Chương 172: Chapter 172: Smith
*Thanks for 50 Subs on the yt Channel *
*As promised i uploaded 10 extra chapters today*
*15 extra chapter on 100 subs*
*Link in novel's synopsis *
In the following journey, the four of them gathered together to discuss the Wizard Cards.
Albert utilized his experience from playing card games before to refine the rules of the Wizard Cards game. Of course, this could only be considered the prototype of the Wizard Cards. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were all captivated by Albert's ideas and frequently offered their own opinions.
"You know, if one day the Wizard Cards become famous, how much do you think this notebook, which originally recorded the rules of the Wizard Cards, would be worth in Galleons?" Albert joked, shaking the notebook in his hand, addressing his three companions.
"If it were me, I would never sell it," Lee Jordan immediately replied without hesitation. "This notebook would become a legend, passed down alongside the Wizard Cards."
The excitement of the group remained high. The Wizard Cards that Albert described and the potential of the game were incredibly promising. Whether it was Fred, George, or even Lee Jordan, they could all feel the charm contained within this game.
There just weren't many games in the wizarding world.
As the Hogwarts Express began to slow down, Albert and the others suddenly realized it and hurriedly changed into their robes.
Shortly afterward, the train stopped at the rain-drenched Hogsmeade Station. It was still raining outside, and Fred and George attempted to shield themselves with their cloaks. Lee Jordan took out an umbrella from his luggage and looked at Albert in puzzlement, asking, "You didn't bring an umbrella?"
Lee Jordan found it hard to believe that Albert, with his personality, could forget to bring an umbrella.
"No need, I've got this!" Albert chanted a spell and raised his wand, conjuring an umbrella. He smiled and reminded them, "You probably forgot, but I specifically practiced summoning spells for quite some time last semester. Look, it's coming in handy now."
"Don't squeeze in here." Seeing that Fred and George were both squeezing under his umbrella, Lee Jordan couldn't help but feel speechless.
"Albert, help me duplicate an umbrella," Fred called out to Albert. It was too crowded for the three of them under one umbrella.
"Give me your wand." Albert shouted at Fred, as it was too noisy around them.
"Don't you have your own wand?" Fred was confused but understood what was happening when he saw Albert raising his wand. He handed his wand to Albert.
"Duplicate it into two." Albert held Fred's wand and chanted a spell, tapping it on Lee Jordan's umbrella, helping to duplicate another umbrella.
Before returning it to Fred, Albert glanced at the wand and muttered, "As expected, it doesn't work as well as mine. The power of the spell is noticeably weaker."
"What are you saying?" Lee Jordan handed the duplicated umbrella to the twins, letting them manage under their own umbrella. The wizards behind them looked on with envy, as there were still relatively few people with umbrellas.
To be able to summon an umbrella like Albert was an extremely rare talent.
The rain poured down heavily, as if buckets of icy water were continuously pouring down on everyone's heads. The unlucky ones who didn't bring umbrellas were drenched as soon as they stepped off the train. They could only lower their heads, squint their eyes, and huddle their bodies, trying to resist the rain pouring down on them.
"First-years, come here!" A familiar voice sounded from not far away. Hagrid, holding a lantern, beckoned to the first-year students who had been soaked through.
As customary, Hagrid would lead them to experience the traditional journey across the lake.
Others pushed and jostled their way forward along the platform.
Albert, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan intentionally lagged behind, gleefully watching the unfortunate souls who were soaked to the bone. They callously made snide remarks, while George and Lee Jordan discussed the reasons why they were unwilling to bring an umbrella.
Of course, Albert and the others weren't the only ones with umbrellas. Students who had umbrellas nonchalantly followed behind the crowd, avoiding the crush. After all, there would definitely be enough carriages for everyone.
The group followed other students through a rough and muddy path, and what came into view were a large number of carriages, each drawn by an invisible Thestral.
Shivering students hurriedly climbed into the carriages, while Albert and the others boarded one. Angelina and Alicia were next to them, sharing an umbrella. Before boarding the carriage, Alicia chatted with Albert, expressing her interest in the duplication spell.
