Chapter 16: Generation Gap
Chapter 16: Generation Gap
"These are called Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans," said Jordan, shaking his box and offering it to the trio. "They come in every flavor you can imagine. Try some."
"Be careful with those," George warned. "When he says every flavor, he means it. You could get chocolate, peppermint, marmalade, spinach, liver, tripe, or even earwax for all you know."
"Or a nice bit of vomit-flavored one," Fred added, popping a bean into his mouth. "This one's pumpkin."
"What about this gray one?" Albert asked, holding up a bean.
"Pepper, I think. I wouldn't eat that if I were you," George advised. "Now, this one here is chicken."
"And what about this?" Albert asked, pointing to something that looked like bubblegum.
"That's a Bubotuber. It's a type of super bubble gum."
"Ah, I know this one. It's a Chocolate Frog. I had one last time," Albert said, pointing to the frog-shaped treat.
"Pumpkin pasty, cauldron cake, and licorice wand," George continued, explaining the other peculiar treats. Some would change the color of their tongues, while others would make various sounds when eaten.
"And these are the Animal-Shaped Voice Candies. They make you sound like different animals," George added.
Albert unwrapped one and popped it into his mouth. "What animal am I now?" he asked.
"We don't know," the twins shrugged.
"How long does it last?"
"A few seconds, I think!"
Albert's mouth suddenly emitted a lion-like roar, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
"Your turn," Albert offered.
George ended up with a baboon, Fred with a cat, and Jordan with an unfortunate elephant, his cheeks turning red as two streams of smoke puffed from his ears, much to everyone's amusement.
"I should've bought more," Albert said, finding the candies intriguing. He went to another compartment to buy another box from the witch.
"They're for my sister," Albert explained, noticing the curious glances from the others.
Of course, Albert had no intention of filling up on these treats. He also took out the sandwiches Daisy had prepared for him and began eating them, eliciting confused looks from the others.
"Why did you bring your own food? And why buy so many treats?" Jordan asked, perplexed.
"They're novel, and I thought I'd send some back to my family if I found anything interesting," Albert replied, holding up a bottle of peach-flavored soda. "Care to try some?"
"What's that?"
"A drink. You probably haven't had anything like it before." Albert also bought a cup of pumpkin juice, which tasted rather peculiar, somewhat reminiscent of soy milk.
The twins eyed the canned soda curiously. "How do you open it?"
"There's a ring pull on top. Don't shake it, or it'll fizz over," Albert warned. But it was too late; Fred had already opened his can, and the soda sprayed all over his face.
"I told you not to shake it!" Albert laughed, taking the half-full can of peach soda from Fred's hand.
He drew out his wand and cleaned the table and newspaper before asking, "Would you like to try some?"
With a flick of his wand, he transformed the candy wrapper into a plastic cup.
"Wow!" the twins exclaimed in unison.
"What?" Albert asked, looking at them in confusion. He then recited, "Gemino."
Using the duplication charm, he created two more cups from the first one.
"You just performed magic, didn't you?" Fred asked.
"Oh, it's just a little trick I picked up from a spellbook. Quite useful," Albert said nonchalantly. "Is there a problem?"
"A problem? Of course, there is!" Jordan exclaimed weakly. "I thought you were a Muggle-born wizard."
"And?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I'd wager that no other first-year student can use magic as proficiently as you."
"You're exaggerating," Albert said, steering the conversation in a different direction. "Would you like a drink? I've poured a little for each of you."
"It tastes a bit odd, but it's not too bad," Fred commented.
"It's somewhat like beer, but not quite," George added.
"You've drunk beer?" Albert asked, curious.
"George has," Fred replied.
"And so have you," George retorted.
"Well, it's not surprising if you find it unusual. After all, you're not Muggles," Albert said, understanding their reaction, much like his own experience with pumpkin juice.
"That's not the point," Jordan said. "The point is, how did you learn to do that? Transfiguration is supposed to be extremely difficult."
"Is it?" Albert pondered, thinking that it didn't seem as challenging as Jordan made it out to be. He had asked Truman for tips on transfiguring matches into needles and, after a week of practice, had easily mastered the basic transfiguration spell, allowing him to transform small objects with ease.
"Yes, it is. It took me half a day just to turn a match into a needle, and that was with a lot of practice," Jordan insisted.
"Half a day." The three boys exchanged glances, suddenly feeling a bit deflated and reluctant to continue the conversation.
You're going to lose friends if you keep showing off.
"Was it really that simple for you?" George asked weakly.
"Well, how much magic have you learned so far?" Albert asked gently.
"We've tried the spells in our books..." Fred trailed off, seeing the skeptical look on Albert's face.
"Haven't you tried practicing magic during the summer break? And didn't you buy wands?" Albert asked, perplexed.
"Did you... did you manage to do all of them?" Fred asked weakly.
"Most of them," Albert replied. "I also met a Hogwarts student during the holidays, and we've been corresponding. He's given me a lot of help with magic..."
Just then, a loud thunderclap interrupted Albert as a bolt of lightning struck outside, and the rain intensified.
Was even the heavens disapproving? Jordan got up to close the window to keep the rain out.
"I hope it stops raining by the time we reach the school," Albert said, popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth and slowly chewing it.
The long journey on the train was getting rather boring.
"What's wrong with you three?" Albert asked, looking at the silent trio with confusion.
"Nothing!" Fred forced a smile. "It's just that we think you're going to be some kind of amazing wizard in the future."
"I think so, too," Albert blurted out, causing the three boys to choke on their snacks.
"Haha, just kidding. Who knows what the future holds?" Albert laughed it off.
For the rest of the time, they munched on snacks and chatted about the wizarding world, with the trio doing most of the talking while Albert listened.
When they started explaining Quidditch, Albert was intrigued as they enthusiastically described the four balls, seven players, and the dynamics of the game.
It was clear that the twins longed for a good broomstick to showcase their flying skills in a thrilling match.
"I'd like to try flying up in the sky," Albert said. "Although riding a broomstick does seem a bit odd."
(End of Chapter)
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