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Chapter 686: Detention
Chapter 686: Detention
Early the next morning, Albert awoke with a start, bolting upright in bed and gasping for air. He had just experienced a nightmare.
In the dream, he was being suffocated by Katrina's ample chest on their wedding night, with her taking the place of the bride.
"Never... do that again to wake me up, got it!" Albert glared at the culprit of his nightmare, scooped up Tom, and spoke sternly to the cat, "Go run some laps. You need to lose weight."
Meow! Tom, now on the floor, crouched and scratched his ear with his paw, his adorable eyes fixed on Albert.
"Cuteness won't save you this time. Go get some exercise; you're getting too chubby to even walk properly. Don't you dare slack off; I'll have the house-elves keep an eye on you."
Albert got out of bed, quickly dressed, and opened the window, letting in a gust of cold wind from outside.
The rain from the night before had stopped, but the sky remained gloomy and gray, with cold fog enveloping Hogwarts Castle.
Undoubtedly, the fog was a result of the Dementors' presence.
It seemed that sunshine would be a rare sight for a while.
"Morning! You're up early. Oh, for Merlin's sake, could you shut the window?" Fred crawled out of his bed, yawned, and then quickly retreated back under the covers as the chilly breeze invaded the room.
"Sorry."
Albert chuckled and closed the window before beginning to tidy up the dormitory and prepare a spacious play area for Tom.
"Wow, that's a lot of space! You can already use the Undetectable Extension Charm to create such a stable area?" George approached the cat's enclosure, marveling at the expanded space within the cat cage.
The area inside the cage was larger than their dormitory, and Albert had even provided various toys for Tom.
"From now on, we won't need to bring a tent when we go camping." Fred teased.
"It's coming along," Albert replied with a smile as he explained the potential of the Undetectable Extension Charm. "I'm hoping to eventually create a spacious and stable area where we can grow our own ingredients and have a comfortable workshop for crafting our joke items."
"It would be so cool to just open a cabinet and have a whole workshop inside," Fred agreed, acknowledging the limitations of their current shop's capacity.
"The Ministry of Magic prohibits wizards from misusing the Undetectable Extension Charm," George reminded them.
"As long as we don't get caught, the Ministry won't bother us," Lee Jordan dismissed the concern.
"Ingredients will be a big issue if we ever open a store," Fred said, agreeing with Albert's perspective. "It's much more cost-effective to grow and cultivate our own supplies instead of buying everything."
"Can you also use weather-controlling charms?" Fred asked.
"I learned those during my trip to France," Albert replied as he prepared Tom's breakfast and placed it inside the specially crafted cat cage.
"Then we won't have to spend a fortune on renting expensive stores in Diagon Alley," Lee Jordan added, seeing the benefits of Albert's abilities.
"Trust me, by the time we graduate from Hogwarts in three years, money won't be an issue," Albert assured them, unconcerned about finances. "But there is one thing we need to consider—we can't keep those items in our shop. If our joke item store becomes popular, it'll attract unwanted attention, so we need to be prepared for potential investigations by the Ministry."
"You're as cautious as always."
"I think having a secret base would be awesome."
The trio reminisced about the Gryffindor secret base deep within the Forbidden Forest—a hidden and well-trapped location perfect for their purposes.
As the four of them headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, they found it mostly empty. Professor McGonagall approached them with a stack of papers, handing out the class schedules for the different grades.
"Oh, Anderson, could you come here for a moment? I need to speak with you." Professor McGonagall called out to Albert.
"You guys distribute the schedules. Make sure you get them to the right people," Albert instructed his friends.
After handing the schedules for the different grades to Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, Albert followed Professor McGonagall to a quiet corner of the Great Hall.
"Professor McGonagall, what's this regarding?" Albert asked directly.
"Anderson, are you familiar with the Magic Schools Potion Championship?" Professor McGonagall inquired.
"Somewhat," Albert replied. "Sigismund Bach, the author of 'Advanced Potion-Making,' is said to have dropped out of Hogwarts because the then-Headmaster wouldn't let him participate in that very championship. At least, that's the rumor." Albert had already guessed what the professor wanted to discuss.
His words left Professor McGonagall momentarily speechless.
There was no doubt that Sigismund Bach was a potion-making genius, and his book was a testament to that.
In hindsight, the Headmaster who had refused to let him compete as a minor now seemed like the "villain" of the story.
This was undoubtedly one of Hogwarts' darker historical secrets.
"This year, the Magical Gardens are hosting the Magic Schools Potion Championship," Professor McGonagall continued after a slight cough. "And someone has recommended you as a participant."
