Chapter 724: A Strong Will to Survive
Chapter 724: A Strong Will to Survive
"Look, Dumbledore, we have something for you!"
Professor Slughorn pushed open the door to the headmaster's office and addressed Dumbledore, who was seated at his desk.
Albert and Isabelle followed him into the room.
"I received the news yesterday, Slughorn," Dumbledore said gently as he watched Albert place the golden crucible, a symbol of championship, on the desk. "Well done, Mr. Anderson. The school hasn't won the Potions Championship since I became headmaster of Hogwarts."
"It's all thanks to Mr. Anderson. You have no idea how shameless that old man, Bernard, is..." Professor Slughorn seemed to realize that his words were a bit inappropriate, and he cleared his throat lightly before continuing, "That man actually modified the rules of this Potions Championship, intending to directly make his grandson the champion."
"He must be furious now," Dumbledore said softly. "By the way, Mr. Anderson, a reporter from the Prophet would like to interview you."
"Is it Rita Skeeter?" Albert raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, and I would understand if you don't want to do it."
"I'm not a big fan of Rita Skeeter either," Professor Slughorn said, seeing everyone looking at him. He shrugged, "While her reports are sometimes entertaining, most of the time, you can't tell what's true and what's made up."
"Well, I accept," Albert nodded in agreement, believing that the trouble-stirring woman would give Bernard an unexpected surprise.
The other three in the headmaster's office were a little surprised, probably not expecting Albert to agree to the interview, thinking he would refuse outright.
Noticing the fleeting surprise on Isabelle's face, Albert smiled and explained, "If I don't accept the interview, Rita Skeeter will definitely come up with a bunch of messy reports."
"I'm sure the Prophet will be delighted. I'll have someone inform you of the details later," Dumbledore said, then dismissed the two students to get some rest.
"You don't seem very happy?"
After leaving the headmaster's office and walking a little further, Isabelle finally spoke up.
"It's nothing. I thought the headmaster would give some kind of reward after taking the golden crucible," Albert said half-jokingly. "After all, we won a championship for the school. I expected at least some house points or a grand celebration, but there was nothing."
"Didn't you already get a large bonus?" Isabelle stared at Albert for a long time.
"What is it?" Albert asked.
"I've noticed that you're becoming more and more profit-driven."
"Ah, people tend to become what they dislike," Albert sighed.
"You always come up with such profound sayings," Isabelle looked at him contemplatively. "They're right; you're becoming more and more like Dumbledore. You'll definitely graduate with countless glorious titles."
"I'm not Dumbledore, nor do I want to be such a great person. And I certainly don't plan to remain unmarried like him," Albert recalled a joke from his previous life: Dumbledore only loved Grindelwald.
"My life goal is to be rich, marry a beautiful wife, have two children, and then live the latter half of my life freely," Albert said, nodding in satisfaction as he thought of his life goals. "I think I'll achieve all of this before I'm thirty."
"You're not planning to have two or three girlfriends now?"
"That's something from a long time ago. Don't keep bringing it up to tease me," Albert changed the subject. "Speaking of which, your boldness earlier really startled me."
"It was to satisfy your vanity," Isabelle obviously wasn't happy that Albert brought it up.
"You're so kind. That kiss was indeed more satisfying than the gilded crucible," Albert said seriously.
Isabelle smiled and asked, "What about your bag of Galleons?"
"Of course, that was appropriate too. Gold always brings joy,"
"I've noticed that you're quite greedy for money and women."
"Yeah, that's how men are," Albert didn't deny it. "This time, I made a killing. If I hadn't participated, you would've been the champion of this Potions Championship."
"You're overestimating me," Isabelle shook her head. "I'm not afraid of normal competition, but in this situation, it's very difficult to win the final championship based solely on ability. I'm not as scheming as you, and brewing a perfect Pepper-Up Potion is extremely challenging. I can't imagine you'd be willing to take such a risk."
"Risk? No, I didn't take any risks because I was certain I would succeed."
"You cheated?"
Isabelle seemed to realize something and shook her head. "But how could you be sure you'd brew a perfect Pepper-Up Potion?"
"It's the Felix Felicis,"
Albert leaned close to Isabelle's ear and whispered, "With it helping me bring out all my talents, I could naturally minimize the chances of failure, so I dared to take the gamble."
"So, everyone was cheating?" Isabelle made a strange expression.
"Yes, I didn't plan to use it at first, but they went too far. Aren't you curious about what Catherine and I were collaborating on?"
"Pepper-Up Potion. She provided you with practice ingredients. Isn't she afraid of losing money?"
"As it turns out, she didn't lose money. She's a shrewd woman,"
"Then what's the point of this kind of competition?"
