After Albert gave the prepared Christmas gifts to the house-elves for delivery, the Christmas holiday was quietly approaching.
The Christmas atmosphere in Hogwarts Castle is even stronger. There are twelve Christmas trees in the hall as in previous years, the stair railings are wrapped with holly and tinsel, and large bunches of mistletoe are hung at intervals in the corridor. The girls like to gather under the mistletoe, looking forward to the dream prince charming giving them a romantic kiss.
By the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, Fred and George were equally excited about the arrival of the holiday. They were discussing how to secretly prepare an unexpected surprise for Filch on the day they boarded the Hogwarts Express to leave school.
"Where are you going for Christmas vacation?" Lee Jordan poked Tom, who was lying by the fireplace. "Are you planning to go abroad for vacation again?"
"I don't plan to go anywhere. I plan to stay at home for the entire holiday."
Recently, Herb has been busy traveling, so the Anderson family has no plans to go on vacation during this year's Christmas holiday and plans to stay at home for the winter.
"Oh, by the way, I asked my father to help investigate the last incident, and I just received a reply not long ago."
"What?"
Fred and George had apparently forgotten what it was.
"I checked the rents of shops in Diagon Alley and found that they are higher than expected, and we can no longer find any suitable shops for rent." Lee Jordan took out a piece of letter paper from his pocket and handed it to Albert, then said to Fred and George, "Unless you are willing to open a shop in a location that is quite bad. Of course, there are still many shops waiting to be rented in Fandao Alley, and the prices are quite cheap, but you also know that the security there is not very good."
"What do you think we should do?"
After Fred and George looked at each other, they both looked at Albert to see if the other party had any good ideas to solve the problem.
"Wait for two years, I believe I can find a suitable location. The housing prices at that time will not be too expensive, and you can then pick a good location and buy it directly. So you should finish the seventh grade obediently and don't always think about dropping out of school early.
"What will happen in two years?"
All three of them understood the implication in Albert's words, and it was obvious that something bad would happen in two years.
In fact, this is not the first time Albert has hinted at this.
"A while ago, when I went to Hogsmeade, I heard Professor McGonagall talking to other professors about Sirius Black at the Three Broomsticks." Albert changed the subject.
"Blake's thing?"
All three of them were very interested in this matter, but considering that they were in the common room with many people around, they did not specifically ask Albert about the follow-up of the matter.
When they return to the dormitory to rest, Albert will naturally share Blake's affairs with the three of them.
"Harry's father is actually good friends with Black, and Sirius Black is actually Harry's godfather?"
The three of them listened to the whole story with their mouths open and faces filled with shock.
"Harry would be furious if he knew about this," George muttered.
"He knows." Albert dropped another bombshell.
"Harry knew, how could he know?"
The three of them couldn't understand and looked at Albert eagerly, waiting for him to explain to them.
"Potter was also present at the time. He hid under the invisibility cloak and happened to overhear the conversation between Professor McGonagall and others." Albert looked at the three people who gradually opened their mouths, as if it was just a coincidence.
"Some things really can't be said casually," Lee Jordan muttered.
"I also discovered a secret."
"What secret?"
"About the identity of the maker of the Marauder's Map." Albert motioned for everyone to remain quiet and slowly expressed his guess about the identities of the robbers.
Fred, George and Lee Jordan were all stunned after hearing this, especially after learning that Professor Lupin was actually a werewolf. They kept muttering words like "No wonder".
"No wonder Professor Lupin calls in sick every once in a while."
"Professor Dumbledore must be crazy. Why would he hire a werewolf?" Li Jordan looked at Albert in disbelief. "Doesn't he know how dangerous werewolves are? Besides, isn't he worried that Professor Lupin will help Black invade Hogwarts Castle?"
"I don't think Black needs to do this." Fred made this point clear. "If Black was involved in the creation of the Marauder's Map, he could easily enter and exit Hogwarts."
