Chapter 884: Wand Inspection
Chapter 884: Wand Inspection
Recently, Albert had been facing a bit of a predicament due to his rejection of Yanira's invitation to the ball a few days ago. Now, regardless of the class he attended, she would quietly sit in and listen. Yanira, without the scarf that usually wrapped her face, might not possess the same allure as Furong, but she still made it hard for the boys in the class to concentrate. Because of this, Albert had no choice but to sit in the back row.
Although the professors were somewhat displeased, none of them would dare to accuse a guest of their class of such impoliteness.
With Yanira setting a bad example, Albert soon discovered several other girls sneaking into his classes, which only added to the professors' displeasure.
"Okay, what do you want?"
To nip the problem in the bud, Albert decided to confront Yanira directly.
"It's quite interesting to listen to the lectures of Hogwarts professors," Yanira pretended not to understand, smiling, "The curriculum at Beauxbatons is a bit different from Hogwarts."
"I recall that many schools use the 'Standard Charms' series for their charms classes," Albert said, staring into Yanira's eyes.
"The teaching methods of the professors are different," Yanira replied nonchalantly. As a singer, she was quite confident in certain aspects.
"I suggest you get to the point," Albert reminded her gently.
"To a pretty girl, you should show some gentlemanly manners. I've heard that English gentlemen are very polite," Yanira batted her eyelashes at Albert. Any other boy would have likely been captivated by her delicate features and lively personality.
"Maybe it's because I'm not a gentleman!" Albert readily admitted his lack of gentlemanly manners.
"You..." Yanira was left speechless.
"Okay, Miss Yanira, I know this is about the dance partner, but I won't change my mind, so you can give up. Besides, I don't really like dancing, and I'm terrible at it," Albert decided to be blunt about it.
"That's fine, as long as I can dance," Yanira said nonchalantly.
"Do you know how I usually deal with this kind of trouble?" Albert suddenly asked.
"How?" A bad premonition suddenly filled Yanira.
"Just make people forget a small part of their memory," Albert's expression became kinder, "To be honest, I'm quite confident in my Obliviate spell."
"You're really not a gentleman at all," Yanira couldn't help but retort.
"No, I am a gentleman. Otherwise, I wouldn't be talking to you here," Albert was quite satisfied with his persuasive approach, it seemed to be working.
"Then... alright, I think you wouldn't mind dancing a few dances with me, would you?" Yanira leaned closer and whispered in Albert's ear.
The girl had compromised.
She didn't want to bet on whether Albert would dare to use the Obliviate spell on her.
Without giving Albert a chance to refuse, Yanira got up and walked away.
After she had left, Albert turned to a flower bed in the distance and said, "She's gone, you can come out now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and a group of girls appeared from nowhere.
"I told you, the Disillusionment Charm doesn't work on Albert,"
"We were... just curious," Lee Jordan smiled awkwardly. They had been hiding in the nearby flower bed, eavesdropping, but they hadn't been able to hear what the two were talking about.
"What did she want from you?" Angelina asked eagerly.
"It's about the Christmas ball," Albert replied, "I told her I already have a dance partner."
"I think she wants to get to know you and pursue you," Lee Jordan's face was filled with envy, "I wonder when I'll be as popular as you."
"I suggest you go back to sleep and dream on," Fred patted Lee Jordan's shoulder in jest.
"Albert, who's your dance partner?"
"It's a secret for now," Albert didn't intend to reveal anything, especially since he had used Katrina as an excuse. He didn't want to cause her any more unnecessary trouble.
"I can almost foresee a large group of girls asking you to dance at the ball," George laughed and suggested, "You'd better find time to practice dancing. As a Hogwarts champion, it won't do if you're a terrible dancer. Fred dances quite well; you can practice with him... cough, I mean, you can practice with the girls. There are quite a few girls here who know how to dance."
Under the oppressive stares of the girls, George quickly changed what he was saying.
"Don't talk nonsense. Of course, I can dance," Albert tried to shift the focus, "I think you guys should consider your dance partners too."
Just then, a lower-grade girl ran over and stopped in front of Albert, her face flushed as she said, "Mr. Bagman asked me to bring you to..."
"...Get your wand inspected?" Albert finished her sentence.
"Yes, wand inspection, and it seems like they want to take a picture too."
"I guess I'll take my leave then, see you later," Albert bid farewell to the others and gestured for the young girl to lead the way. When he entered the classroom, only two people were inside: Rita Skeeter and photographer, Mr. Fuzo.
"Long time no see, Rita Skeeter."
