Chapter 666: Happy Troubles
Chapter 666: Happy Troubles
The house-elves had long prepared guest rooms for the two elders. Albert would be sharing a room with Isabelle; before coming to France, he had secretly mentioned this arrangement to the Lemes. After unpacking their luggage from the stretchable pouch, they returned to the living room to chat and drink tea with Nicole and Perenelle.
At first, Isabelle was a bit reserved and quiet, sitting silently beside Albert as he casually chatted with the Lemes about recent happenings at Hogwarts, subtly steering the conversation towards the Dark Lord to set up the previous prophecy that Nicole had mentioned.
Nicole, having lived for so long, immediately guessed Albert's intention and didn't mind indulging him. Soon, the conversation turned to the Second Wizarding War a few years later.
Nicole had not actually prophesied about this event, but after hearing Albert's prophecy and the centaur's prediction, he found himself agreeing with Albert's perspective: the Second Wizarding War might not be far off.
"The centaurs' astrology is quite accurate," Nicole reminisced. "I've had dealings with them, but..."
"Centaurs have quite a temper," Albert interjected. "I've also interacted with them, and they're not very friendly towards wizards. Professor Dumbledore is probably an exception."
"Yes, Dumbledore seems to befriend everyone," Nicole smiled. "However, I doubt their conversations included astrology. Dumbledore isn't too fond of divination, despite his extensive research in the subject."
"He doesn't have the gift for divination?" Isabelle asked.
Perhaps her situation was similar! She had excelled in the O.W.Ls divination exam but lacked the talent for predicting the future.
"Yes, despite his outstanding exam results, he couldn't foresee the future through a crystal ball," Nicole smiled at Isabelle. "Divination requires a gift that not every wizard possesses."
"I guess I'm lucky, then," Albert thought, knowing his divination abilities came from his system panel.
"I can understand how Headmaster Dumbledore feels," Isabelle set down her tea cup and said resignedly, "Wizards who can truly glimpse the future are rare. If someone suddenly told me they could predict the future, my first reaction would be to call them a fraud."
"Perenelle also suspected I was a fraud," Nicole recalled. "Fortunately, I was able to prove my authenticity with facts."
"Nothing is more convincing than the truth," Perenelle added, pouring another cup of tea for Aetet.
"Karl, go to the study and bring the crystal ball here," Nicole instructed.
Soon, the house-elf carefully placed the crystal ball on the table.
Nicole gestured for Albert to begin.
Albert focused his gaze on the crystal ball, and after a few seconds, the mist within began to shift.
He saw a box containing two rings...
Isabelle stared intently at the crystal ball, her cheeks reddening as she witnessed a scene of the two of them embracing and kissing.
"You shouldn't have let Albert make that prophecy; now the surprise is ruined," Perenelle said as she placed a wooden box on the table, opening it to reveal the two silver rings from the prophecy.
"These rings were crafted by fairies. They were once our wedding rings," Perenelle said, pushing the box towards Albert and winking at the young couple. "Now, they belong to you."
Isabelle and Albert exchanged a glance and pushed the box back towards Perenelle.
"These rings hold more sentimental value for you," Isabelle said.
"We feel it's more meaningful to pass them on to you," Nicole smiled. "For us, witnessing your wedding is what's important. Also, we're a bit concerned that our supply of the Elixir of Life won't last until then."
"What did you see in the crystal ball?" Albert asked.
"I saw that we wouldn't be able to attend your wedding," Nicole frowned. "It won't go smoothly, and some terrible things will happen."
"If I get married, I'll definitely invite Professor Dumbledore. That should keep those unpleasant folks away," Albert said calmly.
"Perenelle and I have discussed it, and we think the best solution is to help you hold this wedding ahead of time," Nicole said. "Back in our day, it was quite normal for people our age to get married." Perenelle then asked the house-elf to bring two boxes, one containing a delicate sapphire necklace and the other a headpiece adorned with diamonds.
"A simple, secret wedding will solve the problem once and for all."
