Chapter 880: A Well-Intended Warning
Chapter 880: A Well-Intended Warning
As November set in, the temperature around Hogwarts dropped drastically, bringing with it bitter cold and the constant threat of snow flurries.
Tom lay on his usual spot by the window, gazing out as he pondered the mysteries of his cat life.
Suddenly, a series of crackling sounds filled the dormitory, and Tom turned to see his owner appear out of thin air.
"Meow!"
Tom jumped down from his cushion, trotted over to Albert's feet, and rubbed against his legs gently, letting out soft meows as if to say, "Hooman, I'm hungry."
"Did they forget to feed you lunch?" Albert eyed the chubby cat suspiciously. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to give Tom some food, reasoning that it would be dinnertime soon anyway.
"Right, I almost forgot about that." Albert muttered to himself as he donned his cloak and headed out.
It was freezing outside, but at least it wasn't raining. Albert pulled his cloak tighter around himself as he made his way toward Hagrid's hunting cabin.
Hearing the knock on the door, Hagrid opened it and greeted Albert with a broad smile. "Our brave hero finally finds time to pay a visit. Come in, come in!"
"I've been busy lately. There's a lot of trouble that comes with fame, and I figured Potter would be coming to see you. He's been having a rough time lately." Albert bent down to scratch behind Fang's ears and gestured outside, where a few girls were sneaking glances their way, up to some unknown mischief.
"You're still quite popular with the ladies, I see." Hagrid stepped back and motioned for Albert to enter, a smile still on his face.
"If I didn't already have a girlfriend, I'd be delighted." Albert waved his wand, opening all the windows in the hunting cabin. A gust of wind blew out the faint smell of the sea, and with a few more waves of his wand, he cleaned the corners of the cabin, ridding it of any lingering traces.
"The Blast-Ended Skrewts have started killing each other." Hagrid explained, then added, "By the way, Fred and George took quite a few of the fresh Blast-Ended Skrewt corpses today. They want to study their physiology and think some parts might be useful."
"Blast-Ended Skrewts are inherently dangerous creatures. It's not surprising that they'd turn on each other if you keep them cooped up with no outlet for their excess energy." Albert was unsurprised by this development.
"Maybe I should take the students for a walk with them next class." Hagrid suggested, coming up with a rather ill-advised idea.
"Believe me, Hagrid, if you did that, you'd have very few students willing to take your class. Most would rather learn about and get to know magical creatures without the risk of being harmed. If your class only brings bad memories, they'll drop it like a hot potato. No one really enjoys your class as it is." Albert felt the need to remind Hagrid of the potential consequences of such an action.
"What should I do, then?" Hagrid asked, looking perplexed.
"Teach them about understanding and caring for magical creatures, and how to respond appropriately when encountering dangerous ones. Perhaps you should pay a visit to Professor Kettleburn and ask him for advice on teaching. And stop spending time with that ill-intentioned new friend of yours." Albert suggested, pouring himself a cup of tea.
"Olympe doesn't have ill intentions! We just get along well, that's all." Hagrid argued, his face falling slightly.
"Love makes people do silly things." Albert shook his head, "But there's something I need to remind you of."
"What is it?" Hagrid asked, curious.
"The reason you and Olympe get along so well is something neither of you can divulge, trust me. It's for the benefit of both of you. Giants are still a touchy subject for most witches and wizards." Albert said seriously.
"Oh, alright." Hagrid mumbled, his mind seemingly elsewhere. "By the way, Harry is currently in the Forbidden Forest, training with Sirius and Remus. Would you like to join them? I recall you having a good relationship with them."
"No, thanks." Albert declined promptly, "It's just the Triwizard Tournament. This competition isn't really important anymore."
"What do you mean?" Hagrid was confused by Albert's strange words. What could be more important than the tournament?
"Ever since Harry was forced to enter the Triwizard Tournament, it meant that this competition has taken a very abnormal turn." Albert explained.
"So, you also believe Harry didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire." Hagrid said, relieved.
"Of course, I do. Someone probably wanted to harm Harry, and the other competitors are just unfortunate collateral damage." Albert gently pushed Fang's head off his lap, not wanting the drool to stain his robes.
"Do you know who's behind it?" Hagrid asked in a lowered voice, suspecting Albert might have some insider information.
"A Death Eater." Albert said nonchalantly.
"You mean...the Death Eaters want to harm Harry?" Hagrid couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
"Yes, I suspect it's Peter Pettigrew." Albert replied.
"But...didn't Peter Pettigrew die in Azkaban prison?" Hagrid asked, confused.
"I did a divination for the Blacks some time ago. Peter Pettigrew is alive; he escaped and likely returned to his master." Albert continued to pin the blame on Peter, "Recently, someone attacked Katrina and me. I did a divination about it, and while it didn't give a clear indication, it pointed to Peter Pettigrew. I think he's the one who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire."
"But how did he get into the school?" Hagrid was even more confused now. How could a wanted criminal break into Hogwarts without anyone noticing?
"There are numerous secret passages in the castle, and Peter Pettigrew is an Animagus. He can turn into a rat at any time, and no one would pay attention to a rat." Albert explained.
"I thought Hogwarts was well-fortified. I didn't expect there to be such a loophole." Hagrid's face darkened at the thought, as would anyone who learned of such a security breach, "This can't stay hidden. I need to tell Dumbledore about this."
"Professor Dumbledore already knew about it last semester. That's how Sirius managed to sneak into Hogwarts from the Forbidden Forest." Albert consoled him, "Don't worry, if Peter Pettigrew dares to show his face here again, I'll send him right back to Azkaban. The Dementors will make sure he doesn't escape again."
