"Here, this is the Developing Solution."
During a quiet moment after lunch, Albert handed Shanna a small glass bottle filled with the slightly cloudy but functional reagent. "You know the procedure for using it, right? It's quite simple."
"I do, thank you," Shanna replied, carefully taking the bottle. She held it up to catch the light, her expression a mix of gratitude and curiosity. "I'm genuinely impressed. When did you find the time to brew this?"
"A few days ago," Albert admitted easily. "I needed a batch for my own tests, and the solution works perfectly on the magical photo paper. It's a success."
"Thank you again, Albert." Shanna's relief was palpable. As a Muggle-born witch, her current level of Potions skill made brewing something like the Developing Solution—even a simple one—nearly impossible. And more crucially, she wouldn't even know where to begin purchasing such an obscure item, having only a basic knowledge of Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. The wizarding world outside the school walls remained largely a mystery to her.
"Don't mention it," Albert said, unconcerned. He had set aside plenty for himself, and he was happy to share the surplus.
The conversation was abruptly interrupted by a loud, hurried scuffling sound.
"Albert! Albert!" George and Fred Weasley burst into the Great Hall, scanning the tables until they spotted him.
"Weren't you two supposed to be wrestling with medieval wizard history in the library?" Albert asked, bewildered, watching them rush over.
Before he could process their energy, the twins flanked him, grabbing him firmly by both arms and hauling him away from the table.
Lee Jordan, trailing behind, shot the few remaining students a sheepish, apologetic smile, quickly gathered Albert's forgotten things, and followed the trio out of the Hall. The other students were left exchanging curious glances, wondering what strange conspiracy the Gryffindor pranksters were cooking up now.
The four students convened in a quiet, shadowy alcove on the third floor. Albert, slightly ruffled by the sudden exit, demanded, "What in Merlin's name is going on?"
"Look what we found! In the library!" the Weasley twins announced in synchronous excitement, practically vibrating.
"What exactly did you find?" Albert asked, playing along.
"A treasure map!" George supplied, complete with his own dramatic sound effects: "CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!" He ceremoniously pulled a piece of old, brittle parchment from his pocket and handed it to Albert.
Albert took the parchment and his eyes quickly scanned the scribbled words. His eyebrow twitched as he read the title: "The Secret Treasure of Gryffindor."
He flipped the parchment over. The reverse side held a primitive map, containing only four key elements drawn crudely: a stylized tree, the number 1, a small campfire, and an X marking the spot (a fork in a path).
"What exactly is this thing?" Albert asked, trying to sound genuinely baffled.
"It's Gryffindor's secret treasure, obviously!" Lee Jordan insisted, leaning in with wide eyes.
"Yes, but what kind of treasure?" Albert pressed.
"The greatest secret treasure of Gryffindor," Lee Jordan repeated earnestly, still operating on pure adventure logic.
"Alright, alright," Albert relented, a small, irritable sigh escaping him. "It's certainly interesting, but I must say, treating this parchment as anything other than a rather elaborate prank would be foolish."
"But we found it hidden in the lining of a book! It was incredibly well concealed," Fred countered.
"The folds were intricate. We only found it by chance when the book spine cracked," George added, reinforcing the perceived coincidence.
"Coincidence?" Albert scoffed internally. I could manufacture a hundred coincidences like this in a week. He knew a planted artifact when he saw one.
"So, you're planning a treasure hunt based on this flimsy scrap?" Albert already knew the answer. The map itself was irrelevant; the adventure was the goal for the twins and Lee. The thought of being fooled didn't stop them; it merely added a layer of fun danger.
"We just want to... see what's there!" Lee admitted, his voice barely a whisper.
"Well," Albert sighed, examining the strange drawings again, a slow smile spreading across his face. "I'll tell you this much: I don't think any of the Founders would have hidden a priceless artifact in the Forbidden Forest."
"But it is the Forbidden Forest, isn't it?" the three said in perfect, hopeful unison.
"The tree undoubtedly represents the Forbidden Forest beside the castle," Albert confirmed, pointing to the drawing. "The number 1 in Ancient Runes often corresponds to the Unicorn, one of the Forest's most powerful inhabitants. The campfire represents a settled, habitable area—a place where sentient beings gather. Given the location, the only permanent, 'human' settlements are those of the Centaurs. The X marks the spot: a known fork in the central path leading to their camp."
The three boys stared at Albert, their mouths agape. "You just cracked the entire map! In five seconds!" Lee Jordan exclaimed in shock.
"The secret treasure! Where is it?" the twins demanded, their adventure-lust fully restored.
"It's probably near the Centaur camp," Albert concluded, but this time his sneer was genuine. "And honestly, I don't believe a word of my own deduction. It's too neat, too conveniently placed."
He looked them dead in the eye. "Isn't this the most blatant case of manipulation you've ever seen? The true treasures of Godric Gryffindor are secured within Hogwarts, not lying exposed in a forest that first-years are explicitly forbidden from entering."
The adventure-seekers exchanged glances, the wind visibly rushing out of their sails. They had harbored similar suspicions, but Albert's ruthless, logical breakdown made the truth inescapable.
"This is just a prank," Fred muttered, deflation setting in.
"A very elaborate, time-consuming joke," George agreed.
Their moment of conspiracy was interrupted. "What are you four doing lurking in this corner?" Filch had spotted the huddle, his tone instantly hostile.
"Nothing, Mr. Filch," Albert replied smoothly, stepping forward to block the view of the parchment.
"If there's nothing to whisper about, get out of here!" Filch snapped, shooing them away like a swarm of particularly irritating flies.
The four moved down the corridor, now walking at a quick, purposeful pace.
"Let me reiterate," Albert said, turning back to the twins. "This is absolute nonsense. This parchment is no different from you borrowing a library book, writing a note in it saying 'Treasure hidden in the seventh-floor bathroom!', and then putting a box of Dungbombs there years later to trick some poor sod."
They nodded, fully convinced. The disappointment was replaced by a grudging admiration for the prankster who had come before them.
"Oh, right, there is one more thing," George recalled, scratching his head nervously.
"What is it now?" Albert asked, already bracing himself for another complication.
"This parchment was tucked between two pages of a book, but when we pulled it out... well, the book didn't exactly survive the process," George confessed, giving Albert a helpless, contrite smile.
"You don't know how to use the Reparo charm?" Albert asked, utterly bewildered. They had all learned the basic mending charm months ago.
The twins looked downcast. "Um..." George stammered. "We tried, Albert, but... we can't seem to repair this specific book with the spell."
Fred pulled a battered copy of The Biography of Uric from his bag—the very book they were meant to be studying for their History of Magic essay. The spine was split, and the parchment had clearly torn a section of two pages.
Albert turned to the damaged section, his mouth twitching as he saw the jagged tear.
"It was hidden so well, we almost didn't even notice it until we tried to close the book," George mumbled.
"Put the book away now," Albert hissed, urgency returning to his voice. "We'll study it back in the dorm tonight. Don't let anyone, especially Madam Pince, see that thing."
"She will kill us," Lee whispered, imagining the librarian's fury.
"Why would she kill us?" Fred grumbled, directing the stress at his twin.
"Because we're the twins, you idiot! It's always our fault!" George shot back, shoving the damaged book hastily into his bag.