Bab 279: Chapter 279: The Secret
The two returned to the castle and quietly entered the Room of Requirement without alarming any students. With the assistance of Felix Felicis, Albert pretended to be oblivious, his acting skills remarkable.
"We did it!" Albert breathed a sigh of relief, turning his head to look at Professor Smith beside him, an excited smile lighting up his face. "Professor, we did it! We succeeded."
"Yes, you did it!" Professor Smith's tone carried a hint of satisfaction. He patted Albert on the shoulder and praised, "Let's go inside together!"
Saying this, Professor Smith entered the room first.
Professor Smith's reaction wasn't quite what Albert expected. He quickly surveyed his surroundings, as if searching for something. However, he didn't seem disappointed that the Book of Bronze had been taken from here. It was almost as if he already knew what was in the Chamber of Secrets.
"Professor, there's nothing here." Albert looked around, examined the inscriptions on the wall, and feigned frustration. "The books left by Ravenclaw have been taken by some greedy person. Such annoying greed."
Honestly, not being able to flip through the Book of Bronze and potentially double his knowledge was indeed a bit disappointing.
Wait a minute, Professor Dumbledore said that if I can open the secret door to the Ravenclaw common room... Albert suddenly thought of a possibility! Could it be that the Book of Bronze...
"Indeed, Dumbledore has been here!" Professor Smith's finger traced over Dumbledore's writing, and he narrowed his eyes. He muttered to himself, "But why wouldn't he tell me?"
"What's wrong, Professor?" Albert looked at Professor Smith's back and whispered.
"Nothing."
"Um... Professor Smith, can I also leave my name here?" Albert cautiously asked.
Like someone leaving a mark that they were here, to be honest, it lacked decency.
However, Albert felt that leaving behind some of his research results for future generations to admire might be a good idea.
"It's your right," Professor Smith smiled at Albert. "Do you need my help?"
"No, I've got this," Albert began looking for a spot to carve his name. After finishing, he walked over to Professor Smith and his gaze fell on a particular name. Feigning confusion, he asked, "Is Willem de Smith an ancestor of the Smith family?"
"I don't recall," Professor Smith shook his head. "But I know there's a surname like Willem de Smith!"
"A surname, Willem de Smith?" Albert was instantly stunned, unable to believe what he was hearing. "There's actually a surname like that?"
"Haven't you heard of it?" Professor Smith looked at Albert, seemingly smiling yet not, and softly said, "This surname is quite famous, you know."
As Professor Smith mentioned the name, Albert felt a bit uncomfortable. The way the professor scrutinized him... yes, Legilimency.
However, Professor Smith didn't seem to glean any useful information.
"No!" Albert shook his head. His Occlumency was already quite advanced, and coupled with the effects of Felix Felicis, he had successfully concealed himself.
In truth, Albert had never heard of that surname before.
"In the wizarding world, many wizarding families have their own secrets. Although some ancient families have disappeared into the annals of history, a significant portion of them has been passed down through generations. The Smith family is one of them," Professor Smith explained to Albert. "However, some families are very cautious in hiding their secrets, ensuring that others remain unaware of their true nature."
"The Willem de Smith family?" Albert asked, puzzled. "But isn't he part of your family?"
"Well, I think there might be some connection to the Smith family," Professor Smith didn't deny this. He continued, "However, I'm not currently the first in line to inherit the Smith family, and I'm not well-versed in some matters."
"Professor, why are you telling me all of this?" Albert asked, perplexed. He had a vague sense that this was related to the issue of succession. Frankly, Albert didn't want to get involved in a property dispute; such disputes were always very cruel.
"Because you are also a potential successor to Willem de Smith," Professor Smith stated matter-of-factly, causing Albert's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"A potential what?"
"The potential successor."
"What does 'potential successor' mean?" Albert continued to play dumb.
"It means a candidate for inheritance," Professor Smith explained.
