Chapter 503: From Platform Seven and Three-Quarters
Chapter 503: From Platform Seven and Three-Quarters
Albert could hardly believe that he was now at Platform Seven and Three-Quarters with Sierra, about to board a steam train bound for unknown destinations.
The deep red steam train was docked alongside the platform, and there were very few passengers for this particular journey. Two staff members were checking tickets at the entrance.
There was a sign on the platform displaying a route map of the train's journey across Europe, with each stop marked clearly to indicate the wizarding villages it would be calling at.
The nearest village was Hogsmeade, and the journey would apparently take a whole five days.
Sierra exchanged a few words with the ticket inspector, and the latter warmly introduced their destination for this trip—Nicolas Village in France.
It was said to be Nicolas Flamel's hometown.
After Flamel rose to fame, French wizards renamed the village to commemorate the birth of the great alchemist.
A staff member pulled a small suitcase and led the duo to their private cabin. Upon opening the carriage door, they entered a spacious room with two single beds and a simple yet comfortable interior.
"Why not use the Floo Network, Apparition, or a Portkey?"
Albert asked his first question after the staff member had placed their suitcases inside and closed the carriage door behind him.
"Using a Portkey would be illegal entry," Sierra kindly reminded him. "Apparating directly to another country is extremely difficult and not worth the risk, especially since I haven't been to Nicolas Village in a decade, and my memory of the place is hazy."
"What about the Floo Network, then?"
"Of course, we could have gone directly to France that way, but Mr. Nicholas has already purchased our train tickets in advance. It wouldn't be right to let him waste his money for no reason, would it?" Sierra said with a smile as she sat on the sofa. "Besides, isn't this a fantastic experience for you?"
Albert was left speechless. Her words made too much sense.
This was akin to a first-class airplane cabin, and the price must have been steep.
"How much is it?"
"Fifty galleons per person, and food is complimentary." Sierra pointed to the menu on the table. "Just place your order, and the food will appear."
"I used to think wizards didn't know how to enjoy life," Albert said self-deprecatingly as he casually ordered a lobster seafood pasta set from Italy.
No wonder Sierra had reminded him not to eat too much at breakfast.
"In fact, most wizards don't ride in luxury carriages like this," Sierra explained casually, probably guessing Albert's thoughts. "This is prepared for certain special customers, which is why I said it would be best not to waste this opportunity."
"What are you going to do in Nicolas Village?" Albert put down the menu and looked at the old lady before him. He felt that there was more to this trip than met the eye.
Sierra walked to the door, made sure it was locked, cast some kind of magic within the room, and then sat back down on the sofa. "We're going to visit someone," she said slowly.
"I thought Nicolas was in Devon," Albert guessed who Sierra was referring to.
"They're close to death, and who knows how Dumbledore convinced the Flamels to give up the Philosopher's Stone."
Sierra's tone was complex as she spoke of this, "We'll be staying in France for three days, and you can take the time to attend the International Wizard Chess Tournament being held in France this year."
"Don't you need to register in advance for that kind of tournament?"
Albert's tone suddenly paused as he spoke, "Who signed me up?"
A new task had appeared on the mission panel, most likely related to the International Wizard Chess Tournament.
"Bard signed you up in advance because he thought you'd be interested. He used to be a Wizard Chess Champion and has a recommendation quota," Sierra explained.
In fact, the number of wizards who participated in the International Wizard Chess Tournament each year was not very high.
"Of course, that's not the main point."
Just as Albert was about to say something, he heard Sierra continue, "Nicolas has also left something for you. We thought it would be better for you to meet him in person."
Albert fell silent.
He felt that a lot of messy things were happening all at once, and the trip to the United States to see Nicholas suddenly seemed less important.
As they spoke, the train suddenly swayed and began to slowly pull out of King's Cross Station.
Albert turned his head to look out the window at the rapidly retreating scenery and asked coldly, "Who is Nicholas? Don't you think you should give me an explanation?"
So far, neither Sierra nor Bard had given him a clear explanation.
No one liked being kept in the dark or deceived.
"John Nicholas is an American alchemist," Sierra put down her teacup and took out a bag of Floo powder from her pocket.
"It's not that I'm going to visit him, but that you need to visit him. Do you remember what I told you?" Sierra lowered her voice and said, "Apart from me, there are three others. Nicholas is in charge of the American side, and sooner or later, you will have to deal with him. While I still have the energy, I want to take you there myself."