"The Shrieking Shack, remember the Shrieking Shack? I bet the werewolf hiding in there and transforming was definitely Professor Lupin." George speculated, "The timing is exactly the same."
"Since they are friends, Black must know about the Shrieking Shack. Do you think he is hiding in the Shrieking Shack now?" Fred jumped up from the bed excitedly. He thought he might have discovered Black's whereabouts. "Perhaps, we should tell the Ministry of Magic about this and earn a reward."
"It's impossible for the Dementors not to check the Shrieking Shack." George shook his head. "The Dementors must have carefully checked all the places around Hogwarts where people can hide. As long as Black is hiding nearby, he can't escape the Dementors' search at all."
"I know when Blake will show up," Albert said suddenly.
"What?" George asked excitedly, "Did you predict it?"
"Yes, on the day Hagrid's Hippogriff is executed, we'll ambush and capture Black, but there will be Dementors and a lot of trouble..."
"We caught Blake?"
“If you want to come with me to catch Blake and get that generous reward, you’d better hurry up and train yourself.
"Will we face the Dementors head-on?" Lee Jordan's face looked a little ugly. He somewhat understood why Albert urged them to practice the Patronus Charm.
They had similar ideas originally, but now it has been thoroughly confirmed. Although they were mentally prepared, the pressure is still great. The three weak Patronuses are simply unable to resist the Dementors.
"Although the prophecy implies that we have captured Black and driven away the Dementors, it does not mean the result. If you don't work hard, it is hard to say whether the result will come true."
Albert knew that money made the world go round, and he could use money to make the three of them unleash their unlimited potential.
He needs other helpers to prevent any accidents.
"With this money, our plan to open a store will definitely be no problem." Fred said excitedly. That was 10,000 Galleons. Even if each of them only got 1,000 Galleons in the end, it would be enough.
Albert was very satisfied with the performance of the three people. The incentive of interests could indeed arouse their high enthusiasm.
That evening, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were all working hard on their Patronus Charms.
The three of them worked hard all night, but the next day they were a little depressed. Moreover, they didn't get much, which was a bit disappointing.
However, after Albert linked the summoning of the Patronus to a large amount of Galleons, Fred and George showed an enthusiasm they had never shown before, and even Lee Jordan was shocked by this.
After repeated efforts and corrections, although Fred and George's patronus was still a silver mist, the mist was more condensed than before, forcing Albert to once again sigh at the charm of gold galleons.
"I have to work harder, otherwise I'll be a drag." After seeing Fred and George practicing the Patronus Charm so hard, Lee Jordan started practicing with them as well, not wanting to be a drag.
On the day of leaving school, the four of them were chatting about the Patronus Charm in the Thestral carriage.
In fact, they have been talking about this topic for several days in a row, like they are obsessed with it.
Albert never doubted the potential of the three. As long as they continued to practice, they might be able to master the Patronus Charm earlier than Harry Potter.
After entering Hogsmeade village, the carriage began to slow down and finally stopped at the Hogsmeade train station.
After getting off the train, people took their luggage and rushed towards the open train door.
Most students chose to go home for Christmas, perhaps because Blake's incident scared them, just like the attack last year.
"Mother originally wanted to invite Harry to her house for Christmas, but then she seemed to think it would be safer for Harry to stay at school," Fred muttered.
"This is the price of becoming a savior!" Albert tightened the towel around his body and raised his wand to direct the luggage to be unloaded from the carriage.
"Let's go. Let's get on the train first. I don't want to be blown by the cold wind here." Lee Jordan shivered and squeezed forward with his luggage.
The three of them pulled their luggage and rushed towards the carriage door. Several train station staff were helping everyone load the luggage onto the train.
When it was almost Albert's turn, he suddenly felt the air around him become colder, and white mist came out of his mouth. The temperature around him seemed to drop several degrees in an instant.
"Look over there, it's the Dementors, they seem to be coming this way."
Someone was screaming, and the noise on the entire platform suddenly stopped.
