Chapter 738: Pouring Oil on Troubled Waters
Chapter 738: Pouring Oil on Troubled Waters
After Albert handed over the prepared Christmas gifts to the house-elves for delivery, the winter holidays drew quietly closer.
The festive atmosphere within Hogwarts Castle intensified, with the Great Hall adorned by twelve Christmas trees as per tradition, staircases draped in ivy and metal foil, and large bundles of mistletoe hanging at intervals along the corridors. Groups of girls often gathered beneath the mistletoe, eagerly anticipating their dream princes to bestow romantic kisses upon them.
By the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, Fred and George Weasley were equally excited about the approaching break. They were conspiring to prepare a surprising farewell for Filch on the day they would board the Hogwarts Express to leave for the holidays.
"Where are you planning to go for the Christmas break?" Lee Jordan prodded Tom, who was lounging by the fireplace, with an elbow. "Are you off to some exotic location again?"
"Nowhere, actually. I plan to stay at home for the entire break."
Lately, Herbert had been busy with external affairs, so the Anderson family had no intention of traveling for the holidays and instead intended to hibernate at home.
"Oh, by the way, I asked my father to look into that matter we discussed, and I just received his reply recently."
"What matter?"
Fred and George clearly had forgotten what it was about.
"The investigation into the rental prices of shops in Diagon Alley. It's more expensive than we imagined, and there aren't any suitable stores available for rent anymore." Lee Jordan pulled out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Albert. "Unless you're willing to settle for shops in really bad locations. Of course, there are plenty of stores available for rent in Knockturn Alley, and the prices are quite cheap, but you know how dangerous that place is."
"What do you think we should do?"
Fred and George exchanged glances before turning to Albert, seeking his advice on resolving this issue.
"Wait for another two years. I'm confident we'll be able to find a suitable location by then, and the prices won't be as exorbitant. At that time, we can pick a good spot and buy it outright. So, you two had better finish your seventh year without any thoughts of dropping out early."
"What will happen in two years?"
The trio clearly understood the implication in Albert's words—something unpleasant was going to happen in two years.
In fact, this wasn't the first time Albert had hinted at this.
"Speaking of which, the last time I went to Hogsmeade Village, I overheard Professor McGonagall discussing Sirius Black with the other professors at the Three Broomsticks Inn." Albert steered the conversation in a different direction.
"Black? What about him?"
The trio was intrigued, but considering they were in the common room with many curious ears around, they refrained from pressing Albert further on this topic. They knew he would share the details when they returned to their dormitory.
"Harry's father was actually good friends with Black, and Black was Harry's godfather?"
The three of them gaped in shock as Albert laid out the entire story.
"Harry must be furious if he knows about this," George murmured.
"He does," Albert dropped another bombshell.
"He knows? How?"
The three of them were perplexed, staring at Albert for an explanation.
"Harry was there, hiding under his Invisibility Cloak, and he happened to overhear the conversation between Professor McGonagall and the others," Albert said, looking at the trio's widening eyes, feigning a casual demeanor.
"Some things really shouldn't be discussed so freely," Lee Jordan muttered.
"I've also discovered another secret."
"What secret?"
"The identity of the maker of the Marauder's Map." Albert gestured for them to keep their voices down as he slowly shared his speculation about the identities of the Marauders.
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were stunned after hearing his theory, especially upon learning that Professor Lupin was a werewolf. They couldn't stop muttering about how everything made sense now.
"No wonder Professor Lupin takes sick leave every once in a while."
"Professor Dumbledore must be out of his mind to hire a werewolf! Doesn't he know how dangerous they are? And how could he not worry that Professor Lupin would help Black break into Hogwarts Castle?" Lee Jordan exclaimed, incredulous as he looked at Albert.
"I don't think Black needs that kind of help," Fred stated firmly. "If Black was involved in creating the Marauder's Map, he could easily come and go from Hogwarts as he pleased."
"Shrieking Shack, remember the Shrieking Shack? I bet the werewolf hiding in there all those times was Professor Lupin," George speculated. "The timing matches up perfectly."
"Since they're friends, Black must know about the Shrieking Shack too. Do you think he's hiding there right now?" Fred jumped excitedly from his bed, thinking he might have figured out Black's whereabouts. "Maybe we should inform the Ministry of Magic and claim that reward!"
"The Dementors wouldn't have missed searching the Shrieking Shack," George shook his head. "They must have thoroughly checked all possible hiding places around Hogwarts. If Black is hiding nearby, he wouldn't be able to escape the Dementors' search."
"I know when Black will appear." Albert suddenly interjected.
"What?" George asked excitedly. "Did you have a vision?"
"Yes, it will be on the day of Hagrid's hippogriff execution. We will ambush and capture Black, but the Dementors will show up and cause trouble... It won't be easy."
"We capture Black?"
"If you want to come with me to capture Black and claim that hefty reward, you'd better start training now."
"Are we going to face the Dementors directly?" Lee Jordan's face fell, and he began to understand why Albert had been urging them to practice their Patronus Charms.
They had already suspected as much, but now it was confirmed. Even though they had prepared themselves mentally, the pressure was still immense. Their weak Patronuses stood no chance against the Dementors.
"The prophecy hints that we will capture Black and drive away the Dementors, but it doesn't guarantee the outcome. If you don't work hard enough, there's no telling if we'll succeed or not."
Albert was well aware of the power of incentives and how money could motivate people to unlock their full potential.
He needed additional helpers to prevent any unforeseen mishaps.
"With that reward money, our plan to open a shop will definitely be a success," Fred said excitedly. That was a reward of 1000 Galleons, and even if they each only got 1000 Galleons in the end, it would still be more than enough.
