Chapter 703: Crush
Chapter 703: Crush
The search of the castle continued until around three in the morning, and as expected, nothing was found. It was as if Sirius Black had never broken into Hogwarts Castle.
Professor Dumbledore must have anticipated this outcome, but he still had to order the teachers to search the entire castle to reassure the students and faculty and to give an explanation to the Dementors lurking outside the school.
This meant a tiring night for the teachers and prefects conducting the search, who had to stay awake all night, especially challenging after a filling dinner. Trying to stay awake was truly difficult.
When Albert and Sana returned to the Great Hall, everyone was already asleep, except for the energetic Percy and the drowsy prefects who were keeping watch.
As expected, instead of staying inside to keep watch, it was better to walk around outside. At least then, one could talk to their companions and find an excuse to slack off.
It wasn't until dawn that the prefects and student council presidents on duty were allowed to go back to sleep, with the ghosts taking over their duties.
As for the morning classes, they were naturally canceled.
Sir Cadogan, who was temporarily taking over for the Fat Lady, was a rude fellow. When he saw Albert, he provoked him with rude curses and challenged him to a duel.
"If you can get out of that painting, I'll duel you," he said.
Albert yawned and covered his mouth, not wanting to hear the other party's nonsense. He said, "The password is 'mutt,' now open the door."
Sir Cadogan reluctantly let them into the common room.
The four of them returned to their respective dormitories to rest, and the password for entering the common room was naturally passed on to Nearly Headless Nick to inform the other Gryffindor students.
When Albert woke up again, it was already noon.
Tom was arching his back in front of his cat bowl, and when he heard the movement, he flicked his tail and continued to bury his head in his food until Albert reached out to stroke his head, then he stopped eating.
"You need to lose weight," Albert scooped up Tom and rubbed his fat belly, mumbling, "If I hadn't raised you since you were little, I'd think you were a hairy pig."
Meow! Tom protested Albert's interruption of his meal and tried to nudge Albert's hand away with his paw.
"While it's true that chubby cats are quite cute, they shouldn't be too fat. Be careful not to get so chubby that you can't walk," Albert said as he put the fat cat down. Seeing Tom continue to eat, he decided that while he was away at the Magic School Potion Championship, he would put Tom in the care of his house-elf, Pete, and have the house-elf make sure Tom exercised daily.
With enough exercise, Tom's excess weight would soon disappear.
After washing up, Albert was ready to go downstairs for lunch. As soon as he opened the door, he found the Gryffindor students crowded outside the common room.
"What are you all doing here?" Albert asked in confusion.
"Thank goodness someone finally opened the door," Neville said excitedly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"He said the password was wrong and wouldn't let us in," a male student from the upper grades said angrily. "The password this morning was still 'mutt.'"
"I changed the password," Sir Cadogan said.
"What's the password now?" Albert asked.
"I can't tell you," Sir Cadogan refused to reveal the new password to Albert.
"If you change the password, you have to inform the prefects first. Otherwise, if even the prefects don't know, do you expect everyone to just stand here and stare at the door?" Albert said to the portrait, his voice commanding. "Come on, tell me, what's the password now?"
Although the common room door was open, many students didn't plan to go in right away. They wanted to stay outside and watch Sir Cadogan get embarrassed.
"What's going on?" Percy asked as he quickly walked over, seeing the corridor outside the common room crowded with students.
"I'm dealing with Sir Cadogan. He seems to have changed the password without telling the prefects, and quite a few people were just kept out," Albert said impatiently. "I suspect this guy purely enjoys causing trouble for students."
Many students immediately chimed in, expressing their dissatisfaction with the rude knight guarding the door.
"It's Sir Cadogan!" the portrait roared at the crowd.
"Shut up," Albert said.
"The password is: 'pony,'" Percy said with a frown, addressing Sir Cadogan. "If you change the password, you should immediately inform the prefects. That's your responsibility, and I believe Professor Dumbledore must have told you that."
"He might have mentioned it," Sir Cadogan mumbled.
