Chapter 690: It's All Malfoy's Fault
Chapter 690: It's All Malfoy's Fault
"I hate that big mouth of yours."
Lee Jordan glared at the Flobberworm in front of him, his face contorting in disgust.
As Albert had predicted, that little brat, Draco Malfoy, had successfully shattered Hagrid's confidence as a teacher and, in the process, ruined Care of Magical Creatures classes. Aside from the first lesson, Hagrid's subsequent classes had become incredibly dull, with all students forced to learn how to care for Flobberworms! "Why do we have to bother with these worms? They're not even part of our O.W.Ls," Fred grumbled, shooting angry glances at the Slytherins who were huddled together, probably plotting more mischief.
"I hope Albert can cheer Hagrid up, or our Care of Magical Creatures O.W.Ls are doomed," George said, his eyes fixed on Albert, who was talking to Hagrid. He was pinning all his hopes on their friend.
"Are you alright?" Albert asked gently, looking at the dejected and disheveled Hagrid. "I heard about what happened yesterday."
"I'm... fine," Hagrid croaked, as if the words were being wrung from him. "I should've listened to your advice and not messed up the first lesson like this."
"Come now, cheer up. This is just a minor setback in your career as the Care of Magical Creatures professor," Albert consoled him softly.
"...Minor setback, you say. Easy for you to say, it's not your..." Hagrid's voice trailed off, his expression gloomy.
Sighing softly at Hagrid's fragile state, Albert asked, "Did Harry deliver my message to you yesterday?"
"Last night, after I'd had a few drinks, Harry came by... well, I took him back to the castle in a hurry," Hagrid said, his memory of the previous night a bit fuzzy.
He had gotten drunk.
"They're so unreliable!" Albert muttered under his breath. Raising his hand to silence Hagrid, he continued, "Actually, you don't have to worry about being fired. Professor Dumbledore will smooth things over for you."
"I don't want to cause any more trouble for..."
"No, don't say that," Albert interrupted, his gaze stern as he looked at Hagrid. Under Albert's intense gaze, Hagrid shrunk back slightly, a hint of fear in his eyes.
"They will investigate you, but Professor Dumbledore will vouch for you. You might still have to go before the Wizarding Court, though..."
"The Wizarding Court," Hagrid whispered, his voice trembling.
"Don't worry," Albert said calmly, as if discussing something trivial. "Professor Dumbledore will take care of the Ministry of Magic for you."
"So, I won't get into trouble?" Hagrid asked, blinking.
"No, you won't," Albert assured him seriously. "So, if they question you, just insist that it was Draco Malfoy who ignored your advice, broke classroom rules, and violated safety guidelines. It's all Malfoy's fault, and you had nothing to do with it. If they try to pin you down with their nonsense, just respond with: 'Why is it that everyone else is fine and only Malfoy is injured? It's because he broke the rules and injured himself.' In fact, you should've put Malfoy in detention."
"But..."
"No buts. Just shift all the blame onto Malfoy," Albert advised. "After all, this is truly Malfoy's own doing, isn't it?"
"Th-that's..." Hagrid couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Yes, that's right. But I still feel..." Hagrid's lack of confidence was a common reaction when facing authoritative institutions.
Albert pulled out a bottle of potion from his pocket and handed it to Hagrid. "The next time you have to go to court or are questioned, remember to drink some of this. If it's not strong enough, you can ask Madam Pomfrey for more."
"What is it?"
"A calming draught," Albert said calmly. "Panicking will never solve anything."
"Will this really work?" Hagrid asked, eyeing the potion warily.
"Try it and see," Albert said, handing the bottle to Hagrid. "Now, tell me what I just said to you."
Hagrid took a swig of the calming draught, thought for a moment, and replied, "Malfoy ignored my advice and broke safety rules, which is why he got hurt."
"And?" Albert prompted.
"Why is it that everyone else is fine and only Malfoy is injured? It's because he ignored my advice and broke the safety rules," Hagrid recited.
"Just remember those two sentences," Albert reminded him. "Don't say anything extra. They'll just use it against you. You don't need to argue; just listen quietly. When they ask for your input, respond with those two sentences. With Dumbledore on your side, the Ministry of Magic won't dare send you to Azkaban again. You've already been wrongfully imprisoned twice."
"Are you sure this will work?" Hagrid asked, his voice laced with worry.
"As long as you remember to take the calming draught, you'll be fine," Albert assured him before leaving. "And don't let those Ministry folks know you're taking it."
"Is it done?" The trio looked at Albert expectantly.
Albert shook his head. "I don't know."
"You don't sound very confident," Fred commented.
