Chapter 698: The Value of a Plan
Chapter 698: The Value of a Plan
"Any news?"
Lee Jordan slathered jam onto his slice of bread as he glanced sideways at Albert, who was perusing the Prophet. He asked casually.
"Sirius Black has been spotted."
Albert placed the newspaper on the table and tapped the location of the report with his index finger. "A Muggle saw him far from here and called the hotline. By the time the Ministry officials arrived, Sirius Black had vanished."
"Far from here?" George leaned in, peering at the content on the paper and grumbling, "Sounds odd."
"Sirius Black is trying to divert attention elsewhere," Albert speculated. "Remember, any wizard can apparate to any part of Britain in a short time with a Disillusionment Charm."
"Can you scry to locate Sirius Black?" Lee Jordan asked in a low voice.
"I should be able to, but it might be challenging to capture him based on that alone." Albert could certainly capture Black, but now wasn't the time.
"I hate Divination."
Fred, who was copying his Divination homework, let out a pained groan.
"If you spent some time finishing it properly, you wouldn't have to complain."
"Shut up, you homework-free bloke," Fred said to his twin. "Stuff some bread in his mouth."
"What flavor would you like?" George asked with a grin.
"Orange, not too much... jam." Albert's tone faltered as he noticed an owl flying towards him. It dropped an envelope onto the table in front of him.
The others were used to this, as Albert received a letter approximately every other day.
"Who's it from?"
"The old fox." Albert glanced at the sender and then traded it for George's slice of bread.
"He says he's obtained the seeds we want." George opened the letter and carefully read the contents, frowning as he said, "But the price he's asking for... is a bit high."
"What's the problem with the price?" Fred took the letter from George and read it. Then, addressing the three of them, he said, "That guy always likes to joke around. It's best if we go to Hogsmeade to discuss this with him in person."
"Are you guys really planning to grow that stuff?" Lee Jordan still thought that the Venomous Tentacula was too dangerous and tried to dissuade the trio from cultivating such a perilous plant.
"You shouldn't need too much, right?"
"We need the young branches of the Venomous Tentacula for the Fever Fudge," Fred explained, furrowing his brow. "They secrete a poison that, when ingested, gives people a 'burning' sensation and raises their body temperature. The Fever Fudge mimics these fever symptoms. But we haven't found a suitable antidote yet."
Indeed, the young branches of the Venomous Tentacula secreted a toxic fluid. However, Fred worried about the procurement of raw materials, which would cut into their profits.
"I still think this is a bit dangerous. There have been quite a few incidents of people dying from the Venomous Tentacula," Lee Jordan persisted in his attempts to convince his three roommates to abandon this risky idea.
"We can get our hands on the seeds first and decide whether to grow them later." George sought Albert's opinion. "But as for the price... what do you think is a fair amount?"
"Cut it in half," Albert replied without hesitation. "Leave some profit for that guy, and he'll be more willing to help us find the materials we need. After all, some things can't be obtained through regular channels, so it's understandable to ask for a higher price."
"You're not planning to come with us?" George was a bit surprised, as Albert's presence in the negotiations would likely save them some Galleons.
"No, I might be participating in the tournament around that time..." Albert made an excuse to decline the offer to negotiate with Mundungus.
Recently, the four of them hadn't dared to sneak out to Hogsmeade Village, as it was now under lockdown due to the nuisance of Dementors.
As they finished eating and prepared to leave the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall strode towards them with purposeful steps. She handed a parchment to Albert and, in a lowered voice, asked, "How are your preparations coming along?"
"It's going well," Albert replied, understanding Professor McGonagall's implication. "Professor Snape's tutoring sessions have concluded, and I've been learning forest survival skills from Hagrid recently."
"Do your best, Mr. Anderson," Professor McGonagall encouraged. "Hogwarts hasn't won the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship in a long while."
"I'll strive to win, but as you know, cheating has always been a tradition in these competitions," Albert stated calmly.
Well, he said this to try and trigger more tasks, but unfortunately, it didn't work.
Professor McGonagall fell silent, scrutinizing Albert before sighing. "You're right; everyone knows it, but I believe in your capabilities."
With that, Professor McGonagall walked away, fearing that Albert might utter something else shocking.
For instance: "Let's cheat, too," or something along those lines.
"Did you notice Professor McGonagall's expression just now?"
The three of them had witnessed the entire exchange and admired Albert's boldness in speaking so directly to Professor McGonagall.
"Cheating has always been a tradition in competitions."
"Everyone knows it."
Hearing those words from Albert was like hearing: "Let's cheat, too!" The three of them had to stifle their laughter.
