Chapter 774: You Have Bad Breath
Chapter 774: You Have Bad Breath
"Weasley, want to see my new pet?"
Draco Malfoy waved at Ron with a sinister smile. He also took out a glass bottle from his robe pocket, containing a spider he had just caught at school. He held the bottle in front of Ron and asked with ill intent, "Look, this is my new pet. Isn't it cute?"
As he spoke, Malfoy poured a spider from the bottle and reached out to hand it to Ron, causing the latter to take a step back in fright, almost stumbling.
Ron's flustered appearance elicited loud laughter from Malfoy and his companions.
"Get lost, Malfoy."
Harry stepped forward, blocking Ron and intercepting the spider that Malfoy was offering.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Malfoy sneered. "The poor Weasley seems to be afraid of spiders. With their shabby house, they should have plenty of spiders, so why would he be scared of them?" He put the spider back into the bottle and continued to mock Ron without restraint.
"You must have been munching on feces in the bathroom again, because your breath stinks. Or did you drink too much chamber pot water last time, and the bad breath hasn't gone away yet?"
George appeared beside Malfoy and put his arm around his neck. He took out a piece of gum from his pocket and offered it to Malfoy with a grin. "I have special gum for treating bad breath. Want one? It's good for when your mouth is full of crap."
"Get away from me!"
Malfoy pushed the gum away in disgust as if it were something terrifying.
"George, you shouldn't waste high-quality goods on this kind of person," Fred said, taking the gum that George had intended for Malfoy. He tore open the wrapper and popped it into his mouth, blowing a bubble at Malfoy.
"Well, the gum for treating bad breath is gone. What a shame," George said as he released Malfoy's neck and pushed him to the side. "Having bad breath is not something to be ashamed of. If you want to buy gum to treat it, you can find us. It's one galleon per piece, a bargain that's effective and affordable. It can quickly solve your bad breath problem."
"Fred and George are right, Malfoy's breath really stinks," Harry said, covering his nose in disgust as he pulled Ron away, as if Malfoy were a pile of dung.
"You..."
Malfoy was so angry that he was about to explode, but he had no outlet for his anger.
"Malfoy's breath does stink," Ron agreed, feeling that Fred and George had hit the nail on the head. "He probably doesn't brush his teeth properly every day."
Hermione, sitting to the side, felt like laughing. She was unwrapping an Easter egg that had been sent from home and popped a piece of chocolate-flavored cotton candy into her mouth. The sweets had improved her mood considerably lately.
Of course, there was another reason—Hermione had received help from Albert, which greatly reduced her study pressure.
Moreover, she had decided to drop Divination and Muggle Studies and get a normal schedule.
Hermione carefully put away the Easter egg, intending to find an opportunity to share it with Albert and thank him for his help.
"Are you guys going to the Defense Association next time?" Hermione asked Harry and Ron. "I heard that this time it might be a practical exercise."
"Defense... what?" Harry looked at Hermione in confusion. "Are you talking about your Dark Arts Defense Club?"
"Didn't that disband last year?" Ron asked, perplexed.
"The Defense Association," Hermione corrected him. "It's the gathering organized by Albert, meant to help everyone do better on their O.W.Ls. I heard that last time, Albert talked about the key points of the Dark Arts Defense exam and what topics might be tested."
"How would he know what will be on the test? Oh, right, he can make prophecies. Did Albert predict the exam questions directly?" Ron suddenly felt that learning Divination was also important. If they could predict the future exam questions, they wouldn't have to worry about tests at all.
"Please, can you stop thinking of prophecies as something so low-level?" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Are you guys coming with me or not?"
"When is it?" Harry asked.
"It should be soon, probably starting at eight in the evening," Hermione replied eagerly. "Everyone says they can learn a lot of useful things from Albert, even more useful than reviewing Defense Against the Dark Arts by yourself."
Hermione's wish was soon fulfilled. The next day, at eight in the evening, the trio sneaked to the seventh floor of the castle and found a group of people already gathered there.
"Are you also here for the Defense Association?" Harry asked as he greeted Angelina.
"Yes, today is the practical class," Angelina said excitedly.
"Anderson seems to be quite popular. I just saw a few Slytherin students," Ron whispered to Fred.
"Albert doesn't mind if others come to listen," Fred replied.
"Aren't you afraid they're here to cause trouble?" Ron had no doubt that the Slytherin students were capable of such antics.
"Of course not," Fred said, standing in front of Edgar Strounge's portrait and waving to a few students in the distance. "If necessary, we believe others will help us throw them out."
"The password to enter the room is 'slyly'. However, if you come at a time other than the gathering, you may not be able to find the room. Don't ask me why, that's just how magical Hogwarts Castle is," Fred said, speaking the password and opening the entrance to the secret room.
Many people were attending the gathering for the first time, and they curiously examined their surroundings.
Hermione's attention was mostly drawn to the room's light source. She noticed a light similar to an electric lamp and couldn't help but gape in astonishment.
"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"That..." Hermione pointed to the magical lamp above their heads. "I'm sure that's a prop that Albert invented himself."
"Alright, quiet down, let's begin," Albert's voice echoed through the room, and everyone turned to look in his direction.
"Today, we were originally going to explain some curse-breaking and defensive spells," Albert said, patting the box under his seat. "But, you may have also heard that I received a gift recently."
"A Boggart?" someone asked, raising their hand.
"Yes, so today, you will be facing a Boggart," Albert stood up from the box and continued, "Boggarts have always been one of the mandatory topics in the O.W.Ls, whether it's on the written exam or the practical test. Since this is an obvious opportunity to score points, I think it's best not to lose any due to lack of preparation."
"Alright, line up and take turns facing the Boggart. I think this shouldn't be too difficult for you. At the very least, you should have a mental expectation, so you won't panic if you encounter one during the exam," Albert explained.
"Of course, I don't expect everyone to agree with my views," he continued, looking around at the whispering crowd. "If you feel that what I'm teaching is something you disagree with or cannot accept, you can stand aside and watch, or you can simply leave. The door is over there; just quietly slip out. Don't disturb or waste others' time, or they will surely send you out. I believe some people would be delighted to do so."
"Alright, everyone, line up, let's begin."
(End of Chapter)
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