"Me? A candidate for inheritance?" Albert pointed to himself in disbelief. "But I'm just a Muggle-born wizard. My parents are ordinary people who have no magic at all. Are you sure that the potential successor of Willem de Smith is chosen for exceptional magical talent rather than being a family member?"
"A magical talent?" Professor Smith examined Albert up and down, nodding. "That's indeed one reason."
"Isabelle is a magical prodigy too!" Albert pointed out. "And she's a pure-blood wizard herself. She's a more likely candidate for what you're describing. I've heard that pure-blood wizards value bloodlines and don't favor wizards like me with Muggle heritage."
"Well, yes," Professor Smith stroked the wall's inscriptions, speaking softly. "Your family definitely has a wizard somewhere, that's beyond doubt."
"That's impossible." Albert locked eyes with Professor Smith and spoke earnestly. "My parents and grandparents are all ordinary people. They have no magic at all, I can confirm that."
"You are a potential successor, of that I'm very certain. Otherwise, Mr. Broad wouldn't have easily provided you with assistance," Professor Smith dismissed Albert's account without much regard, having confidence in his own judgment.
"What does this have to do with Mr. Broad?" Albert suddenly understood why Professor Broad didn't like this person. No one would like someone trying to uncover their family secrets.
"Alright, let's not dwell on this for now. You'll come to understand in due time!" Professor Smith interrupted Albert's questioning. "Let's return to the previous topic."
"The previous topic?"
"Such as the Book of Bronze and that surname," Professor Smith said.
"Actually, I'm not really interested," Albert coughed lightly, explaining, "The more you know, the more trouble it can bring."
"But you already know, don't you?" Professor Smith looked at Albert with a half-smile, half-smirk. "Originally, the Book of Bronze left there was taken by Willem de Smith."
"Is the Book of Bronze at your house now?" Albert widened his eyes, clasping his hands together and pleading, "Can I borrow it?"
"No, it's not at the Smiths'. However, I've researched related records and found similar information." Professor Smith continued to steer the conversation back to the surname issue. "Willem de Smith is one of the most mysterious families in the entire wizarding world."
"I've never heard of it. I've never heard of Willem de Smith," Albert hesitated for a moment and continued, "Really? There's no way?"
Albert genuinely had no idea.
"Floo Powder," Professor Smith couldn't be bothered explaining any further, plus the Book of Bronze from Ravenclaw's common room wasn't actually in his possession.
"Well, I do know a bit about Floo Powder. They say that nobody knows how to make it!" Albert felt like Professor Smith was revealing just a corner of the inheritance iceberg.
"The inventor of Floo Powder was Ignatia Wildsmith." Professor Smith unveiled the mystery shrouding the surname.
"The production of Floo Powder is strictly controlled. In Britain, only Floo-Pow is licensed to produce it. The company's headquarters is located in Diagon Alley, but it's really just a front." Professor Smith began to educate Albert on the subject of Floo Powder.
"Floo Powder has never been in short supply and no one else has been able to produce it. Its price has remained unchanged for a hundred years, always being 2 sickles per scoop."
"So, you're saying I could potentially inherit a significant wealth from the Floo Powder and the Wildsmith family?" Albert felt he was beginning to piece together part of the answer.
To be honest, the Floo Powder patent wasn't bad, but it would surely come with a load of trouble. Plus, compared to the trouble Floo Powder could bring, Albert wasn't particularly interested in the wealth of the Wildsmith family.
After all, money was something that, once you knew how to make it, you could make it while lying down.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure about that either," Professor Smith was just as clueless about the practicalities. A lot of the information he had was gathered through extensive effort.
"But Isabelle is also one of the potential successors."
"So... the heir of Willem de Smith is chosen based on talent rather than bloodline?" Albert widened his eyes, steering the conversation.
"There's definitely a blood relation, but the degree of closeness is hard to say."
"Isabelle is actually my cousin?"
"I thought you'd be more interested in Floo Powder," Professor Smith thought that Albert seemed a bit tired of talking. He could tell that Albert wasn't interested in these matters and didn't really want to know.
