Chapter 759: Night Whispers
Chapter 759: Night Whispers
It was already past eleven in the evening when Albert quietly made his way back to Gryffindor Tower through the portrait passageway. The students had retired to their dormitories, leaving the common room shrouded in darkness, with only the embers in the fireplace emitting a faint glow.
As Albert prepared to head to his own dormitory, he spotted a dark silhouette in the nearest armchair. He directed the light from his wand towards it and found Hermione fast asleep at the table, her head resting on an open book.
"Hermione, wake up. Wake up, don't sleep here. You might catch a cold," Albert said gently as he nudged the girl's shoulder to rouse her.
"Oh... I must have dozed off," Hermione murmured as she blinked her eyes open and looked around, her gaze eventually settling on Albert. She forced herself to focus and asked, "Where have you been? I've been looking for you all afternoon."
"What did you need me for?" Albert asked.
Taking off his cloak, Albert draped it around Hermione's shoulders and gestured for her to join him by the fireplace. The fire was rekindled, casting a warm glow on their faces.
Hermione huddled in the cloak, gazing into the dancing flames. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a letter, which she handed to Albert. "Hagrid lost the case. Buckbeak is to be executed. He sent me this letter."
Albert took the letter but didn't read it, as he could already guess its contents.
"Although we can still appeal, I see little hope. Malfoy's father is threatening the committee," Hermione said, biting her lip. "You were right. It was foolish to think we could save Buckbeak through legal means."
"That was to be expected, wasn't it?" Albert corrected her. "I believe Lucius Malfoy bribed the committee. Any further appeals would be a waste of time."
"What do you plan to do now?" Hermione asked, her eyes shining with hope. "If you need it, Harry, Ron, and I are all willing to help."
"No, this is something you don't need to get involved in. Just keep it a secret, and I'll handle the rest. The fewer people who know, the safer it is," Albert declined Hermione's offer decisively.
Hermione opened her mouth, looking a little disappointed.
"However, you can have Hagrid continue with the appeals. At the very least, we need to show that we're not giving up," Albert added.
"But you said..." Hermione trailed off.
"Some pretense is necessary," Albert explained.
"Oh." Hermione nodded in understanding.
"Actually, you should be able to guess what I plan to do next, and I assume you don't want to break the law," Albert said soothingly. "Go and make up with Harry and Ron. Then, go and comfort Hagrid. He needs someone right now."
"I've already made up with them," Hermione said softly.
"That's wonderful," Albert said with a smile.
He quickly scanned Hagrid's letter before tossing it into the fireplace, watching as the parchment turned to ashes in the flames. "Have you shown this letter to anyone else?" he asked.
"Harry and Ron both read it," Hermione replied.
Noticing Albert's frown, Hermione asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"Hagrid is too careless. He shouldn't have written about this in a letter. I've told him so many times," Albert shook his head. "This kind of carelessness will only bring him trouble. Eventually, no one will be able to help him."
"Is there a problem with the letter?" Hermione asked, puzzled, as she had read it herself and hadn't noticed anything amiss.
"Of course, there's a problem, and it's a serious one," Albert said sternly. "What would others think if they saw this letter? If the Hippogriff escapes on its own, people will know that Hagrid let it go. Even if he has an alibi for that time, they will still believe he did it. If this letter falls into Malfoy's hands, the Hippogriff is as good as dead. Even if I eventually set it free, it will only confirm that Hagrid broke the law."
"But... surely that's not considered evidence?" Hermione asked, confused.
"Do they need evidence?" Albert shook his head. "No, they don't. Lucius can use this letter to have Hagrid sentenced by the Ministry, lose his teaching position, and be thrown into Azkaban."
"They can't possibly..." Hermione began.
"They can, and they will," Albert said bitterly. "Don't put too much faith in the Ministry's laws. Besides, I'll be in trouble too. Those pure-blood wizards have been looking for an excuse to get to me ever since I embarrassed them."
"Trouble for you?" Hermione's confusion deepened.
"Because I've made them look bad," Albert explained. "The more attention I attract, the more it feels like an insult to those stubborn pure-blood wizards. You can see that in Malfoy's attitude."
Hermione shook her head, still not fully grasping the situation.
"Remember the negative reactions when I won the International Wizarding Chess Championship? They won't tolerate a Muggle-born wizard overshadowing them. Just like how they got rid of the first Muggle-born Minister of Magic, Nobby Leach," Albert revealed.
Hermione's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Albert.
"Don't look at me like that. I didn't come up with this on my own," Albert said, recalling the information he had learned. "Nobby Leach was the first Muggle-born to become the Minister of Magic, but he was forced to resign in 1968 due to a mysterious illness and died soon after. It turns out he contracted Dragon Pox, and it was caused by none other than Abraxas Malfoy, Draco's grandfather. However, that old man got what he deserved and died of the same disease."
Albert paused, bringing the conversation back on track. "I'll take care of the Hippogriff situation for Hagrid. You three don't need to worry about it, and please don't spread rumors about this. It will only make things worse for Hagrid."
Hermione nodded vigorously, then lowered her voice and asked, "So, the relationship between pure-blood and Muggle-born wizards is truly terrible."
"It is," Albert said calmly. "Otherwise, how do you think Voldemort gained so many Death Eaters? Some Slytherins even call Muggle-born wizards 'mud-bloods'."
Hermione immediately thought of Malfoy.
"Anyway, you don't need to concern yourself with these matters anymore. Don't tell Harry and Ron about our conversation tonight. Let's keep this between us as friends," Albert said, winking at Hermione.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Hermione asked suddenly.
"Consider it advice from a friend," Albert replied with a smile.
"A friend? Thank you, Albert," Hermione said, her face lighting up with a brilliant smile.
"It's late. Go get some rest," Albert said.
"Okay, good night." Hermione returned his cloak and headed for the stairs, hugging her book.
"Good night," Albert said, watching her leave. "She's such an innocent girl," he murmured to himself.
Albert stifled a yawn and waved his wand to extinguish the fire in the fireplace before making his way to his dormitory.
(End of Chapter)
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