Chapter 916: Words of Advice Fall on Deaf Ears
Chapter 916: Words of Advice Fall on Deaf Ears
"Albert, are you aware of what's happening with Hagrid?"
As Albert and the others were about to leave the prefect's bathroom, Hermione hurried over to stop him.
"There's an issue with Hagrid?" Albert asked, signaling for Fred, George, and Lee Jordan to go on ahead.
"Rita Skeeter wrote an article in the Prophet about Hagrid's heritage," Hermione explained after the others had left. "We visited him some time ago, but he didn't answer the door. I'm a bit worried..."
"Oh, Hagrid went on and on about his mother being a giant, and Rita Skeeter overheard it?" Albert was not at all surprised. "I imagine he's quite devastated, and I'm sure he's received plenty of hate mail telling him to drop dead."
"There's nothing I can do. The news is already out, and there's no point in trying to do anything about it now. We can only wait for it to blow over." Albert anticipated what Hermione was about to say and cut her off.
"I warned Hagrid a long time ago," Albert sighed. "I warned him multiple times, in fact, and told him about the consequences. But he obviously didn't take my words seriously, so he's brought this upon himself."
"Brought this upon himself?" Hermione was shocked to hear such words from Albert.
"What else would you call it?" Albert countered. "What do you expect me to do? Go with you to comfort Hagrid, only to be shut out like the rest of you?"
Hermione opened her mouth, but found herself at a loss for words.
Even she didn't know what she wanted Albert to do. She had stopped him simply to talk to someone about it. In her eyes, Albert was far more reliable than Harry and Ron, and she thought he might come up with a way to lift Hagrid out of his current low spirits.
However, Albert was saying that Hagrid's situation was entirely his own doing.
"It doesn't help for you to look at me like that," Albert said calmly. "I've reminded and advised him countless times, but he didn't listen. What more can I do? It's not a bad thing for Hagrid to learn a lesson from this and become more mindful in the future. As for Hagrid's situation, you don't need to worry about him. He's older than the three of you combined and can handle this himself. Give him some time to adjust his mindset."
"As for Rita Skeeter, this isn't the first time she's written such articles to grab attention," Albert continued, indicating for Hermione to listen quietly. "However, if you want to teach her a harsh lesson, I'm sure you'll get the chance. That woman has her eyes on Harry, I'm certain. But be quick, decisive, and thorough—don't give her an opportunity to cause you trouble, or you'll be in deep water. She's an expert at tarnishing reputations."
Hermione stared at Albert, her mouth agape, and it was a while before she asked, "Why hasn't she reported on you?"
"The last time she wrote false news about me, I paid her a visit and taught her an unforgettable lesson," Albert replied nonchalantly, as if it were a trivial matter.
Hermione stood there, watching Albert's departing figure, speechless.
When Hermione returned to the bathroom, Harry had already taken off his robe and was soaking in the tub with the golden egg, chatting with Ron.
"What did you want with Albert?" Harry asked curiously.
"I told him about Hagrid," Hermione replied.
"Oh? What did he say?"
After a moment of silence, Hermione repeated Albert's words.
"How can he say something like that? What does he mean by letting Hagrid learn a lesson?" Harry and Ron were both indignant. "Isn't he Hagrid's friend?"
"Albert... he's probably helpless, too," Hermione said, understanding Albert's dilemma. After all, he had reminded and advised Hagrid numerous times, but Hagrid hadn't listened. What else could he do?
This whole situation could have been avoided, and Hagrid was now paying the price for his foolishness.
Moreover, what could Albert do now that the damage was done?
The most he could do was offer comfort like the rest of them.
Hermione actually thought Albert was right. Hagrid had caused enough trouble, and on many occasions, it had been Albert who cleaned up his messes. But this time, even Albert was powerless.
She glanced at Harry and Ron and felt that sometimes, they were both incredibly immature, and so was she.
"Anyway, Harry, how's it going with the golden egg?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.
Harry then demonstrated by dunking the egg into the water, and soon, faint singing could be heard.
"You have to put your head underwater to hear it clearly," Harry explained. "It's like the song Fred and George sang—the champions have to retrieve their 'treasures' within an hour. But there's a problem... I can't swim."
Harry brought up the crux of the matter again—he couldn't swim.
Yes, Harry couldn't swim.
While Dudley had taken swimming lessons as a child, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had never allowed Harry to learn, clearly hoping he would drown one day.
The atmosphere suddenly turned somber. If Harry couldn't swim, even with the Bubble-Head Charm, it would be difficult for him to complete the second task of the Triwizard Tournament on his own.
"Why don't you start learning now? You still have over a month," Hermione suggested tentatively. "I can't swim very well either, Ron. What about you?"
"I'm not a strong swimmer either," Ron mumbled.
"I don't think that's a good idea. It's winter, after all. Do you expect me to learn how to swim in this weather?" Harry thought it was a crazy idea. He'd probably drown or freeze to death before he even mastered swimming.
"I think it's not just a matter of swimming and breathing," Hermione said, thinking aloud. "Don't forget, the tournament starts on February 24th, and the weather will still be extremely cold. Krum will have the advantage, as he told me it's cold where he's from. But I doubt he'll be able to stay in the lake for an hour."
