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Chapter 144: Easter Eggs
Chapter 144: Easter Eggs
During the Easter holidays, some Hogwarts students chose to return home to spend the festive season with their families.
Albert stayed at school.
After all, the end of term was approaching, and summer vacation was just around the corner.
Moreover, not many students went home for Easter, partly due to the heavy load of holiday assignments the professors tended to assign before the break.
Whether they went home or not, there was a mountain of homework to tackle, and... going home meant missing out on access to the school library's resources.
Though, in all likelihood, most of the holiday assignments were just a clever ploy by the professors to ensure the students properly prepared for their exams.
Daisy was rather disappointed that Albert didn't go home for the holidays, but she made up for it by sending him some Easter eggs.
On Easter day, Sheila delivered the Easter eggs from Daisy to Albert, along with a package that included a photo.
Albert picked up the photo and burst into a wide grin.
In the photo, Tom was crouched inside a basket filled with Easter eggs, as if incubating them.
For some reason, Albert found the scene hilariously amusing.
Speaking of Tom, he seemed to have put on some weight again.
Or was it just an illusion?
Feeling neglected, Sheila let out an indignant squawk at Albert.
"Sorry," Albert immediately fished out some owl treats from his robe pockets and fed them to Sheila, then proceeded to unwrap one of the Easter eggs, cracking open the chocolate shell to pop a piece into his mouth.
As per tradition, Daisy had purchased the Easter eggs from a familiar candy shop. The eggs had chocolate shells and were filled with the toffee treats that Albert loved so much.
"Want some toffee?" Albert offered the half-eaten egg to his roommates.
"Try some of my Easter egg, too," said Lee Jordan, who had already pried open the ostrich-sized egg with his fingernails, revealing a bounty of gummy candies.
"Gummy candies, huh?" Albert popped one into his mouth and couldn't help but comment.
"What else were you expecting?" Lee Jordan rolled his eyes at Albert.
"Every Flavored Beans!" The twins spoke in unison.
"Bloody hell, who would stuff Every Flavored Beans into Easter eggs?" Lee Jordan couldn't help but scoff. "You want some gummies?"
"Of course," Fred replied, popping a gummy candy into his mouth, followed by a piece of chocolate toffee. He mumbled, "George, you think Mum remembered to send us Easter eggs?"
"Maybe she forgot," George said. "She's been awfully busy lately."
"Mum never forgets our Easter eggs," Percy chimed in as he walked over, handing the eggs to Fred and George. He then turned to Albert and said, "Professor Burbage asked me to remind you to meet her at six o'clock this evening. Don't be late."
"Six o'clock in the evening?" Lee Jordan repeated, confused.
"It's an invitation," Albert explained casually. "Professor Burbage invited me... well, I'm not exactly sure why she invited me, but I assume it's for tea."
"Who the heck has tea at six in the evening?" George rolled his eyes. "At least try to come up with a better excuse if you're going to lie."
"Wait, you never mentioned this to us before," Fred said, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at Albert. "I bet it's a party or some sort of banquet."
"I often get invited by Professor Burbage for tea in her office, maybe with some light snacks," Albert clarified.
"There's something off about the way you say that," Lee Jordan mumbled.
"I'll fill you in on whether it's a banquet or a tea party when I get back," Albert said, not wanting to dwell on the matter.
Of course, he knew exactly what kind of gathering he had been invited to.
The so-called academic gathering.
"Hey, is that a Snitch egg?" Lee Jordan pointed at the egg in Fred's hand, which resembled a Golden Snitch.
"Aren't you going to open them to see what's inside?" Albert prompted.
"Charlie must have told our family about us becoming Beaters," George said as he opened the outer egg, releasing a strong milk scent.
Inside the Snitch-shaped eggs were milk toffees, clearly homemade by Mrs. Weasley.
"You want some?" Fred popped one into his mouth and slowly chewed, mumbling, "They're not bad."
Albert and Lee Jordan each took a toffee from the pile and popped them into their mouths, savoring the rich, creamy milk flavor.
The toffees were delicious, but they were the kind of treat you couldn't indulge in too often.
"Look over there..." George exclaimed, "What's wrong with Sandra?"
Albert looked up and saw Sandra being pelted with textbooks, bags, and ink bottles. With a casual wave of his wand, he lifted the hex cast by Professor Sinistra.
"Are you alright?" Albert asked, already knowing what had happened.
"I-I was in the library just now..." Sandra panted, catching her breath. "I forgot that you're not supposed to eat in there."
Indeed, she had been chased out by Professor Sinistra.
"Thanks, Albert," Sandra said after a moment, still a bit flustered. "That was intense. Want some gummies?"
Sandra's Easter egg was filled with assorted gummies, and she had been caught eating them in the library, leading to her untimely ejection.
The egg was quite large and had a noticeable commercial label on it, indicating that it had been purchased from the same candy shop as Albert's.