"Is that the notice?"
Lee Jordan snatched the parchment from Albert's hand, scanned its contents, and said with a smile, "I don't think you'll be able to find an excuse to get out of this one!"
He then passed the notice to their roommates, saying to Albert, "The first Hogsmeade weekend is at the end of October, right before Halloween."
"I have a date!" Albert said seriously. "I'm busy, and you guys need to learn to stand on your own two feet. You can't rely on me for everything."
"You're ditching us for a girl!"
"Stop messing around. I think you going will be the perfect opportunity to gauge Mundungus' bottom line."
"It's not good to keep pushing someone's limits. We should let him earn some money, then he'll be more willing to help us find what we need."
"You always find a way to weasel out of things. If you want to go on a date, just say so."
"I just did."
After returning to the Gryffindor common room, Albert used a Sticking Charm to affix the notice to the bulletin board.
Several students immediately gathered around to read it, buzzing with excitement as they discussed Hogsmeade in front of the old bulletin board.
Albert headed upstairs to prepare dinner for Tom, then took the cat downstairs for some fresh air.
However, the fat cat didn't like to move around much and always preferred to lounge like a grumpy old man, eyeing the students in the common room with a critical gaze.
Albert found a quiet corner and started writing a reply to Mundungus, clearly stating in the letter that his asking price was too high and setting a time to meet in Hogsmeade.
Just as Albert was sealing the letter, he heard a roar coming from the direction of the common room.
He looked up and saw Hermione's Crookshanks trying to pounce on something in Ron's bag, or rather, something inside Ron's bag.
"Get that cat!" Ron yelled.
No one helped.
Everyone in the common room was enjoying the spectacle of cat versus mouse.
Spot's speed was astonishing, and he was more than a match for Crookshanks, the two of them darting back and forth between people's feet.
Finally, the mouse darted into a cabinet, and Crookshanks suddenly stopped, crouching low and furiously swiping his paw under the cabinet in an attempt to catch his prey, a sight that amused many of the students.
"That's enough, break it up!"
Albert bent down and picked up Crookshanks, rescuing Ron's mouse from the cat's claws.
"Thanks, that was a close one!" Ron muttered as he retrieved his mouse from under the cabinet.
"You should get a cage to keep the mouse in, so it doesn't run around loose." Albert handed the still eager Crookshanks back to Hermione.
"The cat should be the one locked up, not my mouse," Ron said warily, eyeing Crookshanks.
"All cats catch mice, Ron!" Hermione said.
"No, Tom, Albert's cat, doesn't catch mice." Ron seemed to want to make his point more convincingly, so he nudged Spot closer to Tom, and everyone saw Tom turn his head, his cat face wearing a very human-like expression of disgust.
"Tom's an exception, Ron. He can't catch mice, and he doesn't need to." George reminded him, "But you can't deny that most cats do catch mice."
"Tom has a good diet, he doesn't need to eat mice, and I wouldn't want him to anyway." Albert looked at the mouse in Ron's hand and asked, "By the way, is that Percy's mouse?"
Ron didn't answer. He strode across the common room and up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.
"Yes, it's Percy's," Fred answered for Ron. "After he became a prefect, his family bought him an owl, so to keep Crookshanks from eating Hermes, Percy gave the mouse to Ron."
"That mouse must be pretty old by now." Albert suddenly said, "Most mice don't live that long, it's quite incredible."
"Indeed..." George frowned slightly, as if trying to recall how long the mouse had been alive.
"Who knows, maybe it's about to kick the bucket!" Fred said nonchalantly. "It looked like it was on its last legs after we got back from Egypt."
"Mice usually only live for one to three years, so Ron's must be older than three." Albert said mysteriously, "Do you know what that means?"
"What?"
"A biological miracle." Albert explained, "A mouse that's lived for four or five years, maybe even longer, could fetch a hefty price in the Muggle world."
"Really?"
"How much do you think it could sell for?" George asked curiously.
"Definitely more than a few thousand Galleons if it's been alive for over a decade." Albert thought that those biological research labs would definitely be interested, as long as they could confirm the mouse's longevity.
"Are Muggles crazy to pay that much?"
"It has high research value, they might be able to uncover the secret to extending life."
"Why don't we convince Ron to sell the mouse!" Fred suddenly exclaimed. "If we can really make a few thousand Galleons, we won't need to bother with Black at all."
"It's not that simple, and even if we did sell the mouse, it would be difficult to exchange that money for Galleons." Albert shook his head. "I was just making an observation."
"You're always up to something... This was intentional, wasn't it?"
"You're despicable."
"Got my hopes up for nothing."
(End of Chapter)
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