Chapter 92: Life's Many Trials
Chapter 92: Life's Many Trials
As October arrived, Hogwarts Castle was engulfed in fierce winds and torrential rain. The relentless downpour caused temperatures to plummet, and the cold crept silently through the rain, infiltrating the castle.
Upon realizing he was catching a cold, Albert immediately went to the school hospital, where he received a Stimulating Potion from Madam Pomfrey, the matron. The potion worked instantly. However, one downside was that anyone who drank it would have smoke coming out of their ears for several hours.
The twin brothers, Fred and George Weasley, found this rather amusing and enjoyed their misfortune. But their satisfaction was short-lived as, soon enough, their ears started smoking as well. Undeterred, they found it entertaining and even started mimicking train whistles, eliciting laughter from those around them.
Outside, the rain continued to fall.
In the brightly lit Gryffindor common room, a cozy fire blazed in the fireplace, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere. Albert and his roommates sat by a window, working on their homework.
"I wonder if the garlic sprouts will rot from all this rain," George remarked, looking up from his work and gazing out at the gloomy curtain of rain with a worried expression. "It's been raining nonstop for days now."
"Be careful," Albert advised. "If I were you, I'd focus on your homework. Don't ruin your almost-finished essay."
"Ah!" George exclaimed as a drop of ink splattered on his parchment. "My homework!"
"Stop whining," Angelina snapped. Her temper was short, as she was still recovering from a cold she had caught during the previous Quidditch practice, and her head felt fuzzy even after drinking Madam Pomfrey's potion.
"Should we go and check on the garlic? I'm worried it might rot in this weather," Fred suggested anxiously.
With the terrible weather, they couldn't possibly check on the sprouting garlic.
Albert shook his head at their suggestion. "That's the difference between planting it outdoors and in pots," he remarked quietly to himself.
"If you're that concerned about the garlic, go and check on it yourself. Don't drag me into this," Lee Jordan said irritably, his ears still smoking from drinking the Stimulating Potion earlier.
This batch of first-years had almost been wiped out by the flu.
"Checking on it won't do any good. There's nothing we can do about the rain," George added glumly. They had waited so long for the garlic to sprout, only to have the delicate sprouts ruined by the relentless downpour.
Was it really that difficult to grow garlic?
Suddenly, the common room buzzed with excitement as students began discussing something enthusiastically.
"What's going on?" Angelina asked Albert.
"How should I know?" Albert grumbled, his eyes fixed on the chrysanthemum he had summoned, which now sat in a vase alongside other flowers he had practiced summoning.
"The notice about Hogsmeade," Lee Jordan said, pointing to an announcement on the bulletin board. "It's at the end of October, before Halloween."
"Yes, but that's for third-years and above," Angelina corrected, looking a bit agitated as the buzz of conversation in the room made it hard for her to concentrate.
"To be honest, I'm quite looking forward to Halloween this year," Albert said. Having already visited Hogsmeade, he wasn't particularly interested in the wizarding village, the only one in Britain. "I heard from older students that Halloween at Hogwarts is quite something. There are supposed to be bats flying around the castle, jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkin-flavored treats, and a Halloween feast in the evening."
In the novels, each Halloween after Harry Potter arrived at Hogwarts brought its own brand of chaos: the troll in the dungeons in their first year, Mrs. Norris being petrified in the second, the escape of a wanted criminal who tried to break into the Gryffindor common room in the third, the Triwizard Tournament in the fourth, and so on.
Alicia raised an eyebrow. "I don't think Halloween is all that exciting."
"Don't you think it would be more fun to celebrate Halloween together?" Albert explained. "It's more enjoyable to play games and celebrate festivals together."
"Makes sense," Lee Jordan agreed.
"Last time I visited Hagrid, I noticed that the pumpkins in his backyard were at least half the height of a person," Albert continued. "I assume those pumpkins are for Halloween."
There was no doubt that Hagrid had used an Engorgement Charm on the pumpkins.
In fact, Albert thought the twins could use the same charm on their garlic, since they weren't going to eat it anyway.
Well, that is, if Fred and George knew how to cast the spell.
Unfortunately, it seemed that everyone was more interested in Hogsmeade than Halloween. They even overheard second-years complaining about why only third-years and above were allowed to go to Hogsmeade.
However, Albert and his roommates didn't share the same enthusiasm for Hogsmeade as the others. After all, they had recently visited the village, so it held little mystery for them, and without any money, there wasn't much point in going.
As the rain let up, the twins immediately grabbed their umbrellas and headed out to check on their garlic, bringing Albert along as he was practicing his summoning spells.
The situation did not look promising. All the sprouts had been sitting in water for too long and had rotted.
The expressions on their faces mirrored the dark clouds in the sky.
There was nothing they could do. After all their efforts to obtain the garlic and the long wait for it to sprout, their hard work had been ruined by the rain.
The twins, who had invested so much time and energy into this endeavor, immediately fell into a depressed mood.
"What are you lot up to?" Hagrid's angry voice cut through the rain.
When the trio turned in the direction of the voice, they saw Hagrid charging toward them without an umbrella, his body soaked by the rain.
He had thought they were planning to enter the forest and had rushed over, his nose almost twisted with anger.
Albert quickly explained the situation, and Hagrid stood there, stunned. He pointed at the twins in disbelief. "You're growing garlic here?"
When Hagrid saw the overturned soil and the rotten garlic, he believed them.
"Cough, actually, they were just trying to make a... talisman, and it required a lot of garlic!" Albert quickly explained.
"This has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Hagrid said, his face expressing his disbelief as he looked at the three of them. He patted Fred and George on the shoulders. "It's just garlic. Don't worry; I can give you some more. This time, plant them next to my vegetable garden."
"No, Hagrid," Albert interrupted. "This time, we plan to transplant the garlic into pots and bring them back to our dormitory. That way, we won't have to worry about the rain. The only trouble is that we'll need to take them out to sunbathe from time to time."
(End of Chapter)
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