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Chapter 534: The Fearful Herbologist
Chapter 534: The Fearful Herbologist
The next morning, Albert woke up early. The sky outside the window was gloomy, and it seemed that the weather around Hogwarts tended to turn bad after the start of September.
Without Tom's adorable antics by his bedside, Albert felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.
His roommates were still asleep, and Albert didn't want to disturb them. So, he quietly got dressed and headed downstairs alone. He planned to visit Professor McGonagall first to retrieve his Time-Turner from her.
Isobel had told him that due to the reduced number of N.E.W.T. classes in their sixth year, she could no longer hold on to a Time-Turner.
This was not good news. Without a Time-Turner, Isobel wouldn't have enough free time to spend with him.
What's worse, Albert only had two years left to obtain a Time-Turner.
Time had become pressing.
Unless Albert was willing to give up on other subjects in his sixth year and continue taking twelve N.E.W.T. classes, which would undoubtedly be a terrible decision.
The N.E.W.T. classes were indeed more challenging and demanding, and Albert was already busy enough. He doubted if he could keep up without breaking down like Hermione had.
Some subjects would have to be sacrificed when they reached their sixth year.
As Albert was lost in his thoughts, he had unknowingly reached the second floor of the castle and was heading towards Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration classroom.
However, as he turned the corner, he bumped into someone.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there... Are you okay?"
When Albert came back to his senses, he realized that the person he had collided with and who had fallen to the ground was none other than his old acquaintance, Katrina.
He reached out apologetically, intending to help her up.
"I'm fine!"
Katrina snapped out of her daze and also noticed who she had bumped into. She hesitated for a moment, not taking Albert's hand, but instead struggling to get up on her own.
Neither of them needed to guess why the other was here at this time.
"Are you still angry with me?" Albert asked tentatively.
"No," Katrina replied coldly.
"Then you must be angry."
Albert looked her up and down and sighed inwardly, changing the subject. "You're here to see Professor McGonagall for a Time-Turner, right?"
"Yeah."
Katrina gave a brief response and fell silent.
The two of them walked in silence to the door of Professor McGonagall's office. Albert then knocked on the door.
After about a minute, there was a sound from within, and the wooden door soon opened to reveal Professor McGonagall.
She was a little surprised to see the two of them together but quickly guessed their purpose for disturbing her so early in the morning. She invited them into her office.
Professor McGonagall retrieved two Time-Turners from a box and handed them to Albert and Katrina, not forgetting to give them a reminder.
Albert indicated that he understood, pocketed the Time-Turner, bade Professor McGonagall farewell, and left the office with Katrina.
"It's a rare opportunity, would you like to take a walk together?" Albert invited the red-haired girl beside him.
Katrina looked at Albert, seemingly hesitant, but ultimately did not refuse.
The two of them strolled together in the quiet corridor.
"Are you angry because of me and Isobel?" Albert asked bluntly. Before he had made his relationship with Isobel public, the two of them had gotten along well. However, their relationship had changed after she found out about him and Isobel.
"No," Katrina replied stubbornly, regretting why she had come along. Wasn't she just asking for trouble?
"Isobel once hid our relationship from you, but she gave up on that," Albert paused in his tracks and looked at Katrina, who was about to leave, "She cares about you a lot and doesn't want you to get hurt."
"I suggest you have a good talk with her, and are we still friends?" Albert asked, looking at Katrina's back as she walked away.
She didn't answer and quickened her pace instead.
"Oh, women, what troublesome creatures," Albert muttered to himself. Mature Isobel was much easier to deal with. Both of them understood what they needed and wanted and were willing to put in the effort to maintain their relationship. She also didn't throw tantrums every now and then.
Perhaps it was because both of them were Legilimens and could easily understand each other's thoughts! However, from Katrina, Albert saw one of the reasons why couples at Hogwarts often didn't last long.
After Katrina left, Albert took out his pocket watch to check the time, intending to take this rare opportunity to explore.
With the Time-Turner in hand, he didn't have to worry about running out of time.
As he stepped out of the castle, he ran into Professor Sprout, who was holding a lot of bandages, seemingly on her way to treat the Whomping Willow.
"Good morning, Professor Sprout. Are you going to treat the Whomping Willow?" Albert hurried over to greet her.
"Good morning, Mr. Anderson," Professor Sprout said as she walked, glancing at the suddenly appearing Albert. "At the feast yesterday, Severus told me that Mr. Potter had crashed into the Whomping Willow and severely damaged it."
"As far as I know, the Whomping Willow is quite irritable. How do you plan to subdue it before treating it?" Albert asked, voicing his confusion. This was also the reason he had approached Professor Sprout to greet her.
"The Whomping Willow is indeed quite dangerous, especially when encountered in the wild," Professor Sprout explained casually. "However, usually, as long as you don't touch its branches, the Whomping Willow won't attack indiscriminately."
Professor Sprout picked up a broken branch and poked at the knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow, immediately calming it down.
"Can't you subdue it with magic? Like using an Immobilizing Spell or something?" Albert asked, curious.
"Well, it's best not to do that," Professor Sprout thought for a moment before answering. "The Whomping Willow is a very precious and medicinally valuable magical plant."
"Okay, Mr. Anderson, would you please hold this knot for me, and these bandages? I'll also need you to hold this bucket. We need to hurry," Professor Sprout said as she drew out her wand and began trimming the branches and collecting the tender buds and branches of the Whomping Willow. She also took the time to introduce to Albert the medicinal effects of these parts of the tree, essentially giving him an extra lesson.
Albert concluded that the Whomping Willow was a treasure trove of medicinal resources.
(End of Chapter)
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