Chapter 196
As Albert left the room with the others, only McGonagall, Moody, Snape, and Dumbledore remained, discussing this strange matter.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward, saying, "Are we to sacrifice the boy like a lamb and watch him die just like that?!"
Dumbledore gave her a gentle glance, then turned his attention to a small pool where his reflection shimmered. "Do not worry, McGonagall. The boy will be safe. I believe Mr. Moody will protect him, won't he?"
Upon hearing his name, Moody tapped his wand against the pool. "Of course. He is my student, after all!"
After Albert left the room, he was surprised to find the Great Hall completely empty. Only ten minutes had passed since he entered, yet everyone had vanished.
Albert walked toward his common room, only to be met by the Weasley twins, Fred and George, who were looking at him eagerly.
Fred spoke first: "Albert… tell us how you managed to put your name in the Goblet of Fire without revealing your white beard?!"
The twins had assumed Albert had used the same aging potion trick they had used, but after hearing the story from Ron and Harry, they were shocked. Still, they wanted to hear the truth directly from Albert.
After Albert explained the truth, Fred and George exchanged a look, as if they wanted to say something important to him but were too shy.
Albert, sensing their hesitation, asked, "Come on, tell me! What is it you want to say?"
George could no longer contain himself. "Since you, Albert, managed to enter the tournament… we want, well… the winner's prize is a thousand Galleons. If you win it, we want to borrow that money. We promise to return it once our project succeeds. We swear!"
George spoke with hope gleaming in his eyes, wishing Albert would agree to help them with their venture. But Albert's response shocked both twins.
Albert said, "Forget the tournament prize! I want to start my own project a partnership with both of you! I will invest my money in you, help with other needs, and you can develop your projects. I also have an idea I want to create, and I need your help if you agree. I bet that in two to four years at most, we will be extremely rich. What do you think?"
"We agree!"
Albert was surprised by their enthusiasm, not expecting they would accept so readily.
George turned to Fred, happy with the arrangement, especially since Albert came from a wealthy family and had excellent ideas. Their projects could grow and succeed exactly as Albert envisioned.
Albert continued, "Since you've agreed, let's meet tomorrow at five in the afternoon in our common room to discuss this in detail. This is not a simple matter!"
Fred agreed and gestured to George to head toward their common room.
Everyone had returned to their rooms as Dumbledore instructed, but the twins stayed to meet Albert and discuss the method he used to enter the tournament.
Albert had long planned a partnership with Fred and George. Since he knew the future well, he intended to earn substantial money through his own efforts, not relying on his family's wealth.
After a few minutes, the matron allowed Albert into his fourth-year common room after he gave her the correct password.
However, Albert's mood quickly shifted when he entered the common room and saw Harry and Ron staring at him with jealousy!
Albert immediately realized they were envious because he hadn't told them how he had placed his name in the Goblet of Fire.
Albert spoke first: "Guys, there's nothing I can do! Even if I told you the method, do you really think you could master that spell in just one day? Be reasonable!"
Ron got out of his bed and said, "At least tell us that you knew the method back in September when Dumbledore announced the Triwizard Tournament. Since then, it's been two months. If we had learned the spell during that time, we could have mastered it and placed our names in the blue flame!"
Harry nodded in agreement with Ron, as neither he nor Ron had expected Albert to keep this from them.
But Albert laughed hysterically at Ron's words, surprising both Ron and Harry. They thought Albert had lost his mind!
Hearing Ron's claim, Albert felt a pang of guilt for all the effort he had invested in perfecting the intrusion spell. He muttered to himself, Does he really think he can master this spell in two months? Is he insane? I, who gained absolute talent from the angel when I was reborn, spent four years mastering this spell due to my ability. Even Dumbledore, the strongest wizard in history, took ten years to learn it! And he claims he can do it in two months?
Albert sat on his bed, saying, "Listen! The spell I cast on the Goblet of Fire is extremely difficult to learn. It took me a long time to master it!"
Ron scoffed, "A long time? How? You only entered the Restricted Section for one year. Is that a long time?"
Ron imagined Albert had learned the rare spell in the Restricted Section, finding it in a forbidden book.
Albert revealed the shocking truth: "No, Ron. Not what you think. I found this spell written in a book at my house four years ago. It took me four years to master it. If you don't believe me, go ask Dumbledore. I bet he knows the spell well and how long it takes to master it!"
Ron turned to Harry, their eyes meeting, both deep in thought over what they had just heard.
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To be continued…