Albert greeted the witch before him with a frown. "It's unpleasant to see you here. It looks like you're planning to stir up trouble again."
"You don't mind if I interview you, do you? I heard you have a good relationship with the Beauxbatons champion," Rita Skeeter said, unfazed.
"You know, I don't like being in the newspaper. Believe me, you have better options," Albert hinted, suggesting that Rita interview the savior, Harry Potter, instead.
"Everyone is very interested in you," Rita Skeeter said as she took out a piece of parchment and a quill from her crocodile leather bag.
"If you really want to interview me, I suggest you change your quill, or I can help you change it. You know, I hate the way your quill twists my words," Albert kindly reminded her. "And I hate even more seeing them in the Daily Prophet."
Rita Skeeter pouted, giving up on the idea of reporting on Albert.
She had her own plans, and to stir up a storm, she needed to know whom she couldn't offend and what she shouldn't report on.
Rita Skeeter had once thought of Albert Anderson as a talented Muggle-born wizard. When he won the International Wizarding Chess Championship, she skillfully crafted stories based on pictures, fabricating juicy gossip that the public loved to read. However, she had hit a steel wall when the subject of her stories confronted her.
Albert had called out her Animagus form during their first meeting and used it as leverage against her. Although they eventually reached a truce, promising not to publish random reports about Albert, Rita didn't take this matter to heart. She knew that as long as she reported her Animagus form to the Ministry of Magic and paid a hefty fine, the issue would blow over.
But Rita hesitated. If her Animagus identity was exposed, it would be difficult for her to continue gathering valuable information the way she had been. People would inevitably be on their guard around her, and those who disliked her would surely cause trouble.
Reaching a truce with Anderson was obviously the better deal, even if it came with some risks. Without those exclusive stories, Rita Skeeter wouldn't be able to write articles that satisfied her readers, and the fame she had accumulated over the years would quickly fade away, leaving people wondering who Rita Skeeter even was.
Although Rita Skeeter's reputation wasn't the best at the moment, she had indeed become famous. Her articles were in high demand, and she even had a group of loyal followers.
However, there was one person she couldn't quite figure out—the man standing before her. He was definitely not an ordinary Muggle-born wizard. A Muggle-born wizard wouldn't have been able to become the British Youth Representative for the Wizengamot or receive the Third Class Order of Merlin. These were unspoken rules in the wizarding world, where such honors were exclusively given to pure-blood wizards.
Yet, the person before her had broken these rules and remained unscathed, which spoke volumes about his influence.
The classroom door opened again, and Filch entered with a piece of velvet fabric. He connected three desks and covered them with the long piece of velvet. Then, he placed five chairs behind the covered desks.
Soon after, Furong walked into the classroom, followed by Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports at the Ministry of Magic. He had been going through a rough patch lately, and he managed a strained smile for Albert before engaging in small talk with Rita Skeeter.
The photographer, Mr. Fuzo, on the other hand, seemed quite interested in Furong, stealing glances at her with his eyes. But Furong didn't bother to spare him more than a glance and took a seat next to Albert.
"I heard Yanira has been bothering you lately," Furong said in French, as her English skills were not up to par for a proper conversation.
"She's just interested in the classes at Hogwarts," Albert replied with a smile.
"Do you believe what you're saying? That woman is quite persistent," Furong said disdainfully.
Albert remained noncommittal.
"Still, it's quite rare. Undeniably, that woman was quite popular at Beauxbatons. If her suitors knew how you were treating her, they might cause you some trouble," Furong added.
Furong was quite curious about the man before her and what kind of charm he possessed to attract someone like Yanira, and even her cousin Louise seemed to have a soft spot for him.
As they spoke, the classroom door opened once more, and Viktor Krum walked in. With his usual somber expression, he stood quietly in the corner, not engaging in conversation with anyone.
Furong glanced at Krum and suddenly asked, "By the way, are you still in contact with Louise?"
"What about her?" Albert asked.
"She closed down her cold drink shop and opened a witch beauty salon with two American friends she recently met," Furong explained.
"She mentioned it in her letter," Albert replied.
"She said that the shop has something to do with you, didn't she? Don't tell me you're supporting her in this endeavor?" Furong asked, studying Albert's reaction.
"You're overthinking it," Albert shook his head.
Just then, the classroom door was knocked on again, and Harry Potter appeared outside, immediately catching the attention of Ludo Bagman. The Head of the Department enthusiastically greeted Harry, and Rita Skeeter, even more enthusiastic, pulled Harry away for an exclusive interview in the broom closet.
