Chapter 885: That Makes Perfect Sense
Chapter 885: That Makes Perfect Sense
"That woman did it on purpose."
In the Great Hall of Hogwarts Castle, the girls who had read the latest issue of the Prophet were fuming. Rita Skeeter had deliberately omitted any mention of Albert in her article about the Triwizard Tournament.
The front-page news of the Prophet was less of a report on the Tournament and more of an exclusive interview with Harry Potter. The first page was dominated by a photo of Harry, and the entire article focused on him, with colorful details of his personal life added for spice.
As for the names of the champions from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang who stood alongside Harry, they only appeared in the very last line of the article, and even then, their names were intentionally misspelled.
How could this newspaper not enrage Albert's supporters?
In their eyes, what was Harry?
A thief who had despicably stolen Albert's glory as a champion.
So, on the day the newspaper was published, several students wrote letters of protest to the Prophet, and some older students even sent Howlers, burning the quills on Rita Skeeter's desk to ashes and leaving the special reporter fuming.
Not mentioning Albert wasn't her fault—it was Albert himself who had requested to be left out of the reports. But how were the students of Hogwarts and the editors of the Prophet supposed to know that? The blame fell squarely on Rita Skeeter.
"That woman definitely did it on purpose!"
Rita Skeeter felt wronged, but she kept quiet.
Facing the angry girls, Albert, who had also read the Prophet, remained calm.
"Of course, it was on purpose," Fred chimed in, stirring the pot. He had no love for Rita Skeeter either, as the woman had caused no end of trouble for his father. "Let's send more Howlers to Rita Skeeter!"
"Actually, I asked Rita Skeeter not to mention my name in the newspaper," Albert said calmly as he put down the paper.
The people around him were stunned. What did he mean?
"Why?" someone asked.
"Exactly what I said," Albert replied. "You've all read Rita Skeeter's articles. Look what she's done to Harry Potter." He flipped to the second page and pointed to a paragraph. "Listen to this part:
'I think my parents gave me the strength to do it, you know,' he confides. 'I know that if they had lived, they'd have been so proud of me. They'd have wanted me to do it. I know they'd have wanted me to try and finish You-Know-Who's work…' 'I still cry at night, sometimes,' he admits. 'I don't think that's a sign of weakness. I've been through a lot, and I know that if I hadn't gone through those things, I wouldn't be strong enough to do what I'm doing now…'
'I know there's nothing in that graveyard that can hurt me while I'm doing this,' he says. 'I know they'll be watching over me…' "
"To be honest, I feel sorry for Potter," Albert continued. "I doubt he would say anything so shameful. Rita Skeeter must have twisted his words on purpose to attract attention. It's disgusting. I'd rather not be mentioned in her articles at all than have her write such nauseating things."
The article was a public execution of Harry. It would undoubtedly become a dark chapter in the history of the savior, Harry Potter.
"I think Potter would be so ashamed after reading this article that he'd want to find a hole and bury himself in it," Albert added, putting down the newspaper.
Everyone looked at each other, then back at the article about Harry in the newspaper, and suddenly, they felt that what Albert said made perfect sense. It was better to be left out of Rita Skeeter's articles than to have her twist their words and paint them in an unflattering light.
Albert's words soon spread throughout the school. While the students understood his reasoning, they didn't stop sending dark curses to Rita Skeeter, and they continued to dislike Harry. More students started wearing "Potty Stinks" badges.
Hermione also became a topic of discussion among the girls. As Harry's first love, mentioned in Rita Skeeter's article, and with her beauty highlighted, she became the target of much ridicule, with giggling Slytherin girls even going so far as to call her a "golden hamster."
As one of the few girls who had a good relationship with Albert, Hermione was already the object of much envy. Rita Skeeter's article only added fuel to the fire. However, Hermione herself didn't pay much attention to the gossip and continued to live her life as usual, ignoring the idle chatter.
