Chapter 77

"That's a shame. If the effects were longer, you could put it on a large cloak and we could use it as a temporary invisibility cloak," Lee said as he stared at the towel, losing its magic. "If it did, we could tour the whole Hogwarts castle without having to be afraid of the consequences of getting caught by members of staff."

"Or Filch," George said.

"Or breaking curfew," Fred said.

"Too bad. We have to wait if we want to go on a night tour without being caught," Lee said.　

"You can borrow the book. I need to return it sometime this week, and I could tell Madam Pince that you want it," Albert said.

"No thanks," Lee said. "Didn't you return that last week? It's been over two weeks."

"Yeah. I spoke to Madam Pince and asked her if I could borrow it for a week longer. She said okay but if a return it a day later, Madam Pince will temporarily revoke my library privileges," Albert said. "You know, I could try the disillusionment charm on you."

"Have you tried it on yourself yet?" Lee asked.

"No," Albert replied.

"Then that's my answer," Lee said. "Once you try it on yourself and there is no adverse reaction, you can try it on me."

"Would you two like to try?" Albert asked innocently.

The twins looked at each other before unanimously deciding. "Nope!"

"That's a shame," Albert sighed.

"Nothing to regret," Fred said.

"Wait here a moment," Albert said as he went to his bed. He went on his hands and knees to fetch a trunk from under his bed. Albert opened it and retrieved a cloak. He put the trunk back where it was, picked up his pocket watch, and rejoined the three other boys. "Although a demi-fur invisibility cloak is effective, it costs way too much for us. The only thing better than that is the Invisibility Cloak created from Lady Death's Cloak, but that's just a myth."

"If it was real, I'd say the boy who lived would have it," George said.

"Why did you assume Harry Potter would have it if it was real?" Albert asked.

"Because he's one of the greatest people to live," George said.

"And he defeated He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named," Fred said.

"One of the greatest? Probably wouldn't make it to the top ten," Albert said.

"Name ten, then," Fred said.

"Dumbledore, Grindelwald, Voldemort, the four founders, Merlin himself, Lady Morgana, and Arthur Pendragon There done. And to top it off, I didn't mention Herpo the Foul, Raczidian, Emeric the Evil, Ekrizdis, or Merwyn the Malicious," Albert said.

"But everybody knows Dumbledore said Harry Potter defeated He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named," Lee said.

"Defeating Lord Voldemort? Highly unlikely, and with what did he beat Voldemort?" Albert said.

"Dumbledore spoke of the power of love," Lee said.

"As if. The power of love doesn't exist, and if it did, how would a wizard, let alone a child, tap into such ancient and undocumented magic? It's more plausible that one of his parents used a forbidden ritual to sacrifice their life in order for Harry to live," Albert said. "Anyway, we are getting off topic. I can definitely create a temporary invisibility cloak that could work if the people under it are quiet and don't move too fast."

Albert placed the cloak on the floor with his pocket watch next to it. He stood back and raised his wand. "Obscuram Verum." Albert then picked up his pocket watch, placed it in his pocket, and picked up the cloak. He put the cloak on, and only his face was fully visible.

"How is it?" Albert asked.

"If I was purposely paying attention to you, I wouldn't notice you," Lee said.

"That's good," Albert said as he pointed his wand at the candle. He extinguished their flames, moved around in the dark, pulled his hood over his face, and relit the candle. "Can you find me now?"

After searching around the room for a few moments, they couldn't find him. They moved around the room to find him. They had no success until Lee bumped into something. Finding nothing to bump into, he tried to find Albert's hood and remove it.

"I found you!" Lee said. "It's not bad,"

"Can I have a try?" George asked.

"Yeah, sure," Albert said as he took off the cloak and handed it to George.

Albert extinguished the light, and George hid. They found George, and it was somebody else's turn. They repeated this until the magical effect wore off.

"If the real Invisibility Cloak existed, there would be mayhem," Albert said.

"So you're saying it exists," Lee said.

"I'm saying it could exist, and if it existed, the boy saviour would not have it," Albert said.

And Albert was not lying. Most people did not believe in the Deathly Hallows; therefore, they did not know the Invisibility Cloak existed, and the Boy Who Lived certainly did not have the legendary item in his possession. Speaking of legendary items, how would one go about making their own invisibility cloak that actually works? You could use demiguise fur or engrave a spell matrix on a cloak. But is there an easier solution? Is there a solution that requires alchemy?

From bits of memory that he kept, he remembers the lighter created by Dumbledore, the Mirror of Erised. the pensieve in Dumbledore's office, and the goblet of fire. These are man-made items that, in some way, defy the law of magic. These should require the touch of a master alchemist to create. Maybe he could use alchemy to create his own invisibility cloak.

About alchemy, they have not taught it since Dumbledore assumed the position of headmaster. If someone wants to learn about alchemy, they either have to teach themselves, find a qualified master to apprentice under, or, if they want to do it in school, ask Dumbledore for help, to which he'll probably say no. And Albert has a mission: to create a similar prop to the lighter in the cannon.

"Albert? Albert?" Lee said as he waved his hand in front of Albert's face like a madman.

Snapping out of his daze, he looked at Lee and his arm in front of his face. "What's wrong? Why are you calling me names? And why is your hand there?"

"You were out of it. We couldn't get your attention," George said.

"What were you thinking about?" Fred asked.

"If I can cast a disillusionment charm on a cloak to make a temporary invisibility cloak, can I cast other spells on other items?" Albert said. Albert turned to grab Lee's copy of the Daily Prophet and scrunched it into a ball.

"What are you doing to my daily prophet?" Lee asked.

"I'm trying to make it glow," Albert said as he pointed his wand at the ball. "Lumos."

"Nothing's happening. Should something have happened?" Fred asked.

"It should have glowed," Albert said.

"Are you positive it could work?" George asked.

"Mostly," Albert said. He tried again, but didn't succeed. Albert then tried another spell. "vis agri zona."

"What are you trying now?" George asked.

"This," Albert said as he threw the ball at George's face. "On a scale of one to ten, how much did it hurt compared to a normal paper ball being thrown at your face?"

"What was that for?" George asked. "And no, whatever you're doing didn't work."

"I think he threw it at you because you questioned him," Fred said.

"Oh, really?" George said as he grabbed the closet pillow and hit Albert with it. "Pillow fight! "We are three against Albert!"

The room erupted into chaos as pillows took flight, soaring through the chamber like avenging spirits. Albert, surprised, found himself besieged from all sides, the soft projectiles striking him relentlessly. Frantically, he attempted to defend himself, but the barrage was unrelenting. Feathers swirled in the air, creating a whimsical spectacle, while the room resonated with the joyous echoes of their laughter. Albert, his stoic composure momentarily shattered, succumbed to the sheer absurdity of the situation.

Amid the flurry, Lee Jordan, unable to resist the lure of the pillow fight, joined the fray. The room became a tempest of feathers and laughter, a glorious spectacle of youthful exuberance and camaraderie. As pillows collided and feathers fluttered, their bond solidified amidst the playful chaos. In that moment, they forged memories that would be treasured for years to come, leaving an indelible mark upon their shared journey through the magical realm of Hogwarts.

"Guy, guys, stop. That's enough. I want to sleep now. We've been at it for half an hour now," Albert said.

"I guess we can stop now," George said as he got up from atop Albert. He stretched out his hand and helped Albert up. George, wanting to have the last laugh, hit Albert again for the last time. "Now, that's enough. I'm tired. Good night."

"I guess I deserve that. Goodnight, George, Fred, and Lee," Albert said as he used his wand to extinguish the candles and went to bed.