Chapter 571: Night Lessons
Chapter 571: Night Lessons
For the students of Hogwarts, the attack on Filch's Mrs. Norris felt like a distant memory. Like fish, their memories lasted about a week, which was already quite impressive.
The book, "Hogwarts, A History," which used to be popular among the students, now gathered dust on the library shelves once more.
After all, the book only had a scant few sentences describing the Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin. Aside from a handful of bookworms, most students lacked the patience to get through this dry tome.
Hermione Granger, however, was one of those rare students who had finally managed to borrow the book, only to be disappointed by the scant information it held about the Chamber.
Of course, she wasn't the only one. Twenty-three other students had borrowed the book since the attack, an average of more than four per day, and they had all been let down in a similar fashion.
Hermione even went as far as to consult Albert about the Chamber of Secrets, but he deftly redirected her inquiries to Gilderoy Lockhart.
Time, like a gentle palm, seemed to smooth over everything.
Hogwarts returned to its usual tranquility, and even the professors reserved their judgment on whether the Chamber of Slytherin had truly been opened.
After all, the petrification of a cat wasn't exactly conclusive evidence.
Albert also felt that most of the professors weren't paying much attention to the incident, with the possible exception of Mr. Filch, the caretaker and owner of the unfortunate cat. Mr. Filch tirelessly continued his search for the culprit, his temper worsening by the day, causing no end of trouble for everyone, especially the Quidditch players who had to train in the pouring rain. The caretaker often harassed them with accusations of "defiling the castle," and conflicts between the two parties were becoming increasingly frequent.
If there was one person deeply affected by the attack, it was Ginny Weasley. Perhaps due to her frequent use of Tom Riddle's diary, the red-haired girl was being tormented to the point of mental breakdown. She seemed on the verge of collapse, suspecting herself as the culprit but too afraid to confide in anyone. Ironically, Tom's diary had become her only outlet for her troubled thoughts, creating a vicious cycle.
Aside from Filch and Ginny, Albert, who knew the truth, was probably one of the most affected by the incident.
Since the attack, Albert's life had become busier than ever. His research into advanced shielding charms left him with less time for the various clubs, which even drew the attention and inquiries of several professors. However, he deftly brushed them off with excuses of being too occupied.
Indeed, Albert was swamped. He was busy researching ways to counter the basilisk and pondering solutions to the whole mess, which sapped a significant amount of his energy.
If there was any good news lately, it was that Bard had managed to procure a supply of Polyjuice Potion for Albert. The old wizard didn't seem to care what Albert needed it for and generously provided him with a large quantity that would last a long time.
Now, the question was—who should he turn into?
Albert had made his choice between Lockhart and Malfoy, and the unfortunate professor had been selected as the next scapegoat.
What could he say? Every Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher seemed to be a suspect at one point or another.
Moreover, under the guise of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Albert could perform some unspeakable tests on the diary.
Honestly, passing the buck to Lockhart didn't weigh on Albert's conscience.
He was a rather cold-blooded individual, and aside from a select few important people, he didn't concern himself with the welfare of others.
At this moment, the Room of Requirement was bathed in a warm orange-red glow from the blazing fireplace. Albert sat by the fire, sipping a hot cup of milk tea, occasionally glancing at the small round table beside him where a mirror lay. He was waiting to re-establish contact with someone.
Finally, the minute hand of his pocket watch ticked past eight, and the two-way mirror came to life with the face of the old wizard, Nicolas Flamel.
“Good evening, Mr. Flamel.”
Albert set down his teacup and greeted the elderly wizard in the mirror with a smile. It was time for his nightly lessons and Q&A session with Nicolas Flamel.
This time, Albert took the initiative and brought up his concerns and challenges with advanced Shield Charms.
Flamel listened patiently as Albert explained his proficiency with Shield Charms and how he had reached the cusp of mastering their advanced applications but was falling short.
With his vast expertise in this area, Flamel proceeded to elucidate the intricacies of advanced Shield Charm usage.
Casting a Shield Charm on oneself or others is a standard application, and the stronger the charm, the more effectively it obscures one's presence, making it difficult for others to locate them through tracking spells.
To block the tracking of the Trace, Albert could simply cast a sufficiently powerful Shield Charm on himself. While crude, this method would ensure he never received another owl message again.
Another method involved casting a charm over a specific area, preventing anyone within that range from being tracked. Slightly more complex, this was nonetheless a common application of Shield Charms, and Flamel's residence utilized this very approach.
The final and most intricate technique was to cast the charm on a specific individual, effectively isolating them from detection. This advanced application increased the difficulty severalfold, and if successful, the targeted individual would be ignored by the caster, unable to be located through tracking spells or owls, while others remained unaffected.
Albert inquired about creating a magical artifact imbued with a Shield Charm to conceal his existence, and Flamel advised that the second method would be most suitable for this purpose.
Addressing Albert's struggles with adequately shielding against the Trace, Flamel attributed it partly to the insufficient power of the magical artifacts he had crafted.
The elderly wizard went on to elucidate his own approach to casting spells, and although Albert couldn't witness it firsthand, he could sense that his understanding of advanced Shield Charm applications was gradually improving.
The session was relatively relaxed, akin to a video call, except Albert had to juggle note-taking simultaneously.
Their discussion spanned approximately two hours before coming to a close.
Before ending their communication, Flamel informed Albert that the production of the Elixir of Life had concluded, yielding enough supply to last several years. As for the Philosopher's Stone, it had been completely destroyed with Dumbledore's assistance.
Albert privately thought the destruction of the stone a waste, considering it the culmination of Flamel's lifelong endeavors, but he respected their decision, acknowledging that he might lack the same magnanimity and fortitude as the elderly wizard.
"By the way, has Dumbledore made any progress with the basilisk issue?" Flamel suddenly asked, his visage in the two-way mirror growing concerned.
"No, either he hasn't located the Chamber of Secrets or he's waiting to catch the heir," Albert replied after a moment's hesitation, unsure of the headmaster's motives.
He couldn't fathom Dumbledore's thoughts, acknowledging his prowess yet recognizing that he was just one man without foreknowledge of future events or the aid of a system. That he had accomplished so much was already impressive.
"Perhaps you should find time to discuss this matter with Dumbledore," Flamel suggested, his tone conveying his concern for Albert's well-being, especially given the heir of Slytherin's penchant for targeting Muggle-born wizards.
"I will," Albert added silently to himself, "but not yet."
The Chamber had been opened fifty years ago, during Dumbledore's tenure as Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. Hagrid had been falsely accused and expelled, and Albert believed that Dumbledore had wanted to apprehend the true culprit back then, but he had no evidence and could do nothing.
The attack on Mrs. Norris had once again drawn the headmaster's attention, and now he was biding his time, waiting for the heir of Slytherin to make a mistake.
Perhaps Dumbledore was unaware of the adage, "He who treads the same path will eventually stumble," but he clearly understood the wisdom behind it and possessed an abundance of patience.
(End of Chapter)
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