Chapter 855: Back to School
Chapter 855: Back to School
The storm had passed by the next morning, and Albert opened the window, taking a deep breath of the exceptionally fresh air outside. However, the weather still showed no signs of clearing up, with large clouds rolling in the sky, threatening to unleash another downpour at any moment.
"Good morning," George yawned and greeted Albert, "Looks like it might rain again out there."
"If the storm continues, the lake might flood," Lee Jordan added as he climbed out of bed. They had to head to the Great Hall early today to finalize their sixth-year schedule with Professor McGonagall.
"It's great to be in our sixth year. We'll have a lot more free time to do as we please," Fred said cheerfully as he stretched.
"Don't waste these precious years at Hogwarts. For you, the most valuable resource right now should be the Hogwarts Library. Make good use of the remaining two years and delve into the books there. They can provide you with more inspiration and help for your prank products," advised Albert as he opened a pack of cat food for Tom. He continued, addressing the trio who were eager to embrace their carefree sixth-year life, "If you don't want to end up like Zonko."
"What does this have to do with Zonko?" Fred was perplexed by the sudden mention of Zonko.
"Zonko is a classic example of someone who ran out of inspiration. He didn't have enough knowledge to sustain the invention of more prank products, and that's how he ended up," Albert replied as he closed the window and gestured for them to continue walking while talking.
"Zonko's Joke Shop still has customers because there's no other competition in the British wizarding world. If a more interesting prank shop were to appear, Zonko's could easily go out of business due to market pressure," he added.
"But we have you," Fred argued, believing that they didn't need to worry about such matters. Perhaps, as Albert had said, a lack of knowledge could hinder the development of prank products, but they had him.
After Albert graduated from Hogwarts, his head would be like a walking library. Moreover, they all knew that Albert had a habit of collecting books, and his collection could undoubtedly support their shop.
"By the way, do you guys plan to set up a radio station?" Lee Jordan suddenly interjected. "If so, I can write to my dad and ask him to help us get the radio broadcasting equipment."
"Let's not rush into that. Even if we get the equipment, it will take time to set up, and we haven't decided on the content we want to broadcast yet. These things need to be planned carefully," Albert said as he walked down the stairs into the common room. He greeted Sandra, who had just come down from the girls' dormitory, and then continued to Jordan, "I think you can come up with a name for our radio station first."
"Little Gossip Secrets?" Jordan suggested earnestly. "If you allow me to reveal some of your secrets, I'm sure our broadcast will become popular very soon."
"Why don't you discuss Snape's underwear color on the radio instead?" Albert glared at Jordan. No one enjoyed being the center of gossip.
"That's not a bad idea, except it will put people off their food. As we all know, Snape probably goes for days without washing his underwear. Besides, we have no idea what color his underwear is," Jordan's comment immediately earned him disgusted looks from the girls around them. He quickly added, "But we do know the color of your underwear."
"Mate, I think you're running headlong down the path of self-destruction," Fred and George laughed and patted Jordan on the shoulder, a gesture that seemed to say, 'you're on your own now.' Noticing Albert's expression, Jordan shrunk his neck and quickly defended himself, "A lot of people are curious about you. It's better for me to share some harmless gossip about you than let them make up all sorts of wild stories."
"Aren't you afraid someone will beat you up?"
"Sorry, I was just joking," Jordan apologized immediately.
"If you really want to be popular, you can analyze recent events, such as the attack during the Quidditch World Cup, the Ministry of Magic's poor handling of emergencies, or even Professor Moody's attack yesterday," Albert offered a direction for Jordan to consider.
"Won't that be similar to the content in the 'Defense Guide'?"
"Yes, you can discuss these topics together and analyze some of the recent events. Many wizards are actually quite poor at interpreting key information," Albert admitted, intending to let them start the broadcast first and gain some experience.
"I don't think my interpretation skills are any better."
Lee Jordan sat down next to Albert, picking up the latest issue of the Prophet and quickly finding the article about Moody: Ministry in Uproar: New Blunder.
Rita Skeeter deliberately downplayed the incident involving the old Auror, Moody, shifting the blame onto the Weasley family. She intentionally misspelled Arthur Weasley's name as Arnold Weasley and even included a photo of the Weasley family and their home at the bottom of the article, clearly with malicious intent.
