy's birthday is in August, so we have plenty of time to prepare and give him an unexpected surprise."
"I suggest you find someone to order one. There are bound to be wizards who are good at making magical food." Albert thought for a moment, "I think one or two galleons will be enough. If they're unwilling, we can order more next time and keep them for our dear professors."
"We understand!" The twins said in unison.
After parting ways with the three of them, Albert went alone to the Divination classroom. Professor Trelawney had written him a letter, inviting him for tea, probably regarding the matter of the prophecy! In fact, Albert had guessed correctly; Professor Trelawney was indeed looking for him because of the prophecy.
The first thing Professor Trelawney said when she saw him was, "Can you really make prophecies?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, some wizards with sharper minds, even if they can't truly prophesy, can deduce certain things through clues." Professor Trelawney explained.
"Do you think I can prophesy?"
"I don't know. I can't see the results of your prophecies in my crystal ball. In such cases, so-called divination results are usually deceptive, but my intuition tells me that perhaps you do possess the gift of prophecy." Professor Trelawney pointed to the cushion opposite her, "Sit down, let's talk. True prophets are actually quite rare."
Albert sat down opposite Professor Trelawney, picked up the cup of tea she had prepared, and took a sip before quietly waiting for her to continue.
"I heard that Professor Quirrell is dead, just as your prophecy foretold. He's gone forever, and Harry Potter was by his side at the time.
"Hmm, that's right."
"Initially, the prophecy you made with unicorn blood also came true, didn't it?"
"Yep, it did," Albert replied nonchalantly.
"I am truly envious. I know many people at school think I'm a fraud. Do you believe I can make prophecies?" Professor Trelawney asked softly.
"There's no doubt that Cassandra Trelawney is a genuine Seer," Albert said.
"Alas, I didn't inherit much of my great-great-grandmother's gift, and the Trelawney family no longer has any true Seers." Professor Trelawney lamented quietly. "Most witches and wizards are actually quite reluctant to believe in so-called prophecies unless they see the results in a crystal ball with their own eyes."
"Because before a true prophecy about an impending disaster comes to pass, no one will believe your words," Professor Trelawney continued. "And even if you can foretell people's misfortunes, you may not be able to stop them, only watching as the calamity unfolds. That's not a pleasant thing for a Seer."
"You can also make prophecies, can't you?" Albert asked.
"I should... be able to. Actually, I can't be sure; I only have a vague feeling about it." Professor Trelawney said self-deprecatingly. "I once made a prophecy to Dumbledore, although I don't remember what it was about. But soon after that, probably after the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I came to Hogwarts as a Divination professor, and at the time, there was no such subject offered at the school."
"It looks like the prophecy came true," Albert said quietly.
"Yes, if I hadn't proven my abilities to Dumbledore, how could he have allowed me to teach at Hogwarts?" Professor Trelawney mused. "But many people deliberately refuse to understand."
"Well, I admit, at first, Dumbledore didn't have a favorable impression of Divination either," Professor Trelawney said to herself. "At that time, he told me that Hogwarts intended to offer a Divination course and wanted to invite me to be the professor. But before that, Dumbledore hoped that I would make a prophecy for him."
"I think that was the real reason he sought me out. He probably heard about my family and believed that I also possessed prophetic abilities," Professor Trelawney said.
"Is that prophecy related to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Albert asked suddenly.
"I don't know." Professor Trelawney shook her head. "If you want to know the content, you'll probably have to ask Dumbledore. Oh, and Snape might know as well. He barged into the room and nearly interrupted my prophecy."
"Looks like it's the prophecy about the savior, then."
"At the time, I thought so too," she said.
Albert had never doubted Professor Trelawney's intelligence. No fraudster, no matter how good, could fool others without a sharp mind.
Truly skilled Muggle fortune-tellers were strong in mental suggestion, logical analysis, and quick thinking. They just couldn't compete when it came to genuine prophetic magic.
"I can't control my prophetic abilities like you do, nor can I use them at will, but I believe that I possess such a gift." Professor Trelawney looked at Albert intently. "Can you tell me how you manage to control your prophetic abilities?"
This was the real reason Professor Trelawney had sought out Albert—no one wanted to be a third-rate Seer.
"I'm afraid I can't give you much advice, as I learned crystal ball divination from books," Albert said, naturally keeping the fact that he had a system a secret.
"Just like what's described in the books," Albert briefly explained his process. "Focus your attention on the crystal ball and keep thinking about what you want to know in your mind. If successful, you'll see some snippets, and the rest is about connecting those snippets together to unravel the meaning of the prophecy."
Professor Trelawney fell silent for a moment, then said, "Can you make a prophecy right now?"
"Oh, certainly!"
Albert stared at the crystal ball that Professor Trelawney had placed on the table, focusing on the white mist within. He began to predict what would happen in the next semester.
Then, he saw some words:
The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.
Beware, those who oppose the heir.
"What does this mean?"
Professor Trelawney had also seen the vision that appeared in the crystal ball.
Next, there was a scene of a brass tap with a snake emblem on it.
"It's definitely not a good thing!" Albert thought for a moment and said, "This matter should be related to Slytherin House."
"That's right. According to the history of Hogwarts, Slytherin left a Chamber of Secrets in Hogwarts, which supposedly contains something terrible."
Of course, Albert knew what those words meant, but he pretended to be guessing.
"... Only the heir of Slytherin can open the Chamber of Secrets and release the horror within, letting it purify the school and eliminate all those unworthy of learning magic."
"Looks like the next semester won't be peaceful either!" Professor Trelawney murmured. "But I suppose no one will believe this before it happens!"
Albert looked at Professor Trelawney, feeling as though he had understood something.
"Since they think I'm a fraud, then I'm a fraud," Professor Trelawney said self-mockingly. "Moreover, until I can truly control my prophetic abilities like you, I'm still just a fraud."
In fact, Albert was also surprised. He hadn't expected to make such a prophecy, and Professor Trelawney had apparently seen the contents within the crystal ball as well. Did this mean that his prophetic abilities had become stronger than before?
The next semester, he would have to be careful.
Although Albert didn't think he would be that unlucky to be targeted, he still felt it was better to be prepared.
Well, to be honest, he was simply afraid of dying.
(End of Chapter)
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