Bab 26: Chapter 26: Open Sesame
"I think so too," Albert couldn't help but laugh. He glanced sideways at the passing ghost and waved at him, saying, "Good morning, Sir Nicholas."
"Good morning, young man. Is there something I can help you with?" the ghost replied.
"Sir, do you have a moment for me to take a photo?" Albert raised his camera and asked.
"Oh, alright!" Nearly Headless Nick thought for a moment and asked, "Do you need me to strike a pose?"
"No, it's fine. Look this way," Albert adjusted the angle and snapped a picture of Nick.
"Is it good enough?"
"It's perfect. Thank you, Sir Nicholas."
"You're welcome. Now I must be on my way!" Nick quickly floated away.
Angelina leaned in to see what Albert had captured in his photos, but there was nothing in them.
"It seems that Muggle cameras can't capture ghosts. Perhaps using a wizarding camera can do the trick," Albert wrote "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington" on the back of the photo.
"It's amazing that you can remember his name," Angelina admired Albert's memory. She was certain she couldn't remember that string of names herself.
"It's not a camera issue," a voice chimed in.
Albert turned his head and saw a beautiful redhead girl who had just walked into the Great Hall. She noticed everyone looking at her and explained, "The photos need to be developed with the correct potion for the people inside to come to life. Also, ghosts belong to the spiritual realm, and they cannot be captured by cameras."
After speaking, the girl headed towards the Ravenclaw table.
"Wow, no wonder she's in Ravenclaw. She knows so much," George exaggerated.
"She's indeed impressive," Albert sighed and looked at Angelina, extending an invitation. "After you finish eating, would you like to explore other parts of the school with us?"
"I'd better not," Angelina hesitated for a moment before declining. "I have plans with someone else."
"That's a shame," Albert said, picking up a piece of fruit and contemplating how to get the developing potion.
The Great Hall gradually filled with more students, mostly first-years. Perhaps it was because of the weekend, the older students tended to sleep in, while the new students were eager to explore the school.
After bidding farewell to Angelina, the four of them chatted as they walked out of the Great Hall. As they passed through the entrance hall, they all noticed Filch holding a cat and staring at the four of them.
Albert stopped in his tracks and noticed a new task prompt on his interface:
"Malice from the Administrator."
You have caught the attention of Filch, the administrator of Hogwarts. It's time to fight back. Lose him during your nighttime adventure and make him understand that even if he's after you, he won't find any trace of you.
Reward: 1000 experience points.
After reading the task, Albert couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. He noticed that ever since he arrived at Hogwarts, the panel tasks seemed to be triggering quite frequently.
"What's wrong?" Fred turned around and asked, puzzled.
"It's nothing," Albert quickened his pace to catch up with the group. They walked across the damp elevated bridge, and he suddenly asked, "Do any of you know the Disillusionment Charm?"
"What's that?" George asked curiously.
"It's said to be a type of invisibility magic," Albert explained. "I read about it in a book. This charm can make the disguised person or object blend in like a chameleon."
"That sounds cool," George became interested in the charm. "If we could master it, we wouldn't have to worry about being caught when we go on nighttime adventures."
"I'm thinking the same thing. At least we won't have to worry about Filch," Albert nodded. He planned to learn the Disillusionment Charm before embarking on any nighttime adventures.
"But how do we get the incantation?" Fred felt a bit frustrated. "Dad might know, but he definitely won't tell us."
"How about asking the professors?" Lee suggested.
"For now, we can try finding it in the library," Albert said. "Of course, if we can't find it, we can ask the Charms professor, but I doubt if he'd be willing to teach us this charm, considering he might associate it with nighttime adventures."
The group exchanged glances and sighed in resignation. If they could master this magic, it would make many things much more convenient.
Albert stopped by the edge of the elevated bridge, resting his hands on the railing and looking down. He remembered the end of the novel, where Harry Potter snapped the Elder Wand and threw it off the bridge.
That wasteful guy.
The Elder Wand was a great item, even if it wasn't used, it could be hidden in a secret place.
That was one of the true artifacts in the Harry Potter novels, along with the Philosopher's Stone, and both of them were destroyed.
"Anyway, let's find the library first," Albert said.
"Even if we find it, we probably won't learn it for a while," Lee said disheartenedly, not forgetting that he hadn't even mastered the simplest spells.
"Don't be so pessimistic," Albert glanced at Lee, disdainful. "Do you think I learned other magic easily?"
"How did you manage it?" the twins asked curiously.
"Of course, it takes a lot of time and practice. Do you expect to learn something instantly?" Albert replied impatiently.
As they walked and discussed the Disillusionment Charm, they explored the lower levels of the castle for a long time, finding several empty classrooms filled with clutter and suspicious-looking areas that might be hidden passages. However, they couldn't open any of them, leaving all four of them frustrated.
"Most of the hidden passages require specific passwords or a special rhythm to open," Albert explained as they walked. "Finding them is a matter of luck or asking someone who knows about them, but I doubt they would easily tell us."
"The Transfiguration classroom," George reminded them. "I remember Professor McGonagall teaches Transfiguration."
"I've heard that class is super difficult," Lee whispered.
"It's indeed challenging," Albert discovered this while self-studying. The time he spent turning matches into needles was the longest, but once he mastered it, most Transfiguration spells became less difficult.
Of course, it could also be related to his panel skills.
The four of them found the History of Magic classroom on the second floor of the castle. Fortunately, the classrooms were labeled; otherwise, they wouldn't have known where to go.
"There's a wooden door here, and I think it might be a hidden passage," Lee Jordan excitedly pointed to the entrance hidden behind a statue.
"It seems to be locked," Albert drew his wand and attempted to use Alohomora on the wooden door in front of him.
"Your spell didn't work," Fred reached out and turned the doorknob but couldn't open it.
"It probably requires a specific password to open," Albert muttered.
"What do you think the password would usually be?" Lee Jordan asked in return.
"How would I know?" Albert rolled his eyes at Lee and then thought for a moment. "The most famous password in the Muggle world for secret doors is 'Open Sesame,' which comes from the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves."
As Albert said this, his wand happened to tap on the wooden door.
The next moment, a wooden board on the door was ripped off from the hinge and about to crumble into a pile of firewood.
All four of them opened their mouths wide, their eyes almost popping out, not realizing what had just happened.
(End of this chapter)
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