https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-554-Visible-Tangible-but-Useless/12526904/
Chapter 553: The Unwelcome Guest
Chapter 553: The Unwelcome Guest
The excuse about saving the Salamanders was just a ploy. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan had ulterior motives from the start.
But how were they going to take the Salamanders with them?
The trio had already thought this through back in the previous semester.
Unfortunately, after that fateful Care of Magical Creatures class, Professor Kettleburn never allowed them to get close to the Salamanders again, and they hadn't found another opportunity until now.
Their original plan had been waiting for this chance to be put into action.
Naturally, they weren't going to let this opportunity slip by, even without Albert's help. They were determined to "save" the Salamanders.
Fred had put in considerable effort in this regard, using a Transfiguration spell to turn a twig into a glass bottle. George then released a portable blue magical flame into the bottle, a trick he had learned from Albert, while Lee Jordan caught a Salamander from the bonfire and stuffed it into the container prepared by the twins.
For Salamanders that are born of flame and feed on fire, as long as the magical flame inside the glass bottle remained lit, they could survive.
In a sense, it was indeed a form of salvation, because Salamanders that had their blood taken usually met a gruesome end at the hands of the students.
Most students simply lacked the proper technique to draw blood safely, and the Salamanders often perished as a result.
However, for Salamanders that had left the fire, their lifespan was limited to just six hours outside their fiery habitat, so death was inevitable. It was merely a matter of dying a few hours earlier or later.
Professor Kettleburn paid no heed to the trio's antics during class. He probably assumed they were planning to take a Salamander back as a pet and kindly reminded them, "Magical flames are only suitable for transporting Salamanders and cannot provide them with sustenance long-term. If you attempt to raise a Salamander solely on magical flames, it will eventually starve to death."
"We understand," the three boys replied, a little embarrassed but nodding earnestly to show they took the professor's words to heart.
"For now, everyone should focus on learning the correct way to draw blood from the Salamanders, as opportunities like this don't come often," Professor Kettleburn said, addressing the entire class. "I've seen too many people kill the Salamanders in the process. It's a shameful waste. If the Salamanders survive the bloodletting, they can be kept alive in a bonfire and you can continue to draw blood. After all, it's not unusual to have a fireplace burning wood throughout the winter."
Keeping a few Salamanders in the fireplace was commonplace for a Care of Magical Creatures professor. Even Hagrid had done it, and Professor Kettleburn's fireplace housed a Salamander that was several times larger than the ones they were dealing with—a pet he had kept since he started teaching at Hogwarts, according to rumors.
Before the end of class, Professor Kettleburn even brought out his own pet to give the students a glimpse. It had an impressive girth and could spit sparks from its mouth.
"By the way, the prize for this class goes to Mr. Anderson." Professor Kettleburn held up the glass tube that emitted a reddish glow, happily announcing the result. "Aside from the first few Salamanders that were accidentally killed, most of the ones Mr. Anderson drew blood from are still alive."
The Care of Magical Creatures professor continued, "The fresh blood is best preserved in magical flames to maintain the efficacy of the Salamander blood. If stored directly in bottles, the healing and restorative properties of the Salamander blood will gradually diminish, so most Salamander blood needs to be preserved using special methods or used immediately after extraction."
"I recall a small bottle sells for about... ten Sickles, right?" Fred mused, examining the tube in his hand.
"Don't be silly," Lee Jordan chimed in as he labeled the tube and handed it to Professor Kettleburn. "To quote Albert, if it were that profitable, it wouldn't be your turn to try it out."
"Is this really made of silver? Is it valuable?" George fiddled with the bird-snake statue in his hand, glancing at Albert for an answer.
"Don't be ridiculous," Albert replied, exasperated, as he looked at George. "Even if it's silver, it's not worth much. The value is more in its sentimental worth."
After class, the group extinguished the bonfire and hurried back to the common room through the rain.
They then eagerly took hot showers, thoroughly cleaning off the mud, changed into clean clothes, and gathered by the fireplace in the common room to warm up and chat.
Just as Fred and George were about to try feeding the Salamander some fireworks, Wood suddenly appeared and pulled the twins away for Quidditch practice without any warning.
"Wait, I thought we didn't have Quidditch practice today," Fred protested, struggling against Wood's grip.
"Oh, we don't," Wood said with a smile. "But Hufflepuff forfeited their practice slot today, so we get the pitch."
"Poor things," Albert remarked, gazing out the window.
They had just come in from the outdoors, and now they were being dragged out into the rain again. It wouldn't be surprising if they caught a cold or the flu.
The rain intensified, pelting the castle windows with a steady rhythm.
Albert took a sip from his cup of milk tea and sent a message to Isabelle via his communication quill. Then, he picked up a book and started reading. The "Reading Maniac" task had taken him three years and was still incomplete, currently sitting at a progress of 76 out of 100.
"How about we give it a try?" Lee Jordan said, his hands itching to try something. He wanted to feed the Salamander some fireworks and see what would happen.
"Never mind," Albert said offhandedly. "Let's wait for Fred and George to come back. They've been looking forward to this for a long time."
"Oh, alright," Lee Jordan conceded.
After Angelina and the others left for Quidditch practice, Lee Jordan found himself without anyone to chat with. He took out his homework and sat next to Albert, silently starting his work. Fortunately, Albert was free to answer any questions he might have.
Just then, Percy walked over with a notice and pinned it to the old bulletin board in the Gryffindor common room. It announced the first Hogsmeade weekend of the term, which would be at the end of October.
For Albert and his friends, who frequently visited Hogsmeade, the appeal of this trip had diminished.
However, the opportunity to visit Hogsmeade was still exciting, especially since they wouldn't have to sneak out this time.
The third-year students were the happiest about this development, as it would be their first time visiting Hogsmeade Village. They huddled together, whispering excitedly about the intriguing aspects of the village.
They discussed the prank items from Zabini's Joke Shop and strategized about how to sneak those items into the school without Filch noticing.
The caretaker had become the number one villain in the students' eyes, and word was that he had been in a particularly foul mood lately due to a cold. He seemed to take pleasure in making the students' lives difficult.
The group of students seemed intent on giving Filch some extra work, ensuring he had less time to bother them.
Albert paused in his book-flipping, listening to their ingenious plan, and couldn't help but feel speechless.
These troublemakers intended to "accidentally" smear frog brains on the ceiling of the fifth-floor classroom, forcing Filch to spend a significant amount of time cleaning it up.
"I think throwing a few stink bombs into Filch's office would be more amusing," Lee Jordan muttered under his breath.
In truth, many students preferred to use the former method to torment Filch. However, if they were caught in the act, they would be ordered to clean up the mess themselves.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
