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Chapter 345: Owl Post
Chapter 345: Owl Post
Nia had been in low spirits ever since she received the letter from Hogwarts, dejected at the fact that she wouldn't be able to study magic there. Albert, after consulting with Herb in private, called Luke's grandfather in Charles Street and invited him over to their house.
The visit from Luke's grandfather did wonders for Nia's mood; he undoubtedly knew better than anyone else in the family how to comfort her. Of course, Fat Cat Tom also played a significant role in cheering her up. Pets really do have a way of soothing the heart.
In early August, as Nia prepared to get her Castleton Secondary School uniform tailored, Albert stayed behind to work on the remaining holiday homework.
From outside the door, he heard Tom scratching at the wooden door.
"Cut it out, Tom," Albert said as he got up to open the door and let the cat into the room.
Once inside, Tom jumped onto the desk and plopped himself down on the book in front of Albert, his fluffy tail swaying back and forth happily.
Albert shook his head helplessly at the cat and decided to put aside his holiday homework. He picked up the newspaper that was lying next to him and started reading the headlines from a few days ago: "Gringotts Break-In."
The goblins of Gringotts claimed that while the intruder had managed to break in, they hadn't stolen anything as the contents of the vault had already been taken.
One of his predictions had already come true.
"Looks like even with my presence as a butterfly, some parts of history are still going to play out the same," he murmured to himself as he gazed at his notes.
The Philosopher's Stone, now that was something useful. After all, it could be used to create the Elixir of Life—the very same potion that allowed Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel to live for centuries.
However, Albert wasn't particularly keen on achieving immortality. With the Mandrake Root, he could create a potion to slow down aging, and he already had the formula for it.
It was just a matter of putting in the time and effort, and with his external help, he was confident he could succeed.
As he played with Tom's tail and flipped through his notes, Albert sighed. Ever since the savior started attending Hogwarts, the school had become less safe.
While facing Voldemort would grant him a substantial amount of quest rewards and experience, Albert had no desire to encounter him directly. His life was far too precious for that. He preferred to make his fortune quietly and take Voldemort down from the shadows, leaving the Dark Lord confused about who was targeting him.
Harry Potter, the savior, he hoped the boy would be reliable.
Albert looked at Tom, who was gently biting his finger, and hesitated. "Hogwarts is so dangerous. I wonder if I should bring you to school with me or not. I really don't trust you, you know."
The problem with Tom was that he was just too fat, and that was a big issue. Speaking of which, there was also a task on the task panel about helping Tom lose weight, but Albert had been putting it off.
Albert rubbed Tom's fat belly and sighed. He knew he probably wouldn't be able to complete that task.
Just as Albert was worrying about his cat's weight, Sheila flew in through the window and dropped a letter onto Albert's desk.
"Thanks for your hard work. Go and take a rest now," Albert said as he offered the owl some nuts. But before he could do so, Tom pounced, using all four paws to grab Albert's hand and claim the owl treat for himself. And so, the daily standoff between the cat and the owl began once more.
It took Albert quite some time to calm the angry Sheila down and send her back to her cage to rest. After tidying up the mess on his desk and the letter that had fallen to the floor, he picked up the letter that had arrived earlier.
It was from Fred and George, inviting him over to their place. In the letter, the twins complained about Percy becoming a prefect and how he kept bragging about it.
Albert pushed away Tom's curious head, who was trying to get a closer look at the letter, and said, "You can't even read, unless you've suddenly become an intelligent cat?"
Just then, another owl flew in through the window, dropped off a letter, and flew away.
Albert opened the letter and found it to be an invitation from Professor Blodgett. The professor had mentioned previously that he would provide an explanation, and it seemed like this was it.
Albert flipped through the calendar next to him to find a suitable date to address this matter and also visit George and Fred. Oh, and he needed to make a trip to Diagon Alley to buy the necessary items. So, three tasks in total.
As Albert was thinking this through, a third owl flew in through his window. This time, Tom was furious. He hated owls, and for them to enter his territory one after the other was just asking for trouble! Fortunately, Albert was quick enough to grab Tom before he could pounce, or else there would have been another chaotic scene.
The owl showed no fear towards Tom and stared at the fat cat, letting out a threatening hoot as if challenging him to a fight.
"Alright, calm down. It'll be leaving soon," Albert said helplessly. He never expected to receive so many letters in one day. What was going on?
Just then, Tom wriggled out of Albert's arms and used his size to his advantage, intimidating the owl and successfully scaring it away.
"Fine, fine, I know you're the stronger one here," Albert said resignedly to Tom as he opened the letter from Cera Harries.
He had expected it to be about their usual academic exchange, but to his surprise, Cera offered to introduce him to several master alchemists and asked if he was free recently.
The last academic exchange? To be honest, Albert always felt that Cera might have some connection to Blodgett and the others.
In the afternoon, Nia finally returned from her shopping trip with Daisy. She had just gotten her new school uniform tailored and changed into it.
"How does it look?" she asked shyly.
"It suits you," Albert replied. The uniform resembled a nun's outfit, and it looked quite nice.
He took several photos of Nia from different angles to commemorate the occasion. Over the past two years, he had taken many photos and improved his photography skills.
As Albert was about to take a group photo of the three of them, Nia suddenly disappeared from the camera's viewfinder.
"Nia, where are you going?" Albert asked, looking up in confusion.
"There's an owl," the girl said, picking up the letter the owl had dropped and looking at the sender's name. Her smile faded as she read the name.
"It's for you," she said, handing the letter to Albert.
"Thank you," Albert said, glancing at the letter. The sender was Isabelle McDougall, and as he tucked the letter back into his pocket, he saw Nia's curious expression. "She's just a pen pal I know through Runi," he explained.
"Really?" Nia asked, taking the letter from him. She looked at the strange, dense text and felt a bit dizzy. "I can't read it, how do I know you're not lying?"
Albert could only shake his head at his sister's suspicion.
But he was lying.
(End of Chapter)
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