Chapter 520: Alternative Education
Chapter 520: Alternative Education
Izabel looked at Albert's embarrassed expression in the two-way mirror and found it amusing. It had been a while since she had seen him flustered like this.
Of course, she didn't believe that Albert was a flirt just because he chatted with a few pretty girls. Some of her friends liked to gossip about which boys in school were the most handsome, even if they already had boyfriends.
However, Albert had indeed caused some trouble for himself. Rumors and gossip about him were probably spreading throughout the British magical community.
"Izabel, are you upstairs?"
The sound of Mrs. McDougall's voice from downstairs caused the smile on the young girl's face to instantly fade.
"I'm upstairs. What's the matter?" Izabel replied as she opened her door.
"Come down, I want to talk to you about something," Mrs. McDougall said.
Izabel glanced at the two-way mirror in her room and heaved a soft sigh. "Here it comes."
As Izabel came downstairs, Mrs. McDougall cut straight to the point. "Is that Anderson fellow you mentioned last time a bit dodgy?"
As she spoke, she spread out a newspaper on the table—the same copy of the Daily Prophet that Izabel had shown Albert earlier.
Izabel had taken the precaution of collecting the newspapers from the past few days to prevent such a situation, but it seemed her efforts were in vain.
"Mom, you should know what the Daily Prophet is like," Izabel explained with a sense of helplessness. "They'll write anything to grab people's attention, especially that Rita Skeeter woman."
Mrs. McDougall studied her daughter and sighed. "I just wanted to remind you that if that Anderson fellow is really like what the newspaper says, it's better to break things off early on to avoid trouble later on..."
"Mom, you should trust my judgment," Izabel said, feeling a bit exhausted. Many people in the magical community took the Daily Prophet's reporting at face value, and few wizards were discerning enough to filter out the useful information from the sensationalism.
"Of course, Mom trusts you," Mrs. McDougall assured her daughter, her gaze filled with concern. She was worried about her daughter's emotional well-being.
After all, the fact that Izabel had mentioned having a boyfriend meant that this Anderson held a significant place in her heart.
"You don't have to worry about me. If there's nothing else, I'll head upstairs," Izabel said, turning to go upstairs and find Albert to complain about this situation.
"Katrina, do you think Izabel was hiding something earlier?" Mrs. McDougall turned to her other daughter.
"Izabel isn't easily deceived," Katrina chose her words carefully. She also didn't believe that Albert was the type to juggle multiple relationships.
After all, Albert had a good reputation at school. Although rumors were always flying around, his relationship with Izabel was something she envied.
"You were in the same year as that Anderson fellow, weren't you? What's he like?" Mrs. McDougall inquired.
"He's an impressive person," Katrina replied thoughtfully. "A lot of girls at school like him, but as for whether he's really like what the newspaper describes... Well, I think it would be hard for anyone to deceive Izabel. She always sees right through people."
"A woman's IQ tends to drop when she's in love. Otherwise, your father wouldn't have been able to woo me," Mrs. McDougall said with a light sigh.
She had come across this news while resting in the hospital and had decided to take time off work to fulfill her motherly duty of giving her daughter some advice. However, it seemed the situation was not quite as she had imagined.
"Have I misunderstood something?" she wondered. Katrina felt that Izabel had probably anticipated that something like this might happen, which was why she had quietly hidden the newspapers from the past few days.
But despite her efforts, the news had still come to light.
Upstairs in her room, Izabel was venting her frustrations to Albert about the whole situation.
However, the following day, Albert found himself facing a similar issue.
"His family is back.
'Albert, we would never stop you from having a girlfriend, but being a player is wrong and will only hurt your girlfriend,' Daisy and Herb said earnestly from across the sofa, giving Albert a moral lecture.
'A boy must not be fickle; after all, you will only have one wife in the future,' they added.
Alright! Anderson's parents felt that this was a rare opportunity to shoulder their parental responsibility of educating their son.
The couple had discussed this matter before bed the previous night.
After all, their son was so popular that he might already have a girlfriend at school and just hadn't told them yet.
If that were the case, being unfaithful would be a serious issue, and even if he didn't have a girlfriend, they wouldn't support a long-distance relationship.
"Mom, Albert doesn't have a girlfriend!" Nia reminded them. "And I don't support long-distance relationships either."
Albert glanced at his sister helplessly. Was she cursing her brother to be single forever?
"Does Tom have a favorite female cat?" Albert changed the subject, feeling that it was time to find a mate for their cat, though Tom might already have a crush on a feline friend.
"Son, don't change the subject," Herb said knowingly. "A man must be faithful, or he will be disliked by women."
"But I thought girls liked bad boys," Albert finally interjected.
"Okay, okay, we know what you're trying to say, but the news in the newspaper is all fake, just manufactured gossip to grab attention," his parents replied.
"The girl in this photo is Louise, remember the witch we met when we went skiing in France last time?" Albert placed Tom on the table and pointed to the black-and-white photo in the newspaper. "That was just a casual greeting kiss in France, and shouldn't you be more concerned about my championship win?" he added, placing the trophy on the table.
"And this one," he continued, "is the granddaughter of an old friend I visited in America. I asked her to help me buy souvenirs for you. As for this photo, it's because I didn't want to accept an interview with American reporters, so they made up this sensational story. I think you should have known that."
"Well, son, your mother and I think this is a good opportunity," Herb cleared his throat. "You're almost an adult now (16 in the UK), and we feel that you should find a girlfriend. If you already have someone you like, remember to bring her home to meet us."
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Albert asked, exasperated.
"How can we not be?" Daisy complained. "You're only in your seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and after that, you'll graduate. With such a small number of students, if you don't find someone you like, where will you look later?"
"We know you'll definitely choose a witch," Herb agreed. "So, we should act sooner rather than later."
"Alright, if I find someone, I'll remember to invite her over," Albert said, his mouth twitching slightly. In his previous life, his family wouldn't have allowed him to date in his teens.
Different countries, different worlds, different treatments, he thought.
"Okay, that's good to know," Daisy added. "Also, we don't support long-distance relationships; they're too difficult."
"Alright, maybe we should discuss Tom's companion instead," Albert interjected, forcibly changing the subject as he felt his heart weary from the conversation. "He's getting on in years, and it would be cruel for him to be alone."
(End of Chapter) ---
As for the title, I originally submitted 《Days of Reading at Hogwarts》, but with one character missing, it feels a bit odd. If I had known, I would have changed it to 《Hogwarts Survival Guide》.
The cover will also be changed soon."
Chapter end
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