"They're unwilling to go to the American side," Albert said.
"Why?"
"It's not as free over there, and you'll find out when you get there."
Sierra pulled out another photo from her pocket and pushed it in front of Albert. In the photo was a man in his sixties and a golden-haired young girl, both smiling at him. The golden-haired girl looked like an exquisite porcelain doll.
"That's Nicholas' heir and his granddaughter, Katherine, I believe. She should have just graduated from Ilvermorny this year." Sierra said, "Katherine is also a genius. Of course, not as gifted as you, though."
In Sierra's eyes, Albert was the most talented wizard in centuries.
"Why aren't the others willing to go to America?"
Albert asked curiously as he took a bite of the Italian lobster pasta that had appeared out of thin air.
"Some unpleasant things happened in the past." Sierra shrugged, "That country isn't as wonderful as you imagine. The American Ministry of Magic strictly controls wizards, and you'll need to be careful about a lot of things."
"Because of the Muggles?"
Albert naturally guessed the reason.
"American wizards have to hide very carefully, lest the Muggles discover their existence?"
"Yes, it seems you know more than I imagined." Sierra nodded, "Muggles may not be able to use magic, but they aren't as weak as one might think. Once they become aware of our existence, they can cause us a lot of trouble."
"The connections between Muggles are tighter than you think, and information spreads quickly. If someone were to discover the wizarding world, it wouldn't take more than a few hours for half of America to find out." Albert was well aware of what those in power would do upon discovering the existence of magic.
No one likes having a power they can't control threatening their safety, especially for those in control of a country; such a thing would never be permitted.
"Those Muggles." Sierra said suddenly, "Once tested a terrible weapon called a nuclear bomb near Las Vegas, Nevada, and the wizards living in that area suffered a disaster."
"Nuclear bomb tests?" Albert's lips twitched.
"They are very cautious about Muggles, just like most wizards are cautious of Dementors." Sierra said, "The American Ministry of Magic not only prohibits intermarriage between wizards and Muggles, but wizards are also strictly required to take care of their children and not allow them to cause magical riots in front of Muggles."
"I bet the American Ministry of Magic's prisons are packed!" Albert couldn't help but mock.
"It's said to be overcrowded." Sierra shrugged, "Violating the Secrecy Act is a serious crime."
"Anything else I should be aware of?"
"Try to avoid dealing with the American Ministry of Magic. We are visiting friends in that country, and most of the time we will be staying at Nicholas' small farm, so we won't have much interaction with them." Sierra said, "By the way, you didn't bring anything strange with you, did you?"
"Strange things?" Albert repeated.
"Any magical items other than your wand." Sierra added, "It's best not to use your wand either."
"No, I only brought some Galleons and a Two-Way Mirror. But I don't know if Galleons are accepted in other countries."
Before coming, Albert had locked away everything in his lizard-skin pouch.
"Of course, Galleons can be used, but it might be a bit troublesome. They usually use Dragots there."
Sierra took out a money bag from her pocket and placed it in front of Albert. Inside were some gold coins similar to Galleons. Their magical monetary system was quite similar to Britain's.
Among them, Albert also noticed several Franklins.
"American wizards are quite strict about magical currency and don't leave it to the goblins to manage." Sierra thought for a moment and added, "The entire magical community there exudes a repressive atmosphere."
In fact, except for Britain, the wizarding banks in other countries were managed by their respective Ministries of Magic.
Galleons were quite popular in the magical world and were generally accepted.
This had to do with the fact that goblin coins couldn't be counterfeited.
"This row of numbers represents the goblin that minted this coin." Sierra took out a Galleon and pointed to a row of numbers on the edge, "That's also the reason why they can't be counterfeited."
The food on the train was quite good. After finishing his meal, Albert lazily leaned back on the sofa and turned his head to look at the rapidly passing scenery outside the window.
The train continued to rush forward, and the rest of the journey was quite dull. Sierra suggested he rest on the bed and even gave him a piece of parchment that supposedly had some things to note after arriving in America.
"I'm curious, how does this train get passengers to wizarding villages in Europe?" Albert yawned and asked, "Will we fly over the North Sea or pass through it underwater?"
"We'll go underwater. This train will dive into the sea at Mary Bay, pass through the North Sea, and emerge on the other side in Denmark." Sierra pulled the curtain shut, clearly ready to rest on the bed. For an elderly lady, traveling was quite exhausting.
(End of Chapter)
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