https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-650-Unveiling-the-Unknown-Once-More/12527073/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-652-Being-a-Good-Person-Occasionally/12527078/
Chapter 651: The Village Chief
Chapter 651: The Village Chief
“What happened to him?” “He had an epileptic fit!”
“Quick, take him to the hospital wing!” On the night of their return to school, an unexpected event occurred in the Gryffindor common room. Upon learning that the Slytherin heir had been captured and that Harry Potter had slain the monster lurking in the Chamber of Secrets, Kenneth Toole felt his chest tighten and his eyes roll back, nearly fainting on the spot.
Thinking that Kenneth was having an epileptic seizure, everyone rushed to send him to the hospital wing. The unlucky boy was forced to down a large cup of calming potion by Madam Pomfrey before he could calm down. He muttered to himself, unaware of his surroundings, and now had to remain in the hospital wing for observation.
Just as George had mocked in the library, Kenneth had indeed procured quite a few effective amulets, intending to make a fortune. But now, he found himself stuck with all the merchandise, and he almost fainted from rage.
This incident caused a minor stir.
However, most of the students' attention was now focused on Harry Potter and Albert Anderson.
Lupin's resignation also became a popular topic of discussion.
Many students were astonished to find that during their brief Easter holiday, the school had undergone tremendous changes. What surprised them even more was the revelation that the Chamber of Secrets truly existed, and it had been harboring a terrifying Basilisk.
Such discussions continued until the end of April when they were replaced by talk of the upcoming Quidditch match.
With the school returning to its usual tranquility, the previously postponed Quidditch match was back on.
Wood was probably the happiest about this development.
This year, the Gryffindor team had high hopes of winning the Quidditch Cup again.
After all, they had already defeated their strong rivals, Slytherin.
As for the House Cup, Gryffindor's lead in points had essentially dashed the hopes of the other houses. Even Snape had to give up, although he still frequently found excuses to deduct points from Gryffindor, it did little to shake Gryffindor's dominant position.
Time quietly slipped into May, and Hermione shared some news with Albert.
"Fred and George think it would be best to consult with you before proceeding with their plan. If you think their plan will succeed, then our chances of success will be greatly improved." Hermione explained.
Hearing this, Albert was at a loss for words.
"Go ahead and tell me about your plan!" Albert agreed to help.
A "liberation" quest had been triggered on the task panel. Although the rewards were mediocre, the opportunity to gain the friendship of house-elves, considering the possibility of hiring them in the future, was enticing.
After all, Albert had always appreciated the hard work and reliability of house-elves.
"We plan to send a package to Lucius Malfoy with a bunch of random items, including socks. I think Lucius Malfoy will definitely hand the package over to his house-elf. The challenge is to ensure that the house-elf discovers the socks in the package in time and thus gains its freedom," Hermione explained her plan.
"You haven't been in contact with that house-elf, have you? Perhaps you could secretly send it a few letters to inform it of your plan," Albert suggested without hesitation.
"Well... we're worried that Lucius Malfoy might find the letters and our plan would fail!" Harry explained, "We were hoping that you could help us with a divination, or as Fred and George said, your predictions are quite accurate."
"Okay, I think you have a high chance of success," Albert agreed, believing that the house-elf would leave the Malfoy Manor.
That is, if Harry actually sent the package.
"You can write down your prediction and send it along with the package to Lucius. I'm sure he'll be furious when he reads it," Albert suggested to Harry, "Also, remind him that when the mysterious person returns and finds that the treasure he was supposed to keep safe is missing, he'll be in big trouble."
"The treasure that the mysterious person entrusted to the Malfoys?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Yes, do you think Lucius Malfoy would have such a thing? That diary was a very bizarre object; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to open the Chamber of Secrets," Albert explained.
"So, Lucius Malfoy is in for some bad luck?" Ron looked pleased at the prospect.
"Not just bad luck, he's already in deep trouble. I think you guys might have missed it in the Prophet a few days ago," Albert handed a newspaper to Ron and pointed to a section at the bottom:
Lucius Malfoy was expelled from the school board.
Of course, the Daily Prophet wouldn't elaborate on the reason, only providing a brief mention. But Albert's words had undoubtedly come true.
"That's fantastic!" Ron cheered, "I bet Malfoy won't be so arrogant anymore."
Harry was also delighted to see Malfoy's misfortune.
The sound of Fred and George's laughter echoed outside the door, followed by a knock. When they opened the door, Fred, George, and Ginny were standing outside.
"What are you guys whispering about in here?" George asked curiously.
"About making old Malfoy lose his servant." Albert diverted the topic, "What were you guys laughing about just now?"
"We caught Percy making out with Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw Prefect, in an empty classroom," Fred explained with a wicked grin.
"Caught?"
Albert gave Fred and George a look, knowing full well that they had deliberately intruded.
"If you keep doing this, Percy is going to beat you up. No one likes to be disturbed when they're on a date," Albert warned them.
"Including you?"
"Of course, including me." Albert shrugged, "Actually, they've been dating for quite some time now."
"You knew and didn't tell us!"
"If you guys had gone to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, you would have run into them. Besides, I promised Percy I'd keep it a secret," Albert retorted, shutting down Fred and George's complaints.
"Do you think they'll get married?" Hermione, who got along well with Percy, was also interested in such gossip.
"It's a bit difficult," Albert admitted, noticing everyone's gaze on him. He shrugged helplessly, "Percy will likely join the Ministry of Magic. In fact, you should be able to guess this. If he wants to climb the career ladder, he'll need to marry into a powerful pure-blood wizarding family to ensure a smooth path."
"I shouldn't have asked," Fred and George said, covering their faces with their hands, having lost all hope for Percy's love life.
"Is that really how it is?"
The cruel reality was a blow to Hermione.
"The wizarding world is quite exclusive," Albert explained to Hermione, "The upper echelons of the Ministry of Magic are dominated by pure-blood wizards, and Muggle-born wizards don't fare well there. I guess you'll be joining the Ministry, and the road ahead might be tough unless you find a powerful ally. As for Potter, he probably won't have this problem. The Potter family is an ancient one, and Harry Potter is a savior, which is a big plus."
"What about you?" Hermione asked.
"I've never thought about joining the Ministry, nor am I interested in its power struggles," Albert replied with a smile, "Do you know how many wizards there are in Britain?"
"Ten thousand?"
"I don't know, but I don't think it's ten thousand. The number of wizards is actually quite small."
"The wizarding population in Britain might barely fill a village! You can estimate the rough number from the students who enter Hogwarts each year," Albert scoffed, "The Minister for Magic is essentially a village chief."
Although it sounded satirical, it was the truth.
(End of Chapter)
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