Chapter 704: Flying High
Chapter 704: Flying High
The next day, Albert was up bright and early. After packing his neatly organized suitcase into his Undetectable Extension Charm trunk, he headed downstairs for breakfast with his roommates.
With some time to spare before their appointment with Professor Slughorn, Albert and Isabel decided to spend the remaining time dating at the Room of Requirement.
As for attending classes first?
That was out of the question.
Being the geniuses they were, missing a class or two would have no impact on them.
As the clock struck ten, the pair knocked punctually on Professor McGonagall's office door. Upon entering, they saw Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and another elderly man with a sizeable belly waiting for them.
This unfamiliar elder was undoubtedly Professor Slughorn, and his belly left quite an impression.
As soon as Albert and Isabel entered the room, Professor Slughorn's gaze fell upon them.
"These two..." Dumbledore stepped forward to introduce them, "...are Mr. Albert Anderson and Miss Isabel McDougall. This is an old friend of mine, Horace Slughorn. Due to the matter concerning Sirius Black, I cannot leave Hogwarts temporarily. Hence, I've asked my old colleague here to escort you, and he has ample experience leading teams to the Wizarding Schools Potion Championship."
"Don't you worry, they're in my care now!" Professor Slughorn assured, almost patting his chest.
The office door was knocked on again, and Hagrid walked in. "The carriage is ready to depart whenever you are," he said to Dumbledore.
Professor Slughorn pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. "I can fill them in on the rest during the journey," he said.
"Where's your luggage?" Hagrid asked, confused, as he eyed Albert and Isabel's empty hands. He had come to help carry their bags.
"It's with us," Albert replied, giving Hagrid a look that signaled him to be quiet.
The two followed Professor Slughorn out of the castle, where a carriage pulled by five Thestrals awaited.
"Are you driving, Hagrid?"
"Aye, I'll be sending ye off meself." Hagrid quickly stepped forward and opened the carriage door for them, letting Professor Horace Slughorn board first, followed by Albert and Isabel.
The carriage's interior didn't seem to have been expanded with the Undetectable Extension Charm, so the space felt a bit cramped with the three of them inside. After Hagrid closed the carriage door and took the driver's seat, he steered the Thestral-drawn carriage forward, and soon, the entire carriage was airborne.
The commotion quickly caught the attention of the Dementors, who began to surround the carriage as if intending to force it to stop for inspection.
A layer of frost immediately coated the carriage windows.
"What are they doing here?"
Professor Slughorn frowned upon seeing the approaching Dementors. "I thought Dumbledore mentioned our trip to them."
"They're probably searching for Sirius Black. They want to check if he's in the carriage," Albert said expressionlessly as he drew his wand from his pocket. He opened the carriage window, unconcerned about the wind rushing in, and turned to Isabel beside him. "Cast a Patronus Charm to protect Hagrid, and while there are no Muggles around, I'll chase them away."
"Oh, I don't think that's necessary..."
Before Professor Slughorn could finish his sentence, two Patronuses appeared from the tips of Albert and Isabel's wands. One encircled Hagrid, shielding him from the Dementors' influence, while the other charged at the group of Dementors, dispersing them.
"They're just doing their job," Professor Slughorn said helplessly. He hadn't expected Albert to dislike Dementors so much that he would use a Patronus Charm to drive them away.
"Dementors are never friendly," Albert said calmly, as if he had just shooed away a swarm of annoying flies. "They always hide behind the excuse of 'doing their job' to carry out disgusting acts, like attacking Harry Potter or sucking happiness from us to fill their empty shells. There's no need to be polite to them; they never bother with reasoning."
Albert's tone was even and unperturbed.
"They really do that?" Professor Slughorn was taken aback.
"The Ministry of Magic has never been able to control the Dementors effectively," Albert continued. "At the start of the term, they boarded the train under the pretext of inspections and fed on the students' happy emotions. Harry Potter almost ended up in the hospital wing because of them." Albert singled out Harry Potter's experience as an example, directly pinning the blame on the Dementors. After all, they would be attacking Potter again during the Quidditch match, so this blame was unavoidable.
Professor Slughorn raised his eyebrows slightly, not wanting to comment further on the matter. He shifted the topic and said, "A remarkable Patronus, being able to drive away those Dementors shows just how powerful your Patronus is. It's truly impressive; many witches and wizards can't achieve that level of mastery. Oh, and I believe you're also the reigning International Wizarding Chess Champion, aren't you?"
"Albert is a genius, everyone knows that," Isabel teased. "They say he's the next Dumbledore."
"Yes, yes, just like Dumbledore in his youth, full of promise and potential," Professor Slughorn reminisced. "I'm certain you'll become the Minister of Magic in less than twenty years, perhaps even sooner. Before that, you could be the British Youth Representative for the Wizengamot. I've heard they're considering offering you that title, and those who hold it often go on to become members of the Wizengamot."
"I'm a Muggle-born wizard," Albert reminded him. "The Wizengamot wouldn't tolerate a Muggle-born in that position. Remember the backlash when I won the International Wizarding Chess Championship? Quite a few pure-blood wizards were upset about that."
"That's just their jealousy and ignorance talking," Professor Slughorn consoled. "With your remarkable talent and gifts, you must come from a respectable wizarding family. Trust me, I've never been wrong about a person."
Albert and Isabel exchanged glances. In a way, Professor Slughorn's words weren't entirely off the mark, but Albert wasn't about to admit it. He enjoyed flaunting his Muggle-born status to irritate certain people, and besides, his parents were ordinary folks, so he wasn't wrong in calling himself a Muggle-born wizard.
"It's been a while since Britain has won the Championship," Professor Slughorn continued, offering them various snacks from a small cabinet. "If you can step up your game and win this potion competition, I'm sure the Wizengamot will have no choice but to bestow upon you the title of British Youth Representative, even if they have to hold their noses while doing so."
"I don't plan on working for the Ministry, but thank you for your belief in me, Professor Slughorn," Albert said, pulling out some treats he had bought from Honeyduke's Sweetshop from his Undetectable Extension Charm trunk.
"Ah, you truly are like Dumbledore, so very much like him," Professor Slughorn sighed as he picked a piece of candied pineapple from the box. "Both of you are incredibly talented, wise, kind, gentle, and possess remarkable insight."
Isabel looked at Albert, fighting the urge to laugh.
Professor Slughorn was singing Albert's praises to the skies, and while Albert could certainly take the compliments, he wasn't one to enjoy being the center of such effusive flattery.
"Ahem, Professor Slughorn," Albert coughed, steering the conversation in a different direction. "How long will the Wizarding Schools Potion Championship last?" Listening to Professor Slughorn's praise was giving him a headache.
"Usually about a week," the professor replied. "We're waiting for the other schools to arrive, which should take a couple of days. Then we'll begin the first round of selections. Each of you will be required to brew a potion, and as long as your potion-making skills aren't abysmal, one student from each school will advance to the second round."
"Only one student per school?" Albert asked.
"Yes, typically each school brings one to three students, but only one will participate in the final round, with the others serving as substitutes," Professor Slughorn explained. "It's an unspoken rule of the competition to prevent schools from being eliminated right at the beginning." Seeing that Isabel's mood had stabilized, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "However, usually, there's a selection process to determine the participants."
"Let Albert represent us, I don't mind," Isabel said, winking at Albert. "But you have to bring home that golden cauldron for us."
"I will," Albert assured her.
"I believe in you," Isabel smiled.
Professor Slughorn's gaze shifted between the two of them, as if he understood something they didn't say aloud. For some reason, he felt a twinge in his stomach, and he regretted eating so much candied pineapple.
(End of Chapter)
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