Chapter 45: Chapter 45 - Self-Study in the Evening?
In the evening, during dinner time, Charlie sat next to Albert and talked to him about the rules of Quidditch, suggesting that Albert take a look at "Quidditch Through the Ages" when he had free time.
"How long was the longest Quidditch match at Hogwarts?" Albert curiously asked. If the Quidditch match only ended after catching the Snitch, what happened if the Snitch was lost?
"It's said to have lasted for three days," Charlie thought for a moment and replied, "In the end, if they couldn't find the Snitch, they would end the match early, and the side with more points would win."
While the group chatted about Quidditch, an unexpected female voice interrupted their conversation.
"Albert, Professor McGonagall asked me to give this to you," Angelina handed Albert a folded piece of parchment.
"Thank you, Angelina," Albert took the parchment and opened it, finding the following message written on it:
"Thursday evening, 7 PM, Room 21 on the sixth floor of the castle. Remember Gamp's Basic Transfiguration Laws."
"What's this?" Fred, with a potato skin still in his mouth, dropped his fork and leaned in to see.
"It's a notice from Professor McGonagall, about the next meeting of the Transfiguration Club and the time and location," Albert didn't intend to hide anything and handed the parchment directly to Fred.
The twins and Lee Jordan immediately scrambled to read the contents of the parchment.
"What's the Transfiguration Club?" Charlie suddenly stopped talking and looked at Albert with confusion.
"It's a club organized by Professor McGonagall," Albert explained.
"What does 'Remember Gamp's Basic Transfiguration Laws' mean?" George asked with some confusion.
"It's likely the password to enter the classroom," Albert speculated, giving his own guess.
"Sorry, Charlie, if Quidditch training clashes with the activities of the Transfiguration Club, I'm afraid I have to prioritize the club," Albert said apologetically.
"Oh, I almost forgot, that's in the afternoon, right?" Lee Jordan also remembered. The twins next to him exchanged glances; they were well aware of this matter as well.
The four of them could tell that Charlie wanted to train Albert as a Seeker or a Chaser, but it seemed to have ended before it even started.
Little did they know, Albert had no intention of joining the Quidditch team. For him, flying on a broomstick was an enjoyment, and while Quidditch matches might be interesting, Albert didn't want to undergo rigorous Quidditch training or become a Quidditch player.
As for joining a Quidditch team after graduation, he'd rather pass on that idea!
Charlie felt a bit dumbfounded, wondering where his secret weapon had gone.
How could it slip away without even warming up in his hands? Charlie decided to find out what exactly was going on.
"Charlie is determined to win another Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor before leaving," Fred looked at Charlie's departing figure and shook his head in disbelief.
After finishing their meal, the four of them returned to the Gryffindor common room, which was crowded and filled with noisy voices that made Albert's head feel like it was about to explode.
Perhaps it was just the beginning of the school year, and the Gryffindor cubs hadn't fully recovered from their summer break. Give them a few more days, and once they piled up a bunch of homework, they wouldn't have the energy or the inclination to frolic around here.
"Let's go to the Great Hall!" Albert thought for a moment and decided to take a book and go to the Great Hall to read, practicing magic whenever he found a moment.
The Great Hall had fewer people, and Albert found a quiet spot for himself.
Shanna, who was sitting near the entrance of the Great Hall, noticed Albert and walked over to his side, starting to practice the Lumos spell.
Seeing her attempt multiple times without success, Albert spoke up and reminded her, "You should have confidence in yourself and stay focused. When casting the spell, imagine your wand glowing."
Shanna's face turned slightly red with frustration, but she still couldn't succeed.
"Your mindset is off, and it affects your success rate in casting spells. If you constantly think you can't do it, your chances of failure will increase by at least three levels," Albert pointed to a small box next to him. "Do you want one? Don't worry, they're chocolate beans."
"How did you know?" Shanna ate a few chocolate beans and couldn't help but ask, "I mean, how did you know that these help with successful spellcasting?"
"Do you believe me if I say I guessed it?" Albert smiled.
"No, I don't."
"Well, actually, it's based on my numerous failed attempts at Transfiguration. I've come to the conclusion that a wizard's emotions can affect their spellcasting," Albert didn't lie entirely; half of what he said was true.
"I'll give it another try." Shanna felt the sweetness in her mouth and took a deep breath. After a few more attempts, she finally succeeded in lighting up her wand, and the tense expression on her face turned into an excited smile.
However, the light on Shanna's wand quickly extinguished.
"You need to stay focused and practice more. I'm sure you'll succeed," Albert reassured her.
"I thought you would go to the library." Lee Jordan sat down next to Albert and looked at Shanna practicing the spell with suspicion. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"
"What about the two of them?"
"I don't know," Albert replied. Seeing Shanna practicing the Lumos spell, George also took out his wand to practice. His Lumos spell was still at a mediocre level.
"What's wrong with me?"
"Probably because you're not focused enough!"
"What do you mean by 'probably'?" Lee Jordan felt a bit frustrated but still started to practice with concentration. Although there was still time before the next spellcasting class, it was better to master the spell early on.
"How can we consider it as successfully mastered?"
"If you can keep your focus on your wand and maintain the light consistently, I think that should be considered a success!" Albert stopped flipping through his book and thought for a moment before answering.
After a lot of practice and effort, Lee Jordan's Lumos spell became less likely to extinguish.
Of course, that was the case when he focused his attention on his wand. Although Shanna's progress was slower, the results were still quite good.
It turned out that with diligent practice, most spells were not too difficult to master.
"Where were you guys?"
Around 8:30 PM, the twins finally appeared in the Great Hall, both looking displeased.
"Filch just confiscated most of our Dungbombs," Fred gritted his teeth and said.
"What happened?" Albert looked at the two of them suspiciously. "You didn't get caught throwing Dungbombs, did you?"
Well, the thing is... George, who had a relatively calm mind, explained the situation briefly.
Not long ago, they were pranked by Peeves, and they went back to the dormitory to get Dungbombs, planning to smear Peeves with them. However, just before they could put their plan into action, Filch caught them and confiscated most of the Dungbombs.
Filch claimed that they were contraband, so he took away the Dungbombs they were planning to use against Peeves.
The twins were fuming with anger.
After listening to their account, Albert felt at a loss for words.
What kind of mess was this?!
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(End of this chapter)
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