Chapter 769: Hypocrisy
Chapter 769: Hypocrisy
Just as people were watching in amazement as the furious Madam Pince chased the mischievous boys out of the library, their attention was immediately drawn by Harry's urgent cry.
"Ron, don't scare me!"
Harry reached out and gently shook the pale and dazed Ron, his face filled with panic.
Ron, who had just been pounced on by the large spider, seemed to be extremely frightened, and his whole person was stunned.
"What's wrong with Ron?"
When Hermione tore her gaze from the library door, she also noticed Ron's pale face, his body slumped on the ground, and his body still trembling slightly.
"Hermione, think of something quickly." Harry pleaded.
"I... I..."
Hermione was also a little flustered and didn't know what to do for a moment. She pulled her hair anxiously and said, "That's right, a calming draught! Give Ron a calming draught. He must have been scared by that big spider. I remember Ron is afraid of spiders."
"Do you have a calming draught?" Harry asked, feeling that he had asked a stupid question.
"We should send Ron to the hospital wing immediately." Hermione said loudly, "I heard Madam Pomfrey has prepared a large pot of calming draught."
"What's going on here?"
Madam Pince also noticed them and squatted down to check on Ron.
"He must have been scared senseless," Harry panted. "The Boggart turned into a giant spider and pounced on Ron. He's afraid of spiders."
"Quick, take him to the hospital wing." Madam Pince stood up and instructed the students who were gawking, "You few, come and help carry Mr. Weasley to the hospital wing."
Many students had witnessed the Boggart transforming into Albert and then into a giant spider, frightening Weasley senseless.
News of this incident spread through the school like wildfire.
Quite a few Slytherins took pleasure in the misfortune of others, especially Draco Malfoy, who even boasted that he would send Ron a pet spider to help him overcome his fear of spiders.
As the main culprit of the whole incident, Albert naturally could not escape, and a group of people were being summoned to Professor McGonagall's office for a scolding.
"Now, Mr. Anderson, what is the meaning of this?" Professor McGonagall's face was stern as she had also received news of the incident.
"Someone sent me a Boggart..."
Albert honestly recounted the whole incident, including how Kenneth had brought the package to the library for him and how someone had opened the package while he was reading his letter.
Albert dared to assure everyone that every word he said was true, although he did leave out some details that he deemed unimportant, such as the fact that he had actually purchased the Boggart.
In a sense, it wasn't exactly a purchase since Albert hadn't paid for it yet.
The whole incident sounded like someone had played a prank on Albert by sending him a Boggart, and it just so happened that Kenneth had brought the package to the library. The others were curious about why the package was moving, so they opened it to see what was inside, which then led to the unexpected outcome.
As for Fred, who had opened the package, he admitted his mistake and explained that Albert had received malicious letters from others on more than one occasion, and they usually helped him open suspicious-looking letters or packages that were unsigned.
Last time, someone had even sent Albert chocolates laced with a love potion, and Lee Jordan had fallen victim to it.
As for the reason?
It was definitely interesting.
Sometimes, unexpected things would appear, and Albert had agreed to this as well.
In essence, it was all a misunderstanding, and they never expected that someone would send Albert a Boggart.
As the four of them pretended to be innocent, Kenneth suddenly spoke up: "I remember there was a letter. The sender's name was Fletcher... or something like that."
The four of them turned to look at Kenneth.
"Yes, there was a letter. However, it was burned after reading it. Just as I was about to remind them not to open the package, it was too late." Albert feigned innocence, "Next time, I will definitely not open any suspicious packages in the library again."
"Twenty points deducted from Gryffindor. You'd better go and see Weasley. It seems he was frightened by the Boggart." Professor McGonagall sighed helplessly, knowing that the incident wasn't entirely Albert's fault.
Who would have thought that someone would send Albert a Boggart? In a sense, Albert was also one of the victims.
The group did not receive much reprimand and were soon dismissed from Professor McGonagall's office. Fred informed Albert about Ron's fear of spiders.
"That's because you turned his teddy bear into an ugly giant spider." George retorted angrily, "Otherwise, why would Ron be afraid of spiders?
