Chapter 820: Ulterior Motives
Chapter 820: Ulterior Motives
"Tonight has certainly been an eye-opener."
Albert emerged from the bathroom with a towel draped over his head and sat down at the table, intending to use the two-way mirror to chat with Isabelle.
Just then, there was a knock on the room's door.
"Yes?" Albert quickly dried his hair and opened the door to find Diana, the bar owner, and her daughter, Yanira, standing in the corridor outside.
"Here's the list," Diana said with a smile as she handed Albert a piece of paper. "The competition starts around ten o'clock tomorrow. You can choose a spell from the list and perform it in front of the judges."
Albert glanced at the paper and then at the stack of papers in Diana's hand, quickly understanding the situation. The competition was starting tomorrow, and participants needed to demonstrate their magic to the judges, so some preparation was necessary to avoid any unforeseen mishaps.
As for Yanira's curious gaze, Albert chose to ignore it.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Albert said. After a brief chat with Diana, he closed the door and returned to his seat. Just then, he heard the mother and daughter speaking in the corridor outside.
"Mom, you're right about Mr. Anderson being a special person. But I think he knows what you're trying to do, and he doesn't seem too happy about it," Yanira said softly, her voice barely audible to Albert.
"Don't be silly, my dear," Diana said, gazing at Yanira's beautiful face. "With your looks and your fame as a singer, what man could resist you?"
"But you said he already has a girlfriend," Yanira frowned, clearly disagreeing with her mother's suggestion.
"So what?" Diana waved off the concern. "How many couples break up after graduation?
Yanira was speechless. While Mr. Anderson was indeed her type, she didn't exactly like him. She merely had a slight crush.
However, she strongly disliked what her mother was asking her to do—to seduce and pursue a man? She, Yanira, was not lacking in suitors. Ever since she became a singer, she had no shortage of admirers at school.
And who could guarantee that this guy would win the Barnabas Finkley Outstanding Spellcasting Talent Gold Award anyway? Yanira strongly objected to the whole idea.
Nevertheless, her family had a tradition of seeking out Gold Award winners as potential partners, which was why she didn't have a boyfriend yet.
"You should trust my judgment, dear. I have a good eye for these things," Diana said confidently. From the brief conversation between Bard and Albert, it wasn't difficult to discern Albert's extraordinariness. It went beyond mere mentorship or teacher-student camaraderie; their interaction was more equal and casual, like good friends.
Yanira pouted but didn't argue with her mother, who had a proven track record in this regard.
"You should pray he wins the Gold Award," Diana added. "Never mind, let's go meet the other contestants. Though I'm sure none of them will measure up to Mr. Anderson."
As soon as they left, Albert's door opened a crack and then closed again. Albert, who had been sitting at the table, was now pinching a small, round stone between his fingertips. He removed his headphones, his expression strange.
He had a pretty good idea what was going on.
"I never thought I'd encounter such a ridiculous situation," Albert shook his head, dismissing the stray thoughts from his mind. He proceeded to use the two-way mirror to contact Isabelle and read through the paper he had just received.
The paper listed thirty different spells of varying difficulty. Participants only needed to choose one and perform it in front of the judges.
In a way, it was a form of discouragement.
If a contestant couldn't handle this simple task, they might as well withdraw from the competition to avoid embarrassment in front of the crowd tomorrow.
After all, most witches and wizards with exceptional spellcasting skills were also proficient in magic, which was one of the reasons why the Barnabas Finkley Outstanding Spellcasting Talent Award was so prestigious.
Many of the Gold Award winners went on to become famous.
In a sense, Diana's family had the right idea—their method of selection would undoubtedly lead them to a genius.
On the other side of the two-way mirror, Katrina was discussing her future career plans and the subjects she intended to take in her sixth year with Isabelle. Offering Katrina advice was supposed to be Mrs. McDougal's responsibility, but she was too busy, so Isabelle was helping out.
"Did you hear someone calling you just now? It sounded like Albert," Katrina said, her expression odd. She thought she had heard Albert's voice calling out to Isabelle.
"Someone was calling me?" Isabelle asked, puzzled.
"Yes, Albert. I definitely heard him calling your name," Katrina insisted, making a shushing gesture. "There, you can hear it again."
"Really?" Isabelle stared at Katrina, unable to resist teasing her. "Are you missing him so much that you're hearing things?"
"That's not funny," Katrina said, searching for the source of the voice.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing. The voice is coming from the two-way mirror," Isabelle said, pointing to the mirror on the table. She smiled and explained, "We've been keeping in touch through the mirrors."
Katrina picked up the mirror, which had been face down on the table, and looked at the familiar face, now wearing an expression of surprise.
"Is Isabelle there?"
Albert immediately recognized the girl who resembled Isabelle.
"She's right beside me," Katrina said, placing the mirror back on the table and stepping aside. She didn't want to intrude on their moment and left them to their conversation.
"Looks like I interrupted your chat earlier," Albert said apologetically.
"I was just discussing sixth-year electives with Katrina," Isabelle said, pulling out a chair and sitting at the desk. "But she seems set on taking the same classes as us—only Mathematics, Divination, and Ancient Runes."
"With us. The rest of the subjects are useless anyway," Albert said matter-of-factly. "By the way, I arrived in Spain today via the International Floo Network. You should have come with me. The food here is amazing, and I've had some interesting encounters."
Albert shared his experiences in Spain with Isabelle but made no mention of Yanira. He merely said that he had met a singer with a beautiful voice and would bring her a gift upon his return.