Sir Cadogan scoffed and rode his pony away.
"None of the other portraits were willing to take on this job," Percy explained to the disgruntled crowd. "Sir Cadogan was the only one who stepped up, and there's nothing we can do about it, at least for now."
After saying that, Percy turned to Albert and added, "By the way, Professor McGonagall is looking for you. You'd better head to her office."
"Alright," Albert replied.
Albert first went to Professor McGonagall's office, and as expected, it was regarding the Magic School Potion Championship.
"Tonight, pack your things. Someone will come to take you to the competition tomorrow morning," Professor McGonagall said, getting straight to the point.
"Who's leading the team?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Professor Slughorn has ample experience in leading such teams and is more than willing to take time out to accompany you to the Magic Potion Championship. He used to be a Potions professor at Hogwarts, but he's retired now," Professor McGonagall said, looking at Albert. "Any other questions?"
"No, that should be all," Albert replied.
It wasn't difficult for Albert to guess why Professor Slughorn was willing to help out.
Professor Slughorn enjoyed mingling with famous, successful, and influential people.
Albert obviously fit the bill for the first two criteria.
As Albert left Professor McGonagall's office and entered the Great Hall, he found that the students were discussing how Black had managed to enter the castle.
"So, how many theories are there now?" Albert asked Lee Jordan, who had just sat down beside him.
"Can't keep count," Lee Jordan said, counting on his fingers. "Most people think Black used a Disillusionment Charm to get in."
"Hogwarts School doesn't allow apparition," Albert said as he began making himself a ham and sausage sandwich.
"I know, and those who say that obviously don't understand Hogwarts well enough," Lee Jordan retorted. "I think they just want to draw attention to themselves."
"I agree," Albert said, taking a bite of his sandwich. The bacon was quite salty.
"Some also say that Black flew in on a broomstick, and others believe he disguised himself to trick the Dementors guarding the gates," Lee Jordan said, looking at Albert as he ate his sandwich. "Which theory do you think is correct?"
"He must have used a secret passage into the castle," Albert said between bites.
"Fred and George think so, too. They went to check the secret passages leading out of the castle first thing in the morning," Lee Jordan said loudly enough for the twins to hear.
"And? Did they find anything?" Albert asked.
"Not yet. They haven't come back," Lee Jordan replied, aware of the several passages that could be used to enter and exit the school. He was a bit worried that Fred and George might run into trouble, as Black could very well be hiding in one of those passages at the moment.
"Don't worry, Black is definitely long gone," Albert said after finishing his sandwich. "By the way, I'll be leaving the school for a while tomorrow to participate in the Magic Potion Championship."
"When will you be back?"
"Not sure, but it probably won't be too long. Maybe I'll be back the day after tomorrow," Albert replied.
"Remember to treat us after you win the championship," Lee Jordan said, lightly punching Albert's shoulder. "I have confidence in you."
To be honest, Lee Jordan felt quite sorry for the students from other schools who would be competing against Albert. This guy was like a juggernaut, mercilessly crushing anyone who dared stand in his way.
"I thought you guys would be treating me," Albert said, sounding a bit strange.
"How can we ask you to treat us when we hear that the champion will receive a large sum of prize money?"
"Who said that?" Albert asked.
"Fred and George," Lee Jordan replied.
"Don't spread rumors. Be careful, or we'll report you for slander. We've never said anything like that," Fred and George said as they joined them.
"So, did you find anything?" Albert asked.
"No," George shook his head. "But I still think Black entered the castle through a secret passage."
"Should we tell the professors about this?"
"Tell them what?" Fred disagreed.
Albert then asked Fred and George to get some chalk dust to sprinkle in those hidden passages. If someone had indeed entered the school through the secret passages, they would surely leave footprints, and they could then figure out which passage Black had used.
"So, you think Black will continue to invade Hogwarts," George immediately realized Albert's intention.
"Black won't give up so easily. Otherwise, he wouldn't have shown up in the castle last night," Albert said.
(End of Chapter)
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