Chapter 575: A Busy Night
Chapter 575: A Busy Night
"So, how was the date? Everything go according to plan?"
As Albert pushed open the door to the dormitory, Fred's teasing voice floated over from within the room.
"What are you guys up to?"
Albert entered the room, shutting the door behind him, and lifted his gaze to the floating figure of Fred hovering in mid-air. He arched an eyebrow in curiosity.
"We're experimenting with Honeyduke's Buzzing Bees sweets. You don't mind if we use some of the chocolate from that cabinet, do you?" Fred pointed at the cabinet where Albert stored gifts from strangers.
"Go right ahead," Albert replied nonchalantly. He didn't eat any of the treats himself, so the candies and sweets were always destined to be regifted.
"I brought some snacks for you guys." Albert placed the bag of hot potato and egg pancakes on the table and addressed Fred, who was still floating in mid-air. "I hope you didn't add too much Billywig stinger powder to the chocolate?"
"No, we only mixed a tiny amount into the chocolate. Eating a small piece should make you float for a few minutes at most," George replied as he took out the remaining chocolates and offered one to Albert.
"Just make sure you don't overdo it with the Billywig stinger powder," Albert said as he walked to the cabinet and retrieved a tin of milk tea powder. "How much did you use? If someone consumes too much and has a severe allergic reaction, or worse, ends up floating permanently, it would be a disaster." With that, Albert headed downstairs to boil some water for tea.
"I think Albert is overreacting," Fred muttered under his breath as he watched the door close again.
Of course, he knew that Albert's words made sense, but...
"Come on, stop complaining. Albert's right. Do you want to risk shutting down Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes over this?" Lee Jordan opened the greaseproof paper bag and placed the hot potato and egg pancakes on a clean plate.
"Here, take a look at the wizarding card I just made. It's one of my best so far."
Lee Jordan handed the "Hard-Fought Victory" card to George, who was about to sneak a bite of the snack.
Under Albert's guidance, Lee Jordan had become quite adept at creating wizarding cards.
"Eat it while it's hot. It won't taste as good once it gets cold," George grumbled, reluctantly withdrawing his hand and taking the wizarding card from Lee Jordan.
Fred reached out and grabbed George's shoulder to steady himself as he leaned in to examine the card's effect. "It's still missing something."
"What do you mean, it's missing something?"
Albert returned with the teapot and poured milk tea for everyone. As he handed the cups to Fred and George, he took the wizarding card from George.
"It's not bad, but the effect description could be improved. Once George graduates, he'll probably be able to develop wizarding cards on his own," Albert said as he put away the "Hard-Fought Victory" card, intending to revise it later.
Albert was pleased with the progress that Fred, George, and Lee Jordan had made. While he knew he could do better himself, he understood that he couldn't do everything alone.
After all, how could he... er, how could he plan to eventually pass the management of the shop to them if they didn't learn to handle things themselves?
"Finish your snacks, and then get some rest," Albert said, taking a sip of his milk tea. He eyed the yawning trio and added, "Don't forget, you still have a pile of homework to tackle tomorrow."
"Are you the devil incarnate? What if we have nightmares?"
"Then let's get to bed."
"You should get some rest, too. Goodnight!"
As the others climbed into their beds, Albert continued sipping his milk tea. He pulled out the Marauder's Map from his robe pocket, and his eyes quickly landed on the location of the Gryffindor Tower. "Looks like there's quite a bit of activity tonight!" he murmured softly.
"You can say that again!"
The door suddenly creaked open, and another familiar voice joined the conversation.
"I didn't expect to see you here. Did something go wrong?" Albert frowned deeply as he watched his teacup hover in mid-air. This was definitely not a good omen.
"No, nothing like that. I'm here to make sure things go even more smoothly!" the voice replied calmly. "I believe this is our first time meeting."
"No, we haven't met before," Albert shook his head.
"Well, you're right about that. Care for a game of Wizard Chess? We have plenty of time to kill," the other person suggested cheerfully, clearly pleased with how things had turned out.
"Who will win, I wonder?"
"Does it matter?"
"Not really. It'll end the same way regardless."
As the night deepened, the game of Wizard Chess continued without a clear victor. The players didn't seem to mind, casually chatting about the events that would soon unfold.
In a way, what they were doing was a blatant violation of the numerous laws governing the use of Time-Turners, enough to land Albert in Azkaban. But none of the people present gave it a second thought.
After all, no one knew they were breaking the law, so there was no reason to worry about getting caught.
"I've really gone all out to ensure the plan's success," Albert remarked, finishing the milk tea in his cup.
"We all have," the other voice corrected.
Albert's eyes drifted to the Marauder's Map, and he wondered... Was it finally time?
At that moment, a shadowy figure crept stealthily down the stairs in the Gryffindor common room. They quickly pushed open the door and disappeared into the depths of the night.
"Mrs. Norris is out and about tonight," the other voice noted.
"Thank you for your efforts," Albert replied, understanding the reason for their visitor.
"Do you think we'll change anything?" Albert asked suddenly.
"You already know the answer to that," came the reply. "A novel is just a novel. The future hasn't happened yet. If it does, then it will be an event of the future, unrelated to the novel's plot."
Albert remained silent, his eyes fixed on Ginny Weasley's dot on the map.
Time passed, and once again, a furtive figure appeared in the Gryffindor common room.
This time, the person carried a lantern and was wrapped in a thick cloak. They had a camera hanging around their neck and descended the stairs with unsteady steps.
Ever since hearing Albert's words at noon, Colin Creevey had been feeling restless. He realized that he might have made a mistake.
Originally, Colin had planned to visit Harry with some grapes his family had sent him that morning and to apologize to him. However, Madam Pomfrey had refused his request to see Harry, citing the need for Harry to rest.
Undeterred, Colin remained determined to visit Harry, intending to sneak into the hospital wing after Madam Pomfrey had retired for the night.
The corridors were chilly in the middle of the night, prompting Colin to tighten his cloak around himself. He looked nervous, worried that he might be caught by Filch.
Harry had just won the Quidditch match and earned fifty points for Gryffindor. If Colin's night wanderings were discovered and Harry's efforts were undone, how could he ever face him?
Yet, none of these concerns could deter Colin from his mission.
What Colin didn't know was that he had just made a fateful decision. The moment he left the Gryffindor common room, he had caught the attention of not one, but multiple onlookers.
(End of Chapter)
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