"He told you?" Ron said, his tone odd.
"Even for a regular person, it would be difficult to stay in the water for an hour, let alone in such cold conditions. Their stamina wouldn't hold up," Hermione added.
"You're right, Hermione. I think I'd freeze to death within minutes if I had to get in the water then," Harry said, feeling increasingly discouraged as one problem after another presented itself.
"And on top of that, you might have to fight the merpeople to retrieve your 'treasure'.
Ron casually asked, "By the way, Hermione, are you really planning to become Krum's sweetheart?"
"Albert said it's only a possibility!" Hermione replied, her face still gloomy.
"His predictions always come true," Ron snorted.
...
The Christmas holidays had finally come to an end, and on the first day back at school, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan received the iron fist of justice they had been dodging. It seemed that the last time they had distributed pastries laced with Amorentias to the students, they had angered some of them.
After all, embarrassing them in front of their crushes was a good enough reason for the students to band together and seek revenge. Especially since those three jerks had pulled a disappearing act like Albert, the anger of the students had only grown during the Christmas break.
And so, the ambush had taken place not long ago.
Unfortunately, a group of them was no match for Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.
Unlike those three, who had undergone Albert's training, the troublemakers were amateurs; they only knew how to throw hexes, though that description seemed odd, that was more or less the situation.
"I thought they would have calmed down after the holidays, but I guess not..." Fred and Lee Jordan shrugged at Albert, "We couldn't just stand there and take the beating, could we?"
"So, I said we should have eaten the pastries too, pretending to be accidentally affected by the Amorentia as well. That way, they wouldn't have come after us. After all, we didn't know there was Amorentia in the treats either, so we would have been victims too," George said, his expression suggesting that if they had listened to him, they wouldn't be in this situation.
"Who told you to keep provoking them?" Albert said helplessly, "I heard you even sent Bagman to St. Mungo's."
Speaking of this incident, the four of them couldn't help but laugh.
None of them felt any sympathy for that jerk, Bagman.
After returning to the common room, the four of them discovered a surprise from the school. On the bulletin board in the common room was a large notice:
Apparition Class If you are seventeen years old or will be turning seventeen by August 31st, you may participate in the twelve-week Apparition course taught by the Apparition instructor from the Ministry of Magic.
Those who wish to participate, please sign below.
Tuition: Twelve Galleons.
"We should pass the test on the first try. Charlie took the Apparition test twice," Fred said as he took the quill and signed his name. He then passed the quill to the others and continued, "Of course, Albert will have no problem."
"Twelve Galleons is a lot of money," George said as he took the quill from Fred and signed his name. He then muttered, "Albert, would you mind lending us some Galleons? We'll pay you back once we have the money."
George actually knew that the wealthy Albert didn't mind them using the research funds to pay for the Apparition class, but he still had to mention it to Albert.
Coming up with twenty-four Galleons at once was undoubtedly a blow to the already financially strained Weasley family.
"No problem. Just remember to pay me back thirteen Galleons later," Albert said with a smile as he took the quill, signed his name, and then handed it to Lee Jordan. He then walked towards the outskirts of the group.
"I remember we can't Apparate within the castle or the grounds, right?" Hannah appeared at Albert's side, frowning. "And I heard Apparition isn't very comfortable either."
"The headmaster actually has the authority to lift certain restrictions within the school," Albert explained with a smile. "As for Apparition, you'll have to get used to the discomfort yourself. Once you do, it's very convenient, as you can just apparate to your destination in the blink of an eye."
"That sounds like something you would say."
"Are you saying you've already secretly learned how to Apparate?"
The students' suspicions that Albert had already mastered Apparition grew as they recalled how he had quietly left the school during the Christmas holidays.
After all, it was Albert; even if he had learned it, it wouldn't be surprising.
"Why are you signing up if you already know how to do it?" Angelina asked, confused. She had just seen Albert sign his name.
"You need to attend the training to take the exam. It's a rule of the Ministry of Magic, as most people who don't attend the training fail the exam," Fred explained. "Remember, Charlie had to take the test twice before he passed."
"Tell us about Apparition!"
The sixth-year students surrounded Albert, hoping he would share some insights on how to quickly master Apparition. They were now convinced that Albert had already learned how to Apparate.
However, Albert had his own way of dealing with them. He waved his wand, summoning a small booklet titled "Common Apparition Mistakes and How to Avoid Them" from his dormitory and handed it to the curious crowd. He then smiled and scooped up his cat, returning to his dormitory, leaving behind a group of girls with envious gazes.
"Albert is always so well-prepared. No wonder he always learns these things faster than everyone else," one of the girls commented.
Holding the booklet from the Ministry of Magic, Hannah sighed softly. They all knew that the school offered Apparition training every year, and they were aware of the existence of this booklet. However, no one really paid attention to it, and no one bothered to borrow it from older students who had taken the test. Yet, Albert had a copy, indicating that he had been preparing for the Apparition exam far in advance.
(End of Chapter)
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