Chapter 546: Ominous Signs
Chapter 546: Ominous Signs
"Have you offended Snape again?"
Lee Jordan stuffed his books into his bag and complained to Albert, "Why does he always like to stare at you during class?"
Being watched by Snape from behind was not a pleasant experience.
Today's potion had once again turned into a pile of unidentified liquid with a strange smell, and he had received no small amount of ridicule from Snape, even earning a 'T' for his troubles.
"Who knows!"
Albert slung his bag over his shoulder and glanced up at the table at the front of the class where Snape was standing, saying nonchalantly, "Anyway, no matter how much he stares at me, it won't affect me. If he wants to stare, then let him stare. Eventually, he'll get tired of it and give up."
Ever since the Amortentia incident, Snape seemed to have decided that Albert was involved.
During every Potions class, the Potions Master would pay special attention to him, as if trying to discern something from his behavior.
Unfortunately for Snape, Albert was highly skilled in Occlumency, so even if Snape stared until his eyes fell out, he wouldn't glean any useful information.
Albert remained calm in the face of Snape's deliberate antagonism, knowing that the more the professor acted this way, the more it proved that he had no way of pinning anything on him.
Moreover, Snape had no real evidence.
Not that he needed any, of course.
Unlike Albert, his partner Lee Jordan was not so calm and was finding it hard to deal with Snape's intense gaze.
"We still have Quidditch practice later, so we're heading off," Fred and George sighed, complaining, "Recently, Wood has been like a training maniac, saying that since our brooms aren't up to scratch, we'll have to make up for it with technique."
"Did you predict that something like this would happen, which is why you didn't want to become an official team member?" Lee Jordan asked as he watched the Weasley brothers hurry away.
"Actually, I really dislike training," Albert admitted. He didn't dislike flying, but he did dislike the relentless training, rain or shine. Joining the Quidditch team was clearly not a good choice for him.
"It'll be difficult for Gryffindor to win the Quidditch Cup this year," Lee Jordan said as he quickened his pace and walked alongside Albert in the corridor. "Slytherin's new brooms are really fast."
"It doesn't matter. After all, we won the Quidditch Cup last year," Albert said, knowing that this year's Quidditch matches would be abandoned midway through due to the Basilisk.
"Aren't you coming to the library with us?"
"No, I have an appointment. See you tonight."
"Honestly." Lee Jordan headed towards the fifth floor on his own and greeted Sana from a distance, planning to invite her to the library to do their homework together.
There was no hope of relying on Fred and George now; those two scoundrels had their minds on everything but their studies. They would always need to copy his homework, and lately, Albert had often gone missing, probably off on dates with his girlfriend.
And Lee Jordan's guess was right; Albert was indeed off to a date.
As he passed by the second-floor corridor, Albert suddenly stopped and prepared to take another secret passage to the eighth floor.
When he was alone, Albert always had to be especially careful and deliberately avoided the girls' bathroom on the second floor.
He couldn't help but be cautious. Although the first attack had occurred on Halloween, and Filch's cat had been the unlucky victim, Albert was the most famous Muggle-born wizard in the school and thus a very suitable target for Voldemort to make an example of. It was best to be careful and avoid any potential calamities.
"Better safe than sorry," Albert muttered to himself.
"Albert."
Suddenly, Albert heard someone calling his name.
Hermione Granger hurried over, with a rather reluctant Ron Weasley trailing behind her.
"What's up?"
Albert stopped and turned to ask.
"Yes, there's something... I think..." Hermione panted as she reached Albert's side.
"Don't talk here, you two really have no sense of secrecy," Albert interrupted, exasperated.
The three of them found a secluded spot, and Hermione immediately began to talk about Harry.
It turned out that ever since the Boy-Who-Lived had been locked up by Lockhart, he had occasionally been hearing a voice that neither she nor Ron could hear.
In the wizarding world, hearing voices that others couldn't hear was definitely not a good sign.
"Have you told Professor McGonagall about this?" Albert asked.
"Professor McGonagall will probably think Harry is joking with her," Hermione said softly. "She'll probably think Harry just wants to draw attention to himself."
The reason she had come to find Albert was mainly because, before the start of term, Albert had said that the message from the house-elf might be true, and that something terrible was about to happen at the school. Harry hearing a voice that no one else could hear was likely some sort of omen.
Indeed, Hermione had guessed correctly.
"This matter is indeed worth paying attention to," Albert nodded. "Next time Harry hears that voice, have him record what it says so that I can analyze it."
"Can you... give us a divination?" Ron asked, looking at Albert. This was their main reason for seeking him out; ever since everyone had said how accurate Albert's divination was, Ron had wanted to witness it for himself.
"Alright, just this once, next time there's a fee," Albert said, raising an eyebrow at the two of them. "Follow me."
Albert took Ron and Hermione back to his dormitory and took out a crystal ball from his cabinet, placing it on the table. "What do you want to prophesize about?" he asked, looking at the two of them as they examined the room.
"Something terrible that will happen at Hogwarts," Hermione said quickly.
"I understand."
Albert closed his eyes and placed his hand on the crystal ball, beginning his divination.
Ron and Hermione both stared intently at the crystal ball, curious about what they would see.
The crystal ball began to change, and they seemed to see an open book, with pages that seemed to contain some sort of record.
The divination ended quickly.
Hermione and Ron stared blankly at the crystal ball, which had now returned to its original state.
"What does this mean?" Ron asked, confused.
"The Chamber of Secrets legend," Hermione whispered.
"My divination ability isn't very strong, so I can only prophesize to this extent," Albert said calmly. "The terrible thing that the house-elf mentioned is probably referring to the Chamber of Secrets legend."
The two of them looked at Albert, hoping for some clarification.
"It is said that Slytherin had a secret chamber, and only his heir would be able to open it," Albert explained. "It is said that a terrifying creature is sealed within the chamber, capable of purging the school."
"A terrifying creature?" Hermione immediately latched onto the key phrase. "What kind of terrifying creature?"
"I don't know," Albert shook his head. "No one has ever found the chamber."
"Can you..."
"One hundred galleons," Albert interrupted. "If you want me to continue the divination, the price is one hundred galleons."
"That price isn't too expensive."
Glancing at the dumbfounded Ron, Albert reminded him kindly, "Also, I don't recommend that you continue the divination. The fact that we got so little information from this divination is very telling. Even if you want me to prophesize about the chamber's entrance and the monster within, it would be difficult to get a result, because divination can only show us snippets of the future."
"Are all diviners this expensive?" Ron couldn't help but swallow as Albert quoted his price. One hundred galleons was quite a sum to ask for.
"True divination masters are indeed very lucrative," Albert replied.
(End of Chapter)
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