Chapter 621: This is Called Being Cautious!
Chapter 621: This is Called Being Cautious!
The room was eerily quiet, with only the soft scratching of a quill on parchment breaking the silence.
By the window, Albert sat hunched over his desk, a few crumpled balls of paper scattered at his feet. He had been there for who knows how long, and the cup of tea on his desk had long gone cold, but he paid it no mind as he carefully wrote in his notebook. The pocket watch on the wooden crate ticked quietly, edging towards three o'clock in the afternoon.
Albert finally lifted his gaze from his notebook, setting down his quill and stretching his limbs. "I must be the most inept 'schemer' in history," he muttered to himself. "In fact, I probably don't even qualify as a 'schemer'."
Albert wasn't fond of associating himself with terms like "schemer" or "mastermind." After all, he considered himself a good person, and good people couldn't possibly be schemers or masterminds, could they? Nonetheless, in pursuit of the panel task reward, he had indeed put in a great deal of effort to strategize and plan.
Otherwise, true to his nature, Albert would have much preferred to hand the troublesome Tom Riddle's diary directly to Professor Dumbledore to deal with, just as he had done with Professor Quirrell the previous year, confronting problems head-on.
Admittedly, this could be seen as a form of avoidance, but there was nothing wrong with solving issues in the simplest manner possible, especially if it was also the safest option.
Albert never saw himself as a savior or a particularly courageous individual. When it came to his own life being at stake, who wouldn't be afraid of death?
Well, perhaps Professor Dumbledore wasn't, but Albert felt that even their headmaster wouldn't want to die if he had a choice.
He carefully pored over his plan, reading it through several times.
Ever since he had locked Tom Riddle's diary away in the small, dark room, Albert had been tirelessly writing and preparing, considering all possible scenarios and devising countermeasures to ensure his safety. He had edited and revised his plan numerous times, aiming to emerge unscathed from any potential dangers.
Of course, if possible, he would much rather avoid those dangers altogether and smoothly sail through to reap the greatest benefits.
Yes, he was simply being cautious.
Albert didn't believe he lacked Gryffindor's courage.
After all, the vast majority of Gryffindors didn't have the courage to face a basilisk head-on.
In fact, Albert had no doubt that most of them would be instantly petrified by the basilisk's gaze.
Anyone would face that risk if they didn't know about the basilisk beforehand, and Albert was certain that the lucky few who had been petrified would have met a much worse fate if not for the protection of the author's plot armor.
Would he have had such luck?
To be honest, Albert wasn't a gambler, and he didn't consider himself particularly lucky. The notion that his wand brought him good fortune was just a saying, nothing more.
He preferred to carefully plan and strategize, but unfortunately, his talent in that area was only average. Otherwise, he was confident he could have done even better.
Albert removed his square-framed glasses and rubbed his brow, his gaze unintentionally falling on the glasses. This was his last line of defense, prepared for him by Nicholas Flamel.
As for whether the protective enchantments on the glasses were reliable or not, Albert hoped he would never have to find out firsthand.
Setting aside his pocket watch, he opened the wooden box and placed the diary in the compartment on top. His eyes then fell on the items within the box.
First was the detection sphere, which would alert him the moment the basilisk became active, allowing him to seize the initiative and take appropriate measures.
Next was the snake-repelling pellets he had made using ground realgar. Albert didn't expect these to drive away the basilisk, but he hoped they would cause it to hesitate for a moment, giving him those precious few seconds he needed. Ideally, without Tom's control, the basilisk would actively avoid the area with realgar.
Of course, if the pellets proved ineffective, Albert had another ace up his sleeve—the basilisk feared the crowing of roosters. The house-elves had helped him raise a large flock of roosters, and when Tom Riddle's diary was released from its confinement, this wizarding cracker would become their new coop.
If the roosters didn't get a chance to fulfill their intended purpose, they could always be used to make a hearty chicken soup, making them a dual-purpose asset. Albert just wasn't sure if the house-elves knew how to make chicken soup.
Albert's preparations didn't end there. He also had the Portus Stone for quick transformations. By throwing it, he could use metamorphosis magic to swiftly create a stone wall to block off the corridor. Whether the basilisk would try to ram its head through the wall was anyone's guess, but it would at least buy him some time.
He had also salvaged some old armor and rusty weapons from the junk pile in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, creating two decoy suits of armor. With the right enchantments, these could move and even attack the basilisk to buy him time to escape if necessary.
Additionally, he had the Arrow Spell, a spell he had learned from Professor Flitwick, which would actively seek out large creatures upon being cast. Whether it could strike the basilisk's eyes would be a matter of luck.
There was also the Sticky Sphere, which could create a small area of sticky goo to impede the basilisk's movements. Unfortunately, Albert hadn't found a way to expand the range of the sticky quagmire.
Lastly, he had a flying broomstick for a quick escape. If it came down to a race for his life, he knew he wouldn't outrun the basilisk, so taking to the skies on a broomstick was a viable option.
However, Albert didn't think he would need to resort to using the broomstick.
Most of the items in the box were meant for stalling and evading, as he had never intended to directly confront the basilisk. From the start, he knew that the basilisk's gaze was too dangerous for him to take such a risk.
Of course, if he found himself in a truly desperate situation, he still had one more despicable trick up his sleeve—a time-turner escape. But Albert wasn't keen on using this method unless absolutely necessary, as one had to be extremely cautious with time-turners, or else who knew what unintended consequences could arise from their use.
Despite all his preparations and magical items, Albert still couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
"It feels like I'm missing something," he muttered, checking the items in the box once more and furrowing his brow. He felt like he had overlooked something crucial.
Pacing in front of the desk, he muttered to himself until he finally realized what the box was lacking.
Felix Felicis.
That's right, his bottle of liquid luck was empty.
When it came to matters of personal safety, having Felix Felicis on hand was essential. While the potion wasn't a panacea, drinking it would temporarily enhance his natural abilities and, coupled with his meticulous preparations, significantly increase his chances of success.
Albert immediately sat back down at his desk and penned a letter to Master Potioneer Hector, expressing his desire to purchase some Felix Felicis and his willingness to negotiate a fair price.
He trusted that Master Hector wouldn't overcharge him, as he certainly didn't lack for money.
After some thought, Albert wrote another letter to Bard, inquiring if they had any Felix Felicis in their reserves.
Once he obtained the potion, he could proceed with his plan for Tom, and this lingering threat would finally be resolved. Ideally, he wanted to take care of it before the Easter holidays.
(End of Chapter)
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