Albert took a strawberry-filled gummy and popped it into his mouth.
"As long as Professor Sinistra doesn't see you, you're fine," Albert said with a wink. "I often sneak hard candies into the library."
"That's not a bad idea at all." Giggling, Shana poked Albert's elbow playfully.
"Ouch, stop pecking!" Albert yelped, quickly withdrawing his arm.
"What's wrong with your owl?" Shana asked, looking at Sheila with confusion.
"It's reminding me to write a reply." Albert grumbled as he fished out a quill from his bag and began writing a letter to his family, making sure to instruct Nia not to overfeed Tom.
As the owl flew away, Albert refocused his attention on his revision. He had been spending a lot of time on ancient runes lately and felt a bit lax in other subjects. He hadn't even replied to Mr. Flitwick's letter yet.
"What are you thinking about?" Shana asked, raising an eyebrow as she noticed Albert's mind wandering during their conversation.
"Nothing much. Just wondering how much homework is left," Albert replied casually.
"You're the last person who should be talking about that," Fred said with a hint of resentment.
"We'll be off then, we have something to take care of," George said, pulling Fred along as they left.
"Fred and George have been acting so mysteriously lately. I wonder what they're up to," Albert mused, turning his attention back to Shana as he continued discussing homework with her.
The professors had mentioned that those topics would be important and likely to appear on the exams, and Lee Jordan had always been interested in them, as they would make his revision much easier.
...
"It's about time, I should head off," Albert said, taking out his pocket watch and glancing at the hands before standing up and addressing the people around him.
"Where is he going?" Shana asked, watching Albert's retreating back with a puzzled expression. "Dinner is about to be served soon."
"Professor Burbage sent him an invitation," Lee Jordan explained casually as he organized his class notes.
"Professor Burbage?"
"Don't you know? I'm a bit envious of Albert's treatment. He's Professor Burbage's most favored student, without a doubt," Lee Jordan whispered.
"I thought it was Professor McGonagall," Shana said in surprise.
"Recently, Albert has been going to Professor Burbage's office every week..." Lee Jordan began to divulge some trivial matters about Albert.
"Has anyone seen Fred and George?" Angelina asked as she sat in the spot Albert had vacated.
"You were talking about Fred and George..."
Albert had no idea what Lee Jordan had been telling the others. After returning to the dormitory and putting down his bag, he straightened his appearance in front of the mirror before heading alone to Professor Burbage's office.
Professor Burbage seemed to be waiting for him, as the wooden door of the office quickly opened when Albert knocked.
"You're always so punctual," Professor Burbage said with a faint smile. "Alright, let's go. Don't want to keep the others waiting too long."
"Where are we going?" Albert asked.
"To McDougal's house," Professor Burbage said, reaching for a small box on the mantelpiece and handing it to Albert, gesturing for him to follow.
"What's this?" Albert examined the box, his eyes falling on the sparkling powder within, and immediately guessed what it was.
"Floo powder. Oh, I almost forgot, you haven't used Floo powder before, have you?" Professor Burbage suddenly remembered and proceeded to explain, "Using Floo powder is simple. First, you need to stand in front of the fireplace and throw the powder into the flames. Once the flames turn green, step into them and clearly state your destination. We're going to a place called Lake Hut."
Albert pinched some of the sparkling powder from the small box and stepped up to the fireplace, tossing the powder into the flames.
Whoosh! The fire turned emerald green and rose higher than Albert.
Hesitating for a moment, Albert stepped into the fire and shouted, "Lake Hut!"
In the blink of an eye, Albert was engulfed by the flames and disappeared.
Traveling by Floo powder was not a pleasant experience either. Albert felt his body spinning rapidly, and he squinted as a series of fireplace doors flashed by, allowing him brief glimpses of the rooms beyond.
The swirling green flames made Albert dizzy, and the rushing wind roared in his ears as he felt himself moving at high speed.
In the blink of an eye, the spinning stopped, and the rushing sound disappeared. Albert found himself falling to the cold floor.
"That was nauseating," Albert muttered, landing clumsily on the floor. Someone nearby helped him to his feet.
"Welcome, Mr. Anderson," a sharp voice rang out in Albert's ear. Startled, he turned toward the source of the voice and saw a house-elf.
A few seconds later, Professor Burbage crawled out of the fireplace as well, shaking off the fireplace ash from her robe as she stood on the carpeted hallway.
"Gentlemen, this way, dinner is ready," the house-elf said sharply.
"Dinner?" Albert looked at Professor Burbage with suspicion.
"Of course, dinner. Let's not keep everyone waiting," Professor Burbage replied.
The house was quite large, and it was almost comical to call it Lake Hut.
Led by the house-elf, they left the hallway and made their way through corridors and staircases to a carpeted sunroom with transparent walls.
The dinner was held in this spacious room, and three people were already present—McDougal and two others who seemed to be well into their eighties, all of whom regarded Albert with curious gazes.
