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Chapter 729: Petty Tricks
Chapter 729: Petty Tricks
After the unconscious Harry Potter was carried away on a stretcher by Dumbledore, Madam Hooch, who had descended from the sky, blew her whistle to signal the end of the game. Hufflepuff had caught the Golden Snitch, winning the Quidditch match.
As for Diggory's proposal to restart the game, it was vetoed by Madam Hooch.
The fact that Harry Potter's life hung in the balance, coupled with Gryffindor's crushing defeat, was undoubtedly good news for Slytherin.
On the way back to the castle, Albert even saw a delighted Draco Malfoy, sheltered under a large umbrella, eagerly unwrapping the bandages from his arm and mimicking Harry Potter's fall from his broom, amusing his lackeys.
"Disgusting," Isabelle muttered.
It was astonishing that some people could make jokes about Harry when most believed he was dead. There must be a deep-seated hatred between them.
To be honest, those who would do such a thing were either stupid or malicious, or perhaps both.
Many Gryffindor students glared angrily at Malfoy and his cronies but refrained from physically assaulting them, much to the disappointment of the onlookers.
"He's just a spoiled brat who's been coddled by his family. It's not surprising that he'd do something like this," Albert remarked nonchalantly. There were plenty of similar individuals in Slytherin, and it was unlikely that they would ever see the error of their ways unless they experienced significant ups and downs in life.
However, Malfoy's despicable behavior disgusted Albert, and he subtly lifted his hand and twitched the corner of his mouth as he gazed at the reveling group.
A sudden gust of wind snatched the large umbrella from the trio's hands, drenching them from head to toe in the pouring rain.
"Hahahahaha!"
The sight of Malfoy's bedraggled state brought a sense of schadenfreude to the Gryffindor students, who couldn't help but chuckle.
Amidst the mocking laughter, Malfoy and his companions could only lower their heads and scurry toward the castle.
Once upon a time, Malfoy had mocked Harry Potter just as the Gryffindors were doing to him now. But he never imagined that one day, he would be the object of such ridicule.
Despite their soggy state, Albert had no intention of letting them off the hook just yet.
As the trio sprinted toward the castle, they slipped and fell face-first into the mud, mouths filled with muddy water. Their unfortunate state drew even more laughter from the surrounding students.
"Serves them right, disgusting freaks," George spat contemptuously, his face twisted with malice.
Fred had already drawn his wand, ready to immobilize the three unlucky souls so they could reflect on their actions in the rain.
"Leave them be. Let's hurry to the hospital wing," Aria urged, holding Fred back.
"Is Albert coming with us?"
"The hospital wing will be too crowded. Madam Pomfrey will get angry," Albert reassured them. "Don't worry, Potter will be fine."
"See you later."
As the Quidditch players rushed back to the castle to check on Harry, Albert and Isabelle strolled leisurely through the pouring rain.
"When did you learn wandless magic?"
Isabelle was amazed to see Albert using wandless magic. Although she had suspected that he could perform it, she was surprised by his proficiency. If she hadn't been walking alongside him, she might not have noticed his subtle use of magic to prank the Malfoy trio.
"I've been practicing," Albert replied honestly. He had indeed been practicing wandless magic for quite some time and could now perform some simpler spells without a wand.
However, his current level of proficiency was largely thanks to the selfless contribution of the black boy from the Wagadou team.
After successfully completing the task of "Framing a Wagadou Player," Albert had selected the skill of wandless magic from his skill panel.
Prior to that, he had assumed that wandless magic was not a skill but an advanced application of spells. Apparently, he had been mistaken.
Upon acquiring the skill, Albert had immediately invested some of his experience points to raise it to level three. After a brief period of training and familiarization, he was now able to cast simple spells with finesse, even without a wand.
As for performing advanced magic like the Patronus Charm wandlessly, Albert was not yet capable of such feats. He suspected that even Dumbledore might not have achieved that level of mastery.
With the addition of wandless magic to his repertoire, Albert's strength had increased significantly.
Wandless and silent casting were indeed potent tools for catching one's opponents off guard.
Most wizards would not expect a wizard without a wand to pose much of a threat, much like how people are wary of those carrying guns.
This led to complacency.
As the saying goes, even the most powerful wizard can be taken down with a well-placed Stunning Spell if they let their guard down.
The black boy from Wagadou had relied on this very tactic to eliminate his opponents, and it had worked flawlessly every time. If not for Albert's awareness of the panel task, he might have fallen victim to it as well.
As the two returned to the entrance hall, they spotted Professor Flitwick approaching them, carrying the remains of a broomstick.
“Professor Flitwick, is that Harry Potter's broomstick?” Albert asked as he waited for Professor Flitwick to approach in the entrance hall.