Albert was pleased with the trio's reaction, knowing that the lure of money had ignited their enthusiasm.
That night, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan diligently practiced casting their Patronus Charms.
Their efforts throughout the night left them feeling sluggish the next day, and they hadn't made much progress, which was a bit demoralizing.
However, when Albert linked the summoning of their Patronuses to piles of Galleons, Fred and George displayed an unprecedented level of enthusiasm, leaving even Lee Jordan astounded.
Through repeated efforts and corrections, Fred and George's Patronuses were still a silvery mist, but the mist was denser than before, prompting Albert to once again marvel at the allure of Galleons.
"I need to step up my game, or I'll be left behind." Upon seeing Fred and George's fervent training of their Patronus Charms, Lee Jordan joined in, not wanting to be the weak link.
On the day of their departure, the four friends chatted about Patronus Charms in the Thestral-drawn carriage.
In fact, they had been obsessed with this topic for several consecutive days, as if bewitched.
Albert never doubted the trio's potential; with continued practice, they might even master the Patronus Charm before Harry Potter.
As they entered Hogsmeade Village, the carriage slowed down and eventually stopped at the Hogsmeade train station.
Passengers disembarked with their luggage and rushed toward the open train doors.
Most students chose to go home for Christmas, perhaps spooked by the Black incident, reminiscent of last year's attack.
"Mom wanted to invite Harry to our place for Christmas, but she later thought it would be safer for him to stay at school," Fred muttered.
"That's the price of being the savior, I guess!" Albert tightened the towel around himself and waved his wand to unload the luggage from the carriage.
"Let's get going. I don't want to stand here and freeze," said Lee Jordan, shivering as he pulled his luggage toward the train.
The three of them dragged their luggage toward the train doors, while station staff helped students load their luggage onto the train.
Just as it was Albert's turn, he suddenly felt the air around him grow colder, causing him to breathe out white mist. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
"Look over there, it's Dementors, and they seem to be heading this way."
Someone screamed, and the bustling station fell momentarily silent.
The next moment, the station erupted into chaos as people rushed toward the train, as if it were their only refuge from the evil creatures.
Even the station staff helping with luggage became flustered, as wizards without Patronuses were virtually defenseless against Dementors.
People instinctively feared these monsters that fed on happy emotions, leaving despair and depression in their wake.
Chaos, shoving, and jostling ensued at the train doors.
Damn it! Albert felt someone step on his foot, his luggage knocked into him, and someone pushed him from behind, almost causing him to fall.
Tom, sensing the tense atmosphere, became agitated in his cage.
Are the people at the Ministry of Magic idiots?
Don't they know the consequences of causing a ruckus in a place like this? He recalled Fudge's words at the Three Broomsticks, where the man had advocated for letting Dementors into Hogwarts Castle to "help."
Good heavens! What nonsense about Dementors, he clearly understood what they were!
Calling Fudge an idiot was right on the mark.
"Quiet down, stay where you are, everyone stay put."
After casting a Muffliato spell on Tom, Albert put his finger to his throat and shouted with an exceptionally loud voice that reverberated throughout the train station.
Albert didn't expect to stop everyone, but he could make his voice loud enough to hurt their eardrums and force them to cover their ears.
Undoubtedly, this method was effective.
The initial chaos subsided as everyone painfully covered their ears, wishing someone would shut that loudmouth up.
Albert removed his finger from his throat and helped a girl who had fallen in the commotion to her feet, simultaneously drawing his wand and sending a silvery beam of light toward the hovering Dementors.
The griffin-horse statue seemed to sense Albert's emotions and charged toward the Dementors, driving them away from the students.
The Dementors roared angrily, seemingly irritated that someone was interfering with their duty, but they showed no signs of leaving.
Albert's Patronus looked a bit lonely and outnumbered, not as powerful as he had imagined, mostly due to the hasty summoning.
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan also tried to summon their Patronuses, but they could only manage a wisp of silvery mist, which was useless.
Just then, a silver fox Patronus leaped into the air from one of the carriages, and two more Patronuses joined Albert's, driving the Dementors away from the train.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Two Aurors hurried over, having noticed the commotion.
They never expected anyone to interfere with the Dementors' routine check, as it was uncommon for wizards to dare to do so.
After all, wizards who could cast Patronus Charms were few and far between.
"I should be asking you the same question. What are you doing, letting the Dementors come over here? Do you intend to feed us to them?" Albert asked, his tone even colder than the Aurors'.
"The Dementors are merely performing their duties," the younger Auror replied in a standard tone. "You are obstructing the Ministry's business."
"By letting the Dementors suck away our happy emotions and causing chaos, shoving, and trampling? Don't tell me the Ministry thinks this is how you protect the safety of Hogwarts students," Albert retorted, his voice rising to convey his displeasure and stir up the emotions of those around him.
Sometimes, all it took was a leader to spark a movement.
The young Auror seemed about to say something but was held back by his companion, who noticed that all the students were glaring at them.
"Get lost! We don't need your Dementor protection."
Someone shouted, and then things started flying at the two Aurors, including a dungbomb that splattered on the younger Auror.
"Go to hell with your duty!"
"You're all useless! You still haven't caught Black after all this time."
...
The young Auror's face turned ashen, and he raised his hand to block the projectiles.
Seeing that they had no intention of leaving and had even drawn their wands, someone in the crowd threw spells at the two Aurors from the safety of the anonymous mob.
The previous commotion had left many students with bumps and bruises, and now their pent-up anger found an outlet.
Before the young Auror could react, his companion pulled him away, and they Disapparated just in time to avoid the incoming spells.
(End of Chapter)
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