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Chapter 253: My Son is Attending an Academic Gathering?
Chapter 253: My Son is Attending an Academic Gathering?
Dear Mr. Anderson, I was quite surprised to receive your letter, and I must say that it is rare for someone of your age to be able to summon a corporeal Patronus. I am proud of your achievement. Regarding your concerns about Animagi mentioned in your letter, I believe they are premature at this point.
While it is true that the animal form of an Animagus often seems to be the same as their Patronus, it does not necessarily mean they are always the same. To my knowledge, there are no known cases of an Animagus changing their animal form when their Patronus changes. This could be due to the rarity of individuals who possess both the ability to transform and cast a Patronus.
Should you ever wish to pursue the path of becoming an Animagus, do not attempt to practice on your own. I am willing to provide guidance and assistance in this matter.
Wishing you a pleasant Christmas holiday! Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall
After reading Professor McGonagall's letter, Albert's mood did not improve. The professor's intention was clear—she believed that Albert was too premature in his thoughts about becoming an Animagus. Moreover, it seemed that even Professor McGonagall wasn't very knowledgeable about this matter, given the scarcity of research examples.
"Maybe I should write to Headmaster Dumbledore for advice," Albert thought as he took out a new piece of parchment. But after some consideration, he decided to put that idea on hold for the time being.
Perhaps he was indeed being too hasty. Regardless of the outcome, it wouldn't change based on his will alone unless the system panel could offer some help.
Shaking off these thoughts, Albert stretched lazily and made his way back to the living room. Tom was lounging on the sofa, a common habit when no one was home, taking up as much space as he desired.
As Albert sat down on the edge of the sofa, the lazy cat finally twitched his ears and sauntered over, rubbing his head against Albert's arm before climbing onto his lap—a rather heavy cat, Albert thought.
"You need to go on a diet, Tom. If you keep eating like this, you won't even be able to catch a mouse," Albert muttered as he scratched Tom's ears and chin, even taking out a comb to groom the cat's fur, which Tom thoroughly enjoyed with half-closed eyes.
"Tom, would you like to go to Hogwarts? But there, you'll have to catch your own mice to fill your belly," Albert teased, "There are quite a few students there who keep cats, maybe you'll find one to your liking."
"Meow!" Tom seemed to sense Albert's underlying malicious intent and jumped down from his lap, his short legs scurrying as he quickly hid behind someone's feet.
"Are you planning to take Tom with you to school?" Nia asked curiously as she scooped Tom into her arms.
"No, I was just teasing him. He's gotten a bit chubby lately," Albert replied.
Just then, there was a tapping sound on the window. Nia walked over and opened it to find a brown owl, which flew in and dropped a letter in front of Albert.
"You sure get a lot of letters!" Nia exclaimed as she watched Albert pick up the letter. Since returning from the Christmas holiday, he had received at least six letters, each from a different person, as evidenced by the different wax seals.
"Your holiday has been busier than mine!" Herb joked as he placed another cup of hot cocoa in front of Albert. "Who's it from this time? Another pen pal?"
"Professor Broad, a professor from Hogwarts last semester," Albert took a sip of his hot cocoa and casually opened the envelope, quickly scanning the contents.
"Here," he handed the letter to Herb.
"Can I?" Herb raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, go ahead."
"So, Professor Broad is inviting you to attend some sort of gathering?" Herb finished reading the letter and was left a bit bewildered. He couldn't quite understand the situation—a professor inviting his son to a gathering on alchemy.
It was like inviting a middle school student to attend a university professor's academic research gathering.
Moreover, the professor had gone to great lengths to plan the itinerary, asking Albert to meet him at the Leaky Cauldron, from where he would then escort him to his manor as a guest, after which they would attend the alchemy gathering together. Finally, before the start of the new term, Professor Broad would personally see Albert back to Hogwarts. There was no need to worry about Albert's safety at all.
"Well... it's just an academic gathering," Albert replied after a moment's thought.
"An academic gathering?" Herb's expression grew even more peculiar, and he let out a soft sigh, choosing not to say more. "I'll take you there when the time comes."
"Don't leave me out of the loop, you two!" Nia pouted, a little upset at being excluded. Daisy had come out from the kitchen, curious about their conversation, but she too was left perplexed after Herb explained the situation.
"You're going off on your own again!" Nia was a little displeased. Albert had barely been home for a few days, and now he was leaving again, leaving her with no one to chat, tell stories, or watch TV with.
"I won't be gone for long, just a couple of days," Albert assured her.
"Oh, alright. I know you're a busy person," Nia muttered as she stroked Tom's belly. "As expected, Tom is still the best."
"Meow!" Tom rubbed against Nia's hand, and she produced a fish treat from somewhere and fed it to him.
Albert was speechless. No wonder the cat was so chubby.
At noon on January 10th, Albert appeared at the Leaky Cauldron as planned. His appointment with Professor Broad was for twelve o'clock, and just as he was about to order some food from Old Tom, the cloaked professor appeared out of thin air in the pub.
"Good day, Mr. Broad. Care for a drink?" Old Tom greeted the professor with a smile.
"No, thank you. I'm here to pick someone up," Professor Broad acknowledged Albert. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long. Grab hold of my arm, and I'll take you to a place."
"A Disapparition?" Albert asked curiously.
"Yes, the place doesn't have a Floo connection, so we'll have to use this method," Professor Broad offered his left hand, and as soon as Albert took it, they vanished from the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron.
They reappeared outside a well-maintained villa, which could almost be considered a small manor. However, it seemed that no one had lived there for a while.
"This will be the venue for the alchemy gathering, and we'll be staying here for the next couple of days," Professor Broad winked at Albert, "There are quite a few interesting books inside that I think you might find intriguing."
"It seems that no one has lived here for a while," Albert remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're right. But it will soon have a new owner," Professor Broad didn't seem too concerned and laughed as he explained, "House-elves have been diligently maintaining the place, so it's clean and ready for habitation."
The two of them passed through a mist-like protective enchantment and entered the manor.
A house-elf stood at the entrance, bowing to them and leading them into the grand hall.
"Nor, we'll be staying here for a few days. Please arrange a room for Mr. Anderson, the one next to the study," Professor Broad instructed the house-elf, who sneaked a glance at Albert before bowing and scurrying away.
(End of Chapter)
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