Harry, on the other hand, couldn't ignore it. The article had attracted a lot of unwanted attention, and he was furious. He had never said those disgusting things, and it made him see Rita Skeeter's true colors.
"Need a handkerchief, Potter, so you can sob your heart out in your next Transfiguration class?" Malfoy had been taunting Harry repeatedly, seeking revenge for the time Harry had left him speechless.
"Sure," Harry said, his face expressionless.
He walked straight toward Malfoy, who had just mocked him.
Malfoy was taken aback. He hadn't expected Harry Potter to approach him. Goyle and Crabbe quickly stood in front of Malfoy, trying to block Harry.
"Aren't you going to give me a handkerchief?" Harry asked, looking at the cowering Malfoy.
A victorious smile appeared on his lips—a tactic he had learned from Albert, and it seemed to be working.
If he didn't feel embarrassed, then the other person would be the one feeling embarrassed instead.
"Get lost, Potter. No one wants to give you a handkerchief," Malfoy said, waving his hand in disgust as if trying to shoo away a beast.
"You just said you would," Harry said. Before Malfoy could draw his wand, Harry had already immobilized Goyle and Crabbe with a swift spell. He then advanced toward Malfoy.
He had been training with Black and Lupin regularly, and his magic skills had improved far beyond those of the students who didn't frequently use magic.
"You…" Malfoy began, but Harry cut him off.
"Thanks for the handkerchief," Harry said with a sneer as he searched Malfoy's pockets, took out a handkerchief, and put it in his own pocket. "Now I won't have to worry about sobbing in my next Transfiguration class."
Everyone was stunned by Harry's actions. They never expected him to admit it so bluntly and then do something so bizarre.
At least no one would dare to bring it up to mock him again.
Hermione and Ron were equally dumbfounded by this turn of events.
"You…" Hermione began.
"Albert's advice," Harry said. "We shouldn't let these guys get away with it. Ignoring them only makes them bolder. If we want them to shut up, we need to show them a tough attitude. What Albert said makes perfect sense. He'll make a great teacher someday."
Harry had been in high spirits ever since his duel with the eight-eyed giant spider, and his newfound confidence was evident.
As for the handkerchief, he had no intention of taking it back, but he planned to return it to Malfoy on his birthday as a playful gesture.
Speaking of Malfoy, when was his birthday?
"I thought you didn't like him," Hermione said tentatively.
"I don't dislike him; we just weren't close before. But you can't deny that he's always been reliable and a pretty decent friend," Albert replied. After all, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had hoped that he would build a good relationship with Malfoy, as Albert was known for taking care of his friends, and the two of them had experienced this firsthand.
Even Harry had to admit to this. Hagrid's messes were often cleaned up by Albert.
With a change in mindset, Harry had also started to warm up to this new friend. At the very least, Albert's suggestions had helped him solve many of his problems.
Ever since the handkerchief incident, the number of people mocking Harry had decreased significantly. They realized that instead of getting upset, Harry would smile and chat with them, turning the tables on his mockers.
For example, when someone teased Harry about suddenly becoming a model student, he would reply, "I'm already the school's hero, so why not be a model student as well?"
Harry felt that his resilience had grown, and he enjoyed walking straight up to his tormentors and engaging in witty banter. Seeing them rendered speechless brought him great pleasure.
Albert was already familiar with Harry's achievements, but the extent of his accomplishments surprised him. It was as if Harry had been bottling up his talents, only to unleash them all at once.
However, Albert didn't dwell on this. He was currently accompanying Fred, George, and Lee Jordan on an exploration of Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade, taking notes on the shop's strengths to incorporate into their future joke shop.
For this reason, the four of them had gotten up early, eaten breakfast, and hurried to Hogsmeade on their brooms.
Why brooms?
Well, riding brooms was faster and saved time, of course.
Ever since Albert had mastered the Trace-less Expansion Charm, he had crafted Trace-less Expansion Pockets for the trio as their Christmas presents. Now, he was giving them their gifts early. With these magical pockets, many tasks would become much easier.
