Chapter 507: Self-Doubt
Chapter 507: Self-Doubt
"My grandson, Mark, is currently studying at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic."
Jonas introduced the freckle-faced young man beside him to Albert, "I think you young folks will have more in common to talk about!"
Albert's mouth twitched imperceptibly as he greeted the slightly older boy in front of him in French, "Hello, I'm Albert Anderson, currently attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Mark paused, then, at Jonas' gesture, led Albert to a corner of the room and introduced himself, "I'm Mark Schmidt. Are you vacationing in Germany, Albert?"
Mark was curious; this was his first time encountering a student from another magic school.
"No, we're just passing through Germany. Mr. Serra said he wanted to pay a visit to an old friend along the way." Albert gestured towards the old man in the distance and explained, "He probably also wanted to introduce me to Mr. Jonas."
"Introduce me to your grandfather?"
Mark was bewildered for a moment, but soon shifted his attention to another matter, "Mr. Serra?"
He noticed Albert's way of addressing the old man and said with a slight opening of his mouth, "I thought..."
"No, not at all. I initially only knew Mr. Serra through correspondence. He could barely be considered half a teacher to me." Albert thought for a moment before replying, "My elders know him, so they asked me to accompany Mr. Serra to gain more life experience."
Mark was at a loss for words. He couldn't understand why Albert's family would allow their child to go out with someone else.
No matter how he looked at it, this situation seemed odd.
However, Mark was also quite talkative, and he quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
"What's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like?"
"It's quite fascinating."
Albert recalled and replied seriously, "The Defense Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts has been cursed by a powerful dark wizard, resulting in a new professor every year. The variety of professors who come to teach at the school always bring unexpected surprises to the students."
"Oh, that's terrible. We've never had such an issue at Beauxbatons."
Albert could hear the pride in Mark's tone, "By the way, do you know how to play Wizard's Chess?"
"Yes."
"Then let's play a game!" Mark exclaimed excitedly, "Tomorrow, France will be hosting an international Wizard's Chess tournament, and I'll be participating."
"Oh, that's impressive."
However, Albert didn't pay much attention to Mark's boastful tone and was instead curious about his chess skills.
Given the small number of wizards and the fact that they weren't professionals, Albert seriously doubted the caliber of the competitors.
Mark retrieved a chessboard from somewhere and enthusiastically started playing with Albert.
"What's Beauxbatons Academy like then?" Albert continued the previous topic.
"The Beauxbatons Castle?" Mark replied casually, "It's nestled in the mountains, or more specifically, the Pyrenees. Anyone who visits the school will be captivated by the castle surrounded by gardens and lawns created by magic."
"Do you use French there?" Albert asked.
"Yes, everyone has to learn French." Mark was quite enthusiastic when talking about his school, "Most of the students at the academy are French. Of course..."
He furrowed his brows as he looked at the chessboard, realizing the situation was not in his favor.
After much thought, Mark continued, "I also have classmates from Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Initially, I wanted to go to Durmstrang Institute, but that school has had a terrible reputation in recent years, so my family sent me to France instead. To be honest, French is difficult to learn. It took me a long time to master it; I envy you for being fluent in French."
This was the pain of studying abroad.
You had to learn the local language to communicate, and Mark had struggled with this.
"Hmm, I have a talent for languages." Albert observed the changes on the chessboard; Mark's chess skills were passable, slightly better than Ron Weasley's.
In Albert's memory, the best Wizard's Chess player was Bade, and his skills were honed during their time together.
"You win."
Mark asked dryly, "Are all the Hogwarts students good at Wizard's Chess?"
"No, they're quite average."
"If you were to participate in the international Wizard's Chess tournament, you'd definitely achieve good results."
"Someone else has said something similar to me." Albert was indifferent to winning or losing and continued, "Tell me more about your school."
"During banquets at Beauxbatons Castle, the forest fairies would serenade the students... And during Christmas, the Great Hall is adorned with shimmering, non-melting ice sculptures..." Mark said mysteriously, "But the most iconic feature of Beauxbatons is the fountain in the garden, which is said to possess healing and beautification abilities. It has a statue of Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle Flamel, and the fountain is named after them. You know who Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel are, right?"
"Of course." Albert nodded, "I know them."
"Many people know of them." Mark said, apparently not realizing the implication of Albert's statement, "Let's play another game!"
"Does the water in the fountain really have healing and beautification abilities?" Albert knew what Mark was thinking and didn't mind, so he continued to ask.
"I don't know." Mark shook his head, "The fountain is off-limits to students, but there are still girls who sneak some of the water."
Soon, he stopped talking and focused all his attention on the chessboard. It was clear that Mark really wanted to win, but...
He lost again, and this time quite badly.
After losing five games in a row, Mark began to doubt himself and whether it was wise to participate in the international Wizard's Chess tournament.
Albert offered a few words of consolation and then left Mark to chat with the two elders, taking the opportunity to ask about things he was curious about, such as the Floo Network.
Before leaving, Albert obtained a price list from Jonas.
"Mark, what do you think of Albert?" Jonas bid farewell to the two guests and turned to his grandson, asking for his thoughts.
"He's an impressive person."
"Well, that's normal. He's a genius, a true genius." Jonas looked at his grandson and reminded him, "It wouldn't hurt to build a good relationship with him."
"I think I won't participate in the international Wizard's Chess tournament after all." Mark suddenly said.
"Why?"
"I lost." Mark smiled bitterly, "I lost five games in a row. I think it's better not to embarrass myself at the international tournament."
"Mark, losing isn't scary. What's truly scary is if you lose the courage to fight." Jonas looked at his grandson seriously.
(End of Chapter)
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