Shortly after the two of them left, Dumbledore walked in with Professors Karkaroff and Maxime, Mr. Crouch, and Mr. Ollivander. They took their seats on the chairs prepared by Filch, their eyes scanning the three individuals in the room.
"Has Harry not arrived yet?"
"Harry is doing an exclusive interview with Rita Skeeter," Ludo Bagman explained, "I believe they shouldn't be too far away."
Dumbledore walked out and soon returned with Harry and Rita Skeeter in tow.
True to his habit of keeping things brief, Dumbledore gave a short explanation before the wand inspection ceremony officially commenced.
Furong, seated next to Albert, was the first brave soul to undergo the inspection. Mr. Ollivander was quite astonished to discover that Furong's wand core was a Veela hair, and even more surprising was the fact that the hair had come from her grandmother. Although Albert had already known about Furong's Veela lineage, Mr. Fuzo, who had been staring intently at Furong since earlier, seemed to find this an intriguing topic.
Albert was the second brave warrior to undergo the inspection. In contrast to others' wands, Mr. Ollivander seemed more inclined to talk about his own creations.
"Did you know? Sequoia wands are quite attractive to male and female witches alike, and whenever I send them out from my workshop, I always look forward to hearing about their exciting adventures later on." Mr. Ollivander smiled at Albert, "In fact, I'm pleased that I didn't have to wait long to hear about your exploits."
"It's in excellent condition. It's evident that you've been taking good care of it regularly."
"It's been serving me well, and it always brings me luck," Albert said with a smile.
"I recall that you didn't believe in that initially." Mr. Ollivander waved his wand, releasing a string of silver-white smoke that formed into a smoke raven, flying out the open window into the soft sunlight.
"I still stand by my belief. Sequoia wands themselves don't bring luck; they are simply more attractive to certain witches and wizards who already possess the admirable ability to turn dangers into opportunities, make the right choices, and seize advantages in times of peril." Mr. Ollivander nodded at Albert, "Clearly, those are your abilities, not something the wand brings you."
Viktor Krum was the third brave soul to be inspected. His wand was crafted by another exceptional wandmaker, Gregorovich.
Gregorovich had retired a few years ago, and Albert owned several wands made by the master wandmaker himself. These wands had one thing in common—they tended to be more powerful than average.
Perhaps it was because of this trait that Gregorovich had attempted to replicate the Elder Wand! Harry was the last warrior to be inspected. Mr. Ollivander merely stared at the wand for a long time, performed a simple test, and declared it to be in excellent condition. He returned the wand to Harry without revealing anything about the twin wands to anyone.
And with that, the wand inspection came to an end.
After taking group photos, Rita Skeeter requested to take individual shots of the champions, but Albert deftly dodged her outstretched hand and made his way towards Mr. Ollivander.
"Mr. Ollivander, I'd like to speak with you about something. I hope you don't mind sparing a few minutes of your time." Albert called out to the wandmaker who was about to leave.
"Is there something the matter, Mr. Anderson?" Mr. Ollivander and the others looked at Albert with curiosity.
"I'd like to speak with you in private." Albert gestured for Mr. Ollivander to follow him.
"Oh, certainly!" Mr. Ollivander was quite intrigued to hear what Albert wanted to discuss.
The two men entered an empty classroom, and once Albert had confirmed they were alone, he said to the curious Mr. Ollivander, "In a couple of years, you might encounter some big trouble. I suggest that before next winter arrives, you should go out and travel the world. Make it hard for people to find you. If you have family, it would be best to bring them along."
"What?" Mr. Ollivander was taken aback, not expecting Albert to say something like this.
"You can consider this a friendly warning from a seer, which could help you avoid some trouble." Albert said calmly, "I had intended to invite you to... but it seems the opportunity has passed."
"A seer?" Mr. Ollivander stared at Albert with a mix of astonishment and curiosity, as if trying to discern something from his face.
"I suggest you observe the situation next year and then consider my advice. It will be beneficial for you." Albert offered a friendly reminder, "By the way, please keep this between us. Many people don't actually believe that I possess such an ability."
"So, you knew about the Triwizard Tournament tasks from the very beginning." Mr. Ollivander's mind was sharp and quick.
"This is a personal ability and doesn't count as cheating." Albert defended himself, "The first task involved dragons, which should be enough to validate what I'm saying."
"You're right; that indeed falls under personal ability." Mr. Ollivander smiled, "Thank you for the warning, Mr. Anderson. I will give it serious thought."
(End of Chapter)
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