My School Life At Hogwarts Chapter 917: A Reasonable Discussion - Novel Cool

Chapter 917: A Reasonable Discussion

Chapter 917: A Reasonable Discussion

Albert flipped through his notes nonchalantly, listening to the howling blizzard outside. He glanced up at the pitch-black window and then at the pocket watch beside him. It was already seven in the morning, yet it still felt like the predawn hours of four or five. The blizzard had been raging all night.

Tom, roused by the sound of rustling pages, opened his eyes and gazed at the room's sole source of light. He poked his head out of his cozy cat bed, yawned, and then retreated back into the warmth.

It was bitterly cold outside.

This was the reality for most students, curled up in their warm beds, reluctant to face the frigid morning. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were prime examples of this.

Even with the warmth from the dormitory's fireplace, the chill in the air was palpable—the depths of winter in Scotland.

Albert sighed softly as he looked at the disorganized notes scattered before him. They contained his plans for the future: establishing safe houses, forming a resistance against Voldemort, seizing opportunities to gain reputation and task rewards, gradually eliminating Voldemort, and even backup plans in case Potter died in the confrontation. There were also plans to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic and place his own people in key positions. Although Albert disliked politics, he recognized the necessity of having allies within the Ministry, and he had already set this plan in motion. He had also outlined the creation of a profitable conglomerate, with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan playing a part. He intended to bring Sirius Black and Remus Lupin on board later, and had already made arrangements for the subsequent development of beauty products. Additionally, there were marriage plans and life goals.

Well, the last one was more of a pipe dream. Albert had never really planned out his life, or perhaps he was already living it.

Albert had been keeping these notes since his first year at Hogwarts, and over the years, he would occasionally review and refine them. There were often unexpected events that required adjustments, but overall, things had progressed smoothly.

After adding a final backup plan involving fleeing to Britain by ship in case of emergency, Albert closed his notebook and placed it back into the alchemical box that Nico Flamel had given him. He stretched lazily, smiling as he ruffled Tom's fur, then snuggled back into his bed to catch a few more minutes of sleep, ignoring the bewildered look on the cat's face.

Indeed, on such cold winter mornings, the best thing to do was to snuggle up with your girlfriend.

Albert soon drifted off to sleep, enveloped in warmth.

When he opened his eyes again, he found that Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were already up and about.

The trio was huddled together, whispering and scheming—a sure sign that they were up to no good.

"What are you guys talking about?" Albert asked, stifling a yawn.

"Don't you remember?" Fred said excitedly. "Today we're going to Hogsmeade."

"I haven't forgotten."

"We were hoping you could take us there..." They exchanged glances before George continued, "...using the Side-Along Apparition technique."

"Are you sure you're not afraid of something going wrong? I've never taken anyone along with me before," Albert said, giving them a skeptical look. "If something happens, we'll all end up with a hefty fine from the Ministry of Magic."

"We have faith in you," Fred said, patting Albert on the shoulder. "We'll have to learn it eventually, so we might as well get a feel for it now."

"Fine, but don't blame me if something goes wrong," Albert said, covering another yawn. He glanced at his skill panel and noticed that his Side-Along Apparition skill was already at level three. He decided to invest some more skill points and raised it to level four.

After a leisurely breakfast and obtaining Filch's signature in the entrance hall, the group made their way toward the castle gates.

"When are we going to take a dip in the lake?" Fred asked, eyeing the frozen waters.

"Are you crazy?" Lee Jordan shot him a look that clearly said he thought Fred was insane. "You want to go swimming in this weather? You'll freeze to death!"

"I don't think he'll freeze to death," George said, pointing at the lake. "Look over there..."

The trio followed George's finger and spotted Viktor Krum, clad only in swimming trunks, standing agilely on the deck. He spread his arms wide and dove gracefully into the icy waters of the lake.

"Has he lost his mind?" Lee Jordan exclaimed, eyes wide in shock.

"That's not the point," George frowned. "The point is, it looks like Krum has figured out the secret of the golden egg too."

"I told him about it," Albert said calmly. "But I have to admit, jumping in like that takes courage. I couldn't do it myself."

"What?"

The three of them stared at Albert in disbelief, unable to comprehend why he would share the secret of the golden egg with Krum.

"If I hadn't told him, he might have been in danger or even died in the lake," Albert explained. "Although Krum seems to be a strong swimmer, he wouldn't have been able to complete the second task without any preparation."

"Whether he dies in the lake or not is none of your concern!" Lee Jordan muttered. "And I doubt he would have died anyway. He would have just failed the second task."

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to win anyway, so I can afford to be generous," Albert said, genuinely unbothered by the situation.

The trio was left speechless, and after a moment of silent communication, they threw their arms around Albert's neck and said, "Only you could say something like that. You truly are something else!"

As they were laughing and joking around, Harry, Hermione, and Ron approached.

Harry and Ron exchanged complicated looks, having overheard Albert's previous statement. They couldn't fathom the level of confidence one would need to make such a decision, while Hermione admired Albert's boldness—it was something she felt most people wouldn't be capable of.

"I still can't wrap my head around why Albert would do that," Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione as they moved away from Albert's group.

"Maybe he never saw us as real competitors from the start," Harry said, though he disliked the feeling that thought gave him.

"Albert is different from you two," Hermione said, turning to look back at Albert's group, only to freeze in her tracks.

Harry stopped as well, confused by Hermione's sudden stillness. "What's wrong, Hermione?"

"They're... gone," she said, her eyes wide with surprise. The snow-covered ground was empty; Albert and his friends had vanished without a trace.

"Maybe they used magic to hide themselves," Harry suggested.