"If you have time, I can teach you!" Albert said to Alicia. "The spell isn't too difficult, as long as you're willing to spend some time practicing."
"We should get going," Fred reminded them.
By the time Albert climbed into the carriage and closed the door, the carriage set off unsteadily. The long line of carriages moved along the path towards Hogwarts Castle, the wheels splashing a large amount of water as they rolled through the puddles.
Albert leaned against the window, feeling the intense jolts within the compartment.
No one spoke, everyone crowded around the windows, looking towards Hogwarts in the distance.
Soon, the carriages passed through the Hogwarts gates adorned with winged boar sculptures and eventually stopped at the stone steps in front of the two oak doors.
The people in the carriages in front had hurriedly climbed the steps, braving the pouring rain on their heads as they rushed into the castle.
Albert, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan opened their umbrellas and got off the carriage, leisurely walking up the steps amidst the bustling crowd.
Halfway through, Albert casually helped up an unlucky fellow who slipped, and the person only said, "Thank you," before quickly running off.
"That guy is really clumsy," George muttered.
"How so?" Lee Jordan asked curiously.
"Guess for yourself."
Albert ignored their bickering, stood at the entrance, and looked back in the direction of the Black Lake. Vague lights could be seen moving towards the dock on the lake's surface.
Are the first-years still crossing the lake?
"Albert, let's go!" George urged.
"Coming."
Albert withdrew his gaze and followed behind the others, leisurely walking towards the entrance hall, passing through the two open doors and entering the Great Hall.
It was said that the Great Hall at Hogwarts would be redecorated every year for the Welcoming Feast, making it look even more magnificent.
As Albert entered the Great Hall, he looked up at the head table and indeed spotted a figure he didn't recognize.
He subtly nodded towards Rowena, then sat in the seat that Lee Jordan had intentionally saved for him. He also greeted Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor House, as he passed by.
"Good evening." Albert withdrew his gaze and smiled, greeting his fellow classmates.
"You've got a tan," Shanna observed Albert. "Did you go on a beach vacation during the summer?"
"Biarritz Beach in France," Albert nodded. "The food there is really good, unforgettable."
"I'm so envious!" Shanna said with envy on her face. "Summer vacation at home is quite boring."
"Indeed, it's quite boring," Fred grumbled. "But it's basically how we spend every summer. We've gotten used to it a long time ago."
"At least you guys can play Quidditch," Lee Jordan couldn't help but protest.
Just as they were chatting, Professor McGonagall arrived with the first-year students. The voices in the Great Hall began to fade, and silence fell.
Under the gaze of everyone present, the Gryffindor Head of House placed a tattered, dirty, and patch-covered Sorting Hat on a three-legged stool.
Then, to the astonishment of the new students, the Sorting Hat suddenly started singing a new Sorting Hat song.
After the song ended, the Sorting Ceremony officially began.
Honestly, watching someone else's Sorting Ceremony was quite an interesting thing.
The new students began to be sorted into their respective houses.
Well, Albert would never admit that he was actually interested in Autumn Zhang's appearance.
After all, in the Harry Potter story, Autumn Zhang was a cute girl with an Eastern appearance. However, everyone had to admit that there were differences in aesthetic preferences between Europeans and Asians, or rather, people from every country had their own differences.
In the eyes of most Europeans, Africans and Asians looked quite similar.
Fortunately, Albert didn't have the prosopagnosia problem that many Europeans had.
Autumn Zhang was standing in the front row. Unlike the Europeans, she had more of an Asian facial structure. Yes, she was indeed a lovely girl.
However, compared to Autumn Zhang, what caught Albert's attention more was a boy named Zacharias Smith. Albert didn't have any special impression of his name, but he would pay special attention to the surname Smith.
By the way, this Zacharias Smith was sorted into Hufflepuff.
A few new students also joined Gryffindor, including Katie Bell, whom Albert had some impression of. She seemed to be one of the three chasers in Gryffindor.
"Is that the Ravena you mentioned, Rowena Smith?" Fred curiously looked at the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and asked Albert.