Albert was trying to divert everyone's attention, ensuring Barty Crouch Jr.'s survival until the moment he could reap the rewards of his carefully cultivated mission and experience. He didn't want his hard work to go to waste.
"How do you plan on catching Pettigrew?" Hagrid asked, looking at Albert with a puzzled expression.
"It's a secret, I can't reveal it just yet." Albert stood up and said to Hagrid, "Well, I should head back to the castle. Remember what I said, don't mention your lineage to anyone, understand? Anyone. Otherwise, you'll be inviting a lot of trouble."
Albert had come to see Hagrid to give him a friendly reminder—to warn him not to mention his giant heritage to anyone.
There was no other choice; the topic of being a half-giant was simply too dangerous.
"Oh, alright, I understand." Hagrid nodded.
As for whether he would actually listen, Albert couldn't be sure. He had simply done what a friend should and left it at that.
After leaving Hagrid's hut, Albert glanced towards the Forbidden Forest before turning back towards the castle. As he did, his eyes landed on a tall figure.
"Long time no see, Madame Maxime." Albert greeted her in French, "Are you here to see Hagrid? He's inside."
"Yes, I came to discuss accommodations for the Beauxbatons' horses."
Madame Maxime's expression was somewhat unnatural, as it was unexpected for Albert to be a strong competitor from Beauxbatons, yet here he was.
"Big brother, it's been a while."
A small head poked out from the carriage, and a little girl waved enthusiastically at Albert.
"It's been a while, Gabrielle." Albert recognized the silver-haired little girl who had just climbed out of the carriage, holding a wooden box.
"This is for you, from Dad." Gabrielle trotted towards Albert with the wooden box in her hands.
"Be careful, Gabrielle, don't fall." Fleur watched her sister, who had almost tripped, and quickly reminded her.
"This is for me?"
Albert took the box from Gabrielle and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Yes, he said it's for you, and he also sent a letter. He asked me to greet you on his behalf." Gabrielle took out a letter from her robe pocket and handed it to Albert; it was signed by Mr. Delacour, with his usual initials in the corner.
"Thank you, Gabrielle. Here, take this." Albert took out some candies from his pocket and placed them in Gabrielle's palm.
"Candy?"
"These candies can bring happiness to those who eat them." Albert said mysteriously. He noticed the puzzled look from Madame Maxime and explained, "I'm a good friend of Mr. Delacour, and we've been corresponding for years."
Madame Maxime's expression was odd, perhaps struggling to understand how Albert knew Mr. Delacour instead of Fleur.
As Hagrid came out, Madame Maxime immediately went to discuss the accommodations for the horses.
Beauxbatons Academy of Magic was located in the southern mountains of France, where winters were not too cold. However, the winters at Hogwarts were bitterly cold. Recently, the weather had been getting colder, with occasional rain, and Madame Maxime hoped that Hagrid could help build comfortable stables for the horses to prevent them from catching a cold.
After a brief discussion, the two quickly set out to find a suitable location for the stables.
"You're quite close to Yanira?" Fleur approached and asked.
"Not really, we met in Spain. I was there to participate in the Barnabas Finkley Exceptional Spellcasting Award and stayed at her family's inn." Albert put the wooden box into his traceless expanding pocket and smiled as he explained, "She was the one who presented me with the championship prize, and I've heard her songs; they're quite good."
"I bet she tried to seduce you, right? Her whole family loves to chase after winners of the Barnabas Finkley award." Fleur muttered, clearly intending for Albert to hear.
"I already have a girlfriend." Albert smiled.
"They don't care about that." Fleur replied with a cold smile.
"Speaking ill of others behind their backs isn't a good habit." Yanira's voice carried over from a short distance away, and she had taken off her scarf, revealing her true appearance.
"I'm just speaking the truth." Fleur showed no sign of embarrassment for being caught badmouthing someone.
"Actually, you don't need to whisper about it, because Albert already knows." Yanira kindly reminded Fleur that her efforts were futile, "Perhaps you should showcase your charms; it might be more effective."
"So, he rejected you."
Fleur glared coldly at Yanira, clearly disliking the woman before her.
"We just haven't come to an agreement yet." Yanira downplayed the situation.
"So, you're shamelessly chasing after him?" Fleur mocked.
"This is called pursuing love." Yanira corrected her.
"Big sister, do you want some candy? Eating it will make you feel happier." Gabrielle tugged at Fleur's arm and offered her the two remaining candies.
"Would you mind giving me one? I'll trade it for this." Yanira smiled and took out a small box of chocolates.
"You're really pathetic, trying to take candy from a child." Fleur took the candy from Gabrielle and put it back into her robe pocket, pulling her sister back towards the carriage.
"Goodbye, big brother. Thank you for the candy, it was delicious." Gabrielle waved at Albert as she turned to leave.
"Would you mind giving me a few in exchange for this?" Yanira waved the chocolates in her hand, then handed them to Albert.
"I'll pass on the chocolates, I'm a bit hesitant to take chocolates from others these days." Albert took out two more candies and gave them to Yanira.
Yanira peeled one candy and popped it into her mouth, smiling as she teased, "Are you worried your girlfriend will find out?"
"No, I'm afraid someone might have added something strange to them." Albert didn't take the offered chocolates, letting them fall to the ground.
"Looks like you've had your fair share of experiences with love potions." Yanira's expression turned even more peculiar.
Seeing that Albert truly didn't intend to take the chocolates, she didn't insist, bending down to pick up the box and put it back into her pocket.
"The candies are delicious, where did you get them? Did you add Felix Felicis to them? No wonder they're said to bring happiness to those who eat them." Yanira immediately saw through the effect of the candies.
"I should head back now, see you later."
Albert bid Yanira farewell and prepared to return to the castle, but as he did, he spotted Harry and Hermione approaching.
(End of Chapter)
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