https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-503-From-Platform-Seven-and-Three-Quarters/12526804/
Chapter 502: An Unexpected Invitation
Chapter 502: An Unexpected Invitation
Out of caution, Albert waved his Secrecy Sensor and Veritas Scanner over the envelope before opening it, ensuring there was nothing strange or tainted with Dark Magic within.
He always took such precautions with items sent by strangers.
Of course, he also remembered to don his dragon-hide gloves before handling the letter, who knew what might be inside.
The letter was from a wizard in America by the name of Nicholas, certainly someone Albert didn't know, and likely an alchemist as he mentioned Serra Harrison in his letter.
Nicholas directly invited Albert to America without elaborating on the reason, leaving Albert perplexed as he read the letter.
Not only that, at the end of the letter, Nicholas reminded Albert not to send an owl in response, as the use of owls was prohibited in the American wizarding world, and doing so might attract Muggle attention.
Unemployment for owls in America?
Are they joking?
Then how did this letter arrive?
Albert was bewildered.
Enclosed with the letter were two tickets.
Yes, train tickets.
Tickets for Platform Seven and Three-Quarters at King's Cross Station.
As far as Albert knew, Platform Seven and Three-Quarters was located between Platforms 7 and 8, and from there, one could take a long-distance train to wizarding villages on the European continent.
That's right, to Europe, not America.
Didn't that guy invite me to America?
Why include such a ticket?
What perplexed Albert even more was that, in addition to the train ticket, there was also a ticket for the Floo Network to America.
The specified time was 11:40 am on July 18th, through fireplace number seventeen.
Moreover, the Floo ticket didn't mention a specific location, nor did it instruct Albert on where to get off, where to use the International Floo Network, nothing at all, it was simply suffocating.
Alright then! Was this their way of asking Serra to bring him along?
Albert opened the letter he had received from Serra, and it was similarly vague, merely stating that he planned to visit his friend Nicholas in America and inviting Albert to join him to meet this renowned alchemist.
Just a simple meet and greet?
Albert was skeptical, neither Serra nor Nicholas had provided any details in their letters.
Generally speaking, the shorter and vaguer a letter was, the more important the matter, especially in this case, they should have at least given some explanation.
Otherwise, the situation was highly abnormal.
What could be the reason?
Actually, staying at home during the summer vacation was quite nice, and it wasn't very enjoyable to run around in such hot weather, it wasn't like he was going on a vacation.
However, whether it was Bard or others who were looking for him, they all seemed to have their own agendas.
Was it to expand his connections?
Or was it necessary to get to know Nicholas?
Albert wrote down his questions on a piece of parchment and stuffed it into the envelope, sealing it shut.
He was running out of owls.
He sighed, not instructing Sheera to deliver the letter just yet, but instead, he tucked it into a drawer, planning to deal with it tomorrow.
While outright refusing was an option, Albert felt it was better to ask around first, perhaps it might trigger some sort of quest.
The probability of triggering a panel quest outside of Hogwarts was always low, and the quests tended to be more difficult.
The next morning, Albert was awakened by the hooting of an owl.
When he opened his eyes and sat up, he found that there was an additional brown owl in his room, squabbling for space with Sheera on the owl perch.
The two owls were glaring at each other, and Albert was surprised they hadn't started a fight yet.
Albert walked to his desk, first handing Hermione's letter to Sheera, then taking out two letters and placing them on the desk before him.
Probably no one else had such troubles! The owl landed in front of the letter addressed to Bard Bloomer.
Albert picked up the letter and handed it to the owl, who clasped it in its talons and took off.
Putting the letter to Serra back into the cabinet, Albert washed up and headed downstairs for breakfast, only to hear scratching at the door of Nia's room as he passed by.
He knocked lightly on the door, and receiving no response from within, he quietly opened it and let Tom out.
Nia was still asleep, and her sleeping posture wasn't very comfortable-looking.
Albert closed the door gently and headed downstairs with Tom for breakfast.
Daisy was frying bacon, and Herb was perusing the daily newspaper. Hearing Albert's footsteps, he looked up and greeted him.
"Last night, someone sent me an invitation..."
"An invitation... from those so-called expert professors again?"
Daisy, who had just placed the freshly fried bacon on a plate, glared at her son, clearly sensitive about this matter.
Daisy wasn't very keen on her son wandering around, even though they trusted Albert's abilities, they still worried due to his young age.
"Well, I haven't decided yet, I'll let you know when I do," Albert replied vaguely. He didn't particularly like bacon, it was too salty, he only ate it when making bacon sandwiches.
"Son, while I trust your abilities, your habit of wandering around still makes us worry," Herb said earnestly as he set down the newspaper, "If you plan to go out, take that mirror with you, and remember to contact us regularly."
Daisy folded her arms, glaring at her husband, she had expected him to stop Albert, but instead, he was indulging their son.
And so, Albert had made it a habit to wander during the summer holidays.
"Don't stay out too long, your mother will worry," Herb added.
"Mhm."
Albert weighed out some cat food and poured it into Tom's bowl.
Tom looked at the food in his bowl and meowed discontentedly before starting to eat.
As Albert returned to his seat, preparing to make himself a bacon sandwich, a particularly elderly owl suddenly flew in through the window. This owl seemed to have exhausted all its strength during its journey, nearly crashing into the table and perishing on the spot.
"This owl is very old, they're overworking these birds," Herb remarked, lifting his food out of the way as the owl landed on the table.
"It's about time for its retirement," Albert agreed, nodding.
What was the name of the Weasley family's owl again?
Albert couldn't remember.
He set the owl down in a comfortable spot and provided it with some water and food.
The letter was from the twins, reporting (bragging) about their latest achievements, along with some samples of their work. They also asked Albert to help them solve some problems they had encountered in their experiments.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
