Time passed by, and without anyone noticing, October came without any incident in between, something that Albert was grateful for. He was still having a headache thinking of the Ravenclaw secret society since they were still pretty hidden, only showed their fang once through Marjorie Edgecombe then vanished as if they had never existed before. Right now, he was still waiting for the result of the investigation of Marjorie Edgecombe done by his secret informant.
Fortunately, the amount of bully Luna had to suffer seemed to decrease a lot, especially considering how close she was with Gryffindor's quidditch team. It seemed the twins' reputation as a menace resonated through the entire Hogwarts and no one was willing to test them.
The problem was while it worked well for Luna, there was one person from each generation to be bullied inside the Ravenclaw house. Flitwick had already done his best, yet he couldn't control what happened inside his house for twenty-four hours non-stop. He had already conveyed that to Dumbledore and him and they had the same conclusion that something must be done to clean up the claw's nest, yet nothing came into their mind on how to do that.
"Still thinking about claw's problem?" Sprout asked, sipping a cup of tea relaxedly.
By now, the problem of the Ravenclaw house was not a secret anymore among the heads of houses. Flitwick knew that he, the headmaster, and Albert were not enough to deal with this problem, so he shared it with Sprout, McGonagall, and Snape. As expected, McGonagall was outraged something like that happened under their noses, Sprout showed concern for the victims, and Snape just stared at the charm professor blankly. In the end, they all promised to help should the need arise but still let Flitwick deal with it by himself.
"Yeah." Albert nodded, sighing tiredly. "This has been bugging me for a while. Even 'she' had a hard time digging out the information."
Sprout raised her eyebrows a bit when he mentioned 'she', then widened her eyes when something clicked inside the herbology professor's head. "You ask 'her' to do some digging? Isn't it dangerous?"
It seemed Sprout also knew the 'she' that Albert mentioned.
"Well, yeah. But you know her. Always love poking the edge of politicians. It wouldn't be any different than her usual doing. And she knows how to contact me if there is any danger." Albert shrugged. "And it is better for her to be busy for that instead of bothering Professor Dumbledore, right?"
"Oh, yes, she still has a grudge for the headmaster." Sprout chuckled. "I am sure Albus would appreciate it."
Silence befell around them, only the sound of raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows could be heard in the greenhouse. Yeah, Albert decided for once to go outside and enjoy the day, so even if it was raining outside, he still came to the place where he could take a fresh breath, the greenhouse where his head of house would always stay.
However, the silence didn't last long enough as they both could hear the excited screams from the outside. Based on the familiar voice Albert heard, he could guess who were they and why would anyone be crazy enough to go outside in the middle of heavy rain like this.
"As expected of Gryffindor. Their addiction to quidditch is unmatchable."
"You recognize their voice?" Sprout quirked her eyebrows.
"Yeah. I have been dealing with them for a while by now." Albert smiled. "I forgot how excited Gryffindor was about quidditch. I swear those lions were like this too when I was still a student."
"It was way before you became the student." Sprout snorted amusedly. "It started when Minerva was the captain, about forty-four years ago, if I am not wrong. I was in my final year when she spread the enthusiasm of quidditch in her house. Well, winning the cup for four years in a row would do that."
"Wait, does that mean you are older than-OUCH!"
"Never talk about a lady's age. That's rude." Sprout sent a sting hex while smirking mischievously when she saw Albert rubbing the spot she just hit. "But I have never seen them being this excited. I know Mister Wood is a maniac on the same level as Minerva, but to train in the heavy rain like this?"
"Oh, I know why." Albert suddenly remembered the conversation he had with them a few days ago. "It seems Lucius bought the entire Slytherin team the newest Nimbus 2001. Well, you know him. He would never let a chance of flaunting his wealth to the others go."
"Ah, of course, it would be Mister Malfoy," Sprout said dryly. "Still, it is funny to see him throwing off his money like that to show off his wealth while there are still many families who are wealthier than him."
"Well, how else could he reach his high position in society if not doing that?" Albert asked sarcastically.
Even though the Malfoy family had been well-known as a wealthy family for the last few decades, it couldn't be compared to the money from the old family like the Shafiq family. In fact, Albert had a hunch they burned more money than what they earned to keep up their high status since their French origin was an open secret in the society. Or at least that was what happened back then. Now, it seemed Lucius was enjoying the money he got from the Black family after marrying Narcissa Black.
"Oh, speaking of Mister Malfoy, he seemed to be more subdued this year. The younger one, I mean. The one in the Slytherin house right now. Did you do something?"
"What do you mean?" Albert tried to look innocent.
"Don't play with me, boy." Sprout snorted. "I know how terrible he was last year and I know there is no way a Malfoy would suddenly mature over the night. Did you say something to him in your first night here?"
"I just exposed his father owe me life debt in front of his fellow Slytherin to show him his family is not untouchable. If doing that could force him to have more self-control, I guess that is good too." Albert shrugged nonchalantly.
