Chapter 290: Unusual Taste

After the match, some people were delighted, while others were worried.

Albert certainly wasn't one of the worried ones. Lee Jordan, Fred, and George weren't either. The three money-loving friends were busy dividing the Galleons they had won from Kenneth Toole.

George tucked his share of silver Sickles into his pocket and chuckled, "I heard that poor Kenneth Toole lost a good chunk of Galleons."

"He probably didn't lose that much, maybe just a dozen or so Galleons at most!" Albert remarked, realizing he and his roommates had different understandings of "a good chunk."

"Speaking of which, I remember you also placed a bet. How much did you win?" Fred asked curiously. They knew Albert had plenty of Galleons and a knack for successful betting.

"I won five Galleons." Albert continued before the three could react, "I reached a settlement with Kenneth Toole before the match ended. He paid me five Galleons in advance to drop the bet."

"You actually agreed." The twins spoke in unison. They couldn't comprehend why Albert, who had money to spare, wouldn't keep pushing.

"If we hadn't settled, Kenneth Toole might have had to sell his underwear to cover the losses. He probably couldn't afford it," Albert shrugged helplessly, injecting a playful tone, "And, I really don't want his underwear!"

The expressions on the three faces froze, then erupted into laughter the next moment. Albert's description was rather amusing.

"Do you... actually want them?" Albert looked at the three with a bemused expression.

"No, we definitely don't want them," all three shook their heads, responding with smiles.

"What would you do if you couldn't cover your losses?" Albert suddenly asked.

"Not pay?"

"Be evasive?"

"Yeah, exactly! The other party seemed sincere enough, so I let it go."

Albert hadn't intended to push Kenneth Toole too hard.

"And, this defeat was really miserable!" Fred sighed involuntarily. Losing a Quidditch match did indeed frustrate them. After all, everyone had put in so much effort for victory in the game. Losing the match and facing criticism made things worse.

Unfavorable opinions about Gryffindor House were resurfacing, likely due to the disastrous loss. Some people couldn't resist taking advantage of the situation.

Albert had never really cared about rumors, but he realized he had underestimated their impact. After returning to the common room with his Swamp-Digging Gloves, Fred and George quickly approached him to discuss the rumors.

"Now many people think Charlie only lets his friends and family join the team, ruining what could have been a good team," Fred looked rather indignant, angrily waving his fist, "Why didn't they say this last year when we won the Cup?"

The other players didn't have very pleasant expressions either. They knew better than anyone else why they lost the match. But who would truly care about such things? Most people cared more about the outcome of the game.

"There's no need to pay attention to those rumors," Albert comforted, "Besides, hasn't Gryffindor always been like this?"

Fred and George looked bewildered, not sure how to respond. What did Albert mean by saying that Gryffindor had always been like this?

"If you're really concerned, you can look into who's spreading these rumors." Albert casually suggested something for them to do.

"If I find out who it is..." Fred clenched his teeth, his voice dripping with venom, "I'll prepare a big surprise for them."

The next afternoon, the twins actually managed to find the culprit.

"It's McLaggen's doing, that jerk Kenneth Toole was secretly fueling the rumors," George's face was dark, almost ready to burst with anger. He told Albert the results of their investigation.

"You shouldn't have let that jerk off the hook back then."

"You mean Cormac McLaggen?"

"No, it's this guy named Marcus McLaggen, a fifth-year student. I think he's related to Cormac McLaggen. They say he's an unpleasant character," George relayed the collected information.

"He participated in the Quidditch trials and got eliminated?" Albert asked, puzzled.

"Yes. Charlie said he's an awful guy who used to be on the reserve team. He had such an obnoxious personality that he got rejected by everyone and never made it onto the team," Fred explained Marcus McLaggen's background, then smirked mischievously.

That smirk looked unsettling no matter how you looked at it.

Albert wasn't surprised about Kenneth Toole's involvement. Gryffindor losing the match had caused him to lose a considerable amount of Galleons. He probably held a grudge and decided to do something outrageous to spite others.

"What are you planning to do now?" Albert inquired.

"I want to stick Marcus McLaggen's head in a toilet bowl," George muttered.

"If you go after him now, he'll definitely know who's behind it," Albert kindly reminded them.

"That's why I contacted Mundungus. I'm planning to buy some powerful laxatives from him," Fred lowered his voice.

"You don't mean..." Albert felt Fred was turning into a devil. If they caused Marcus McLaggen to have diarrhea in front of everyone, the scene would be... too horrifying.

"I'm thinking of adding a small amount of the powerful laxative to his soup, so they'll all end up rushing to the toilets."

"Hey, you don't have to take it to that extreme. If others find out... you'll be in trouble." Albert furrowed his brow. He couldn't help but imagine how spectacular it would be if the entire school was hit with a bout of diarrhea.

"If you only target Marcus McLaggen individually, I don't mind, but putting laxatives in everyone's food isn't a good idea. The professors won't just stand by and watch. You guys won't get away with it," Albert warned. He thought it would be better not to open that can of worms to avoid future incidents of adding strange things to the school's food.

"Oh, well."

Fred thought for a moment and eventually agreed.

"We can knock him out first and then give him a glass of specially prepared water, so he ends up on the toilet right away." George whispered, outlining his plan. He was starting to get more and more excited.

That afternoon, Marcus McLaggen skipped his afternoon classes. When he finally appeared, his legs were trembling and he walked with a ghostly demeanor.

Fred and George's plan had succeeded. They even borrowed a camera from Albert and took several pictures of Marcus McLaggen suffering from diarrhea. They also jokingly mentioned that they would send him a photo with a scent.

The story of Marcus McLaggen fainting from diarrhea quickly spread through the school. In an instant, it replaced the rumors about Charlie and became the topic of everyone's conversation.

Thinking about it, this group of people had quite unusual tastes. They were actually using this as a casual dinner table conversation topic. Albert couldn't fathom what was going through their minds.

*Vote Stones  Plz*

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(End of this chapter)