In fact, Albert had also guessed this might be a possibility, but hearing it out loud still felt incredible.
"Shouldn't we inform our families?" Isabelle was startled by the elderly couple's peculiar line of thinking.
"It does sound a bit like eloping," Albert teased with a laugh.
Despite the absurdity of the situation, Albert knew that the Lemes' intentions were pure, and sometimes it wasn't easy to change plans that were already set in motion.
"Perhaps we can get engaged first," Albert suggested, his mind racing, "The Second Wizarding War won't last forever, and we can always have a proper wedding after it's over."
As he spoke, Albert furrowed his brow, realizing that if they waited, who knew what the future would bring, and the best course of action might be to marry immediately.
"Let's discuss this for a few days," Albert said apologetically to the elderly couple, "As you know, marriage is a significant decision, and we can't rush into it without careful consideration."
He understood their good intentions but felt there wasn't a better alternative.
"There's no rush," Nicole consoled, "You have plenty of time to think it over."
"My mother won't agree," Isabelle said later that evening as the couple retired for the night. "She's always hoped we wouldn't marry too young."
"She just doesn't want you to have children too soon," Albert said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders comfortingly, "I understand. She's worried we can't handle the responsibility of parenthood, and she thinks we're too young."
"That's true. We're still kids ourselves," Isabelle agreed.
Albert didn't pursue the topic further and instead frowned as he said, "We need to find a good reason to decline their offer."
"Are you worried about the prophecy?" Isabelle guessed his reason.
"If the prophecy is true, this might be the best solution. But..." Albert trailed off.
"But what?" Isabelle asked.
"You know my personality. Knowing there's danger, I wouldn't let us walk into a trap. Perhaps it's a plot," Albert explained.
Indeed! Who would knowingly walk into danger? That would be asking for trouble.
Albert certainly wouldn't do that.
"A plot?" Isabelle didn't understand.
In truth, she was also troubled. While she knew the Lemes' intentions were pure, getting married right now was... unacceptable.
They were still in school, and who knew how people would react if they found out. Isabelle herself wasn't ready for such a step.
"Don't worry, I've already thought of a way to convince them," Albert reassured her.
"What do you plan to do?" Isabelle asked.
"Do you know what my first thought was after hearing the prophecy? If someone were to disrupt our wedding, I'd set a trap and catch them all in one go. For example, I could collaborate with the Ministry of Magic and have them set up a fake wedding, giving the Aurors a chance to ambush the Death Eaters," Albert explained.
It wasn't surprising that he would think that way, as Albert's thought process was unique.
"You mean..." Isabelle furrowed her brow, "But I don't think that reason will convince them."
"To be safe, I've decided to perform divination on our wedding," Albert revealed his plan, "Only the results of divination can persuade them to drop the idea. If the prophecy turns out to be accurate, then we'll go ahead with a secret wedding."
"You're gambling," Isabelle stated.
"No, I'm not taking our future lightly," Albert said seriously, "I won't allow that to happen. Do you understand?"
"Alright, if all else fails, we can elope," Isabelle reluctantly agreed after much deliberation. Like most girls, she too dreamed of a grand wedding.
That night, Albert raised his divination skill to level five, becoming a true master of prophecy.
In the end, his proposal was accepted by the Lemes.
The crystal ball filled with swirling white mist, and within it, a wedding ceremony unfolded before their eyes. They saw Isabelle in a bridal gown, familiar faces, their families, the Lemes, Dumbledore, and no signs of battle or death—a simple wedding.
Finally, they saw a silver plaque with a string of Arabic numerals: 96715.
"What's that at the end?" Isabelle asked, relieved.
"It's the date of our wedding," Albert explained, "It's a method I often use, allowing the future to send a message to the past. While it sounds incredible, it's possible."
"The future has changed," Nicole exclaimed, surprised, as such occurrences were rare.
"No, I think your prophecy might be..." Albert hesitated before sharing his speculation with the Lemes.
(End of Chapter)
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