"Mom must be furious. She's always hated that Rita Skeeter woman," George said, taking the newspaper from Lee and frowning as he read the article. "I bet that woman deliberately misspelled the name."
"But they still read Rita Skeeter's articles, don't they? We have to admit that Rita Skeeter's talent for spinning yarns has contributed to the Prophet's sales," Fred commented.
"Rita Skeeter is adept at digging up people's secrets and then writing articles in a way that many people enjoy," George added, glancing at the paper. "Actually, I'm more curious as to why Rita Skeeter hasn't targeted you, Albert, and spread any juicy gossip about your romantic entanglements. I'm sure many girls would love to know how many girls you've charmed and who these lucky ladies are."
"Because I had a talk with her and asked her to keep quiet," Albert replied, finishing his milk and beginning to make himself a ham sandwich.
"How did you convince her?" Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were all incredulous, as it seemed unlikely that someone like Rita Skeeter would back down so easily.
"Everyone has their weaknesses. She publishes those articles purely for profit, and once you strike a deal, she'll naturally keep her mouth shut," Albert explained.
"You truly are something else, finding Rita Skeeter's weakness like that," Fred said, impressed.
The trio was curious, but seeing that Albert didn't intend to elaborate, they didn't press the issue further, knowing he wouldn't divulge Rita Skeeter's weakness to them.
"Can we talk about house-elves for a moment?" A voice suddenly piped up, and they turned to see Hermione standing beside Albert.
"In relation to the novels?" Albert asked.
"No, not the books. I've temporarily given up on that. Do you know where the kitchen is? Nick told me that there are hundreds of oppressed house-elves here at Hogwarts," Hermione said, taking a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. "I want to form an association to ensure that house-elves receive fair wages and have a good working environment. Do you have any suggestions?"
"No one will join your association, except for Harry and Ron," Albert said after a long silence. "Your intentions are good, but your approach is considered heresy by other wizards. No wizard will support what you're proposing."
"Why?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"In the eyes of wizards, house-elves are slaves. No master will allow slaves to be on equal footing with them," Albert said, gesturing for Hermione to remain calm as he continued. "If you want house-elves to have some rights, there will inevitably be a war between house-elves and wizards. It's cruel, but sometimes things can only be gained through bloodshed. However, the house-elves don't have the power to win such a war, and if it were to break out, their situation would only become worse than it is now."
"But I just want them to be treated well and for their rights to be protected," Hermione said, shocked as she struggled to understand why such a terrible situation existed.
"Because your approach is wrong, and your idea is too naive," Albert said. "Your goal should be to ensure that house-elves are treated well and fully integrated into wizarding families as important members, rather than guaranteeing their rights. That's unrealistic and simply impossible because wizards will never give up their power.
"No one likes being a slave," Hermione said, her voice shaking.
"They like being someone else's slave! They enjoy working and serving wizards. Hermione, I think you should be more realistic instead of leading the house-elves to strike and demand their rights," Fred advised.
Hermione remained silent, her eyes fixed on Albert.
"Yes, no one likes being a slave," Albert said helplessly. "But after being enslaved for thousands of years, the mindset of house-elves has completely changed, and it's not something you can alter with a few words, not even Dumbledore could change that. Even if you want to help them, the house-elves won't appreciate it and will only despise you and see you as an enemy." Noting the confusion on Hermione's face, Albert sighed softly and continued, "If you truly want to help them, you should guide and encourage wizards to treat them well and fully integrate them into their families, rather than seeing them as slaves. It's similar to how we view pets as part of the family, but this will take a long time and a lot of effort. If you truly want to create a protective law for house-elves, then you should aim to become the Minister of Magic. Only then will you have the opportunity to encourage others to treat house-elves kindly."
"Minister of Magic." Hermione stared at Albert with wide eyes.
"Yes, I know it's difficult," Albert nodded. "That's why I suggested you write a book to subtly guide people to treat house-elves better through your writing."
"Thank you, I'll seriously consider your suggestion." Hermione left disappointedly.
After Hermione walked away, Fred muttered softly, "I thought she was a smart girl."
"Hermione is just a bit naive and too idealistic," Albert shook his head.
"Do you think Hermione could become the Minister of Magic?"
"It's hard to say. If the environment in the Ministry of Magic doesn't change, she probably won't have any chance." Albert spoke quietly, "But who knows what the future holds?"
"You know!" George laughed, "If you're willing to."
"That's true." Albert also laughed.
Right after breakfast, they spotted Professor McGonagall approaching to distribute their class schedules. She needed to confirm the N.E.W.Ts advanced courses chosen by the sixth-year students, ensuring their O.W.Ls results met the professors' minimum requirements.
"Charms, Dark Arts Defense, Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes." Professor McGonagall repeated the courses Albert had chosen, then, picking up her wand, she tapped the schedule lightly. As she handed the completed schedule to Albert, she suddenly lowered her voice and asked, "I remember your birthday is in September."
"Yes, September 21st. Are you planning to get me a birthday present?" Albert joked.
"Then, do you intend to participate in the Triwizard Tournament this year?" Professor McGonagall lowered her voice even further.
"I do plan to sign up." Albert nodded, "For a Gryffindor student, such an interesting competition is not to be missed."
"The Triwizard Tournament is even more dangerous than you think. If you've seen..."
"Are you referring to the incident in 1792, where a cockatrice went out of control and injured three headmasters?"
"The Triwizard Tournament is still very dangerous for you. If you want to participate, you should prepare yourself mentally for the challenges ahead." Professor McGonagall reminded him with a frown.
"In my opinion, a cockatrice isn't that dangerous. Even if this year's tournament involves facing fire-breathing dragons, I'm confident I can defeat them." Albert remained self-assured.
Professor McGonagall stood there with her mouth slightly agape, then turned and left. While she felt that Albert was a bit too overconfident, recalling his impressive track record, she couldn't deny that he was the most suitable candidate for the role of Hogwarts' champion.
"This year's Triwizard Tournament will pit our champion against fire-breathing dragons?" Lee Jordan felt he had guessed correctly.
"Fire-breathing dragons are no easy foes, especially their scales, which are impervious to most spells. How do you plan to defeat them?" Fred and George were both curious about Albert's strategy, as Charlie was researching dragons, and they knew more about the dangers of dragons than most.
"Fire-breathing dragons have their weaknesses, and targeting those weaknesses isn't difficult."
"What's the weakness of fire-breathing dragons?"
"Their eyelids. So, a simple Stunning Spell aimed at their eyes will do the trick." Albert shrugged.
"That means you'll have to deal with a raging fire-breathing dragon." Lee Jordan mumbled, "Sounds absolutely bonkers."
"We have a Dark Arts Defense class in the afternoon. I'm quite looking forward to seeing what Professor Moody will teach us." George noticed someone approaching and steered the conversation in a different direction.
"Probably something about combating Dark Wizards, given that he's an Auror and very familiar with that aspect." Albert took out his pocket watch to check the time.
"But didn't you say..."
"That doesn't affect anything, does it?" Albert started packing his things and stood up, "I have an Ancient Runes class in the morning, so I'll be off."
"Albert's words always leave us scratching our heads." Fred watched Albert's departing figure and said to the other two.
"I think he already figured everything out but just isn't telling us." George smiled and beckoned Fred to leave with him, "Let's go and focus on our own tasks. Albert knows what he's doing, and we'll just follow his lead."
"Where are you guys going?" Lee Jordan was a bit lost, why were these guys always speaking in riddles?
"Of course, we're going to work on our little project!" George replied as if it was obvious, "Didn't you forget? Albert told us to hurry up."
"If we want to seize this opportunity to make a fortune, we need to prepare in advance." Fred and George said in unison, "After all, opportunity favors the prepared mind."
With that, the two brothers headed back to the common room, shoulders bumping together. They planned to move all their equipment from their dormitory to the lab in the Room of Requirement.
After all, experimenting in their dormitory was not a good idea.
"I agree with Albert, but can't you two wait for me for a moment?" Lee Jordan quickly finished the food on his plate and hurried after them.
(End of Chapter)
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