The four of them were among the first students to arrive in Hogsmeade, allowing them to carefully observe Zonko's shop as planned. Fred was chatting with Zonko, distracting him while also paying for the Dungbombs and other joke items they had selected.
"I think we can take inspiration from the Puking Pastilles dolls..." George said, making notes in his notebook about aspects of Zonko's shop that could be improved. It was clear that Zonko's Joke Shop was a bit outdated, perhaps a reflection of the slow-paced life in the magical world, a stark contrast to the rapidly changing world Albert knew from his previous life.
"Actually, you can also draw inspiration from other shops. If we find something useful, let's make use of it," Albert suggested.
He envisioned a joke shop that brought a sense of novelty, fun, and joy to its customers, almost like stepping into a fairy tale world.
However, this idea seemed like a dream. The size of a shop was limited, and without openly using the Trace-less Expansion Charm to enlarge the space, how to arrange the items within the store became a challenge worth pondering.
"Let's go take a look at other shops," Fred suggested, agreeing with Albert's point.
"I'm afraid I have to leave soon," Albert said, checking his pocket watch. "I have a date."
"A date?" Fred, George, and Lee echoed, their eyes widening.
"Yes, a date," Albert confirmed.
"You lucky dog!" the three of them exclaimed in unison.
Albert waved his hand dismissively. "If you're envious, go find girlfriends yourselves. By the way, Isabelle is waiting for me just down the street."
"Never mind, then. I think getting the shop ready is more important," Fred said, already turning his attention back to the task at hand.
"That place is a disaster," George added, shaking his head.
"We're not going to let the Ministry push us around," Lee chimed in.
The three of them waved goodbye to Albert and made their way to Dervish and Banges, eager to put Albert's financial support to good use and not wanting to waste this opportunity.
As for romance, they felt it was a waste of their precious time.
And wasting time was akin to wasting money.
As Albert watched his friends walk away, he let out a soft sigh, understanding their mindset. If he didn't have his system, he supposed he would also be working tirelessly toward his future.
"What are you thinking about?"
Isabelle approached, arms outstretched, and gave Albert a warm hug.
"Where do you want to go?" Albert asked, taking her hand in his. "Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop?"
"Let's go to Twilfit and Tatting's first to pick out Christmas presents!" Isabelle suggested, leading Albert toward the wizarding clothing shop.
Every year, Albert would pick out gifts for his old friends. For example, he had been sending Dumbledore a pair of quirky woolen socks for the past few years.
"It seems like you've had a lot on your mind lately," Isabelle remarked as she noticed Albert zoning out while browsing.
"It's all because of the Christmas ball," Albert muttered. "Sometimes, being too popular isn't a good thing, especially after you graduate..."
Albert selected various woolen items, including sweaters, hats, socks, gloves, and scarves.
"So, you've been pestered by a lot of girls?" Isabelle raised an eyebrow.
"Well, not exactly pestered, but there's one persistent girl," Albert sighed, thinking of Yanira.
"Miss Yanira?" Isabelle inquired, her eyes narrowing. She was not entirely clueless, as Katrina wrote to her regularly.
"Yes, that singer. I never expected her to show up at Hogwarts," Albert said, his thoughts seemingly drifting elsewhere. "Next summer, I plan to have them leave Britain quietly."
"Next summer?" Isabelle frowned. "What about our... will they be able to attend?"
"Of course," Albert assured her.
The two of them spent half an hour selecting gifts, including presents for their families. Isabelle also chose a pair of woolen gloves for her sister.
Several girls shopping in the store gave them surprised looks, likely surprised to see Albert out shopping with a girl.
After leaving Twilfit and Tatting's, Isabelle found an opportunity to stash their purchases into her Trace-less Expansion bag. Then, they made their way to Honeydukes, the sweet shop. However, as Honeydukes was packed with people, they decided to stop by the Three Broomsticks for a drink first.
Just as they were about to enter the pub, they heard a familiar voice. "Is she your girlfriend?"
(End of Chapter)
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