"Yes, it's him. It seems we don't need to worry about not learning anything in Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year." Albert spoke while Angelina was discussing brooms with George. She hadn't bought a broom yet and wanted to hear the opinions of other teammates.
"The Nimbus 1700 is not bad. This series of brooms has always been good." Oliver Wood chimed in.
"What did you guys buy?" Angelina looked at Fred and George.
"The Cleansweep Seven," the twins said simultaneously, looking at each other.
"And Albert?" Angelina asked Albert.
"He didn't buy a broom," Fred answered for Albert.
"I suggest you borrow a broom from someone on the team and try it out before deciding what to buy," Albert offered his suggestion.
However, this suggestion wasn't particularly helpful since most people bought the Comet and Cleansweep brooms. No one bought the Nimbus brooms because they were relatively expensive.
"What's your budget?" Wood asked. "If it's not high, I suggest you buy the latest Cleansweep Six. The Comet has not released a new broom in years. Of course, the Comet 260 is also a good broom, but it's a bit slower. It depends on your own choice."
While the group was talking, the last student was sorted into Ravenclaw. After the Sorting Ceremony, Professor McGonagall took the Sorting Hat and stool away.
"Welcome to another school year at Hogwarts!" Professor Dumbledore stood up from the head table, smiling at all the students. He opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.
"This year, I am pleased to welcome a new teacher to our team, Professor Smith, who will fill the vacant position for Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Some applause sounded in the Great Hall.
"Well, I believe you must be hungry. Let's start the feast." Dumbledore raised his spoon and lightly tapped the goblet in front of him.
Suddenly, golden plates and high-stemmed goblets in front of everyone were filled with food and drink. Laughter, chatter, and the clinking of cutlery echoed throughout the hall.
Albert wasn't particularly hungry. He selected his favorite foods, cutting his steak while discussing academic questions about whether ghosts can eat with Nearly Headless Nick.
Nick explained that at ghost feasts, only rotten food is usually provided. When ghosts want to taste the flavor of the food, they pass through the tables where the food is placed.
"I guess they let the food rot to make the taste stronger," Albert said to the person next to him, earning a bunch of eye rolls.
After the last dessert was cleared away, Dumbledore stood up once again, and the buzzing conversations in the hall ceased.
"Alright!" Dumbledore smiled as he looked at everyone. "Now that everyone is full, I have a few announcements to make."
"The caretaker, Mr. Filch, asked me to inform you all that planting garlic is prohibited within the castle this year, as well as bringing any items related to garlic."
Many people couldn't help but want to laugh when Dumbledore mentioned this. They all remembered the incident before the summer vacation when someone used garlic to prank Filch.
After Albert kicked Fred and George, they forcibly held back their laughter and stifled their discomfort.
...
When Dumbledore announced that everyone should go to bed, the start-of-term feast for the new students officially ended.
"I can't believe Filch would actually ban us from bringing garlic," Fred finally couldn't help but laugh.
"What a shame. Garlic fried eggs taste good," Lee Jordan said solemnly.
This statement made Fred and George want to laugh.
Albert followed everyone to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room.
"Password?" the Fat Lady asked as they approached.
"Nonsense," Percy said, stepping forward.
The portrait suddenly swung open, revealing a large hole in the wall.
Everyone climbed in through it. Inside the circular common room, the familiar decorations remained, and the fireplace burned brightly.
The boys rushed up the spiral staircase to their respective dormitories.
Four four-poster beds stood against the walls, each adorned with deep red curtains. Each person's trunk was already placed at the foot of their respective beds.
"Goodnight," Fred, who was too full, pulled out his pajamas from his trunk, changed into them, and immediately flopped onto the bed without wanting to move.
"Goodnight," Albert also changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. Their bedding had already been warmed by the charcoal burner.
Lying on the comfortable bed, listening to the sound of rain outside, Albert closed his eyes, feeling content with the life at Hogwarts.
You can read +114 advanced chapters on my P@treon page for just 4$ !!
P@treon.com/young_sunlight
Check out my Other Projects Too:-(Advanced chapter on P@treon)
=>The most wasteful fruit among pirates(**New**)
=> Marvel: All the famous scenes were exposed by me
(End of this chapter)
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực