Chapter 763: Plans in Motion
Chapter 763: Plans in Motion
"So, how did the date go? Was it smooth sailing?"
As soon as Albert returned to the common room, he found Lee Jordan giving him a resentful look, as if Albert had wronged him in some way.
"I wasn't on a date, I was..." Albert began to refute, but was interrupted by Lee Jordan.
"You should have helped me instead. I can't handle all of that by myself over there." Lee Jordan wrapped his arm around Albert's neck and complained, "Today was exhausting."
"Isn't this a great opportunity to hone your skills? Look, you're getting more and more proficient at handling these things," Albert said earnestly.
To appease Lee's wounded ego, Albert took out some candies from his pocket and handed them to him.
Lee Jordan unwrapped a candy and popped it into his mouth, mumbling, "You think I'll fall for your excuses?"
"Yeah, don't believe a word Albert says. He's just trying to shirk his responsibilities. What a jerk!" Fred and George chimed in, grinning mischievously. They also took the opportunity to snatch some candies from Lee Jordan.
"You two jerks!"
Changing the subject, Albert asked, "So, who won this time?"
"The Ravenclaw girl," Fred replied without hesitation.
"Luna Lovegood, the eccentric one," George added.
"It's not surprising that she won. That girl loves Wizarding Dueling Cards more than anyone, and she's smart, even if she is a bit odd," Lee Jordan corrected them. "Also, you shouldn't call people 'eccentric'. It's rude."
"You don't have a thing for her, do you?" Fred and George gave Lee Jordan odd looks, as if they were regarding a strange uncle.
"Shut up," Lee Jordan snapped, annoyed.
"What I mean is, we need a successor. We'll graduate from school eventually, and we need someone to continue managing the Wizarding Dueling Cards Club," Albert understood Lee Jordan's intention, as this was something he had specifically asked Lee to look out for—to find students who were passionate about the cards and ensure the club's longevity, just like with Quidditch. The person in charge had to be truly dedicated to the cards.
"I think we should talk to Professor McGonagall about this," George suggested. "There are quite a few clubs in Hogwarts, but they rarely last as long as Quidditch has."
"The fastest to crumble was Gilderoy Lockhart's Dueling Club," Fred said with a malicious smile. "I hear he's still in St. Mungo's."
"Shut up, that's beside the point," Lee Jordan interrupted, having put a lot of thought into the Dueling Cards. He had also thought further ahead than the others. "We can try to develop the Dueling Cards like the Gobstones Club. Even though the cards are more popular than gobstones right now, they're still new, and the system needs improvement. We have a long way to go, and it would be best if we could get Professor McGonagall's support."
"I'll discuss this with Professor McGonagall," Albert nodded, indicating that he would handle these matters. "I think she'll agree. After all, the Dueling Cards are a great way to educate students about magic, and it helps foster unity and harmony among the students."
Albert wasn't exaggerating. Dueling Card competitions were indeed much more peaceful than Quidditch matches. Everyone played the cards happily, and even during tournaments, there was little animosity.
"Then we'll leave it to you," Lee Jordan said, confident in Albert's abilities.
"You guys find a few more candidates, and I'll talk to them later. If they're willing, I'll take the time to guide them," Albert said to the trio.
"You're better at this sort of thing, so we'll leave it all to you," Fred said, patting Lee Jordan on the shoulder.
Changing the subject, George asked, "By the way, where did you go with Hannah earlier?"
"To visit Professor Lupin," Albert replied, giving Fred and George a meaningful look before briefly explaining their visit to see Professor Lupin.
"You forgot to ask Professor Lupin about borrowing a Boggart," Lee Jordan said, sounding even more resentful. His Patronus Charm still needed practice, and these guys had the nerve to dump all the work on him.
"Oh, I forgot about that," Albert admitted.
"Damn, how could you forget?" Lee Jordan clearly didn't believe that Albert could be so forgetful.
"You're surprised that Professor Lupin didn't want to resign early?" Fred and George were both taken aback.
