Chapter 725: Anderson-Style Lies
Chapter 725: Anderson-Style Lies
Albert and Isabelle enjoyed a romantic candlelit dinner at the Hog's Head, after which they indulged in some quality time together, oblivious to the frantic search that was underway for them outside.
During dinner, Professor McGonagall had shared the delightful news of Albert's victory in the Magical Schools Potion Championship on behalf of Hogwarts, causing her face to light up with joy. However, for some reason, Professor Snape's smile appeared a bit forced.
To be honest, many people were perplexed at the time and had no idea what the Potion Championship was all about.
It was only after Professor McGonagall revealed that it was a potion competition involving all magical schools worldwide that everyone began to pay attention.
After all, defeating all the magical schools and emerging as the ultimate champion was an accomplishment of the highest order. It essentially meant that Albert Anderson was the most gifted potion-making wizard among all the magical schools, adding yet another glorious feather to this wizarding genius's cap.
Numerous students were eager to meet Albert and hear about his experiences in the Potion Championship. However, he had disappeared shortly after returning to school.
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan grumbled about Albert not sharing the good news with them immediately.
At that moment, the trio was huddled together, seemingly plotting something.
It was already past ten o'clock in the evening when Albert and Isabelle parted ways.
As Albert approached the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, he encountered Nearly Headless Nick, who had been waiting for him.
"Where have you been? I've been waiting here for ages," Nick said.
"Waiting for me?" Albert asked, puzzled, as he looked at the ghost before him. "Is there something you need, Sir Nick?"
"I heard all about it! You've won another championship cup!" Nick exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, and Percy Weasley asked me to wait here and give you the password."
"It's not a championship cup, but a championship cauldron," Albert corrected with a smile.
"It's all the same."
"What's the password?"
"Mudblood," replied Nick.
"That's a rather unfriendly password," Albert remarked as he gazed at the portrait of Sir Cadogan riding a pony.
"It's more fun to keep the champion waiting," Sir Cadogan said disappointedly as he opened the door for Albert to enter the common room.
"Thank you, Sir Nick. Otherwise, I would have had to spend the night in the corridor," Albert expressed his gratitude before stepping into the open entrance of the common room.
As soon as Albert entered the common room, he felt himself being pulled by countless hands, nearly losing his balance and falling backward.
Shouts, cheers, whistles, and the whooshing and banging of fireworks immediately filled his ears, causing his eardrums to ring.
Fred and George's fireworks, which were releasing beautiful orange and red stars, created a stunning and spectacular scene in the common room.
"Where have you been?" Fred shouted.
"Everyone's been looking for you," George added.
"We've got food, Albert. Come and have some—"
"I'm not hungry. I already ate," Albert replied.
But no one seemed to listen, and a cup filled with butterbeer was thrust into his hand, forcing him to drink yet another cup.
Lee Jordan, on the other hand, had managed to find a Gryffindor banner somewhere and insisted on wrapping it around Albert like a cloak.
The crowd closed in on him, surrounding him and making it impossible for him to escape. He was forced to participate in the lively celebration, and what was even more terrifying was that these people, like irrational fans, kept shouting, each one eager to know how Albert had won the Potion Championship.
"Quiet, please! Quiet!" Albert shouted, raising his hand and pointing to his throat, casting a Sonorous Charm on himself.
His voice echoed throughout the common room, causing everyone to cover their ears in pain, finally silencing the rowdy bunch.
"Alright, if you want me to say something, you'll have to keep quiet, or you won't be able to hear me at all," Albert said. After his statement, all the students stared at him blankly, and the common room gradually fell silent, with Nearly Headless Nick eavesdropping from the side.
Albert recounted the events, explaining how he had been chosen to participate in the Potion Championship and where he had gone for the competition.
He briefly mentioned traveling to France by Thestral carriage and using the gate key to enter the Magic Garden.
To everyone, the Potion Championship was a boring affair. With schools from all over the world and participants from different linguistic backgrounds, the organizers were frantically overwhelmed with communication issues.
Albert then briefly recounted the three rounds of eliminations, describing the mundane process of brewing potions, his narrative as plain and unexciting as could be, dull enough to put one to sleep.
Before the other students could react, he quietly slipped away towards the stairs leading to the dormitory, finally escaping the crowd and hurrying upstairs to his room for some rest.
In the darkness of the dormitory, Tom's eyes shone as he looked up towards the door upon hearing it open, letting out a big yawn.
Soon after, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan returned, their hands filled with cookies, candies, cakes, and butterbeer.
"Where did you go earlier?" they asked.
"I went out for a celebratory dinner with Isabelle. It was prepared by our house-elves," Albert replied, tossing the Gryffindor flag into a corner.
"Did the headmaster also prepare a private celebration for you guys?" the trio asked in unison.
"You're thinking too much. I had our house-elves help with the preparations," Albert clarified.
"So that's why you didn't like the celebration we prepared for you," the trio said, their eyes filled with sorrow.
"It's too crazy. It feels like they're watching some kind of rare animal," Albert said, reaching out to pick up Tom and placing him on his lap to pet him.
"Tell us the details. I don't believe the Potion Championship was that boring!" George said, changing the subject.
"I'm telling the truth," Albert insisted.
"Yeah, right. You definitely left out a lot of interesting things," Fred said with conviction as he bit into a cookie.
"Interesting things?" Albert thought for a moment. "The Potion Championship was jointly organized by the Magic Garden and the Extraordinary Potioneer Association. The president of the association is surnamed Bernard, and one of the French contestants was Guy Bernard, reportedly the president's grandson. Isn't that interesting?"
"That's cheating, absolutely cheating!"
"That Guy Bernard didn't win even with his cheating. That's incredible!" The trio was amazed.
"During the second round, Guy Bernard was attacked. His mouth was stuffed with Aliotte leaves, causing him to laugh uncontrollably and unable to continue the competition. He had to forfeit," Albert shrugged. "In the end, the furious President Bernard called in a professional to handle the assault, but even after inspecting all the contestants' wands, they still couldn't find the culprit."
"How did you do it?"
"I was also attacked by a student from Durmstrang," Albert said, covering a yawn. "That guy was skilled in wandless magic, and many people suspected he was the one who attacked Guy Bernard, but he never admitted to it."
"Did you bring two wands?" Lee Jordan guessed immediately, knowing that Albert had bought other wands from the second-hand market.
"They were strictly inspected. We could only bring one, and the clothes were provided by the organizers. There were also patrolling guards nearby," Albert said, his expression conveying that they shouldn't wrongfully accuse him or risk being sued for defamation.
The trio still believed that Albert was the one who had attacked that unlucky Guy Bernard. This method of leaving no clues was too much like Albert's style.
If Albert didn't want to, it would be challenging to catch him red-handed.
He didn't let the three of them continue discussing the matter and instead took out a piece of parchment from his pocket, placing it on the table to divert their attention.
"What's this?" they asked.
"It's the formula for the final competition. They're all interesting potions," Albert said mysteriously.
"I don't see how these are interesting at all."
After looking at the formulas on the parchment, the trio looked at Albert with confusion, unsure what he meant. While the Love Potion and Vitality Tonic were not uncommon, they had never seen the Protective Potion before, and they doubted its effectiveness.
"You don't understand. These potions will definitely be hot sellers in the future," Albert explained the effects of the three improved potions briefly.
The dormitory fell into a brief silence.
After hearing Albert's words, the trio fell into self-doubt. Indeed, they couldn't see the value in these potions, but why did Albert say that these potions would be worth a lot in the future?
Was this the gap between them and Albert?
This guy always seemed to find ways to make money from different angles.
(End of Chapter)
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