By afternoon, the Gryffindor Common Room was buzzing with noise.
Students crowded the sofas, chatting and laughing, their voices blending into a cheerful din.
With limited seating and too many people, the place felt stuffy and chaotic. Albert had no intention of lingering. After posting the first-year timetable on the notice board and dropping his camera and photos off in his dormitory, he slipped quietly out and made his way toward the Library on the fifth floor.
The vast room was almost empty. That was no surprise—few students, not even Ravenclaws, bothered coming to the Library before classes officially began.
Only Madam Irma Pince was there, sitting behind the counter, her thin frame half-hidden behind a tall stack of books. She looked up as Albert approached, clearly surprised that anyone would visit this early in the term.
"Madam, excuse me," Albert said softly. "I'm looking for books on charms. Could you tell me which shelf they're on?"
He could have searched on his own, of course, but the Library's collection was enormous. Wandering aimlessly between shelves was slow, tedious, and rarely fruitful. Asking the librarian was simply more efficient.
Madam Pince studied him for a moment, then silently raised a hand and pointed. "Section C, fifth shelf."
"Thank you." Albert followed her direction. As he passed the roped-off Restricted Section, his gaze lingered for a second before he turned away and continued on.
The fifth shelf of Section C was lined with dozens of spellbooks on charms—some ancient and worn, others newer and gleaming with golden titles.
Albert ran his fingers across the spines, scanning the titles—until two familiar notifications popped up on his panel.
[New Quest: Bookworm]
As someone who loves to read, how could you miss the largest magical library in Britain?
Read 100 books, each at least 1 inch thick.
Reward: Randomly master 3 types of magic (Rank 3).
Progress: 0 / 100
[New Quest: Forbidden Zone]
The Restricted Section of Hogwarts hides countless secrets. A true magic enthusiast could never resist exploring them. Convince five professors to lend you five Restricted books.
Reward: Skill Rank +1
Progress: 0 / 5
Albert stared at the glowing text in disbelief.
Both quests were bottomless pits!
Read 100 one-inch-thick books? He could build a wall with that many tomes—and if one fell on his head, it might actually kill him. If he managed to finish the task within three years, he'd owe Merlin a drink.
And as for persuading five professors to sign Restricted Section notes? That was pure fantasy. Even getting one would be a miracle.
The only name that came to mind as remotely possible was Gilderoy Lockhart—and only because the man was a walking invitation to manipulation.
Still, high difficulty meant high reward. A full Skill Rank +1 was far more tempting than an ordinary skill point.
But now wasn't the time for daydreaming.
Shaking off the thought, Albert pulled out a heavy volume titled "Eighteenth-Century Charms Selections."
He flipped through the table of contents—thirty-three spells in total, each neatly annotated with its inventor, purpose, and casting method. After scanning the list, Albert closed the book, unimpressed.
No Disillusionment Charm.
The rest were fine, but none particularly useful for him right now. Learning new spells required serious time—or a lot of experience points—and he wasn't ready to spend either.
He returned the book and drew out another: "Charms Achievements." Inside, he finally found a reference to the Disillusionment Charm—though the text only described its history and early development, not the incantation itself.
Still, there was a lead. The entry referenced "Nineteenth-Century Charms Selections."
Bingo.
Albert located the book, carried it to a desk, and began reading.
According to the text, the Disillusionment Charm had been inspired by chameleons, allowing the caster to blend seamlessly into their surroundings. Skilled wizards could become nearly invisible; clumsy ones, however, would only shimmer awkwardly, giving away their outline.
As Albert read, a soft scraping sound came from beside him—a chair being pulled out. He glanced over to see the Ravenclaw girl he'd met in the Great Hall that morning.
Sensing his gaze, she looked up, met his eyes briefly, and nodded in quiet acknowledgment before turning back to her book.
Albert smiled faintly. "As expected of a Ravenclaw," he murmured, then refocused on the section about spell precision and control.
What he needed next was the counter-curse. After all, if the spell didn't wear off quickly, he might end up waiting in invisible agony until it faded naturally—not exactly ideal.
The text didn't mention one directly, but another volume, "Charms Achievements," included notes on the Revealing Charm, which should do the trick.
After copying down what he needed, Albert brought Nineteenth-Century Charms Selections to Madam Pince for borrowing, then left the Library.
Outside, he picked up a small stone—perfect for testing the spell. He wasn't about to try an unmastered charm on himself.
Just as he was debating where to practice, a familiar chorus of voices echoed down the Hall.
The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan came running toward him, panting heavily.
"Where were you three at noon?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Fifth floor… the mirror…" George managed between breaths.
Albert's eyes narrowed. "The secret passage?"
"Yeah!" Fred grinned from ear to ear. "It leads outside—to Hogsmeade Village!"
Albert blinked. "You're telling me you walked all the way to Hogsmeade?"
"No walking," Fred said proudly. "Crawling, ducking, climbing—it's long. Took us nearly an hour one way!"
Albert stared. "You… are incredible."
Two hours spent in a cramped tunnel? Torture. If he could sit comfortably reading on a sofa, why in Merlin's name would he crawl through a dusty passage?
He held up the book in his hand. "This is my afternoon's achievement. I borrowed it from the Library."
Fred caught on immediately. "You found the spell?"
"More or less," Albert said, smiling. "But it's tricky. If you want to learn it too, you'd better prepare yourselves—it's not an easy one."