The next moment, the platform suddenly became noisy, and the crowd rushed into the carriage, as if only the carriage could keep them away from those evil monsters.
Even the platform staff who helped with the luggage were a little panicked. For wizards who did not master the Patronus, Dementors were almost impossible to resist.
People have an instinctive fear of this monster that sucks away their happiness and brings them depression and despair.
There was crowding, pushing and shoving, and chaos in front of the carriage door.
Damn it!
Albert felt someone stepping on his feet, his luggage hitting him, and someone pushing him from behind, almost making him fall.
Tom in the cage seemed to sense the anxious atmosphere around him and became irritable and restless.
Are all the people in the Ministry of Magic idiots
Don't they know the consequences of causing chaos in a place like this
He remembered what Fudge had said at the Three Broomsticks, where that guy actually advocated letting Dementors into Hogwarts Castle to "help".
Oh my god!
Don't he know what Dementors are
It's true that Fudge is an idiot.
"Quiet, stay where you are, everyone stay where you are."
Albert cast an ear-blocking spell on Tom, then put his fingers on his throat, and an extremely loud voice echoed throughout the train station.
Albert didn't expect to be able to stop everyone, but he could make his voice loud enough to hurt the eardrums of all the students, forcing them to raise their hands to cover their ears.
There is no doubt that this method is effective.
The original chaos was suppressed in an instant, and everyone covered their ears in pain, wishing someone would cover the mouth of the guy who was shouting.
Albert removed his hand from his throat, reached out and pulled up a fallen girl from the crowd, and at the same time drew out his wand and shot a silver light at the Dementors floating around.
The Griffin seemed to sense Albert's emotions and charged directly towards the Dementors, driving them away from the students.
The Dementors roared angrily, seeming annoyed that someone was interfering with their duties, but they still had no intention of leaving.
Albert's patronus seemed a little alone and not as powerful as imagined. This was actually more because it was summoned too hastily.
Fred, George and Lee Jordan also raised their wands and tried to summon the patronus, but they could only summon a wisp of silver mist, which was completely useless.
At this moment, a silver white fox in the carriage flew into the air, and two patronuses immediately drove the Dementors surrounding it away from the train.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Two Aurors hurried over here, obviously noticing what was happening here.
It had never occurred to them that anyone would interfere with the Dementors' routine checks, and normally no one would dare to do so.
After all, there are very few wizards who master the Patronus Charm.
"I also want to ask you what the hell you are doing." Albert handed the luggage to Fred next to him and the Tom cat cage to George. When he tried to push through the crowd, the students around him took the initiative to make way for him.
Albert walked up to the young Auror and asked in a tone even colder than the other Auror: "What on earth are you doing? Why did you let the Dementors come here? Are you planning to use us as food for the Dementors?"
"These Dementors are just doing their job," the young Auror said in a standard tone. "You are obstructing the Ministry's business."
"Allowing the Dementors to suck the students' happiness has caused chaos on the scene, with crowding, pushing and trampling. Don't tell me that the Ministry of Magic uses this method to protect the safety of Hogwarts students." Albert's tone couldn't help but rise a few degrees, making people clearly feel his dissatisfaction, and also stirring up the emotions of others.
Sometimes, all you need is a leader.
The young Auror seemed to want to say something but was stopped by another Auror because he noticed that all the students were glaring at them.
"Go away, we don't need the protection of Dementors."
I don't know who started shouting, and then someone threw things at the two Aurors, and a big dung ball hit the young Auror directly.
"Fuck obstruction of public affairs!"
"A bunch of rubbish. They haven't caught Blake for so long."
…
The young Auror's face turned pale and he raised his hand to block the object thrown at him.
Seeing that the other party had no intention of leaving and even drew his wand, someone was hiding in the crowd and throwing magic at the two Aurors.
In the commotion just now, many people were bumped and bruised, and they had no place to vent their anger. Now, everyone's dissatisfaction was suddenly ignited.
Before the young Auror could react, another one grabbed his arm and Apparated away before more magic could be thrown at them.