https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-573-A-Less-Than-Ideal-Experience/12526942/
Chapter 574: Guidance
Chapter 574: Guidance
Gryffindor's victory over Slytherin, having overcome the Firebolt 2001 that their opponents had spent a fortune on, was undoubtedly a great boost to the team's morale and a source of celebration for the students.
A short party was held in the common room to commemorate this triumph. Unfortunately, Harry Potter, the Gryffindor Quidditch hero who had contributed to their win, was hospitalized due to his injury and couldn't attend the festivities.
The party lasted for half an hour, and it was only after everyone had finished eating the food that Fred and George had brought from the kitchen that they began to clean up the remnants of the celebration.
In a corner of the room, Lee Jordan was playing cards with Fred, who had just finished taking a hot bath, while Ron and Hermione argued incessantly beside them about Lockhart taking credit for removing Harry's bones.
After helping Wood clean up the mess, George wandered over to watch the card game and then turned to glance at the bickering Hermione and Ron. "Madame Pomfrey was quite upset about the professor who removed Harry's bones. She thought it was extremely incompetent of them."
"Anyone can make a mistake," Hermione argued, looking towards Albert, who was approaching, in hopes of gaining his support.
"You could send Potter some candies. He's not in a good situation, and the process of his arm regrowing bones will be painful."
Without engaging further with Hermione, Albert shifted his attention elsewhere, focusing on a boy examining photographs. "Creavy, right?"
"Yes, Mr. Anderson," the boy named Creavy replied instinctively, using a respectful tone as he realized who was addressing him.
"If you don't want Potter to dislike you, it would be wise to go and apologize sincerely," Albert advised, gesturing to the stack of photos. "Potter certainly wouldn't appreciate you taking these pictures."
"Does Harry truly hate me?" Colin Creavy's movements froze, and he looked at Albert anxiously.
"Give me the photos," Albert said.
Hesitating for a moment, Creavy eventually handed over the entire stack of photos to Albert.
Even Ron and Hermione, who had been arguing, as well as the trio playing cards, gathered around to look at the photos, which depicted Harry in an embarrassing state. Finally, Ron spoke up, unable to contain himself any longer.
"You deliberately took photos of Harry looking miserable to make him seem bad, and you expect Harry to be pleasant to you? That's ridiculous."
"I'm sorry, I just..."
"Apologizing to us here won't help..." Albert selected a few photos from the stack, carefully compared them, and then handed three of them to Lee Jordan.
"What are you going to do with those photos?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"Make them into Wizarding cards, of course!" Lee Jordan grinned as he collected the photos, then assured a wide-eyed Creavy, "Don't worry; I'll make sure to give you one when the Wizarding cards are done."
"I don't think Harry would appreciate that," Hermione frowned, clearly exasperated by Albert's actions. She couldn't understand why he was doing this after reprimanding Creavy just moments ago.
"This is a hard-won victory for Harry Potter," Albert said seriously. "We will record it on a Wizarding card and name it..."
"A Difficult Victory," Lee Jordan interjected.
"That's a good name. I'll leave the creation of the Wizarding cards to you, then."
"Are you going on another date?" Lee Jordan raised an eyebrow.
"No, it's not a date. I have some other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. See you later." Albert nodded and turned to leave, intending to make final preparations for his plans that evening at the Room of Requirement.
Tonight, he had to succeed in gaining complete control over Riddle's diary.
As Albert exited the common room, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind.
"Is something the matter?" Albert stopped and turned, looking at Hermione with a puzzled expression.
Hermione looked around to ensure they were alone before asking, "Do you know about Polyjuice Potion?"
"Polyjuice Potion?" Albert remained silent for a moment before nodding. "Yes, it's a potion that can disguise someone as another person. Why do you ask?"
"Um..." Hermione hesitated for a moment before finally sharing their suspicions about Malfoy being the Heir of Slytherin and their plan to create a Polyjuice Potion with Albert.
After an even longer silence, Albert nodded and said, "What you said does make some sense. Many pure-blood wizarding families are indeed interrelated, and with Malfoy's Slytherin heritage, it wouldn't be surprising. As for the Polyjuice Potion recipe, I do know of it. There's a book in the Restricted Section called 'Advanced Potion-Making' that has the information we need."
"We got a signed note from Professor Lockhart to access the Restricted Section, but that book seems to be..."
"...borrowed?" Albert finished with a smile.
"Yes, Madam Pince said the book might have been stolen as she couldn't find any record of who borrowed it," Hermione said, feeling frustrated about the situation.
"Oh... 'Advanced Potion-Making' is just... borrowed," Albert corrected, "It will be returned to the Restricted Section after I'm done using it for a while."
"You borrowed it?" Hermione pondered the implications of his words, then suddenly looked up at Albert, astonished.
"There are quite a few interesting books in the Restricted Section, but it's a hassle to get them since we need the professors' signatures. So, when I need something, I go and borrow it at night," Albert said nonchalantly, not hiding the fact that he had been borrowing books from the Restricted Section.
Hermione was truly surprised that Albert would openly admit to taking the book.
"If you need it, I can lend it to you temporarily. Just return it to me when you're done," Albert said, turning to Hermione and raising his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, "But remember to keep this a secret."
"I will," Hermione nodded vigorously, assuring him.
"Let's go, I have 'Advanced Potion-Making' back in the dormitory. I'll get it for you," Albert said as he turned and headed back to his dormitory, with Hermione quickly following.
This was Hermione's first time in Albert's dormitory, and she noticed that it looked quite similar to Harry's, except for one difference... Her eyes fell on the cat bed and cat tower, and she couldn't help but ask, "You didn't bring Tom to school this year?"
Hermione suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Albert's cat at all this term.
"No, it didn't feel right this year," Albert replied as he pulled out a somewhat old book from the drawer of his bedside table and handed it to Hermione.
She took the book carefully and placed it on the table, beginning to flip through the pages.
"So, what potion were you planning to brew that required you to 'borrow' this book?" Hermione asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
"Felix Felicis, the Liquid Luck," Albert admitted, "I'm still researching it."
"Felix Felicis?" Hermione quickly scanned the pages, her eyes landing on the recipe for the good luck potion, and she gasped, "This is by far the most complex potion I've ever seen."
"Indeed, Felix Felicis is one of the most difficult potions to brew, but its effects are amazing. It brings good luck to the drinker," Albert said with a smile, "The Polyjuice Potion you want to make is also quite challenging and will require a lot of time to brew. You should be prepared for that."
"A whole month!" Hermione exclaimed after looking through the Polyjuice Potion recipe.
"Time isn't the biggest issue here," Albert said, "The real problem is that the Polyjuice Potion is a prohibited trade item, and as such, the ingredients it requires, like the horn of a bicorn and snake skin of a Boomslang, are also classified as D-level prohibited trade items by the Ministry of Magic. It's unlikely you'll be able to obtain these ingredients through regular means. You might want to consider the black market, but the prices will be steep. However, I know Harry has a decent amount of gold, so that could be an option... or..." Albert paused, a strange smile forming on his face, "...you could consider breaking into Snape's private storeroom. I'm sure he has those ingredients, but it would be risky."
Hermione fell silent, surprised that Albert would suggest breaking into Snape's private storeroom. If they were caught...
However, if they were truly committed to brewing the Polyjuice Potion, their options might indeed be limited. She knew she had to find time to discuss this with Harry.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