"Alright, there's one thing I'm curious about. Floo Powder has been around for hundreds of years, so why hasn't anyone truly deciphered its secrets?"
"This? It's said that someone once managed to create Floo Powder. However, they were probably silenced by the Wildsmith family. After all, if it were you, you wouldn't let the recipe for Floo Powder spread, would you?"
"Why kill them? If someone could create Floo Powder, they must be talented. If it were me, I'd definitely try to manipulate or persuade them into working for me," Albert earnestly fabricated.
Professor Smith was left speechless. After a brief silence, he continued, "Later on, some people attempted to create Floo Powder using a circulated method, which gave rise to 'fake Floo.' This kind of powder contains ingredients like venomous tentacula fang powder."
"Did they succeed?" Albert asked curiously.
"No, they failed. This kind of powder is very dangerous. It could burn people or even blast them out of the chimney. St. Mungo's healers treat at least one 'fake Floo' injury case every year," Professor Smith shook his head.
"Those people must be really foolish. The recipe might have been intentionally created by the Willem de Smith family to deceive others," Albert maliciously speculated.
Professor Smith: "..."
"Professor, I have a question!" Albert suddenly said.
"Why would I know so much about this?" Professor Smith retorted.
"Exactly!"
"Because I was also one of the potential successors!" Professor Smith didn't intend to hide this fact. "You've probably already guessed."
"Did you give up?" Albert asked.
"No, I should say I wasn't suitable and was abandoned."
"Why weren't you suitable? I think you're quite accomplished, Professor!" Albert spoke sincerely. Professor Smith was relatively young, but he had achieved remarkable results in many areas.
"I don't know." Professor Smith shook his head. "Anyway, I wasn't suitable. I learned this information through some special means. Perhaps only those who are suitable, who become heirs, are told all the secrets."
"Um... I feel like this whole thing is quite troublesome. Couldn't they just let Isabelle inherit?" Albert was quite straightforward about not wanting to be involved.
"Well, you don't want it?" Professor Smith was very surprised.
"I don't want it. I've got this," Albert tapped his forehead and said, "And besides, I'm pretty capable on my own. Why should I follow a path arranged by someone else?"
Professor Smith was at a loss for words. He didn't expect Albert to look down on that kind of wealth. Well, he had to admit one thing, Albert was indeed very talented, more so than most people.
Perhaps, this was the pride of a genius!
Suddenly, Professor Smith felt a bit envious of Albert and said wistfully, "But that's a considerable amount of money! Accumulated over hundreds of years, the wealth is unimaginable!"
"I still don't want it!" Albert shook his head. "Whoever wants to inherit, let them do it. I'm not greedy for someone else's money. Taking things that don't belong to me will only bring unnecessary trouble. Although I like Galleons, I'm not a greedy person."
"Ah, now I understand why Professor Broad has such high expectations of you," Professor Smith couldn't help but sigh. "If I were him, I would have high expectations too."
"By praising me like this, you're making me feel embarrassed," Albert continued, "I heard that you're familiar with the Zabini family. Can you talk to them and say that I'm giving up this potential successor status, and ask if they could lend me some ancient books?"
"You should go to Ravenclaw's," Professor Smith said softly.
"I think Gryffindor is good too. People shouldn't discriminate against others based on their houses," Albert said earnestly.
Professor Smith fell silent for a moment and then shook his head. "I think the chance is slim. Take some time to think about it. Don't rush into a decision!"
"No, I really think it's better for me to give up!" Albert was firm. He really didn't want to get involved in this matter.
Could Professor Smith in front of him actually want to become the so-called heir? Wait, he wouldn't want to harm Isabelle and me, would he?
Probably not!
They didn't have any grudges between them.
Or was it because he sought something he couldn't attain? So... Professor Smith held a grudge?
Albert felt that he might be getting closer to the truth.
After tidying up the outline, it felt like all the holes had been filled, and this volume could probably be expanded by another hundred thousand words or so.
Hmm, you can guess what they will inherit.
The answer is actually quite easy to guess, as there have been hints.
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(End of this chapter)
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