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Chapter 733: Misfortune Turned Fortune? The Vanishing Cabinet Found by Malfoy
Chapter 733: Misfortune Turned Fortune? The Vanishing Cabinet Found by Malfoy
"Well done, Harry..."
In the Potions class after Halloween, Slughorn looked at the cauldron in front of Harry and a hint of surprise flashed across his face.
"The color is perfect, and the taste is impeccable. I dare say, even someone as fiery-tempered as a dragon would be calmed after taking three drops of the soothing potion you've brewed."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, unable to hide his excitement. "So, do I pass?"
"Pass?" Slughorn exclaimed. "This is a flawless potion, without a doubt, ten points to Gryffindor!"
Harry was so excited that he almost jumped up. This was the first time in six years that he had earned extra points in Potions class, and for a moment, he even found Slughorn somewhat likable.
"I knew it, you must have inherited your mother's outstanding talent for Potions. It's just that Severus never helped you uncover it." Slughorn said with a smile, "Keep up the good work, I look forward to your performance in the next class."
Harry nodded vigorously.
Hermione let out a cold hmph from beside him.
Her potion was also ready, but it was a shade lighter compared to Harry's.
This usually wouldn't have been a problem, but with the contrast, her minor flaw was magnified.
Slughorn glanced at her cauldron, offered no comment, and merely said "not bad" before leaving.
This made Hermione even angrier.
"You cheated!" Hermione said bluntly after class. "You shouldn't have kept reading that notebook."
"It's just a notebook, how can it be considered cheating...?" Harry argued. "And as it turns out, the steps in it are completely correct."
"But you didn't figure it out on your own."
"But you also read the textbook. What's the difference?" Ron also spoke up in Harry's defense.
"Think about it, Connor Prince, the youngest member of the Extraordinary Potion-Maker Association. How could the notes she endorsed be problematic?"
"But..." Hermione wanted to say something more.
"Wait, Hermione, are you jealous of Kyle?" Ron's voice took on a teasing lilt.
"Why would I be jealous of him!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Of course, you're jealous because his grades are better than yours, and he's discovered so many little tricks that you didn't know."
Seeing Hermione's reaction, Ron became even more convinced of his guess. "I say, you should try it out. After all, the content in the book is also written by other wizards. Maybe in a few years, these little tricks will also be in the textbooks.
"Remember what Kyle said before? 'Advanced Potion-Making' hasn't been updated in a long time, and many of the steps are outdated."
Hermione took a few deep breaths and remained silent.
Ron assumed that she knew she was in the wrong and didn't pay it any mind. He continued discussing the contents of the notebook with Harry.
"It's strange, even though I followed the instructions in the notebook, why is my potion not as good as yours?"
"That's because you weren't focused enough." Harry said, "The size of the flame used to brew the potion is also important. I remember that when you poured the moonstone powder into the cauldron, you went to chat with Simon and completely forgot to turn down the heat."
"That does sound like what happened..." Ron said, "But why didn't you remind me at the time?"
"I only just realized it myself."
"Never mind, it's just a minor issue." Ron smiled. "What do you think, if I keep brewing potions according to the notebook, will Professor Slughorn invite me to his party at Christmas too?"
"Definitely." Harry said.
Although his intuition told him that one or two excellent Potions classes wouldn't change Slughorn's overall opinion of Ron, he also felt that it was best not to burst Ron's bubble at the moment.
Ron became even more excited after hearing Harry's affirmation, and his voice rose in pitch.
"I bet you're thrilled, Weasley. You must think that getting an invitation from Slughorn means you're famous now too?"
A cold voice sounded from behind them. "You could probably make a stupid scar on your head and receive the same adoration from scar-heads like Potter."
Laughter echoed around them.
"I don't think we were talking to you, Malfoy." Harry said through gritted teeth. "I noticed you weren't at the last ball. What's the matter, didn't get an invitation?"
"Or perhaps Professor Slughorn doesn't know of any Malfoy family." Ron added with a smirk.
"Do you think you're being funny?" Malfoy's face turned cold, "Even if he wanted to invite me, I wouldn't attend his stupid and boring ball."
"You're just jealous of us." Ron stuck out his tongue, "You must be green with envy."
"Jealous of you?"
Malfoy looked insulted. "You probably don't know this, Weasley, but my family holds a ball every Christmas...
"Oh, I forgot, you definitely wouldn't know because we only invite high-class people. Pure-blood traitors like your family would never receive an invitation.
