weekend.
It was a sunny day, perfect for watching a Quidditch match.
At 10:30 a.m., Albert and his friends set off from the castle, walked through the snow on the road to the stadium stands, where a large number of students had already gathered, all talking loudly about the outcome of the game.
"Good morning, Hagrid," Albert greeted Hagrid, who was holding binoculars.
"Thank you for the hat." Hagrid patted the wool hat on his head. "I never thought I would receive a present for Christmas."
"You can take it as a return gift," Albert said with a smile.
"A return gift?" Hagrid asked, puzzled. "What return gift?"
"Guardian branch, unicorn tail hair." Albert raised his wrist, revealing a delicate white bracelet.
"What's this?"
"This bracelet brings good luck. I made it with the unicorn tail hair and the guardian tree you gave me," Albert said with a smile. "It will bring good luck to the wearer."
"Bring good luck to the wearer?" Hagrid muttered to himself. "I've never heard of unicorn tail hair and guardian trees bringing good luck to the wearer."
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who were standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh.
You liked to fool others, now you've got what's coming to you!
"However, you've woven this rope quite beautifully," Hagrid said with a light cough.
"I meant the runes on them." Albert picked up two pendants made from the Guardian Tree and showed them to the three of them. They were engraved with the runes that Albert had shown them to them a while ago.
"You actually engraved that weird rune on it? Are you sure this thing really works?" George asked suspiciously.
"Who knows?" Albert shrugged. "Maybe it really will bring good luck, then we'll have made a profit."
Albert originally intended to make a protective bracelet.
However, after breaking several beads in a row, he gave up for the time being and chose to carve the simplest lucky runes instead.
As for whether this thing could bring him good luck, Albert didn't really know.
Anyway, when he tried to activate the runes on the bead with his own blood, he didn't experience anything special.
It seems to have failed.
However, Albert still wore it, simply to verify whether the rune was truly effective.
"Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff, anyone want to place a bet?" Just then, several older students walked over with wooden boxes for betting, their shouts interrupting Albert's thoughts.
The twins seemed to be planning to place a bet, and Li Jordan next to them had already pulled out a silver coin.
"Who do you bet on to win?" The three of them looked at Albert in unison.
"I bet Gryffindor will catch the Golden Snitch and win." Albert pulled out a silver coin to place his bet.
"We're the same." The three of them handed the money to each other in unison.
"Many people bet on this, but the odds aren't high. If you bet on Hufflepuff to win, we'll give you three times the odds," the senior student said.
"No, Gryffindor is fine."
Albert didn't care whether he won money or not; he was just having fun, purely for the sake of creating an atmosphere.
"What's your name?" the older student asked, pulling out a notebook and a quill pen.
"His name is Albert Anderson," Fred answered for Albert.
"Albert Anderson." The older student scribbled a few words and handed it to Fred. "After the game, we'll be at the exit. If you won the bet, come find us with this note."
Albert looked at his three roommates and said speechlessly, "Aren't you afraid of losing money?"
"We believe in your luck," the three said in unison. Since Albert had taken the gamble, even though the odds were slim, they were still willing to try their luck.
"My luck?" Albert couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Don't blame me if you lose money."
"We won't," Fred said. "We don't think the Gryffindor team, which has been training so hard, will lose to the Hufflepuff team."
"Gambling is not a good habit," Hagrid reminded him, raising an eyebrow.
"It's just for the atmosphere, and besides, I have a lucky bracelet; I've always been lucky," Albert said confidently.
"I thought you were going to bet 10 Galleons."
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Albert couldn't help but roll his eyes. "These privately run gambling games are never reliable. If I bet 10 Galleons and win, do you think they'll give me back the Galleons I won?"
"I doubt they can come up with it," Fred replied after a moment's thought.
"Hmm, it seems you know exactly what you're doing." Hagrid nodded; occasional small bets are fine.
"Last time he bet 100 Galleons on who would be the Minister of Magic," Lee Jordan explained. "This guy's luck is always frighteningly good."
Hagrid gaped in surprise, then threw the thought that had just crossed his mind onto the ground and stomped it to pieces.
"Ahem, Hagrid, which pair do you think will win?" Albert asked.
"Gryffindor, of course," Hagrid said irritably. "It's best not to gamble; nobody can win forever."
"Ahem, I know that very well myself."
In fact, Albert actually won his gamble, and Gryffindor ultimately defeated Hufflepuff.
This exciting match lasted only an hour, with Charlie successfully catching the Golden Snitch to bring victory to his team.
"We won."
"We won."
"Ah, the note... the note flew away!" George screamed.
In the end, Hagrid reached out and helped them retrieve the parchment; thankfully, there was no wind today.
"Give the parchment to Albert, you unreliable fellow." Lee Jordan snatched the parchment from Fred and shoved it into Albert's hands.
"An accident? It was just an accident," Fred chuckled. He had just been on edge too; that thing was worth eight silver sikes.
By the way, the novel app I've been using recently, [Mimi Reading app], supports both Android and Apple phones!
"Thank you, Hagrid," Albert said to Hagrid.
"You're welcome."
Albert and his companions found the two senior students at the entrance and obtained the eight silver coins as stakes from them.
"See? My lucky bracelet still brought me good luck." Albert blinked and said, "Those runes are still useful."
"You've always been lucky, haven't you!" Fred couldn't help but roll his eyes. Winning their bets had put everyone in a good mood.
"By the way, did you enter the forest from this side last time?" Albert glanced at the nearby forest and suddenly asked.
Fred and George froze. Damn it, Hagrid's right there! Don't bring this up.
"Go into the woods?" Hagrid stared warily at the four people in front of him.
"Hagrid, could you take us into the forest to broaden our horizons?" Albert asked Hagrid beside him, looking towards the Forbidden Forest.
"That won't do," Hagrid refused outright.
Albert didn't betray Fred and George's embarrassment at all. "The two of them sneaked into the woods and said the woods next to the school were nothing special."
"You really are..."
"You bastard!" The twins glared at Albert in unison, furious that he had so readily betrayed them.
"Ahem, I've heard that the Forbidden Forest holds many secrets. Why don't you take us on a tour to satisfy our curiosity?" Albert winked at Hagrid and said, "After that, we won't be curious about what's in that forest anymore."
Hagrid remained silent for a moment, seemingly pondering something, before finally shaking his head in refusal.
"Can't you even guarantee our safety?"
"School rules state that students are not allowed to enter the woods," Hagrid said.
"Actually, I think Dumbledore's prohibition against people entering the woods will only arouse the students' curiosity," Albert said. "As far as I know, many people have already sneaked into the woods."
"A lot of people?" Hagrid stared at the Weasley brothers.
"Ahem, they're just one example," Albert explained. "We were just curious, and besides, you go into the woods all the time, don't you?"
"Alright, just this once, and don't let it happen again." Hagrid agreed. "Come with me, and don't wander off."
"See! The lucky charm works pretty well, doesn't it?" Albert winked at the three dumbfounded people.
Fred and his two companions never imagined that Albert would be able to persuade Hagrid to take them into the woods.