After finishing the prophecy about the Horcruxes, Albert did not hurry to leave the Headmaster's office. Instead, he chatted with Dumbledore as though he had run into an old friend he had not seen in ages. However, Albert soon led their conversation off track. It first turned into an academic exchange, then shifted into Albert asking questions while Dumbledore helped answer them.
Although Dumbledore had not paid much attention to academic matters in recent years, he had once been a professor at Hogwarts and was still quite willing to clear up the doubts of a diligent student like Albert.
However, when Albert took a quill from his pocket and began taking notes, Dumbledore started to wonder whether the Sorting Hat had placed Albert in the wrong House.
Their exchange was quite pleasant, though the topic was terribly dull, to the point that the portraits in the Headmaster's office had all closed their eyes to rest.
An hour later, Albert had consulted Dumbledore about each of the questions in his notes.
Another half hour passed before Albert left the Headmaster's office with the borrowed Ancient Runes notebook, thoroughly satisfied. The notebook contained Dumbledore's research into Ancient Runes.
He had truly gained a great deal tonight, and it was all thanks to the thick skin he had cultivated over the past few years. Albert had said that he was planning to write a Book of Runes and hoped to receive Dumbledore's help, occasionally coming to discuss Ancient Runes with him.
So Dumbledore had generously lent Albert his old notebook.
There were actually very few experts in the entire British wizarding world who were proficient in Ancient Runes. If those notes were not lent to someone else, they would eventually gather dust and perhaps be forgotten altogether. If he lent them to Albert,