"Don't, Harry! If a professor sees you, you'll be expelled!" Hermione exclaimed.
"I don't care! Let go of me, Hermione. I'm going to teach him a lesson today!" Harry swung his fists, his anger boiling over.
Hermione ignored him and continued to restrain Harry, who was struggling to break free.
Ron, on the other hand, was also held back by a few other Gryffindor students, preventing him from joining the fray.
It wasn't that they were afraid of causing trouble, but at the moment, Malfoy wasn't alone. Crabbe and Goyle, the bulky duo, stood by his side, and Ron would surely be at a disadvantage if he confronted them.
Malfoy, noticing this, smirked coldly. With Crabbe and Goyle by his side and a group of Slytherins surrounding them, he felt fearless.
Just as Malfoy was about to spew another round of mocking insults, a water balloon, filled to the brim with liquid, suddenly fell from above and splattered on his head.
His meticulously styled hair was instantly drenched, and a brown liquid dripped from his locks, accompanied by a strong, pungent smell of vinegar.
"That's vinegar..."
People around them instinctively covered their noses and moved away, and even Crabbe and Goyle took a small step back.
Malfoy stood there, stunned and bewildered.
"Hehehe... What do you think of your new hairstyle? Hehehe..."
Peeves cackled loudly, holding his stomach and doubling over in laughter.
"Well done, Peeves!" Harry shouted from below,
He had thought that Peeves would have been caught by the furious Slughorn by now, but apparently, he had managed to evade capture.
Not only that, but he had also pulled off this delightful surprise.
Drenching Malfoy's head with a vinegar-filled balloon was even more satisfying than punching him, and Harry felt like applauding if his arms weren't being restrained by Hermione.
Malfoy, on the other hand, clearly did not share this sentiment. As the strong, acidic smell emanated from his hair, he stood there, his face twisting with rage.
"I'll kill you, Peeves!" he roared furiously, but a few drops of vinegar slid down his hair and into his mouth, causing his face to pale even further.
He clamped his mouth shut, unwilling to let any more of the foul liquid in, and brandished his wand, ready to teach Peeves a lesson.
Everyone expected Peeves to flee, as he usually did, but to their surprise, Peeves did the opposite. Taking advantage of the moment Malfoy raised his wand, Peeves pulled out an even larger vinegar balloon and threw it down.
Whether by coincidence or skill, the balloon landed directly on Malfoy's outstretched wand, bursting instantly.
A flood of vinegar spilled out, splashing onto the ground and spreading in all directions.
This time, almost everyone was affected, and Malfoy, being the closest, bore the brunt of it.
What's more, this batch of vinegar seemed to have been mixed with something else, because it not only smelled acidic but also putrid!
"Ugh!" Malfoy clutched his stomach and gagged involuntarily.
The next second, he felt his wand being snatched away from his hand.
"You're not getting away, Peeves!"
Forgetting about the unpleasant smell permeating from his body, Malfoy took off after the fleeing Peeves at full speed.
No one had anticipated that things would turn out this way, and by the time they realized what was happening, Malfoy was already far off in pursuit of Peeves.
"Draco..." Crabbe and Goyle hurried after him, breaking into a jog.
"Hahaha, did you see that, Harry? Malfoy's reaction was priceless!" Ron burst into laughter. "Good job, Peeves!"
As he spoke, he shot a defiant glare at the surrounding Slytherins, daring them to say something.
Now that Malfoy and his cronies were gone, the Gryffindors outnumbered the Slytherins, and Ron felt fearless.
"Come on, Ron, let's get out of here. This smell is unbearable," Hermione frowned.
Ron inhaled reflexively and nearly threw up.
"Peeves must have added dung to the vinegar..." he stated confidently. "I thought only Fred and George would pull off something like this after they graduated."
As they spoke, they quickened their pace, leaving the corridor behind. The putrid smell would surely attract Filch, and they didn't want to be caught and explain this mess.
The trio made their way toward the common room, intending to change their clothes before heading to the Great Hall for dinner.
"Do you think Malfoy will get his wand back?" Harry asked curiously as they climbed the stairs.
"I hope he doesn't," Ron replied. "I hope Peeves hides it somewhere no one can find it, or even better, snaps it in half."
"That's impossible," Hermione said. "Don't forget, we're at school. The professors won't let Peeves get away with stealing a student's wand. They'll definitely help Malfoy retrieve it."
This was also Harry's thought.
