Chapter 904: The Riddler
Chapter 904: The Riddler
Albert rolled his eyes at the idiot before him. He had decent stamina, but there was no way he could keep dancing for the next few hours, no matter how fit he was.
Deliberately steering the conversation off-topic, Albert teased, "I always thought the 'Weird Sisters' were a pair of sisters." He casually diverted everyone's attention and took the opportunity to mock the band on stage.
The others exchanged glances, unsure how to respond to Albert's remark.
After all, it was odd that the band was named the "Weird Sisters," yet there wasn't a single girl among them.
"I think Rita Skeeter mentioned the reason in the Daily Prophet before," Alicia furrowed her brows, trying to recall, "Later, after a concert, Myron Wagtail, the lead singer, explained why they chose the name 'Weird Sisters.' Apparently, they had wanted to call themselves the 'Three Brothers of Destiny' to commemorate the original trio, but Kirley Duke thought the name lacked appeal and intrigue, so they changed it to the Three Sisters of Destiny. As the word 'weird' in ancient English means destiny, they simply changed their name to the Weird Sisters. They felt that 'Three Sisters' was a mouthful and the band had more members, so they eventually settled on 'Weird Sisters.' Their unique style of dress also caught on, and their popularity soared, attracting a large following of girls."
"No, I think the reason for their popularity isn't just their band name and style, but also because their lead singer, Myron Wagtail, is handsome and has a good singing voice," Albert interjected, drawing from his past life experiences. "Time and again, I've seen that as long as one isn't a terrible singer and has decent looks, it's not difficult to gain a fan following. Good looks can get you far."
Being handsome and charming certainly had its advantages.
"If you were to perform, I'm sure you'd become even more famous than them," Yanira said in English. "I heard your photo caused quite a stir. There's already a fan club for you in Spain, and they call you the 'Dragon-Slaying Warrior.'"
"I didn't slay any dragons," Albert corrected her.
"Taming a fire dragon is much harder than killing one, though," Yanira smiled. "I'm sure you have a lot of admirers now. I bet someone will send you something for Christmas."
Everyone stared at the beautiful Durmstrang girl in surprise. They hadn't expected her to be fluent in English, as students from the two schools usually had difficulty communicating.
"Oh, how shocking!"
Albert was completely unfazed, his tone indifferent as if the conversation wasn't even about him.
Without waiting for the others to respond, Albert extended his hand to Luna, leading her by the hand onto the dance floor. The two instantly became the center of attention as they stepped into the dance pool.
Luna couldn't dance, or at least, she danced very peculiarly.
Nevertheless, Albert guided her in slow, gentle circles, occasionally stepping on each other's toes.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Luna whispered.
"Don't worry about it, just focus on dancing," Albert reassured her.
Ignoring the rhythm of the music, Albert danced to his rhythm, leading Luna in slow, graceful movements.
"I know you don't care much about what others think, but sometimes dressing and behaving too peculiarly can lead to ostracism," Albert said gently, like an amicable older brother. "I think the way you dress and carry yourself now is great. You're a cute, pretty, and lively young girl, and I'm sure you'll make more friends." Albert's tone was calm and sincere, and he wouldn't have offered this advice if he hadn't intended to choose Luna as the successor to the Witch and Wizard Card Club.
However, at this moment, Albert was questioning the wisdom of his decision. In a sense, Luna wasn't a reliable person, and she needed someone who could tolerate her eccentricities.
"Thank you," Luna beamed, clearly delighted. "You're the first person besides my dad to call me cute and pretty."
"I'm just stating the truth," Albert said warmly.
As the second song ended, Albert asked again, "Shall we continue?"
"I thought we were going to dance three songs," Luna blinked.
"If you'd like, I don't mind dancing a few more songs with you," Albert said, leading Luna into the third dance.
"I thought you didn't like dancing," Luna observed.
"I wouldn't say I like it or dislike it," Albert replied, looking at the quirky girl before him. "What about you?"
"I don't really like dancing," Luna continued to turn slowly, her dancing much improved from before, no longer stepping on Albert's toes. "I'm not very good at it. But you're right, aside from my dad, no one wants to dance with me." Luna didn't deny it.
"You need friends," Albert stated.
"Are we friends?" Luna asked.
"If you'd like, I don't mind. I have too many friends to count," Albert didn't refuse, as he didn't dislike Luna.
"I think a lot of girls must be jealous. They all want to be friends with you," Luna said.
"Unfortunately, my time and energy are limited," Albert said calmly. "It's impossible to be friends with everyone."
"You seem busy."
"Yes, always busy," Albert sighed. "I wish I could be lazy like a cat sometimes. But... life doesn't always give us what we want. After all, there's a lot more to come, and if we're not prepared..."
"You seem to have a lot of secrets and worries."
"I can tell you one of my secrets," Albert said to Luna. "I'm considering letting you inherit the Witch and Wizard Card Club. Have you thought about it?"
Luna didn't seem offended by Albert's words. Instead, she looked at him for a moment before asking slowly, "Because you're worried my personality will ruin the club?"
"Yes, that's one of the reasons," Albert admitted. "I can't bear to see the club my friends and I built fall apart in the hands of the next successor."
"I understand," Luna said calmly. "For me, attending the gatherings is more interesting."
"As long as the club gatherings are held every month and the competitions are held every semester, the Witch and Wizard Card Club won't disappear from Hogwarts. Can you do that?"