After talking for a while, Albert rose from his seat, satisfied he was able to get out of his office and socialize with the others. Now, it was time for him to go back facing the mountain of never-ending paperwork on his desk.
However, before he walked away from Sprout's greenhouse, Albert stopped as if remembering something before asking, "By the way, Professor, do you have any coreopsis here?"
Sprout was taken aback for a moment before replying, "Of course, I have. Why? Do you need it?"
Coreopsis or people often knew it as Tickseed was a plant many kids liked since it had a bright yellow color and could attract butterflies. Sprout had no idea why Albert suddenly wanted to know if she had it or not. However, looking at his solemn look, she could guess why he wanted it.
"I will go to visit her by the end of this month, and that flower was her favorite."
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Harry yawned, walking in a staggered manner as he felt exhaustion all over his body. However, he gritted his teeth, strengthening his will to go to the library even with his eyes half-shut.
Harry cringed when he saw the girl he should be doing his work with tonight, Tracey Davis was already there, flipping the book in front of her while being surrounded by various sheets of parchment.
"You know, it is rude to keep a lady waiting." The girl said casually, though Harry could tell she was irritated with him. He sighed, knowing that he was on the wrong side this time. "Sorry about that. I have a rough training today." He threw his body to the seat next to the girl.
"You are training under this weather?" Tracey's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow! Either you Gryff are as crazy about quidditch as the rumor said or Malfoy really got under your skin."
Normally, Harry would not be quiet when facing such a jab, especially from a Slytherin student. However, he was too exhausted to make a comeback and he couldn't find any fault in her retort. Indeed, Gryffindor always gets crazy whenever quidditch was mentioned, especially Oliver, and Malfoy's latest move to give all the Slytherin players free Nimbus 2001 as the cost of him joining the team rubbed them up the wrong way.
"Shall we start?" Tracey suddenly suggested. "That way you can get back to your dorm and take a rest as soon as possible."
Harry was touched by the sudden concern from the girl. "Sure. Thanks."
Tracey shrugged, then gave a list of literature she had already read before. "Here, I have already sorted all the books which have the general information about the fire protection potion. For now, just write the step-by-step of how to brew it first, then let's analyze it later. The next meeting would be our first time brewing the potion by ourselves this year, so I want everything to be perfect."
Harry nodded, starting to flip the parchments in front of him. Somehow, he also felt excited for the next potion lesson since Albert would finally allow them all to brew their first potion.
Yeah, unlike Snape whose teaching method was just slapping the instruction on the desk and letting them do it by themselves since the very beginning, Albert spent the first month of the term teaching the students all the basic potion lessons seemingly forgotten by Snape to be mentioned.
At first, the students would be taught everything they need to know about the tools they used, from what kind of material would be good for a cauldron and why to how to clean the knives, pestle-and-mortar, vials, and other tools to avoid contamination. After everyone was proficient with their tools, Albert shifted his attention to the next important thing in potion, teaching them all how to cut, mince, dice, stir, and work with ingredients. And when they all could do that, the potion professor would finally allow them to brew.
For brewing itself, Albert also had his own way of teaching. Unlike Snape who would just give them the instruction, he required his students to write it down themselves with the addition of the general information of the potion and what should they expect during each process. That way, the students would go to the class knowing what they were going to do and that would reduce the risk of unwanted accidents.
The only problem was that a 20-inch essay seemed to be a bit much for a single homework. However, that was why Albert created a group of two students, to make it easier for them to do that.
"Are you guys working on the fire protection potion?" A voice suddenly interrupted Harry's work. When he turned around, he noticed the presence of a Hufflepuff girl he remembered being called before him during the sorting ceremony last year, Sally-Anne Perks, standing together with a Ravenclaw student who he was somehow familiar with.
"Yes, we are. What's wrong?" Tracey asked curiously.
"Umm.." Sally-Anne played with her own fingers nervously before asking, "Do you mind if we borrow your reference?"
"Oh, sure!" Before Harry could even answer it, Tracey had already agreed to the request. "Here, you can find the introduction of the potion in this book, the history and the development of the potion itself, and here, you can read the trivial information about the potion. The last two might not be necessary for the assignment, but I am sure you are going to be interested."
"Oh, thanks!" The Ravenclaw student beamed when she saw all the books provided by Tracey.
Harry didn't know how, but the situation suddenly changed, with him being surrounded by three students from three different houses here. He could only listen to the conversation awkwardly, not knowing how to join the fun here. However, that didn't mean he didn't enjoy it. If anything, the boy learned a lot from this conversation, especially about his respective potion professor.
"Really?! You mean that Professor Shafiq found Madam Bones doing something like that inside a broom cupboard?!" Tracey exclaimed in surprise, her voice was full of conspiracy.
"I know, right?! Even Susan is embarrassed when she hears that for the first time!" Sally-Anne perks giggled furiously.
