Chapter 589: A Useful Tool
Chapter 589: A Useful Tool
As Christmas approached, the Hogwarts Castle was filled with festive cheer.
Everyone's spirits were high as the holidays drew near. Nothing could excite the students more than the prospect of a well-deserved break.
Wherever one went, enthusiastic discussions about holiday plans could be heard.
When Albert shared his plans to spend the Christmas break vacationing in Italy, Shan Na couldn't hide her envy. Her family was well-off, but due to her parents' busy work schedules, they rarely had time to travel abroad together.
"Italy?"
George sat down to Albert's right, a plate of food in his hand, and asked in confusion, "I thought you were going to France for a friend's wedding during the break. What changed your plans to Italy?"
"A lot of my friends are heading to France, so I figured I'd tag along," Albert scooped a large spoonful of pumpkin porridge, blew on it a few times, and then took a bite. With the weather getting colder, he preferred to start his mornings with something warm.
George raised an eyebrow, quickly coming to a decision, "I think we'll have to give you your Christmas present early this year."
Otherwise, once Albert left the country, who knew if an owl could get the gift to him in time for Christmas Day.
"Are they on a date?" Lee Jordan whispered, noticing Fred talking to Angelina not far away.
"No," George glanced at Lee Jordan and said mysteriously, "They're talking about something they just overheard."
"What did they hear?" Lee Jordan asked eagerly.
"When we were coming down to the Great Hall for dinner, we heard Snape telling Professor McGonagall that someone had broken into his office and stolen potion ingredients," George winked at Albert, "No doubt, it's probably some student trying to brew forbidden potions. But to be able to sneak into Snape's private storage, that's quite impressive."
As far as they knew, Albert had once intruded into Snape's private storage, and George obviously assumed he was responsible for this incident as well.
Hearing George's words, Albert turned to look at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were having breakfast not far from them.
"Who knows!" Albert withdrew his gaze, "Maybe it's the work of the Slytherin heir!"
There was no way Albert was going to take the blame for this. The Slytherin heir was the perfect scapegoat, after all, who else besides the heir would dare to attempt such a thing?
"By the way, have you guys heard the latest rumor?" Lee Jordan lowered his voice as he spoke to the trio, "Apparently, the professors secretly searched Hogwarts Castle but still couldn't find the Slytherin Chamber. But then there's this rumor going around that Hagrid is the one who opened the Chamber last time, and he's the Slytherin heir."
"Who said that?" Albert asked.
"Lockhart," came the reply.
"Has Lockhart gone blind?" George looked exasperated.
"Hagrid doesn't seem like the Slytherin heir," Shan Na chimed in. She didn't know Hagrid well, but she couldn't imagine him being the heir. Otherwise, why would Dumbledore keep him around as the gamekeeper, the headmaster wasn't foolish.
Lee Jordan looked around cautiously and then continued in a hushed tone, "They say Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts because of this incident back then."
While he didn't believe Hagrid was the so-called heir, he felt it was something he should share with Albert, knowing of their good relationship.
Noticing Lee Jordan's gaze, Albert remained calm and said, "I've known about this for a long time. Hagrid told me himself."
Lee Jordan opened his mouth but then closed it, unsure of what to say next.
"Someone has to take the fall for this, and Hagrid just happened to be the unlucky one," Albert took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his mouth, "Look at him; does he seem like the Slytherin heir to you?"
After breakfast, Albert parted ways with his friends and made his way alone to Hagrid's hunting cabin, wrapped in a thick cloak.
However, as soon as he left the entrance hall, Albert realized he was in for some trouble. The gravel path had been covered by thick snow, and he had to draw out his wand to clear a path for himself.
It wasn't an easy task, and it took him nearly fifteen minutes to finally reach Hagrid's hunting cabin.
Albert knocked on the wooden door, and after a while, footsteps could be heard from within. Hagrid opened the door, wearing a fur coat, and looked at Albert with surprise.
"What's the matter, am I not welcome?" Albert asked with a smile.
"How did you get here?" Hagrid stepped back, allowing Albert to enter the cabin.
"It's freezing in here!"
There was a roaring fire in the fireplace of the small cabin, but the room still felt chilly, causing Albert to exhale a puff of white breath.
"It'll warm up in a bit. I just got back from the owlery," Hagrid explained, pointing to the bird cage by the fireplace, where the owls looked utterly exhausted, having clearly exerted themselves delivering mail in the harsh weather.
"They need some extra care," Hagrid added, placing more wood into the fireplace to stoke the flames higher. Fang had crawled out from under his blanket and was now rubbing his head affectionately against Albert.
The bitter wind caused the window panes to rattle, and Hagrid refilled the owl's water and added some food.
"How's your lesson preparation going?" Albert asked casually.
"Umm..."
Hagrid felt a bit embarrassed to admit that he hadn't consulted with Professor Kettleburn again. After the professor's health had taken a turn for the worse, Hagrid hadn't wanted to bother him, and he knew that he would have to rely on himself for teaching. Fortunately, he now had a good idea of how to structure his lessons.
"I've read through Monsters and Their Monsters, and while the content is fine, I don't think it will be well-received," Albert said thoughtfully.
"Not well-received?" Hagrid looked confused. "Why not? I thought it was quite interesting."
Albert was momentarily lost for words.
"Well, for one, the book bites, and it hurts when it does," Albert said bluntly. "My suggestion is to draw on the exam questions from previous years and structure your lessons around those."
"Oh."
Hagrid seemed a little disappointed. He had been looking forward to making his mark with his Care of Magical Creatures class, but Albert's comment had dampened his spirits a little.
"By the way, I came here to ask a favor of you," Albert said, changing the subject as he noticed Hagrid's dejected expression. He reached into his pocket and took out a small object, which he placed in front of Hagrid.
"What's this?" Hagrid asked, picking up the object and examining it curiously.
"Do you know what a Sneakoscope is?" Albert inquired.
"Yeah, I do," Hagrid replied.
"The Detection Ball works on a similar principle. If there are any Dark creatures nearby, the ball will react," Albert explained. "Of course, the warning is a bit more subtle. When you feel it start to heat up, that means there's a Dark creature in the vicinity."
To be honest, Albert hadn't developed the Detection Ball entirely on his own. Nico Lemaire had provided significant assistance, without which he wouldn't have been able to turn the Detection Ball into a panel skill in such a short time.
"Is this for the monster in the castle?" Hagrid asked, immediately understanding the purpose of the device. If it worked as Albert said, it would be an incredibly useful tool for tracking down the monster in the Slytherin Chamber.
"Yes, if the Detection Ball works, I won't have to worry about being ambushed by the monster in the Chamber," Albert nodded. "However, it's still in the testing phase. If you could help me capture a Dark creature to test its detection range, that would be fantastic."
Kenneth had managed to get his hands on a Grindylow previously, but he had thrown it back into the lake after using it, otherwise Albert wouldn't have needed to seek Hagrid's help.
"Dark creatures?" Hagrid scratched his head. "I'll do my best, but it won't be easy to catch one in this weather."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Albert said gratefully.
"Hey, can this thing find the monster in the Chamber?" Hagrid asked suddenly, his eyes lighting up at the thought of capturing the creature himself.
"I'm afraid not," Albert replied. "To find the monster in the Slytherin Chamber, we'd first need to locate the Chamber itself. If it were that easy to find, it probably wouldn't have remained hidden for fifty years."
"If you do discover anything, be sure to inform the other professors first and don't act alone," Hagrid advised, sensing that with Albert's abilities, he might actually stand a chance of finding some clues.
"Will do," Albert assured him.
(End of Chapter)
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