"All I can say is that I've said what needed to be said. The rest depends on when Hagrid can move past this incident," Albert replied.
"It's all Malfoy's fault," Albert said calmly.
"What exactly did you tell Hagrid?"
"I told him that it was all Malfoy's doing, and if anyone asks, he should say the same."
"Will that really be okay?"
"Of course," Albert said, "Malfoy hurt himself by disregarding Hagrid's advice. How can it be Hagrid's fault?"
The trio thought Albert's words made perfect sense, and indeed, that was what had happened. But would this be enough to convince others?
"No, because Hagrid's words won't matter. This issue needs to be resolved by Professor Dumbledore," Albert said nonchalantly, "That's politics."
The weather was chilly, and the biting wind sent shivers down their spines as the four of them made their way back to the castle along the dead grass slope after their Care of Magical Creatures class. The sporadic raindrops that fell on them made them shiver even more.
"Brr, this weather is horrible."
"It's because of the Dementors' activities. You guys should focus on your Patronus Charms; that spell is important," Albert reminded them.
"Important?"
"Yes, it is," Albert replied. "The Patronus Charm has always been associated with witches and wizards who fight for noble causes." He calmly shared what he knew: "It is said that those who can conjure a corporeal Patronus are often considered for high-ranking positions in the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic."
"That claim sounds a bit far-fetched."
"Perhaps we should suggest that Percy practice his Patronus Charm diligently," George quipped, "That guy has always been ambitious and wants to climb the ranks in the Ministry of Magic."
"The main reason is that most evil wizards are unable to conjure a Patronus," Albert continued, "and the Patronus Charm is widely considered a 'particularly advanced' spell, with many experienced witches and wizards encountering difficulties when attempting it. If you can master it, it implies that you are a virtuous and powerful wizard."
"That does make some sense," the trio acknowledged, feeling motivated to improve their Patronus Charms.
"Well, I'm surprised you're not scoffing at the idea of using a spell to judge someone's virtue," Albert teased, "but it's undeniable that the Patronus Charm can weed out most Dark wizards."
The trio gave Albert a look, speechless.
Albert said mysteriously, "Let me tell you a secret."
"What secret?" they asked casually.
"If you can show the examiner that you're able to conjure a corporeal Patronus during your O.W.Ls, they will definitely be inclined to give you high marks."
"That sounds good, but..."
The trio exchanged glances, feeling that the task of conjuring a corporeal Patronus was too daunting.
However, they decided to put in more effort into practicing the Patronus Charm.
Although the twins didn't care much about grades, they thought it would be nice to get an 'Outstanding' in their Defense Against the Dark Arts exam.
"By the way, we plan to test some of our magical candies on Malfoy," Fred excitedly brought up their plan to prank Malfoy, "We've invented quite a few candies that can induce various illnesses, but they still have some side effects."
"Those candies aren't safe yet," George frowned, "I think we can use the candy we invented based on the Skiving Snackboxes last time to deal with Malfoy, but we have to wait until after this incident. We'll have plenty of opportunities to mess with him."
"How many special-effect candies have you guys made so far?" Albert hadn't paid much attention to the Weasley twins' research and inventions.
"Thirteen," Fred proudly introduced their creations to Albert, "Floating, Calming, Cheering, Laughing, Crying, Tongue-Tying, Babbling, Fever, Diarrhea, Nosebleed, Sleeping, Vomiting, and Blowing-Up, which was inspired by Harry."
"However, most of the candies are still in the testing phase," George reminded him.
"In the future, we'll have more and more varieties of candies with different effects. We can categorize them into three types: Skiving Sweets, Joke Sweets, and Special-Effect Sweets," Albert suggested, then asked, "Which type of candy is the most stable at the moment?"
"We still have quite a bit of the Shrinking Solution left," Fred winked, "Maybe we can mix it into Slytherin's jam or honey. It would be quite a sight to see a group of Slytherins all feeling sad and down together."
"You spendthrift!" George scolded in a low voice, "The Shrinking Solution isn't cheap. I think making his anus spark with fireworks is a better choice, and we'll only target Malfoy. If it affects too many people, Snape will definitely investigate and come after us. Besides, the extract of Murtlap is much cheaper than the Shrinking Solution."
"I think George's idea is more interesting," Lee Jordan chimed in, "If we increase the dosage, do you think we can make Malfoy too scared to sit on the toilet? It would be even better if we could make him fart loudly in the Great Hall. I bet he would be remembered by countless students for that."
"I'm afraid not," George shook his head, "And Snape or Madam Pomfrey would be able to fix those issues."
"Just make sure you're discreet and don't get caught," Albert warned, "Otherwise, don't attempt it. It's not worth the risk."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