...
Meanwhile, Malfoy had chased Peeves to the second floor.
Although he was running fast, Peeves could fly, and each time he was about to be caught, he would dodge nimbly... or rather, Peeves was doing it on purpose, just to toy with Malfoy.
But extreme anger clouded Malfoy's rationality, making him solely focused on catching Peeves and retrieving his wand.
The two dashed from the sixth floor all the way down to the second, with the distance between them gradually widening.
"Running out of steam? Tch, how boring." Seeing Malfoy panting and out of breath, Peeves suddenly lost interest.
"Here, take it back." He casually tossed the wand aside and disappeared around the corner.
"I'll definitely tell Professor Snape... and get you expelled!" Malfoy shouted from behind, but received no response.
Evidently, Peeves had already fled far away.
Malfoy continued to rant for a while, then started searching around on the ground. Soon, he found his wand near the door of a storage room at the end of the corridor.
For some unknown reason, the storage room was unlocked, with the door slightly ajar. Malfoy barely touched it when the door creaked open.
Initially, Malfoy didn't pay much attention to it, but as he stood up to wipe his wand, he suddenly noticed a cabinet inside the storage room.
The cabinet was placed right by the door, clearly visible at a glance.
Malfoy's tension suddenly heightened, and he eagerly pushed the door open.
Now he could see it more clearly—it was a cabinet about the height of a person, adorned with golden patterns.
A surge of immense joy washed over Malfoy's heart... He had been searching for this item for several days, and he never expected to find it here!
"Draco!"
At that moment, Crabbe and Goyle rushed over, breathless.
"That... damn... ghost..."
"Never mind the ghost for now." Malfoy interrupted, "You two, carry this cabinet away."
Crabbe and Goyle followed Malfoy's finger and saw the cabinet, their faces filled with confusion.
"Draco... are you out of your mind?" Goyle whispered, "It's just a broken cabinet. If you want one, why not just buy a new one?"
"You fools, this is a treasure." Malfoy retorted.
"Treasure?" Crabbe furrowed his brows, pointing at the shabby cabinet. Did Malfoy really take a bump to the head and go crazy?
"Just do as I say, you two." Malfoy was too lazy to explain further. He reached out and gently caressed the golden patterns on the cabinet.
This was the Vanishing Cabinet he had seen before, no doubt about it.
It was probably during his first year. After obtaining the Marauder's Map and finding it intriguing, he spent his weekends wandering around the castle. On one occasion, he accidentally stumbled into a storage room.
Due to the dim lighting, he hadn't seen the path clearly and had bumped his head on this very cabinet, leaving a bruise on his forehead.
At that time, he had worried for a long period, fearing that he would end up with a scar like Potter's. Thus, he remembered the incident very clearly.
However, back then, he had only thought it was an ordinary cabinet. It wasn't until recently, when he saw a similar cabinet with golden patterns in Borgin and Burkes, that he realized the cabinet he had bumped into was a Vanishing Cabinet.
Moreover, the two cabinets were likely a pair.
But when Malfoy excitedly came to school to look for it, the cabinet had suddenly gone missing.
He searched for a long time, even suspecting that someone else had taken it. Never did he imagine that it would be here, and now he thought that he must have remembered the location incorrectly.
After all, it had been five years ago, so it was normal for his memory to be a bit fuzzy.
Malfoy didn't ponder further and immediately instructed Crabbe and Goyle to move the cabinet.
"Be gentle with it." He said sternly, "This cabinet is important and relates to... that person... If you damage it, just wait for your punishment!"
Crabbe and Goyle were somewhat dissatisfied, but seeing as Malfoy had brought up the Dark Lord, they dared not argue and could only lower their heads, grunting as they carried the cabinet out of the storage room.
Malfoy gazed in the direction where Peeves had vanished and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Draco, why are you laughing?" Crabbe asked, puzzled.
"I'm laughing at Peeves." Malfoy said, "He thought he was pranking me, but in reality, he helped me a lot. As long as my guess is correct, that person will be able to enter Hogwarts effortlessly."
As he spoke, Malfoy's excitement grew, "By then, I'll be the biggest contributor, and I must kill Peeves!"
Could that broken cabinet really allow that person to enter Hogwarts?
Also, kill a ghost? Crabbe and Goyle exchanged glances, both seeing the same thought in each other's eyes...
Malfoy must have gone crazy from the blow to his head, spouting nonsense.
(End of Chapter)
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