Lee Jordan shook his head. Ron was truly unlucky to have such a brother. Just thinking about hugging a teddy bear, only for it to suddenly turn into a spider, would leave anyone traumatized.
"Who told him to break my toy broom?" Fred showed no sign of remorse.
"What kind of snacks does Ron usually like?" Albert asked George.
"Umm... I haven't really paid attention, but I guess he likes most sweets!" George replied uncertainly.
"Fred, what's wrong?" Albert asked, noticing Fred's distracted expression.
"That guy definitely did it on purpose," Fred muttered, staring at Kenneth Towler's retreating back.
"What do you mean, on purpose?" Lee Jordan asked, puzzled.
"He definitely wanted us to get detention," Fred asserted.
"Alright, do you know what kind of snacks Ron likes?" Albert asked again.
"I think he'd like most sweets! You don't need to get him a gift. Oh, wait, I think I still have some Peppermint Toads in my dorm room." Fred answered without hesitation, then added, "There are also a couple of Chocolate Frogs left from the last party."
"Those are probably the leftover Peppermint Toads from the last feast!" George exclaimed in disbelief, "I also have two boxes of Chocolate Frogs."
"And I have a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans," Lee Jordan added, contributing most of his snacks.
Finally, Albert conjured a basket and filled it with flowers and sweets. The group then set off to visit Ron in the hospital wing.
As they made their way there, they found Ron lying in bed, chatting with Harry and Hermione.
"Sorry, Ron. I didn't expect you to get caught up in this," Albert apologized, placing the basket of treats on the table next to Ron's bed and handing him a box of chocolates. "Have some sweets; it'll help cheer you up."
"It's not your fault," Ron said, not blaming Albert at all, especially since he had brought a whole basket of treats to apologize.
Moreover, in a sense, Albert was also a victim, having been inadvertently caught up in the incident.
"Where did you get all these treats from?" Ron asked curiously, biting off the Chocolate Frog's head as he eyed Fred and George.
"Of course, we bought these during our last trip to Hogsmeade. But most of the sweets in the basket are from Albert," Fred explained as he unwrapped a candy for himself. "By the way, it was really lame of you to turn pale from fear of a spider. We took down a bunch of spiders that size in the Forbidden Forest back in our first year."
"Are there spiders like that in the Forbidden Forest?" Ron asked, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Yeah, Hagrid released a bunch of Acromantulas, and they're all about the same size as that one. They can even speak! So, don't go wandering into the Forbidden Forest, or you'll end up in their territory and be done for," Albert warned kindly.
"What about the Boggart?" Hermione, noticing Ron's pallor, steered the conversation in a different direction. "Who sent it to you?"
"Some Mr. Thief. But I plan to use it for teaching. Apparently, repelling a Boggart is one of the practical exam topics for O.W.Ls in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Albert replied.
"Can I join the Defense Association?" Hermione asked.
"Well..." Albert nodded. "But the so-called Defense Association is mainly to help everyone achieve better results in their O.W.Ls for Defense Against the Dark Arts. It might be a bit advanced for you."
At that moment, Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe arrived, interrupting their conversation.
When Malfoy saw Albert and the others, he immediately schooled his expression.
"Weasley, I heard you were sick, or rather, scared witless by a Boggart. Anyway, I brought you a gift that will definitely help cure your fear of spiders," Malfoy said, placing a package on the table. Before turning to leave, he took a few candies from the basket, prompting Ron to consider throwing the package at Malfoy's head.
"Do you want me to open it and see what's inside?" Fred asked with ill-intent. "I bet it's full of spiders."
"No need to open it. Just throw it away," Ron replied.
"Or maybe you could send it back to Malfoy," George suggested. "You could put some cockroaches or mice inside."
"That's a good idea," Ron muttered under his breath.
"I can help," Harry volunteered, eager to see Malfoy get his comeuppance. "We can send it back to him before Easter ends and make it into an Easter egg surprise he'll never forget."
"You guys..." Hermione disapproved of their plan.
"Hermione, there's nothing wrong with this," Harry argued. "Look at what Malfoy has done this term. He deserves to be punished."
(End of Chapter)
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