"Girl, you are lucky to have a professor who is willing to relax in your common room!" The Ravenclaw student who Harry recognized as Padma Patil, the twin sister of Parvati Patil who was in the same house as him, said enviously. "I mean, Professor Flitwick is good, but he seems to be a little bit distant here. Maybe, it is because of the age difference here, but it is always awkward when we approach him for something."
"Oh, well, you are still lucky to have him! Imagine me having to rely on Professor Snape!" Tracey also complained about her head of house.
'Well, that is your problem! In Hufflepuff, even Professor Sprout takes her time to enjoy our common room from time to time, let alone Professor Shafiq! He even joins the older students to play exploding snap occasionally!" Sally-Anne Perks exclaimed proudly. This was probably the first time the student of Hufflepuff was the object of envy for the other three houses, so she couldn't help but show off a little bit.
Speaking of the head of house itself, it would be a lie if Harry said that he didn't envy the situation in Hufflepuff house. After all, even though he knew that McGonagall was good, the transfiguration mistress herself carried three positions; the head of the Gryffindor house, the transfiguration professor, and the vice-headmistress of the school. She was always busy with her job, and it was pretty hard for the Gryffindor students to ask something here.
In the end, the range of the conversation topic went far wider, and for the first time since the beginning of the year, Harry finally recognized what Tracey said about not closing himself to the others. After all, just based on this conversation, he learned a lot of things about his peers, and it was all coming from Sally-Anne Perks who was not a popular student here. The boy couldn't help but wonder, what would happen if he did the same to the other students?
In the end, he just shook his head, putting all of his focus back on the book in front of him. Harry had been promising himself that he would try to get a better result in academics, and remembering his family's performance in the past, he gritted his teeth, not wanting to disappoint them all.
Even Tracey and the other two girls next to him couldn't help but stop chatting, getting influenced by Harry's sudden studious attitude. Little did they know, though, that they were currently witnessing a historic change, of how a mediocre person would soar to the sky in the future. However, that would be a story for another day…
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Meanwhile, back in Albert's office, right now, he was entangled by another stack of paperwork again. He didn't know how Professor McGonagall kept her sanity, as even if he only handled the first five grades, the amount of workload was still crazy. From checking the student's homework, making a study plan, handling the student's questions, and thinking about the claw's problem, everything was enough to make his head explode.
He glanced sideways toward the couch, where Luna and Cedric played around, and somehow, the man couldn't help but feel envious.
Yeah, Cedric Diggory was the new addition to the 'Luna Protection' group here, as he managed to catch a few Ravenclaw students trying to burn her homework paper cruelly. After getting enraged and consulting this matter with Professor Sprout and Albert, the boy was finally introduced to the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and they didn't need a long time to become friends already.
Albert couldn't help but sigh, staring at Cedric with a melancholic gaze. After all, the boy was the perfect student for the Hufflepuff house; kind, humble, and willing to befriend and help everyone in need. The boy really reminded Albert of himself when he was young. It didn't help that they both were handsome and getting chased by a lot of girls.
Cough!
Albert coughed a little, somehow feeling his cheek heated at the narcissistic comment that he had about himself. This was enough to attract the two students in front of him, as the girl couldn't help but ask, "Are you okay, Professor?"
"Don't worry, Luna. Just want to get away from all of this paperwork as quickly as possible." The professor made an excuse immediately.
"Oh, yeah, I heard my dad complaining a lot about the same thing." Cedric chuckled amusedly. "It seems that the world of adults is quite boring, right?"
Cedric Diggory's father, Amos Diggory, was the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in the Ministry of Magic, and Albert had already heard about that man. Amos was a simple man who was good at pleasing others, yet had quite a backbone to defend his principle when he saw something was wrong. With the help of Hufflepuff's networking, his career soared to the sky quickly, and his name was resounding throughout the Britain Magical World as an important person on the government side.
However, Albert was just a Hogwarts professor here, and he didn't want to have the same workload as Amos. He clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw Cedric laughing secretly at him, followed by Luna who was giggling mischievously for his misfortune. However, right when Albert was about to say something, someone suddenly slammed the door open.
BAM!
"Ouch! Who in the he – Oh, it is you." Albert's face softened when he saw the person who had just come here. "Long time no see, Girl." He smiled fondly.
The woman in front of him also returned a smile, and despite her eccentric appearance, the mature charm radiated from her beauty was enough to make everyone blush. Cedric and Luna had a quite big reaction on the couch when they saw the new person there. After all, they heard a lot of quite nasty rumor about this person, and they didn't know what should they do right now. However, the woman didn't even bat her eyes on them, still looking at Albert carefully before finally letting out a genuine smile.
"Well, hello to you too, my stupid big brother…"
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Author note
I make a site for anyone who want to support me. If you are willing to help, you will also be able to read this story up to chapter 23. If you are interested, you can visit patre0n/BlankNotes04. Please, support this work too! I hope that you are satisfied with this story! Thank you!