Chapter 39: Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?
Chapter 39: Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?
The second class for Gryffindor first-years was History of Magic, undoubtedly the most boring class at Hogwarts, bar none.
The History of Magic classroom was located on the second floor of Hogwarts Castle. After their first class, the Gryffindor first-years had about twenty minutes of free time.
However, due to Albert's lengthy chat with Professor Flitwick, the four of them had no extra time to waste and had to hurry to the History of Magic classroom.
When the four of them rushed into the classroom, Argus Filch, the caretaker, had already arrived early to unlock the door, as Professor Binns, being a ghost, couldn't do it himself.
The Gryffindors shared the History of Magic class with the Ravenclaws, and before the lesson began, everyone chatted casually in their seats.
Albert ignored the mischievous twin brothers beside him and took out a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from his pocket. He picked a blue bean, popped it into his mouth, and discovered it was blueberry-flavored.
"Not bad," Albert mumbled. As he took out his History of Magic textbook from his bag, he also pulled out a copy of 'Charms of the 19th Century' and discreetly browsed through his skill list under the cover of reading.
After the Charms class, Albert found that he had gained another skill: Charm Theory.
In Albert's memory, this foundational skill was quite useful, so he immediately upgraded it to Level 1. He carefully recalled the newfound knowledge in his head and frowned slightly, feeling that the effect of just one level wasn't very significant.
How should he put it?
While his understanding of Charm Theory had indeed improved, Albert couldn't shake the feeling that it was just okay. Most of the knowledge seemed obvious once it was explained to him, hence the underwhelming impression.
As he pondered the intricacies of the Lumos spell, Albert casually popped a few more beans into his mouth as if they were chocolate beans.
The next moment, he clapped a hand over his mouth as a fiery sensation exploded in his mouth.
Damn, that was a chili-flavored bean! Albert swore never to eat these beans absentmindedly again.
"What's wrong?" Fred noticed Albert's reaction.
"Every Flavour Beans," Albert said, pointing to the small box on the table. "I bought them on the train, and they're still not finished."
"A great adventure awaits with every bite," Fred chuckled, quoting the advertisement to tease Albert.
Albert glared at the guy in front of him and then pulled out a piece of milk candy from his pocket to soothe the spiciness. He handed the box of beans to Fred.
"You have to be extra careful with these beans," Fred said as he pinched one and popped it into his mouth. "This one's spinach-flavored."
"Mine's strawberry," George announced happily.
"I'll have one, too..." Lee Jordan joined in, picking a bean from the box.
"Anyone else want some Every Flavour Beans?" Albert asked, shaking the box at the others.
Before he finished speaking, Lee Jordan's voice piped up.
"Gross! This one's rotten egg-flavored." Lee's face contorted, and he spat out the half-chewed bean onto the floor.
A Ravenclaw girl sitting nearby shot Lee a disdainful look.
Sensing her gaze, Lee's face turned slightly embarrassed, and he scratched his head awkwardly.
"Scourgify," Albert said, raising his wand and pointing at Lee's mess. He then tossed a fruit candy to Lee.
"I'm never eating these beans again," Lee vowed.
"You've said that more than once," George teased. "He just had another one—orange marmalade flavor."
After Lee's incident, everyone steered clear of Albert's small box of beans. They didn't want to end up with something weird in their mouths.
"What spell did you use just now?" The Ravenclaw girl introduced herself. "I'm Katrina McDougal."
"Nice to meet you, Katrina. I'm Albert Anderson." Albert popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth, and the spicy sensation finally began to fade. "That was a Scouring Charm, a very practical spell."
"Most first-years aren't as proficient as you, even with family members teaching them beforehand. And..." Katrina glanced at the book Albert was holding, 'Charms of the 19th Century,' "...I'd wager the Sorting Hat put you in the wrong house."
"There's nothing wrong with being in Gryffindor," Albert said, unbothered by her comment. "Also, I come from a Muggle family."
"That's impossible," Katrina said, her face reflecting her disbelief. "Only families from the wizarding world would teach their children magic ahead of time."
"I heard..." Albert awkwardly changed the subject, not wanting to argue about his lineage, "...that you need to answer a question to enter the Ravenclaw common room."
"Yes, you have to answer the eagle-shaped bronze doorknocker's question to be allowed into the Ravenclaw common room," Katrina said, eyeing Albert suspiciously. "But I'm curious, how did you know that? Many people don't know how to enter the common rooms of other houses."
"I overheard a Ravenclaw student complaining about being left outside because they couldn't answer the question," Albert improvised.
"Oh!" Katrina still seemed a bit skeptical, as such an opportunity was unlikely.
"Don't you think Albert can strike up a conversation with just about anyone?" George whispered to the others sitting nearby.
Fred nodded vigorously, and Lee Jordan agreed. He reached for the box of beans again, as he actually quite liked them.
Albert glared at the three of them and then cleared his throat. "So, what interesting questions have you encountered?"
"Phoenix or flame, which came first?" Katrina asked, choosing a question she knew the answer to.
"What do you guys think?" Albert turned to the twin brothers.
"I think it should be the phoenix first?" Fred offered.
"I agree," George immediately chimed in.
"Why?" Lee Jordan asked, confused.
"Because we guessed it!" the twins said in unison, their matter-of-fact expressions amusing everyone.
Albert couldn't help but laugh.
"How about you?" Katrina asked.
"There's a similar question in the Muggle world," Albert said, avoiding a direct answer. "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
"And what's the answer?" Katrina asked curiously, feeling she had guessed it.
"The chicken," Albert replied, and indeed, his answer was different from what Katrina expected.
"Why?"
Albert explained, "How could an egg just appear in the world for no reason?"
Katrina shook her head. "That reason isn't sufficient."
(End of Chapter)
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