Yes, in Albert's eyes, Yanira was just a singer with a nice voice.
As the night wore on, Albert and Isabelle chatted away, eventually retiring to bed, still engrossed in their conversation. However, when the topic turned to the Christmas ball, Isabelle fell silent.
Albert had once told her that if he were chosen as a Triwizard Tournament champion, he hoped to invite Katrina to be his dance partner. He then suggested switching sisters, asking Isabelle to dance the first dance with him. With the McDougal sisters looking so alike, he figured no one would notice, and even if they did, he'd simply deny it.
Isabelle had no doubt in Albert's abilities and was certain he could become a champion. However, his proposal left her hesitant. Although Isabelle wanted to dance with Albert, she felt it wouldn't be fair to her sister.
Albert didn't know how to respond, almost forgetting that Isabelle was a self-proclaimed siscon, incredibly devoted to her sister, Katrina.
Albert didn't argue, and the matter was left unresolved. After all, there was still half a year to go, plenty of time to figure something out.
As the night deepened, the pub gradually quieted down. However, many of its patrons were destined for a sleepless night.
The next morning, Albert awoke feeling refreshed. As he headed downstairs for breakfast, he noticed a somber atmosphere permeating the pub.
The lively vibe from the previous night had vanished, and everyone seemed to have simultaneously developed anorexia, their food left untouched.
Albert couldn't help but feel like he'd traveled back to his high school exam days. However, unlike the others, his appetite remained unaffected.
"Looks like you slept well," Bard commented as he joined Albert, who was polishing off a toasted sandwich and dipping a stick-like pastry into hot chocolate.
"Yeah," Albert replied after finishing the pastry. "The breakfast here is a bit too sweet for my taste, though. I'm not used to it."
"I feel the same," Bard agreed, ordering himself a toasted sandwich and a glass of warm milk. He surveyed the pub and added with a smile, "Most of the contestants don't seem to have your appetite."
Indeed! The other contestants were riddled with anxiety and couldn't compare to Albert's extensive competitive experience and mental fortitude.
"You're surprisingly calm," Rodelis remarked as he appeared out of nowhere and sat next to Bard, eyeing Albert with curiosity. It was unusual for a minor wizard to exhibit such composure.
"When you've been through as much as I have, you learn not to be nervous," Albert replied truthfully. His mental fortitude had certainly been forged through trials and tribulations.
After all, he had killed, faced serpents and werewolves, and participated in two major competitions. It was no surprise that he was more composed than most of the contestants.
"Are you one of the judges?" Bard asked his old friend, a hint of suspicion in his voice.
"No, just an uninvited spectator," Rodelis shook his head.
"Is Dumbledore among the judges?" Albert suddenly asked, his eyes narrowing. He hoped the Headmaster wouldn't show up and deduce something from his spellcasting technique. He should have done a divination last night; he'd underestimated this situation.
"No, it's always the same five people," Rodelis replied. "The Barnabas Finkley Outstanding Spellcasting Talent competition has a panel of professional judges to ensure fairness and impartiality."
To be honest, Albert wasn't a fan of the so-called professionals or their notion of fairness and impartiality.
"What hypocrisy," Bard scoffed. "Don't tell me you actually believe that nonsense. We both know how most international competitions really work."
"At least the Barnabas Finkley competition is relatively fair," Rodelis shrugged. "You should know that."
Just then, the pub fell silent.
Albert turned towards the staircase and saw five elderly witches and wizards descending, accompanied respectfully by the pub owner, Diana.
"They must be the judges," Albert mused, studying the aged quintet—three men and two women, all seemingly older than Dumbledore.
The oppressive atmosphere in the pub thickened. Even Bard and Rodelis ceased their bickering, briefly introducing the five elders to Albert and offering him last-minute advice on how to showcase his magic effectively.
A simple yet powerful suggestion: Let your magic do the talking.
Given that witches and wizards with exceptional spellcasting talent often possessed advanced magical abilities, contestants were encouraged to demonstrate their magical prowess. As long as they didn't make any glaring mistakes, they needn't worry about being eliminated in the first round.
As the time ticked towards 9:30 am, the staff began clearing space for the competition.
The stage that had hosted the concert the night before was now the platform for the contestants to display their magic. Participants were grouped according to the numbers they had drawn the previous day and would take turns performing their spells.
Albert had drawn number 17 and was in the last few spots of the first group. He surveyed his surroundings, noting that the contestant before him was a young man not much older than himself. The man's face was pale, and he repeatedly wiped his palms with a handkerchief, a clear sign of nerves.
In contrast, the contestant behind Albert was a mature wizard in his late twenties, appearing much more composed. As their eyes met, the man seemed surprised by Albert's youth and calm demeanor.
"Are you also here for Miss Yanira?" the wizard asked in fluent French.
"Miss Yanira?" Albert replied in French, curious.
"You don't know?" the wizard asked, his brow furrowed.
"Know what?" Albert countered.
The wizard looked confused. "You're not from Beauxbatons? How come you don't know Miss Yanira?"
"No, I'm from Hogwarts," Albert corrected him.
The wizard fell silent, apparently deciding not to divulge any further information.
Albert saw right through his little game and rolled his eyes.
It seemed that word about the Yanira family had spread, and she was certainly unlucky in that regard.
As Albert chatted with the wizard behind him, the competition began.
With the assistance of Diana and a young couple, contestants took turns ascending the stage to showcase their magic.
The first contestant, a man in his thirties, waved his wand with what he believed to be elegant flourishes, conjuring a profusion of flowers out of thin air.
(End of Chapter)
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