"Yes, Potter's broomstick collided with the Whomping Willow after being blown away by the wind," Professor Flitwick said helplessly. "He's a bit unlucky. If it had just been blown away, it could have been summoned back with the Summoning Charm. But now that the broom is in this state, I'm afraid he'll need a new one."
"What about those Dementors? Has the Ministry lost control of them?" Albert asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Isabelle glanced deeply at Albert and silently took out her wand to help dry off the trio, who were soaked from the rain.
"They were hungry. But the headmaster has gone to deal with it, and I think similar incidents shouldn't happen again in the future," Professor Flitwick said with a smile of approval directed at his two favorite students. "I saw everything that happened earlier, and it was impressive. Not many people can master the Patronus Charm at your age."
"Professor Flitwick, do you need me to take the remains of the broomstick to Harry?" Albert asked, changing the subject. "I was just about to go to the hospital wing to see him."
"Then I'll trouble you to do that," Professor Flitwick said as he handed over the remains of Harry's broomstick to Albert and left.
"You never cease to amaze me," Isabelle commented.
"It's not like it's the first time you've known me," Albert replied with a smile.
"See you later," Isabelle said with a wave.
Knowing that Albert wanted to go comfort his friends, Isabelle decided to head back to change into dry and comfortable clothes as well.
As Albert prepared to make his way to the hospital wing, a familiar sight caught his attention—an owl flew into the entrance hall and hovered above his head before dropping a letter at his feet and flying off. Albert bent down to pick up the envelope and continued on his way.
Upon entering the hospital wing, Albert spotted Madam Pomfrey directing a group of students to clean up the muddy mess on the floor. The matron was clearly unhappy about the state of her usually spotless hospital.
"Professor Flitwick asked me to bring Potter's broomstick remains here. How is he doing?" Albert inquired.
"He's fine, just unconscious," Madam Pomfrey replied amicably. "The Dementors' presence can be quite overwhelming for those who are not prepared. Go on in; everyone is in there."
Albert nodded at Madam Pomfrey and made his way inside, where he found the Gryffindor Quidditch team gathered around Harry's bed. Ron and Hermione were also there, soaked from the rain.
"Has Potter woken up yet?" Albert asked.
"Not yet. What's that you're holding?" Fred asked curiously, eyeing Albert's backpack.
"Potter's broom," Albert replied as he placed the backpack containing the broomstick fragments on the ground. He explained, "Professor Flitwick just brought back the remains. Apparently, it collided with the Whomping Willow, as you know, that tree has a nasty temper. So... unfortunately, the Firebolt 2000 is beyond repair, and Potter will likely need to buy a new broom. By the way, where's Wood?"
"He's probably still out in the rain," Angelina said with a hint of disappointment. "I suppose he's upset about the loss. He really wanted to win one more championship for Gryffindor."
"Wood truly loves Quidditch. I bet he'll join a team after graduation!" Albert could understand Wood's passion. "By the way, if you don't want to catch a cold, you should change into dry clothes first and then come back. I just asked Madam Pomfrey, and she said Potter only fainted due to the Dementors' influence."
"I was so scared at that moment," Alicia admitted.
"You should have faith in the professors' abilities," Albert reassured them. "If he had actually fallen from his broom, they would have cast a cushioning charm to ensure his safety. Don't worry, we'll win the championship."
"That's the best news I've heard all day," George mumbled.
"See you later," Fred said as they left to change their clothes.
When Albert returned to the common room, he found that the students were still discussing the appearance of the Dementors. As soon as he entered, a group of curious students surrounded him, eager to learn how to ward off the Dementors.
"The Patronus Charm is a rather difficult spell to master," Albert admitted.
However, Albert didn't hesitate to share his knowledge and began instructing the students in the common room on how to cast the Patronus Charm.
"Are you not worried that they'll fail and come back to blame you for misleading them?" Lee Jordan asked skeptically, knowing how challenging the spell was. Even after all this time, the trio hadn't fully mastered it themselves.
"Would you blame me if you couldn't master it?" Albert asked with a smile.
Changing into a fresh set of clothes from his wardrobe, Albert then pulled out a letter from his robe pocket—the one he had received from Bade earlier. He tore open the envelope and began reading its contents.
"You know, some people are just strange like that," Lee Jordan commented, noticing the change in Albert's expression as he read the letter. "What's wrong with that letter?"
"Take a look for yourself," Albert said, handing the letter to Lee Jordan. "But remember, don't tell anyone about this."
Lee Jordan's eyes widened as he read the letter, and he looked at Albert in disbelief. "Does the Minister of Magic have something against you?" he whispered.
(End of Chapter)
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