Night Lessons
For Hogwarts students, the attack on Mrs. Norris of Filch was a long time ago. Their memories are like those of fish; if they can last seven days, that's considered quite remarkable.
The book "Hogwarts: Hogwarts, A History" in the school library is no longer popular among students and has returned to the shelves to gather dust.
After all, the description of Slytherin Chamber of Secrets in that book was only a few pitiful sentences. Apart from a few students who enjoyed reading, very few people had the patience to persevere through this dry book.
Miss Granger Hermione Granger finally managed to borrow the book, but she was disappointed by the description of the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets inside.
Of course, she wasn't the only one disappointed. There were twenty-three other students who had also borrowed the book and had similar experiences. That was the number of students who had borrowed the book since the attack, averaging more than four per day.
Hermione even consulted Albert about the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets, but he deferred the matter to Lockhart.
Time, like a gentle hand, has soothed everything.
Hogwarts returned to its usual tranquility, with even the professors holding reservations about whether Chamber of Secrets should be opened.
After all, a cat being petrified doesn't prove anything.
Albert also felt that most of the professors hadn't really paid much attention to this matter. The only one who seemed to care was probably Mrs. Norris's owner, Mr. Filch, the caretaker! This Mr. Filch was still tirelessly searching for the culprit who attacked his cat in the castle, and his temper was getting worse every day, causing a lot of trouble for everyone. Especially when it rained, the Quidditch players who had to train in the pouring rain would always be bothered by this Mr. Filch, who couldn't find the culprit, on the grounds of "desecrating the castle." The two sides had clashed more than once.
If we're talking about who was most affected by the attack, it would undoubtedly be Ginny Weasley. Perhaps because she frequently used Tom Riddle's diary, this red-haired girl was driven to the brink of insanity and looked like she could collapse at any moment. She even suspected that she was the culprit, but because she was afraid to talk to anyone, Tom's Diary became the object of her frequent confiding, creating a vicious cycle.
Besides Filch and Ginny, Albert, who knew the truth, was probably one of the people most deeply affected by the attack.
Since the attack, Albert's life has become busier. Because he needs to study advanced Shield Charm, he has been going to various clubs less often, which has even attracted the attention and inquiries of several professors, but he has brushed them off by saying that he is too busy.
Albert was indeed very busy, busy researching how to deal with the Basilisk and busy thinking about how to solve the problem; these trivial matters took up a lot of his energy.
If there's any good news lately, it's probably that Bard has managed to get Albert the Polyjuice Potion. The old man doesn't seem to care what Albert will do with it; he's generously given him a large bottle, enough for him to use for a long time.
As for who he will become?
Albert has already chosen between Lockhart and Malfoy, and the poor professor has successfully become the new scapegoat.
There's nothing we can do; every Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor has been suspicious.
At that time, he could also use his identity as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor to conduct some unspeakable tests on the diary.
Frankly, Albert wouldn't feel any remorse for blaming Lockhart.
He's a rather cold-blooded guy; apart from a few people he cares about, the life or death of others is none of his business.
At this moment, the Room of Requirement was bathed in a warm orange-red light. Albert sat by the roaring fireplace, drinking a cup of hot milk tea, glancing occasionally at the mirror on the small round table next to him. He was waiting to make contact with someone again.
After the hour hand on the pocket watch finally crossed eight o'clock, the old man's soft voice finally came from the Two-Way Mirror, and Nicholas's face appeared in the mirror.
Good evening, Mr. Nicolas.
Albert put down his teacup and smiled as he greeted the old man in the mirror.
Next up was Nicholas's lecture and Albert's Q&A session.
However, this time Albert preemptively asked about his doubts and the problems he encountered in learning advanced Shield Charm.
Nicholas listened patiently to Albert's explanation. It was clear that Albert was quite skilled in using the Shield Charm and had even reached the edge of advanced application, though he was still a little short.
Nicholas was highly skilled in this area, and after listening, he slowly began to explain the advanced uses of the Shield Charm.
Using it on oneself or others is a normal application of the Shield Charm. The stronger the spell, the better it can conceal one's existence, making one easily overlooked by everyone and preventing others from tracking and finding one using Charms.
If Albert wanted to bypass the Traces Charm's lock, he could simply use a powerful enough Shield Charm on himself—simple and brutal—but the consequence would be that he would never receive any more letters from owls.
Another type is used on a specific area to prevent those who enter that area from being tracked. This is slightly more difficult, but it is still a relatively common application of Shield Charm; Nicholas's residence used this method.
The last method is to use it on a single person, which is to block someone out. This is a more advanced method, and the difficulty increases several times. Once successfully released, it can make the targeted person ignore your existence. Even if they use Tracking Charm or owls, they will not be able to find you, while others will not be affected.
Albert proposed creating a magical item that could conceal its own existence, which meant the second method was the only viable option.
The reason why the magical items he created could not effectively block the lock of the Traces Charm was largely because the magical items he created were not strong enough.
The elderly wizard even explained his own use of spells to him. Although he couldn't see the other person use them in person, he could tell from the fact that Albert's experience with Shield Charm was slowly improving that he had gained a better understanding of the advanced use of Shield Charm.
The exchange was relatively relaxed; it was like they were having a video call in front of a computer, except that Albert needed to be distracted by taking notes.
The two talked for about two hours before ending their conversation.
Before ending the communication, Nicholas told Albert that they had finished making the elixir of Elixir of Life, and there was enough potion to last for several years.
As for the Philosopher's Stone, it has already been completely destroyed with Dumbledore's help.
Albert actually felt that destroying the Philosopher's Stone was a waste; after all, it represented Nicolas Flamel Flamel's life's work, and to destroy it so easily was inappropriate. Perhaps he lacked Nicholas's boldness and temperament, but Albert still respected their decision.
"By the way, hasn't Dumbledore solved the Basilisk problem yet?" Nicholas suddenly asked through the Two-Way Mirror.
"No, Dumbledore may not have found the location of the Chamber of Secrets entrance, or he may be trying to capture the heir," Albert said, pausing for a moment before shaking his head.
He couldn't fathom the headmaster's thoughts either. Dumbledore indeed formidable, but he was ultimately just a human being. He didn't know where the plot was headed, nor did he have a system to help him. To be able to achieve that level was already quite impressive.
"Perhaps you should take Dumbledore about this," Nicholas suggested. He didn't want anything to happen to Albert, especially knowing that the so-called Slytherin Heir had a penchant for targeting Muggle-born wizard.
"I will," Albert added in his mind, "But not now."
The Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago when Dumbledore was teaching Transfiguration at Hogwarts. Hagrid became the ultimate scapegoat. Albert believed that Dumbledore wanted to catch the culprit back then, but he ultimately had no evidence and could do nothing.
The attack on Mrs. Norris has once again caught the headmaster's attention. He now only needs to wait patiently, and the so-called Slytherin Heir will eventually slip up.
Perhaps Dumbledore didn't know the proverb, "He who walks by the river will eventually get his shoes wet," but he clearly understood the principle and was more patient than anyone else.