Chapter 702: The Intrusion
Chapter 702: The Intrusion
"What time is it?"
Isabel, just waking up, snuggled her head into Albert's embrace and asked groggily.
"It's almost half-past six," Albert replied, reaching for the pocket watch on the bedside table and checking the time by the faint candlelight. "We should get up; we still have the Halloween feast to attend later."
"I'm a bit tired," the girl mumbled.
"Probably low blood sugar," Albert said gently, holding his girlfriend tenderly.
He placed the pocket watch back on the table and grabbed a box of chocolates from the stash of sweets, unwrapping it and feeding her a piece. "You'll feel better after some sweets. Open up—ah!"
"Blood sugar?" Isabel asked, biting into the chocolate hazily and snuggling closer to Albert like a kitten. "What's that?"
"Want more?"
"Mhm."
After slowly feeding Isabel the entire piece of chocolate, the two finally got out of bed. The girl stood in front of the mirror, straightening her wrinkled clothes, before rushing downstairs to the Great Hall with the last ten minutes to spare.
Hundreds of floating pumpkins lit up the Great Hall, as Professor Flitwick had to resort to other means of decoration due to Hagrid's negligence of the giant pumpkins in the field.
Albert quickly found Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who had saved him a spot beneath a cluster of fluttering bats.
"It cost us thirteen galleons," Fred whispered, feigning interest in the orange streamers on the ceiling. "But we can't be sure if that bloke swindled us with fakes."
As he spoke, George pulled out a dried bean pod-like seed of the poisonous tentacula from a bulging bag.
Albert brought the seed close to his ear, hearing a faint rustling sound, and nodded. "It's what we want. Don't plant it for now; let's find a box to keep it safe first."
"Will do," George agreed.
Before long, the Halloween feast began, and delicious dishes appeared on golden plates, instantly capturing everyone's attention.
Albert focused on a chicken leg, casually chatting with his roommates about the day's events.
If all went according to plan, Black would have already infiltrated Hogwarts Castle and attempted to enter the Gryffindor common room via the Fat Lady.
Now was the best opportunity to capture Black, but Albert had no intention of doing so just yet. Capturing Black now meant losing his galleons, and Black would undoubtedly face certain death.
Albert usually had patience for individuals who could potentially bring him great benefits.
The feast drew to a close amid laughter and merrymaking.
This year's Halloween feast concluded with a performance by the Hogwarts ghosts. At the Gryffindor table, the Nearly Headless Nick was reenacting the scene of his beheading.
"I think we can invent a similar game," George suggested to his roommates, eyes on Nick. "We can have a wooden figurine slowly climb a set of stairs towards a noose, and players will have to answer riddles. If they fail, the figurine gets hanged."
"I think kids would love that," Albert agreed casually. "You could add some sound effects when the figurine is hanged, or even include some penalties for failed players."
"I was thinking of inventing a pair of boots that let you walk on walls," Lee Jordan said, eyeing the floating ghosts. "Or maybe a prop that lets people float in mid-air."
"Perhaps you could stuff some Billywig stings in your mouth," Fred suggested without hesitation. "We still have plenty left from our last purchase. I heard that if you eat enough of those, you can float forever."
"It's not about eating a lot, it's about allergies, and very few people would be that unlucky," Albert explained.
"A suspended levitation charm, perhaps, and then enchant a pair of boots to let you adhere to walls. That might do the trick." George offered his thoughts.
After the feast concluded, the well-fed Albert strolled leisurely behind the crowd. Before he could return to the common room, he spotted Professor Dumbledore hurrying toward the Gryffindor common room. Soon after, everyone turned back, making their way toward the Great Hall.
"What's going on?"
"Black damaged the Fat Lady's portrait," Fred explained. "By the way, where were you earlier?"
"Right behind you," Albert replied, covering his yawn lazily. "I ate too much and walked slowly."
Students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin also arrived, and the Great Hall buzzed with whispers as everyone sought information from students of other houses.
The chaotic scene gradually calmed only when Dumbledore appeared.
All students were informed by the headmaster that they would be spending the night in the Great Hall, as the castle would undergo a thorough search.
Before leaving, Dumbledore cleared the hall and conjured hundreds of sleeping bags for the students to spend the night.
However, the prefects were less fortunate. They were tasked with standing guard at the entrance of the Great Hall to maintain order and ensure no disturbances occurred.
"Do you think Black is still in the castle?" Shanna moved closer to Albert, her wand in hand, looking slightly anxious.
"Don't worry, Black is no longer in the castle," Albert reassured her.
The two weaved their way through the crowd, heading toward the outskirts of the Great Hall.
"Did you foresee it?" Shanna asked quietly.
"No, as long as Black isn't foolish, he wouldn't linger in the castle. It's inevitable that the professors would search the castle thoroughly," Albert said. "However, his action of destroying the Fat Lady's portrait shows that he's emotionally out of control."
"How did he even get in?" Shanna was more concerned about this question.
"Probably through a secret passage," Albert replied without hesitation. "There are many secret passages in the school, and it wouldn't be strange if Black knew one of them."
"But Filch knows all the secret passages," Shanna reminded him.
"Impossible for Filch to know them all," Albert said, spotting Nick approaching them. "Yes, Nick? What's the matter?"
"Percy's looking for you," Nick informed them.
"I know," Albert replied.
As Albert reached Percy's side, he was instructed, along with the other prefects, to search the castle with Professor McGonagall.
As for him and Shanna, they were to remain in the Great Hall to patrol and maintain order.
"I could switch with them," Albert said, not keen on staying in the Great Hall, as it would be hard to slack off there.
"I'm fine with it, too," Shanna said, recalling Albert's words, feeling that staying by Albert's side probably wouldn't be too dangerous.
"We're fine," Albert added.
Few people were willing to participate in the task of searching for Black, as talking about him was one thing, but actually hunting him down was another.
"Nick, please lead them to Professor McGonagall," Percy said contentedly, pleased with the efficiency of his team.
"You must know something!"
Shanna knew Albert wasn't one to boast, and she was sure that if he said Black was no longer in the castle, he had some evidence to back it up.
"Black damaged the Fat Lady's portrait with a knife," Albert said, taking out some candies from his pocket, popping one into his mouth, and offering a few to Shanna. "Have some candy to refresh yourself. We won't be getting any sleep tonight."
"Are you saying Black doesn't have his wand?" Shanna was quick-witted and immediately grasped the reason.
"If Black had his wand, I think he would have completely burned the portrait in his rage," Albert explained.
(End of Chapter)
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