"To build a good reputation and get the title of a genius potioneer. Think about it, with my endorsement, each bottle of Pepper-Up Potion will sell for a thousand Galleons. That's a huge profit!
"You see things more clearly than anyone."
"Alright, let's not dwell on that." Albert reached out and took Isabelle's hand, smiling as he suggested, "Come on, let's go celebrate. We'll have Kreacher prepare a victory banquet for us, and then we'll figure out how to spend this prize money."
Since they couldn't rely on Hogwarts for a celebration, Albert decided to host one himself. After all, they had a house-elf, and dining and dating together would be more romantic.
As soon as they entered the Room of Requirement, Albert saw a dark shadow rushing towards them. Upon closer inspection, he found Fat Cat Tom eagerly rubbing against his ankles.
"Master, Kreacher has been helping Tom lose weight as you instructed," said the house-elf, bowing slightly to both of them when he saw Albert return.
"You've worked hard, Kreacher," Albert acknowledged.
"It is Kreacher's duty and honor," Kreacher said excitedly.
"Help us prepare a candlelight dinner. I plan to celebrate winning this Potions Championship with Isabelle here," Albert said, then added after a moment's thought: "If you need help, feel free to ask the other house-elves from the school."
"It would be my honor," the house-elf bowed again and then scurried off, clearly intending to share the good news with his fellow house-elves.
As soon as Albert sat down on the sofa, Tom started nudging him with his head and licking his face.
"He seems quite attached to you," Isabelle remarked as she sat down beside Albert and scratched Tom under the chin.
"Kreacher has probably been working him hard," Albert lifted Tom to gauge his weight, "Being too fat is never good; it can affect one's health."
"Valeria is also afraid of getting fat. She always says that women will quickly turn into old hags after they cross thirty," Isabelle leaned against Albert's shoulder, "Aren't you curious about what the three of us were chatting about?"
"Even if I am, you probably won't tell me," Albert paused from stroking Tom's fur and turned to look at the girl beside him, "After all, it's a secret among you girls."
"It's not really a secret. We were talking about what to do after graduation. Catherine gave us some advice; she thinks we should find something meaningful to do to avoid becoming old, ugly housewives," Isabelle sighed, "I think what she said makes sense. My mom looks quite young, and so does your mother. They're not housewives."
"That's because they're still quite young in actual age," Albert revealed the truth, "Most people struggle to make a living after graduation, and only a minority with decent jobs can afford to live the way Catherine described. That's the reality for most."
"Also, I think people only become old and ugly at thirty due to a lack of self-care," Albert reminded her seriously, "Just look at Tom; he's always gorging himself, and that's why he's become this chubby little furball. As long as you maintain a young mindset, live a disciplined life, exercise regularly, eat well, and use potions to maintain your skin, you'll definitely look younger than others."
"Your way of comforting people is still so awkward."
"I'm just being honest," Albert shook his head, "If it were someone else, I might say that I'd invent a potion to keep them forever young, but saying that to you would be treating you like a fool."
"Maybe we should start controlling our diets from now on." Isabelle would have preferred to hear the former statement, although she knew it was just a way to flatter girls.
"I think we should still celebrate this hard-won victory properly."
"You know, both Catherine and Valeria want to preserve their youth," Isabelle rested her head on Albert's shoulder, "Valeria always says that sixteen to twenty-three is the most beautiful age for girls. She envies me for being able to find someone I like and marry him while I'm at my most attractive."
"It seems their families aren't well-off," Albert deduced.
Isabelle tilted her head and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Youth is a girl's greatest wealth."
"What about you?"
"I... I have money," Albert replied without hesitation, "If I didn't, I probably wouldn't have gotten married so early."
"So, if you didn't have money, you wouldn't marry me?"
"That's why I've been working so hard to earn money," Albert said seriously, "Fortunately, I have the ability to do so. Most Muggle-born wizards don't fare well in the wizarding world."
"You know, I told Valeria that she could support herself with her potion-making talent, and she said, 'My youth is my greatest wealth.'"
"She's a realistic girl, and she's probably had a tough life," Albert commented.
"Actually, I can tell that both Catherine and Valeria have a thing for you." Isabelle suddenly blurted out.
"But I've only known them for a handful of days; I don't have any ulterior motives," Albert quickly defended himself, not wanting to take on that responsibility.
"I know, but you're just too good at attracting girls," Isabelle sighed, "Valeria even mentioned coming to Britain to develop her career. If I were a guy and fit her criteria, she'd probably cling to me!"
"You'd probably marry her, too, since it's easier when a pretty girl pursues you," Albert joked.
"Too bad I'm not a guy. If you were single, Valeria would definitely want a passionate romance with you."
"I already have a girlfriend."
(End of Chapter)
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