Chapter 994: The Weasley's New Trick
Chapter 994: The Weasley's New Trick
After a relaxing soak in the hot springs, Albert slept soundly, though perhaps it was also due to exhaustion. Isabelle had been more passionate than he expected, probably because they would be parting ways again soon.
For couples in love, being apart for extended periods is challenging.
After all, this was the wizarding world, not the technologically advanced world from his previous life, where people tended to be more aloof and indifferent.
"Bite confirmed that Hogsmeade Village is clear. You can go there first and be careful on your way," Albert said, glancing at a piece of parchment that had a map of Hogsmeade Village. He had ensured that there was no one around the safe house, and he could directly apparate to the door.
"You too, and be careful on your journey," he added.
Isabelle kissed Albert and Katrina on their cheeks. With a disapproving look from Katrina, she stepped into the box and asked the house-elf, Dobby, to send her to Hogsmeade Village.
"She's becoming more and more like my mom," Katrina sighed.
"She's just worried about your safety," Albert said, looking at Katrina as she wiped her face with a handkerchief. "We should head to the station now. Dobby will take care of our luggage and send it to the school."
At that moment, both of them had changed into their wizarding robes, and with a swish of Albert's wand, they disappeared from sight.
"Once we're there, let's go straight to the prefects' compartment," Albert instructed.
"I'm not a child," Katrina said, not liking being treated like one.
"In her eyes, you'll always be her child, just as I see my little sister," Albert said, unbothered. He offered his hand to Katrina and said, "Shall we go now?"
"Am I just a... little girl in your eyes?" Katrina asked, a little displeased.
"Of course not," Albert replied.
Albert and Katrina apparated directly to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and their sudden appearance startled the wizards around them.
However, when people looked towards the crackling sound, they found nothing there. Albert and Katrina had already left their original spot and were making their way towards the train.
Once inside the carriage, Albert lifted the Disillusionment Charm from both of them.
"Your Disillusionment Charm is really good," Katrina remarked, realizing that no one had noticed them passing by.
"If you want to learn it, I can teach you. But for now, let's head straight to the prefects' compartment," Albert said, turning and walking down the corridor towards the designated carriage. He noticed many curious glances directed their way, and quite a few young ladies stared openly at Albert, the youngest Dueling Champion in history.
Although the news of Albert's championship victory had been suppressed by the Prophet, there were other newspapers in Britain besides the Prophet that were willing to report on his triumph.
Of course, some people deliberately spread the word as well.
The youngest Dueling Champion in history—that was a title that attracted attention.
They walked through several carriages and soon reached the prefects' compartment. Albert took out the Head Boy badge from his pocket and pinned it to his chest. Then, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
As the door opened, the entire compartment fell silent, and all eyes turned to the newcomers. Some of the prefects smiled and greeted them.
Albert and Katrina made their way to the front of the compartment, a spot that would be more convenient for speaking with the other prefects later.
To be honest, he regretted not bringing Tom along. It would have been entertaining to tease him to pass the time.
After a while, the final two prefects hurriedly arrived—Hermione and Ron, the Gryffindor prefects. They dragged their luggage into the compartment and took their seats.
"Now that everyone is here," Albert began, pulling out a piece of parchment and clearing his throat, "I'll go over the powers and responsibilities you have as prefects."
In fact, when they became Head Boy and Girl, Professor McGonagall had included several additional scrolls in her letter.
These scrolls contained instructions from previous Head Boys and Girls to their prefects.
Albert waved his wand, and the scrolls multiplied, floating over to each prefect.
"I'll just cover the key points, and you can read the rest on your own. If you have any questions, I'll take them after I'm done speaking," Albert said, unconcerned by the whispers around him. He began to explain the responsibilities of the prefects, such as patrolling the train, maintaining order, stopping students from fighting or misbehaving at school, preventing the use of prohibited items, providing assistance to Hogwarts professors if needed, and guiding the new students of their respective Houses.