"I'm worried I'll lose your book. I often lose things, although I usually find them again."
Luna whispered, "I think I'm going to hyperventilate."
"Don't worry about that, I'll tell you. Even if you lose it, I'll show you how to get it back." Albert spoke gently, "What's more important is a love for wizard cards and a sense of responsibility. Of course, sometimes when you gain something, you also need to give something up."
"What do I need to give up?" Luna asked.
"I don't know, maybe you'll only find out once you've gained it."
"Okay, I agree." Luna thought about it and consented.
Upon noticing Luna's rapid breathing, Albert guided her towards the edge of the dance floor.
"You're really something."
Yanira smiled as she handed a cup of butterbeer to Albert, "You still seem full of energy even after dancing for almost an hour."
"Thanks, where are the others?"
Albert took the butterbeer and placed it on the table, clearly not intending to drink it.
He suddenly produced his wand, waved it lightly, and conjured two cups of butterbeer, handing one to Luna by his side.
"I don't know. You're still so cautious. Rest assured, I didn't put anything weird in it." Yanira's smile was sweet, but her words were odd.
"Are you pursuing him?"
Luna took a big gulp of butterbeer, then looked up at Yanira and at Albert, asking curiously, "I thought you already had a girlfriend."
"I've already mentioned it to her." Albert shrugged helplessly.
"So, she plans to slip a love potion into your drink?" Luna took sips of her butterbeer, saying something quite astonishing, "Actually, there are quite a few girls in Ravenclaw who want to do the same."
Yanira stared at Luna for a while, then shifted her gaze to Albert, "Your friend?"
"Yeah." Albert didn't deny it.
Luna beside him listened with a big smile on her face.
"When are we going to dance?" Yanira didn't mind, "You won't go back on your word, will you? I've been waiting for a long time."
"In a moment, let me rest for a bit."
"I can wait, I have the whole night." Yanira said stubbornly.
"I don't really like persistent girls." Albert said to Yanira, "You actually have better options, I'm sure countless boys like you and pursue you, why bother with this?"
"I like him, that's enough." Yanira said calmly, "Also, I actually don't have better options, so I won't give up."
Luna watched the two with great interest, finding the scene quite amusing.
However, the arrival of Percy soon interrupted the situation.
"I thought about it for a long time but still couldn't understand what you meant before." Percy finally couldn't help but approach Albert.
"Wait till next summer, then you'll understand." Albert reminded him.
"Can't you just tell me directly?" Percy felt his mood inexplicably agitated, this matter concerned his future, how could he not care?
"Destiny is often so magical, sometimes knowing too much can change things." Albert looked at Percy and steered the conversation elsewhere, "Why aren't you dancing?"
"I don't feel like dancing today." Percy said awkwardly.
"I thought you would tell Kriwatt that you're replacing Crouch to attend the Christmas banquet at Hogwarts." Albert looked at Percy in surprise, feeling he might have guessed the reason.
"It's a rare Christmas ball, I suggest you find someone to dance with." Albert advised kindly, "Now is not the time, you should be patient."
"It's not the right time?" Percy asked in bewilderment, "When is the right time?"
"In the coming years, the British magical world will go through some tough times, but it will get better eventually, and when it does, your opportunity will come. For you right now, some things aren't that important, and certain other things are more crucial, especially having someone who's willing to listen to your ramblings, that's not common."
Percy stood there dumbfounded, staring at Albert as he led Yanira onto the dance floor. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"I think he's just giving you some advice!" Luna looked at their departing backs and said to Percy, "Albert is always very considerate."
"Advice?" Percy mumbled, suddenly feeling lost.
He knew Albert was skilled in divination, even predicting that he would become Crouch's assistant.
But what was he trying to tell me now? Percy felt that Albert's words just now seemed to carry a lot of implications.
"Advice?" Percy muttered to himself.
On stage, Yanira was a good dancer, and her dancing was much more uninhibited, immediately attracting the attention of the girls.
"She's your friend too?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Then why don't you just tell him directly?" Yanira asked in confusion, "You know, making people guess riddles is actually quite annoying."
"Percy is a smart guy, sometimes he needs to figure things out for himself, if I tell him directly, it might backfire." Albert explained calmly.
He had a good relationship with Percy and didn't want him to become too extreme in his pursuit of power.
"You're a good friend."
"I just don't want him to turn into a power-hungry idiot."
"You see right through people." Yanira suddenly asked, "So, are we friends?"
"We could have been friends." Albert said calmly.
"I think it's not too late to become friends now." Yanira smiled.
"I have a question."
"What is it?"
"I'm curious, what do you want to get from me?" Albert stared at the girl and countered, but before she could answer, he continued, "Never mind, that was a stupid question."
"You don't want to know?" Yanira countered with a smile.
"I used to, but not anymore." Albert focused his energy on dancing, enjoying the moment with the beautiful girl in his arms.
"Oh, what a pity, I was going to tell you." Yanira said softly.
"No, I don't think it's a pity." Albert thought about it and said, "In the coming years, don't come to Britain."
"You're worried I'll bother you." Yanira pouted, "I won't be so tasteless as to bother your life."
"I think what you did last time was tasteless."
Albert didn't give her a chance to refute, continuing, "Bad things will happen in Britain, so don't come, don't ask why, after the Triwizard Tournament is over, you'll know the reason."
"You're so petty and vengeful."
"You're right, I am petty and vengeful." Albert readily admitted it.
(End of Chapter)
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