There was no malice, only curiosity and goodwill.
"Albert Anderson, the genius I mentioned to you all, proficient in Ancient Runes." McDougal pointed to Albert as he introduced him to the other two, "And he's also skilled in Transfiguration. I recently read an article by Albert in Today's Transfiguration, and Professor Burbage praised his performance in Dark Magic Defense and Spellcasting as well."
"I'm Albert, pleased to meet you all." Albert looked a bit nervous as he nodded slightly to the group.
"Tibellus Ogden, an expert in spells and runes." McDougal pointed to the older gentleman as he introduced him to Albert, "He contributed to the creation of the textbook 'Magic Theory' that you all use."
The elderly man reached out and gave Albert a light handshake.
"Gerber Smith." McDougal pointed to the eighty-year-old gentleman and continued, "He's an expert in Transfiguration, Divination, and Ancient Runes, as well as a master of Alchemy."
Albert shook hands with Mr. Smith, but something about the interaction felt off.
He just couldn't pinpoint what it was.
The dinner was sumptuous, but the food was on the lighter side. The five of them chatted as they ate, using Ancient Runes to converse.
As McDougal had mentioned, they were all experts in Ancient Runes, and their proficiency in the ancient language was impressive. McDougal had even received their help when writing his book on the subject.
Both Smith and Ogden were surprised by Albert's fluency in Ancient Runes.
Indeed, hearing it in person was far more impressive than simply hearing about it.
Albert ate his fill, and they sat in comfortable armchairs, discussing ancient runes.
To be honest, it felt quite odd for a young child to be sitting among a group of elderly gentlemen, discussing academic theories.
But one had to admit, they were all highly capable individuals, with a wealth of knowledge about runes, and their conversation in the ancient language was seamless.
If an outsider were to stumble upon this gathering, they might think they had accidentally traveled back a thousand years.
The friendly conversation continued well into the night.
Albert also expressed his interest in alchemy to Mr. Smith and inquired about the application of Ancient Runes in that field.
Mr. Smith examined Albert's wooden bracelet and smiled as he said, "There's nothing wrong with the protective bracelet you crafted. The reason for your failure is that you haven't yet learned to infuse Runic symbols with magical power."
Albert was perplexed.
"Runic symbols are imbued with mystical magical power," Mr. Smith explained, "However, your current method of simply carving them does not imbue them with any power. Concentrate, and infuse the Runic symbols you carve with your magical energy. That is the secret to why Runic symbols are considered to be magically charged."
When wizards cast spells using these magically charged symbols, their incantations become more powerful. Only those well-versed in Ancient Runes would truly understand this concept.
Perhaps some wizards had a vague idea, but they didn't fully grasp the underlying principle; they simply used Ancient Runes skillfully and unconsciously learned how to harness their power.
Hence, it was believed that ancient magic was more potent, and indeed, that was the truth.
Unfortunately, the elderly gentleman's energy was limited, and their conversation had to come to an end.
However, both Mr. Smith and Mr. Ogden expressed their willingness to maintain friendly contact with Albert through letters.
It was well past ten o'clock in the evening when the banquet finally concluded, and Albert returned to school using Floo powder.
As he rose from his chair, Albert suddenly realized something was amiss.
He scanned the group from left to right: McDougal was in his forties, Professor Burbage was in his sixties, Gerber Smith was in his eighties, and Tibellus Ogden was in his nineties or even a centenarian. And himself?
Twelve years old! There seemed to be a missing link—a wizard in his twenties or thirties who should have been seated between himself and Mr. McDougal.
That would have made more sense in terms of age progression.
"Am I overthinking this?" Albert muttered to himself.
Just before stepping into the fireplace to return to Hogwarts, Albert turned to Professor Burbage and asked, "Professor, do you think someone was missing from today's gathering?"
"Why do you ask that?" Professor Burbage furrowed his brow, looking puzzled.
"No reason, I just feel like someone was missing," Albert replied casually.
"No one was missing," Professor Burbage repeated, sounding confused. "I mentioned before that there's a generational gap in the study of Ancient Runes, so it's not that someone was missing, but rather that there's a gap in the lineage of experts."
As Albert slowly made his way back to the Gryffindor common room, he felt a sense of unease. The common room was still bustling with activity, even at this late hour.
Albert yawned and headed straight to his dormitory, where his roommates hadn't returned yet.
He sat there, holding the wooden bracelet and deep in thought about what Mr. Smith had said.
It was almost half-past eleven when Lee Jordan finally returned to the dormitory, seemingly having enjoyed himself thoroughly.
"Where are Fred and George? Weren't they with you?" Albert frowned slightly as he noticed Lee Jordan's solo return, knowing that Hogwarts had a strict curfew of 11 pm.
"No, I haven't seen them since earlier. I thought they might have gone back to the dorm to rest," Lee Jordan replied, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Fred and George aren't in the common room?" Albert had a bad feeling about this.
(End of Chapter)
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