After covering the responsibilities, Albert casually mentioned the powers that came with the position, such as having their own meeting room and access to the prefects' bathroom in the castle.
The prefects were taken aback, having expected Albert to speak at length on the topic, but he had finished in less than five minutes.
This was a bit too short; he was clearly just going through the motions.
"Lastly, I want to bring up one more thing," Albert said, deliberately pausing as he scanned the compartment. "Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is from the Ministry of Magic, which indicates that the Ministry intends to interfere with Hogwarts. This is not a good sign, as there are hardly any similar precedents."
Albert ignored the whispers and continued, "I hope that when you return to your respective Houses, you will remind your fellow students not to have any unpleasant conflicts with our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Don't give her any excuses to target you, and don't try to reason with her. She's the professor, and you're the students. Whether you're right or wrong, you won't win an argument with her."
"Let me be blunt," Albert said, scanning the surrounding prefects calmly. "My friends at the Ministry informed me that our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor doesn't have a good reputation. I think you understand what I mean."
With that, Albert looked towards Hermione and Ron's seats, his meaning clear.
"As a friendly reminder, if anyone deliberately reveals what I just said to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, I will curse them with ugly freckles that will never go away," Albert said with a smile, looking at the Slytherin students. "Feel free to test me on that if you don't believe me."
"Now, if there are any questions, feel free to ask," Albert concluded.
"What about our Defense Against the Dark Arts exams? I have my O.W.Ls this year. Can you tell us what the exam will focus on?" Ernie MacMillan, a Hufflepuff prefect, asked.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't. I also have a lot on my plate this semester, and you can only ask questions related to being a prefect. I won't answer any other inquiries," Albert replied.
"What should we do if the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor targets us for no reason?" Hermione asked, raising her hand. She was asking on Harry's behalf, as Albert's words had made his intentions clear.
"As a deputy minister at the Ministry of Magic, I believe she won't be so tasteless as to target students," Albert said, pausing briefly before continuing. "However, if such a situation does arise, I suggest you take the initiative to stay away from her and ignore her."
"Well, you could also seek help from Professor McGonagall, but don't expect much. With the Ministry interfering in Hogwarts this semester, a lot of unpleasant things will likely happen."
"Alright, if you prefects have no other questions, I suggest you start patrolling the other carriages and introduce yourselves."
"Also, I believe that none of you who have become prefects would do this, but I still need to remind you not to bully others just because you have the status of a prefect. This status implies more responsibility than power."
"You're really lazy." Katrina complained. This guy had only spent a quarter of an hour on this task.
"If I talk too much, people won't want to listen. If they don't understand, they'll naturally refer to the parchment, and if they still don't get it, they'll come to ask us." Albert said nonchalantly.
Hermione hurried over and sat down in front of Albert, lowering her voice, "Do you think the reason the Ministry sent a professor to Hogwarts this time is to target Harry?"
"It's to target Dumbledore, Potter is just an afterthought. The Ministry has wanted to get their hands on Hogwarts for a long time, but Dumbledore has been too dominant. Now they see an opportunity, and I think she'll try her best to drive Dumbledore away and then use the Ministry's laws to make herself the new headmaster."
"Anderson really said that?"
After finishing their patrol of the carriages, Hermione relayed this conversation to Harry.
"Mhm." Hermione nodded, "Harry, it's best if you don't cause any trouble when you get to school. This is Anderson's reminder to you."
"I've never thought about causing trouble, it's just that trouble always finds me." Harry protested indignantly.
"Did Anderson say what we should do?" Ron asked worriedly.
"Get rid of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor or send her to St. Mungo's." Hermione hesitated for a moment, her face twitching as she relayed Albert's suggested solution.
Harry, Ron, and Ginny all stared at Hermione, dumbfounded.
"That guy's ruthless." Ron muttered. "How long does he expect her to stay there?"
"He's a good person."
A girl's voice piped up from beside them, it was Luna, who was flipping through the magazine 'The Quibbler'.