Ron seemed to recall some unpleasant memories, gritting his teeth as he said, "Fred and George are really good at using the Disillusionment Charm. I asked them to teach me before, but those two jerks thought I was too stupid to learn it."

"Maybe they found walking too troublesome and just flew away on their brooms instead." Harry suggested without much thought. "That sounds like something Anderson would do."

In a secluded snowy field near Hogsmeade Village, four figures appeared with a crack, accompanied by the sound of snapping twigs.

"Ugh!"

The three boys crouched down in unison, retching from the after-effects of their first attempt at Apparition.

"Are you guys okay?" Albert looked at the three unfortunate souls with concern and explained, "This feeling takes some getting used to. It's normal for it to be like this at first, but overall, it's more comfortable than using a Portkey."

"Ugh, I hate this feeling. It's like being squeezed out of a rubber tube," George groaned, wiping away tears and mucus with a handkerchief after a fit of dry heaves.

It took Lee Jordan a long time to recover, and he muttered, "Apparition is terrifying."

"It's more comfortable than using a Portkey," Albert said, expressing his dislike for the unpleasant sensation of traveling by Portkey.

"You're right, but it still feels uncomfortable," Fred commented.

"So, I've always thought that wizards are quite an extraordinary species, being able to adapt to this sensation," Albert remarked as he gazed at Hogsmeade Village in the distance. "Shall we go? Where do you plan to go first?"

"Aren't you going on a date?" The three boys looked at Albert in surprise.

"Sirius has something to discuss with me. We agreed to meet at the Three Broomsticks, but it's still early," Albert said, checking his pocket watch. "He wants to publish some groundbreaking news in the 'Defense Guide' and wanted to consult with me about it."

"What kind of big news?" Lee Jordan was always interested in juicy gossip.

"It's about how Peter Pettigrew escaped from Azkaban," Albert revealed. He didn't intend to stop Sirius from publishing this information, but Lupin thought it would be a good idea to consult with him first, valuing his opinion.

"How did he escape?" Lee Jordan asked curiously.

"Fudge accepted a bribe from Mrs. Pettigrew, allowing her to visit her son in Azkaban. She used a complex potion to help her son escape," Albert explained nonchalantly, revealing a shocking piece of information.

"Sirius also believes that the Minister of Magic has connections with Death Eaters and may be involved in secret dealings," Albert continued.

"That's indeed big news," Fred murmured.

"Does the Minister of Magic really have connections with Death Eaters?" Lee Jordan blurted out. He found it hard to believe and, although he didn't know much about Death Eaters, he knew enough to be concerned.

"Fudge has a good relationship with Lucius Malfoy, and Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater. How can you say they have no connection? Do you really think Fudge is unaware that Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater? No, he knows, but as long as Malfoy isn't caught, he can pretend otherwise. Besides, it was Fudge who accidentally let Peter escape, and it's hard to say if it was truly an accident," George sneered, expressing his disdain for Fudge. His father, Arthur, had worked in the Ministry of Magic for many years without a promotion or a raise, and he believed that Fudge was partly to blame for this due to his disapproval of Arthur's affinity for Muggles, which was seen as a lack of wizarding pride.

"We can't just spread this information around. We have to be careful, or we might get into serious trouble," Lee Jordan warned, furrowing his brow.

"No, this is the truth," Albert said, glancing at Lee Jordan before continuing, "So, I don't plan on stopping Sirius from doing this."

"I don't think it's a good idea. The 'Defense Guide' might get shut down by the Ministry of Magic," Lee Jordan argued, not convinced that Albert was unaware of the potential consequences.

"Let them shut it down. The 'Defense Guide' probably wouldn't have been able to continue publishing smoothly this year anyway," Albert said, clearly unbothered by the prospect.

In truth, Sirius' boldness in bringing up this topic was largely due to a hint Albert had given him—a hint that suggested the 'Defense Guide' might encounter some difficulties and may not be able to continue publication this year.

Sirius took the hint and was now ready to blow the lid off this scandal.

"Do you think we could get Sirius to publish something about Ludo Bagman and make the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports lose face?" Fred's mischievous mind was already plotting Bagman's downfall.

"You can write an anonymous letter to Rita Skeeter. That woman is great at reporting this kind of news, and I'm sure she'd be delighted to get her hands on this story," Albert suggested.

"To be honest, we hate that woman," Fred, George, and Lee Jordan all shared their dislike for Rita Skeeter. "She's great at twisting the truth, and who knows how she'll spin this story if we anonymously report it to her."

"How did you get Rita Skeeter to back off?" George asked, curious about Albert's methods.

"Like this..." Albert raised his wand and explained, "Rita Skeeter is the type of person who bullies the weak and fears the strong. You can't reason with her; you have to show her your strength. As long as your fist is hard enough, she'll be more than willing to listen to you. With a little coercion and enticement, she won't dare to cause any more trouble."

"I like your style. If she doesn't listen to reason, show her your fist, and she'll be more than happy to listen," the three boys agreed, finding Albert's approach highly reasonable.

"Rita Skeeter knows her limits. She knows who she can and can't afford to offend, and that's why she dares to report those scandalous stories. She knows that legally, the Ministry can't touch her," Albert said with a cold smile. "So, as long as I make it clear that she can't afford to mess with me, she won't dare to report on me. At least, not until after I'm dead, and she'll definitely die before I do."

"You have to use unconventional methods to deal with people like her."

The three boys agreed that Albert's approach made sense and was effective. So far, Rita Skeeter hadn't dared to continue reporting negatively about Albert.

After some discussion, the four of them decided to inform Rita Skeeter about Ludo Bagman's debt-ridden situation, allowing her to ruin his reputation.

(End of Chapter)

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