Chapter 357: The Cat Asking for Trouble
Chapter 357: The Cat Asking for Trouble
Albert didn't predict the winning lottery numbers in his prophecy, but he did predict what he would write in his notebook two days later, so... he won.
Although it was only a small prize of a few hundred pounds, the experiment was undoubtedly a success.
The money was used to treat the Anderson family to a celebration dinner for Nia's acceptance into Castleton Secondary School.
Ever since, Daisy had been giving her son strange looks.
Upon hearing the news, Herbert felt disappointed. He had been working for many years, yet his earnings might not even compare to Albert's lottery winnings. It was a good thing they both enjoyed being lawyers, or else they might have given up and just relied on Albert's prophecies for a jackpot.
For the rest of the summer vacation, Albert stayed at home working on his holiday homework. As he performed the same routine tasks every day, time seemed to pass especially quickly.
On the last night of August, Albert was packing his luggage in his room when there was a knock on the door. Tom opened the door and tried to squeeze himself through the gap.
"Mom asked me to give this to you," Nia said, placing a bag of candies next to the suitcase and then plopping herself down on the bed. She watched as Albert busily packed his things, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping short.
"After you get to Castleton Secondary School, remember to make some good friends, and don't let anyone bully you," Albert said without looking up.
"I've learned karate too," Nia reminded him.
"You didn't learn that so you could go looking for fights," Albert said, pushing Tom aside as he wandered over, and turning to look at Nia. "Girls shouldn't be so violent; otherwise, people will dislike you."
"Then why did you learn karate?" Nia pouted, not forgetting how someone had once taken down a few unlucky souls at school.
"I learned karate..." Albert said without hesitation, "of course, so that others would speak to me calmly and reasonably!"
"That's just an excuse!"
"When they know they can't beat me, you tell me, would they rather get beaten up or negotiate with me?" Albert unwrapped a candy and popped it into his mouth. Smiling, he said to Nia, "By the way, there's something you should remember."
"What is it?"
"Don't show off the things I gave you. Muggles are very afraid of magic; they might even do something irrational. You should learn to protect yourself." Albert reminded her seriously.
"You're more naggy than Mom," Nia complained.
"Oh, and this is for you," Albert said, ignoring her grumbling and handing her a pendant made of garnet.
This was a talisman he had made with the help of Nicolas Flamel during his visit. By the way, the garnet was provided by Flamel as a token of their friendship.
Flamel was quite satisfied with the finished product of their collaboration, as they had both cast very powerful protective magic on the talisman.
"Another talisman?"
Nia took the talisman and examined it. She thought it looked more like a work of art.
"The previous talisman I gave you has already expired. This one should last much longer. I made this after consulting with Mr. Nicolas Flamel," Albert explained.
"Did you carve this?" Nia asked in disbelief.
The pendant featured a phoenix rising from the ashes, and it was exquisitely crafted. Paired with the red garnet, it was truly beautiful.
"Of course. Your brother here is multi-talented. I really don't know why Mom is always worried that I won't be able to find a job," Albert grumbled. "Remember, don't mention magic to anyone. As for letters, I'll have them forwarded to you at school."
"Okay," Nia said, holding the necklace. She then ran downstairs to share her new gift with Daisy.
Albert couldn't help but shake his head.
The next day, Albert woke up early.
It took him a long time to convince Tom to stay in his cage.
Despite their previous travel experience, Tom still disliked being confined.
After Herbert loaded the suitcase into the car, the family set off for King's Cross Station. They arrived punctually before 10 a.m.
While Herbert unloaded the suitcase onto a trolley, Albert bid farewell to his family.
"Remember to write to me," Nia said, giving Albert a hug.
"Once you find good friends at school, you'll forget all about me," Albert teased.
"I won't," the girl said, a little unhappy.
"Take care of yourself when you go to school," Albert said.
"I'm not a kid anymore. Don't always treat me like one," Nia retorted.
Herbert and Daisy couldn't help but laugh. They both stepped forward to give Albert a hug, and Daisy kissed his forehead.
"Well, I'm off," Albert said.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Albert pushed his trolley through the wall.
At this time, there weren't many students at the station yet, and the platform was rather deserted except for the Hogwarts train, which was emitting white smoke.
Albert found an empty compartment in the middle of the train, entered it, and closed the door before letting Tom out of his cage.
The chubby cat, feeling insecure in this unfamiliar place, sniffed around and then squatted on the table in front of Albert, staring at him intently as if asking where they were going.
Sheila in the nearby cage bobbed her head, eyeing the back of Tom's head. If she hadn't been caged, she would have given the fat cat's head a good whack.
Perhaps sensing that his head was being targeted, Tom turned and glared at the bobbing owl in the cage. He licked his paw and jumped into Albert's lap, meowing defiantly at the caged owl.
The owl in the cage began to claw at the bars, seemingly ready to burst out and peck the fat cat's head.
"All right, that's enough," Albert said hastily, calming the two pets to prevent a full-blown ruckus in the compartment.
Soon, the platform became lively as more and more witches and wizards arrived to send their children off or bid them farewell.
Albert peered out the window, scanning the platform for the boy with the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
Although he knew the chances of finding Harry Potter this way were slim, he didn't mind using this activity to pass the time.
Just then, a voice caught Albert's attention. He turned to see Tom crouching in front of Sheila's cage, pawing at it and taunting the owl inside.
What a troublemaker! Tom had never dared to do this before. Did he know that Sheila was locked in and couldn't get out?
Albert reached out as if to pinch the bridge of his nose, intending to separate the two before they caused a ruckus.
However, it was too late.
Sheila seemed to have suddenly become smarter, as she managed to pick the latch on the cage with her claws and kick the door open, stepping out of the cage.
Before Tom could react, Sheila stretched out her neck and pecked at his head, causing the compartment to erupt into chaos.
(End of Chapter)
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