"Good enough to want to send someone to St. Mungo's." Ron said irritably.
"The Defense Against the Dark Arts professors at Hogwarts are never any good. Maybe if she ends up in St. Mungo's, she'll escape a calamity." Luna said casually, "Albert must have thought of this, he really is a good person."
Ginny looked at her friends, unsure of what to say.
"Has the person from the Ministry gone crazy, or does the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor really not fear curses?" Harry muttered.
"I think it's you who's gone crazy." Malfoy appeared at the door of the carriage, his cronies, Goyle and Crabbe, laughing along with him. "Everyone knows that the famous Harry Potter has some issues."
Malfoy pointed to his head, and the others laughed along with him.
"Oh, has your father passed on my message to Voldemort yet?" Harry countered expressionlessly, ignoring Malfoy's taunts.
The three boys' laughter froze on their faces.
"Looks like he hasn't. Remember to tell Lucius to not forget to pass on my message." Harry said calmly.
"How dare you...!" Malfoy was shaking with rage.
"Anything else?" Harry turned and asked.
"How does it feel to be beaten by a Weasley, Potter?" Malfoy sneered.
"Shut up, Malfoy." Hermione scolded.
"Looks like I hit a sore spot." Malfoy smirked, "Well, Potter, you..."
"You're boring."
"What?"
"I said you're boring." Harry said disdainfully, "If you have nothing better to do, don't bother us."
Harry pulled out his wand and waved it at the trio, sending them out of the carriage before closing the door.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.
"You saw it too, Malfoy was deliberately provoking us. Even if I ignored them, it wouldn't have made a difference." Harry shrugged and put his wand back in his pocket, "Trouble always finds its way to me."
"Alright, Hermione." Ron chimed in, "It's not Harry's fault."
"Yes, it's not Harry's fault." Ginny agreed.
"Harry, promise me you'll stay away from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor when you get to school." Hermione said helplessly, worried about Harry's situation at Hogwarts.
"I will."
Harry turned his head to look out the window at the rain, but his mind was elsewhere.
Sirius Black had also warned him to stay away from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Umbridge.
But... why did Fred and George say that this year would be fun?
Harry stood up and walked towards the door.
"Harry, where are you going?" Hermione immediately asked.
"To find Fred and George." Harry replied.
"What do you want with them?" Ron asked, confused.
"I need to ask them about something."
Seeing Harry walk out, Hermione and Ron exchanged glances and quickly followed.
They soon found Fred's carriage, but Albert wasn't there. Fred and Lee Jordan were playing wizard cards, while George was flipping through a magazine.
"What's up?"
"What are you guys planning to do?" Harry asked bluntly, certain that these fearless troublemakers were up to something.
"We're not planning anything." George smiled even more amicably.
"Is there a way to get rid of Umbridge?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you have a grudge against her? Oh, right, you do." George nodded, "It'll be difficult, it's best not to do that."
"If you don't want her to bother you, cast a Forgetfulness Charm on her and make her forget about wanting to cause you trouble." Lee Jordan suggested with a smile.
"Alright, I was just joking." He changed his tune when he saw Hermione's gaze, "But Umbridge is not a good person."
"If you don't want to attend her classes, I have a good solution." George pulled out a few candies from his pocket and introduced them, "Instant Skiving Snackboxes, eat one and you'll exhibit various symptoms of illness."
"Various symptoms?" Ron picked one up and asked.
"Yes, about seven or eight, including diarrhea. Of course, we don't recommend diarrhea." Fred laughed maliciously, "If Umbridge wants to cause you trouble one day, eat one of these and faint in front of her, or vomit all over her, I bet her expression will be priceless."
"You guys..."
"Don't worry, the Instant Skiving Snackboxes are safe, we've tested them ourselves, and there's an antidote, so there won't be any problems." George's smile turned even more mischievous.
Hermione had a feeling that from now on, Hogwarts School would often see students falling ill and being sent to the hospital wing during class.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
