Chapter 220: Pickled Cabbage Roots?

"Looks like it might rain later," Fred looked up at the heavily clouded ceiling, turning to the others sitting beside him.

"If I were you, I'd eat the food on my plate while it's still hot. It won't taste good when it cools down," Albert said as he cut his potato and egg pancake with a knife and fork. The house-elf had just placed the dish on the students' plates.

"I'm curious, why would you guys want it to rain later?" Angelina swallowed a large piece of bacon, looking at Fred and the others with a strange expression. The continuous rainy season had been uncomfortable.

Before Fred could reply, they were interrupted. A student hurriedly approached them and said to Albert, "You're Albert, right? I've heard of you. Professor Smith asked me to give this to you."

"Thanks," Albert nodded at the person and took the piece of parchment.

"What is it?" Angelina asked curiously. "An invitation?"

"An invitation," Albert glanced at the parchment and said, "Professor Smith invited me for tea."

The others exchanged puzzled looks. If someone else had said this, they probably wouldn't believe it, but Albert was different. Being invited for tea by professors was nothing new for him; he had experienced such invitations frequently last year.

"It's really enviable."

In the entire Hogwarts, there weren't many students who received special treatment from the professors. Even the student council president might not have the same treatment as Albert. It wasn't just about having good grades; strong connections were also necessary.

While they were talking, a barn owl flew towards Albert, dropping a package into his arms, temporarily shifting everyone's attention.

Albert picked up the package and glanced at the sender's name, immediately guessing what was inside.

Dragon Claw Powder – an ingredient he had bought from Diagon Alley's apothecary.

Some time ago, he had spent ten Galleons to buy a pint (568 milliliters) of Dragon Claw Powder from the apothecary. Now he had managed to obtain the two most difficult-to-get materials for brewing Beauxbatons' Brain Elixir.

"You're really popular," Elia said with a strange tone. As they were speaking, two heavy letters were tossed in front of Albert by another owl, which he quickly put into the pockets of his robe.

"Your pen pals?" Shannon asked.

"Old friends."

"Literal meaning," George explained for Albert.

The girls at the table were all stunned for a moment, not immediately grasping the meaning.

"I have to go now. I'm going for afternoon tea later. If it rains, wait for me in the common room," Albert reminded them before leaving. "Remember to finish your homework first."

"That guy seems mysterious," Shannon muttered as she watched Albert's departing figure. "He seems to be hiding a lot of secrets."

"Who knows?" Elia replied.

"I heard he's dating a Ravenclaw girl," Elia suddenly said.

"When did that happen? We didn't even know," Fred and the others exchanged surprised looks, their eyes wide open in disbelief.

"It's that Ravenclaw genius," Elia gestured in a certain direction, continuing, "Many people have seen them chatting together frequently."

"I remember they have a two-year age difference," the girls started gossiping nonstop.

"In fact, they are only one year apart," Elia kindly reminded them, "Albert's birthday is in September."

"Genius and genius, huh? That's great!"

...

Albert had no idea that someone was gossiping about him behind his back. As soon as he entered the Room of Requirement, he put on his earmuffs and began the preliminary processing of the Mandrake roots.

"Why does this feel a bit like pickling radish?" Albert commented as he buried the washed Mandrake roots in a large barrel of salt.

Since he had acquired a large quantity of salt, he naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to prepare Mandrake roots. Although it would become a dangerous dark magical item, Albert believed it was worth the trivial cost. The Mandrake Bomb was absolutely a genius creation, comparable to Stink Pellets in terms of its effect, and the element of surprise from the noise was something that couldn't be guarded against.

However, if Voldemort didn't rise to power and the future seemed bright, Albert wouldn't be too keen on making such items.

After all, dark magical items were dangerous by nature, not only during their creation but also when used. Wizards who frequently dealt with dark magical items were said to be influenced in their behavior and temperament, becoming more irritable and aggressive.

After Dumbledore's death, Voldemort and his followers would openly harass Muggle-born wizards, and since he was a Muggle-born wizard himself, there would be dangers. It was normal to want something for self-defense.

While some items couldn't be sold, they could still be used for entrepreneurship. The Weasley twins in the novel made a fortune, which spoke volumes about certain things.

Galleons might not be crucial, but sometimes they could solve many problems. After all, without the wealth to protect, it was a kind of sin in itself and could ultimately become the target of others' looting.

He needed power; that was important.

Next, he needed to get the outer skin of the Flobberworm. These magical creatures were natural enemies of Mandrake roots, as they loved to eat them. By making containers from the outer skin of Flobberworms to store the Mandrake roots, the latter could be effectively suppressed.

This was akin to saying that a child wouldn't dare to cry in the middle of the night—more or less!

Then, he needed containers to store the dark magical items. He also needed to learn the Undetectable Extension Charm. However, it seemed that the Ministry of Magic strictly regulated this charm. He wondered if he could find relevant books in the library.

Lastly, he needed to design a combination container, considering the risks of carrying a dark magical item with him.

Albert recorded all these items in his alchemy notebook before closing it and taking out another notebook. He confidently looked at the information on it and slightly furrowed his brow.

A new task appeared on the task board.

Another Purpose

Everyone knows that the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is cursed, and every wizard who comes to teach at Hogwarts in that capacity has their own reason to willingly take on the risk. You seem to have discovered some secrets about Rowena Smith's arrival at Hogwarts. Please find out the reason Professor Smith came to teach at Hogwarts.

Reward: 2,000 experience points, 1 skill point, and a random skill from Rowena Smith.

Since this task appeared, Albert felt that Professor Smith was a bit odd. Moreover, he was now interested in ancient magical runes and invited Albert over for tea?

Hmm, indeed, no matter how you looked at it, this was very strange.

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(End of this chapter)