Chapter 52
Albert and Hermione ended their training session around noon. After ensuring no one was lingering outside the door through the enchanted mirror, they quickly exited the Room of Requirement and made their way back to the dormitory for lunch.
The entrance to the Gryffindor common room was conveniently located on the eighth floor—ideal for returning to one's room swiftly after a grueling practice session without dragging a weary body up endless staircases.
After half an hour of freshening up, they descended to the Great Hall for lunch. Just as Albert and Hermione sat down, they noticed a furry black creature wandering past, illuminated by the glow of a lantern, accompanied by a small boy chattering excitedly at his side.
As they approached, Albert realized the "creature" was in fact Harry, now covered in black hair, while Ron walked beside him, eyes fixed on his oddly furry head. Trailing them was the eager first-year Colin Creevey.
"What on earth happened to you two?" Albert asked, puzzled as he sat down.
"You and Hermione disappeared off to reread some book, so you missed all the fun," Ron began excitedly, jumping at the chance to recount their morning's misadventure.
From the animated way Ron spoke, Albert quickly pieced together the events. That morning, Harry and Ron had gone to the Quidditch pitch for practice, only to find the Slytherin team already there, sparking a confrontation. Tensions escalated when Draco Malfoy insulted Colin, and Ron retaliated by hexing him—leading to an all-out duel between students from both houses.
By the time Professor McGonagall was alerted and rushed to intervene, the situation had spiraled out of control. Spells flew wildly. Ron and Harry had apparently given as good as they got—though with some amusing consequences.
"I swear, the Slytherins started it," Ron insisted. "Goyle and Crabbe turned purple, Malfoy's hair turned all sorts of colors... it was chaos!"
Hermione, calm and measured as ever, turned to him and asked, "What punishment did Professor McGonagall give you this time?"
"She docked 150 points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin," Harry said, his voice slightly muffled by the thick hair covering his face. "Me, Ron, Malfoy, and Marcus Flint all got detention—for a month."
Ron cut in quickly, noticing Hermione's impending lecture. "Let's talk after lunch, yeah? I'm starving. I've been on the Quidditch pitch all morning, and with all the fighting, I need food."
As they ate, Harry's facial hair kept finding its way into his mouth, making the meal an awkward affair. Albert eyed him curiously.
"Why haven't you gone to Madam Pomfrey to fix this?"
Albert, it turned out, had missed the whole debacle—he'd left Quidditch practice early to use the loo.
"We thought about it," Ron explained, "but Professor McGonagall said it wasn't dangerous. She wants us to learn a lesson about not using magic to harm fellow students. No treatment until tomorrow afternoon."
"Well," Hermione said thoughtfully, "you mentioned the word 'Mudblood' earlier. What did you mean by that?"
Ron shifted uncomfortably. "It's an awful word. Some pure-bloods think it's the worst insult—they use it to refer to witches or wizards born to non-magical parents. People like the Malfoys think they're better because of their bloodline. But the truth is, if pure-bloods keep marrying only each other, wizards will go extinct. Loads of old families have already died out because of that attitude."
"Malfoy's not going to come after you for cursing him, is he?" Hermione asked, concern in her voice.
Ron shrugged. "Maybe. But his father won't want the bad press. And I'll warn Dad, just in case."
After the meal, Albert stopped Harry just as he was heading back to the dormitory.
"I have a spell," he said. "It might help with the hair. Want to give it a try?"
"Yes, please!" Harry exclaimed, clearly desperate. "It's driving me mad!"
Albert drew his wand and pointed it at Harry, muttering a series of ancient runes representing growth and transformation. This was a spell he had mastered through intensive training—strong enough to undo both simple and moderately advanced curses.
As the magic took hold, Harry's hair suddenly began to grow—fast. It lengthened to over two meters in seconds before all of it suddenly fell away, leaving him completely bald.
"Better rush to the dorm and clean up," Albert said, amused, as Harry stood in a pile of his own hair, his clothes hanging awkwardly.
A few minutes later, Harry returned with Ron, both of them freshly cleaned—and entirely bald.
Albert tried to keep a straight face, but it was no use.
"I may have forgotten to mention," he said with a grin, "the side effect of the spell is that it removes all body hair—including your head."
"What?!" Ron shouted. "I thought I'd be like this forever! Don't joke like that, Albert!"
Even Hermione, seeing their gleaming scalps, burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Hahaha, alright, alright," Albert admitted between chuckles. "I was kidding. Your hair will grow back in about two weeks."
"You're the worst," Ron groaned. "I seriously thought I was doomed."
Hermione, still laughing, teased, "Oh come on, Ron. You actually look kinda cute bald. Don't you think so, Albert?"
"Absolutely," Albert said, still grinning. "You two make quite the pair."
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