For any rational person, the sensible thing to do would be to flee rather than foolishly stay and brave the curse. With the tragic fates of the previous headmasters as a cautionary tale, anyone who chose to ignore the signs and remain was clearly not thinking straight and courting death.
"This is such a stupid decision." Lee Jordan muttered, "I think if Professor Lupin really doesn't want to resign early, he's going to be in deep trouble."
"The worst-case scenario is that he turns into a werewolf, bites a student at Hogwarts, and then gets thrown into Azkaban or sentenced to death by the Ministry of Magic." After closing the dormitory door, Albert shared his speculation with his roommates: "A better outcome would be for his werewolf identity to be exposed, leading to a group of student parents demanding his dismissal from the school. Both scenarios are unpleasant, but at least with the second option, people will miss him after he's gone."
"Let's hope for the latter. Otherwise, Dumbledore might have to resign in disgrace." George also didn't want Albert's prediction to come true, and he actually had a favorable impression of Professor Lupin.
"Why don't you make a prophecy about it?" Fred suggested.
"That's a good idea." George immediately agreed.
"Can you do it?" Lee Jordan asked.
"Oh, alright!"
Albert fetched the crystal ball and began to prophesy about Professor Lupin's fate.
The mist inside the crystal ball swirled rapidly and was soon replaced by a scene: Professor Lupin was packing his luggage.
"It seems that Professor Lupin's fate isn't too bad; he's still alive and hasn't been locked up in Azkaban." The trio was pleased with the apparent outcome for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, which seemed to align with the second scenario Albert had mentioned.
However, the scene in the crystal ball shifted, and they witnessed a solemn Albert wielding his wand, and... Professor Lupin transformed into a werewolf.
The dormitory fell into a deathly silence.
Even though the three of them didn't understand prophecies, they could interpret what they saw, and their faces paled slightly.
The scene in the crystal ball seemed to be telling them that Professor Lupin had transformed into a werewolf and lost control, only to be subdued by Albert, who was seen standing there unharmed. The fact that Professor Lupin had time to pack his luggage indicated that no substantial harm had been done.
"Maybe we should tell Dumbledore about this." Lee Jordan suggested.
"It's useless. They won't easily believe us until we hit a wall." Albert put away the crystal ball and said calmly, "Moreover, from Professor Lupin's perspective, his choice isn't necessarily wrong. No one would easily change their mind before reality hits them hard. Even I wouldn't be an exception... If someone said my prophecies were fake, I wouldn't want to believe it either because I'm very confident in my prophecies, just like that."
"If anyone dares to say your prophecies are fake, I'll be the first to punch them!" Fred made a fist as if to emphasize his point.
"Are you really going to try to subdue a werewolf?" Lee Jordan was skeptical about the endeavor, knowing it would entail significant risk.
Werewolves were extremely dangerous, and a bite would ruin one's life.
"We'll help you." Fred and George spoke in unison, "It's just one werewolf. At that time, we'll just hit him with a Stunning Spell together, and we'll definitely be able to handle Professor Lupin."
"Are you sure the Stunning Spell will work on a werewolf?"
Lee Jordan was a bit resentful that Professor Lupin, knowing he would turn into a werewolf, was still wandering around, "And this whole situation is strange. With Wolfsbane Potion, this kind of situation shouldn't occur."
"It will definitely work. That's what Charlie and the others used against the fire-breathing dragons." Fred almost assured them as if he were patting his chest.
"Do you think Snape gave Professor Lupin fake Wolfsbane Potion?" George speculated.
"Not very likely. Although Snape strongly dislikes Professor Lupin, he probably wouldn't take such a risk. If Professor Lupin turns into a werewolf inside the castle, who knows how many students might be harmed." Albert shook his head.
"Why not? I think Snape is very capable of doing something like that." Fred agreed with George's guess, "I heard from Ron that the Marauder's Map cursed Snape, so he must be holding a grudge."
"You guys should train your abilities to prepare for the upcoming battle." Albert reminded them, "If we prevent this tragedy, I think the principal should give you a special contribution award."
(End of Chapter)
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