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Chapter 12: Before the Start of Term
Chapter 12: Before the Start of Term
Summer vacations always fly by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the end of August. The start of term at Hogwarts was just around the corner.
It would be a lie to say that Albert wasn't looking forward to attending Hogwarts, even though he would have preferred to stay at home and continue slacking off a little while longer.
However, time waits for no one.
When it came to magic, blindly fumbling around on his own was definitely not a good idea. It was like a blind man trying to find his way with a cane; he had no idea what lay ahead. Albert still only had a rudimentary understanding of magic, even though he had read all the books he could get his hands on.
He continued his pen pal relationship with Truman, writing to each other every three days.
This Hufflepuff student's grades were only average, and the knowledge in his head was depleted by Albert within a few days.
Truman thought that Albert might be sorted into Ravenclaw because of his keen interest in magical knowledge, and he regretted not having more to offer.
Albert, however, wasn't too concerned about which house he would be sorted into. As long as it wasn't Slytherin, he'd be fine. After all, that house was not known for welcoming Muggle-born wizards. But given Albert's background, he probably wouldn't end up in Slytherin anyway.
"You must be tired. Get some rest," Albert said as he patted the owl's head and placed some food in the cage.
He was quite satisfied with this owl. At least, after his repeated requests, Sheila stopped bringing back prey.
He knew Daisy wouldn't appreciate finding dead rats while cleaning the room.
Sheila gave a weary hoot and went into the cage to eat, ready to take a well-deserved rest, paying no attention to Tom's baring of teeth beside her.
"Cut it out, Tom," Albert said as he picked up the short-haired cat and headed downstairs for breakfast.
Today, Herbert was at home, and he had recently taken a liking to the Daily Prophet, showing great interest in this moving newspaper.
Daisy joined him, hoping to learn more about the wizarding world.
"I made corn soup this morning," Daisy said with a smile as she served her son a large bowl of soup, knowing it was his favorite.
"Does that mean I don't have to drink milk?" Nia asked, looking delighted at the prospect of skipping her daily milk intake.
"Of course, you still have to drink it," Daisy said, placing a cup of milk in front of her daughter.
"Has Albert learned any new magic?" Nia asked, glancing at the milk as she subtly tried to change the subject.
She had picked up this trick from Albert. The girl intended to pour the milk into Tom's cat bowl when her mother wasn't looking.
"Nia," Daisy said, appearing behind her daughter with her hands on her hips, staring intently at the scene unfolding before her.
"Mom, I was just preparing breakfast for Tom. He likes milk," Nia quickly defended herself.
"It's alright, Nia. I have more here," Daisy said, pouring another cup of milk for her daughter and reminding her, "Remember to drink it all."
"I hate drinking milk every day," Nia complained.
"But Albert drinks it every day, too," Daisy pointed out. "He's never complained."
"That's different. I've never seen Albert dislike any food since I was little," Nia grumbled, feeling frustrated that her family always brought up Albert to counter her arguments. "You can't always compare me to him. He's an exception."
"Oh yes, your brother used to dislike cheese as well," Daisy said, raising an eyebrow. "But now he eats it."
"Liar," Nia retorted, not believing a word of it, especially since Albert's potato pancake was loaded with generous amounts of cheese and ham.
"It's true," Herbert chimed in, finding the situation amusing. "There are some cheeses that Albert doesn't like, especially those with a strong flavor. He won't touch those."
"Kids who aren't picky eaters tend to grow taller," Albert remarked without thinking.
"Why would I want to grow that tall?" Nia countered.
"Growing taller makes you more attractive," Albert pointed out. "Mom is a perfect example."
Daisy clearly loved hearing that and smiled even more broadly.
"Flatterer," Nia muttered under her breath, but she reluctantly finished her milk under her mother's "loving" gaze.
However, she shared half a cup with Albert, reasoning that drinking more milk would make him taller and more handsome, just like their dad.
Both Daisy and Herbert were tall and slender, and due to their professions, they tended to pay attention to their appearance, keeping themselves in good shape. Plus, they were still quite young.
Initially, Herbert had planned to take the family to the zoo since he had the day off, especially with the start of term approaching and Albert leaving for Hogwarts soon. They likely wouldn't have another opportunity to go out together this year.
However, after Albert expressed his disinterest, Nia also chimed in that the zoo was boring, so the family changed their plans and ended up lounging in the living room, chatting and watching television.
Nia wanted to ride her new toy broomstick, but Herbert firmly refused, remembering how she had almost crashed into the television the last time she rode it.
The living room didn't have enough space, and riding a broomstick outdoors wasn't appropriate either, as it would be hard to explain if someone saw them.
So, the toy broomstick that Luke had just bought for Nia was locked away in a cabinet by Herbert.
In fact, Albert had also ridden a toy broomstick once, and it had given him the strange feeling that he was having a chuunibyou relapse. The toy broomstick didn't fly very high, and he found it boring, so he never tried it again.
However, for Nia, who had no concept of chuunibyou, the allure of flying freely on a broomstick was strong.
After watching television for a while, Daisy went to the kitchen to prepare tea and cake, and the family of four, plus a cat, settled down in the living room to read "The Tales of Beedle the Bard."
This storybook was a collection of fairy tales from the wizarding world.
The fairy tales in it were quite different from the ones they had heard before, such as the story of Sleeping Beauty.
In this version, a medieval hag, jealous of the local king's daughter's beauty, coated a spindle with a potion of living death. She lured the young princess to touch the spindle, causing her to fall into a deep sleep.
Later, a wizard coated his lips with a reviving potion and kissed the princess, awakening her.
Well, this magical version of Sleeping Beauty lacked a bit of romance. Nevertheless, the family found it captivating, even though they had no idea what the potions of living death and revival were.
At that moment, the Anderson family was reading the story of the three brothers, taking turns reading a paragraph each, and it was quite an enjoyable process.
"Is there really a stone that can bring people back from the dead?" Nia asked curiously.
The wizarding world was full of endless possibilities. Since the legendary alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, was said to have used the Philosopher's Stone to live for hundreds of years, it didn't seem impossible that there could be a stone that could resurrect the dead.
"Nia, there's no such thing in this world," Herbert reminded her. "And remember, the second brother's loved one in the story didn't truly come back to life."
"It's just a fairy tale," Albert said with a smile. "There's a saying that all fairy tales are lies."
"Albert, you're so annoying! Can't you just let me have a little hope?" Nia complained, even though she knew that the events in fairy tales were fictional.
(End of Chapter)
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