Plans Underway

"How did it go? Was your date a success?"

The moment Albert returned to the Common Room, he found Lee Jordan staring at him with a resentful expression, as though Albert had done something terribly wrong to him.

"I wasn't on a date, I was..." Albert had barely begun to protest when Lee Jordan cut him off.

"Then you should have come to help me. I couldn't handle everything over there by myself." Lee Jordan slung an arm around Albert's neck and complained, "Today nearly killed me."

"Isn't this a great way to hone your skills?" Albert said solemnly. "Look, aren't you getting better and better at handling these things now?"

To soothe his wounded feelings, Albert took several sweets from his pocket and stuffed them into Lee Jordan's hand.

Lee Jordan unwrapped one and tossed it into his mouth. "You think I'd believe that excuse?" he mumbled around the sweet.

"Yeah, don't believe Albert. This bloke's just trying to slack off. Absolutely shameless," Fred and George chimed in cheerfully, clearly delighted to stir up trouble. They also casually nicked the sweets from Lee Jordan.

"You two bastards!"

"So, who won this time?" Albert asked, changing the subject.

"The Ravenclaw girl," Fred said without hesitation.

"Mad Girl Luna Lovegood," George added.

"It's perfectly normal that she won. That girl loves Wizard Card more than anyone, and she's clever enough. She's just a bit eccentric," Lee Jordan corrected him. "And you shouldn't call people Mad Girl. It's very rude."

"Don't tell me you fancy her?" Fred and George gave Lee Jordan strange looks, as though they were looking at some creepy old man.

"Shut up," Lee Jordan snapped irritably.

"He means a successor. We'll all graduate eventually, and we need someone to keep managing the Wizard Card Club for us." Albert