"I believe I'm not old enough yet!" Albert pointed out.
"There's no rule stating that minors can't compete," Professor McGonagall said, sounding a bit embarrassed as she recalled how Sigismund Bach had been refused due to his age.
"Isn't Isabelle also quite skilled in potion-making?" Albert asked.
"Miss McDougal will be going as well. There's no rule on the number of participants, but there will be an assessment to select the competitors." Professor McGonagall explained, "Starting this weekend, Professor Snape will be giving you extra lessons."
"Can we change teachers?" Albert murmured.
Having Snape tutor him would undoubtedly be a torturous experience.
Due to Lupin's situation, Snape's mood was likely foul, and going to him for lessons now would only invite trouble.
"What?" Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow.
"When does the Potion Championship start?" Albert quickly changed the subject.
"Early November." Professor McGonagall replied, looking at Albert, "Professor Snape is an expert in potion-making."
"I know he's an expert." Albert said without hesitation, "But I don't want to rub him the wrong way. I can tell he's been in a foul mood lately."
Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, taken aback by Albert's bluntness.
"Professor Snape has been teaching potion classes for years, and his emotions won't affect his ability to impart knowledge to you." Professor McGonagall could only offer this consolation, "Besides, we can't find another potion master to teach you."
"Do your best. It's been a long time since anyone from Hogwarts won the Golden Cauldron, and I believe you can do it." Professor McGonagall quickly interrupted Albert, not wanting to hear any more surprises.
As she hurried away, Albert couldn't help but smirk.
Upon seeing Albert return, the curious Lee Jordan eagerly asked, "What did Professor McGonagall want with you?"
"She said that the Magical Gardens will be hosting a Magic Schools Potion Championship this year." Albert lowered his voice, "She wants me to represent the school in the competition, and she also said that I should go to Snape for extra lessons during the weekends."
"Oh, Merlin! Weekend detentions with Snape?" Fred and George both wore expressions of pity.
"It's extra lessons." Albert corrected stubbornly.
"That's detention. There's not much difference." Lee Jordan quipped.
"I think winning the championship with your skills won't be too difficult." George was confident in his friend, "By the way, when are you leaving school?"
"November."
"Speaking of which, it's surprising that old bat would recommend you for the competition. I feel like he's up to something." Fred commented.
"I don't think so." Albert shook his head.
"Aren't there any other students from the school participating?"
Fred figured there should be some upperclassmen who were skilled in potion-making, maybe not as good as Albert, but they could have other advantages.
Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from the neighboring Slytherin table.
"Here's the new third-year schedule." As George handed out the schedules to Harry, he noticed Malfoy pretending to faint again, his expression unchanged, "That little idiot ran to our compartment when the Dementors were checking the carriages."
"He almost wet himself." Fred said disdainfully.
"Dementors are scarier than you think. But if you want to overcome those creatures, you can try learning the Patronus Charm, though that damn spell is hard to master."
"Patronus Charm? What's that?" Hermione looked up from her schedule, curious, "Is it the spell Professor Lupin used to drive away the Dementors?"
"Yes, only a Patronus can repel Dementors, but it's a very advanced spell, extremely difficult to learn. We've been studying it for a long time and still haven't mastered it. However, Albert has managed to create all sorts of variations of the spell."
"I don't have time."
Albert, who was researching exploding tomatoes, cut off whatever Harry was about to say.
To be honest, he couldn't understand why anyone would want to eat tomatoes that way.
It was baffling.
"Yes, Albert doesn't have time, he has other things to do, Harry. You can consider approaching him again after he's done." George reminded Harry.
"You can teach him the spell first, or Potter, you can go directly to our Dark Arts Defense professor. I think he'd be willing to teach you, that's what I used to do." Albert had no intention of wasting time on Potter.
Harry would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed, and he was considering asking Professor Lupin about the Patronus Charm.
Ron pointed at Hermione's schedule and said, "There's a problem with your schedule."
"I'll figure something out."
"But you can't possibly attend three classes at the same time, can you?"
Hermione put away her schedule, interrupting Ron, "I've already discussed it with Professor McGonagall, and it won't be a problem."
"She'll probably use the Multiplying Charm, just like Albert." George looked at his clueless younger brother and shook his head, "That's a secret that's only revealed to students who take all elective subjects. My silly little brother, there are some secrets you shouldn't ask about, and even if you do, they won't easily tell you."
"I'm not silly at all." Ron said irritably, knowing that Hermione was hiding something from him and Harry.
(End of Chapter)
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