Chapter 523: An Invitation
Chapter 523: An Invitation
"What are you thinking about?"
"When to introduce you to my family."
"Have you told them about us?"
Albert shook his head. "They've asked me to bring my girlfriend home if I have one."
"Oh, do Muggles start dating at an early age?" Isabelle asked curiously.
"They're worried I won't be able to find a girlfriend." A bitter smile appeared on Albert's face as he continued, "They got married at a young age. Ever since they found out that there aren't many students at Hogwarts, they've been urging me to find a girlfriend early and quickly woo you."
"By the way, I told my mom about us."
The girl in the mirror twirled her red hair around her finger and said with a smile, "But not long after I told her, you caused quite a stir with all those rumors. Mom was quite doubtful of my judgment. Fortunately, you cleared them up quickly. Otherwise, her impression of you probably wouldn't be too good."
"She must think I'm a player?" Albert asked rhetorically.
"Yes," the girl sighed softly, "People's preconceived notions can be quite strong."
"I hope I haven't left too terrible an impression on her."
"Although it wasn't good at first, you handled that situation quickly, and Mom actually has a pretty good impression of you now." Isabelle untangled her hair from around her fingers and laughed, "She approves of your abilities."
Everyone knew what kind of person Rita Skeeter was, but they still enjoyed reading her articles.
After all, they were entertaining, full of gossip and insider secrets.
As long as it didn't involve them personally, no one could resist such juicy content.
Besides, spectators always enjoyed a good drama.
"Are you free next week?" Isabelle suddenly asked.
For some reason, Albert felt that Isabelle's cheeks were a bit flushed, which was a rare sight, and it piqued his curiosity. "Are you inviting me to your place?"
The girl actually rolled her eyes at him, a rare occurrence, "Mom wants to invite you over for dinner."
"Or, why don't you come to my place first?"
"Let's wait until your sister is a little older." Isabelle didn't immediately agree, "Also, I remember we actually met by chance in Diagon Alley once."
Albert tried to recall, and it seemed like that was the case.
"Okay, then how do I get there?"
"Take the Knight Bus," Isabelle replied without hesitation, "I can help you book a seat."
"I've heard that it's quite uncomfortable to ride." Albert didn't refuse, but he was considering whether he should bring a gift.
Of course, it didn't really matter, but sometimes one had to pay attention to such trivialities.
"Then it's settled. I'll let you know once the date is confirmed." Isabelle added, "Mom is always busy, spending most of her time working at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries."
"Speaking of which, I feel that there are indeed too many similarities between us." Albert couldn't help but sigh, but soon his attention was drawn to the noise outside the window.
Sheerah flew in from outside. The owl had mysteriously disappeared in the morning, probably to get some letters from the Weasley family.
Fred and George should have rescued Potter by now.
Sheerah landed on the table, almost knocking the two-way mirror off with her bottom. Fortunately, Albert quickly moved the mirror out of the way.
"You're quite the busybody, aren't you?"
Isabelle also noticed the owl that had landed in front of Albert.
Startled by the sudden voice, Sheerah turned her head to look around, eventually shaking her head and staring at the figure in the mirror, even bumping her head against the mirror's surface.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow night."
As she spoke, the figure in the two-way mirror disappeared.
"Look, you've scared her off again!" Albert jokingly stroked the owl's head and pulled out the letter to check the sender's name. Surprisingly, it was from Hermione.
In the letter, Hermione informed Albert that Harry had been rescued from his aunt's house by Ron, George, and Fred.
From the description in the letter, it was clear that Hermione did not approve of their adventurous actions.
It was truly unbelievable what they had dared to do.
If someone had seen them driving a flying car, they would surely have been expelled from school, and even Mr. Weasley might have lost his job because of them.
It had to be said that most of the time, Hermione's thinking was quite rational.
The letter also mentioned the house-elf intercepting Harry's letters.
Hermione wrote in her letter:
Harry thinks someone is playing a prank on him, but I find this matter suspicious. What do you make of it?
At the end of the letter, Hermione mentioned the date and place where she and Harry would meet in Diagon Alley.
"What was the name of the Malfoy family's house-elf?" Albert murmured, "In the end, I think it died while trying to save Harry."
Albert didn't need to go to Diagon Alley himself, as he had already been there not long ago to meet with Rita Skeeter and buy his books.
Nia had complained quite a bit about that, as they had waited for him there and even had lunch at Charlie's tea shop.
Charlie's tea shop was still very popular, but the varieties and flavors of milk tea were becoming increasingly bizarre. However, the creamy potato-baked cheese that Albert had recommended to Charlie was well-received.
The British certainly knew how to cook potatoes, just as the people of Hua Xia had a hundred ways to cook rice.
As for why the Malfoy family's elf had gone to warn Harry, Albert, of course, knew the reason.
He hadn't thought of stopping the incident with the Chamber of Secrets, as it would be more beneficial for him to use this opportunity to trigger more tasks.
However, if he wanted to gain more advantages from this situation, he would need to scheme a little.
"Why do I feel like I'm becoming more and more like a schemer?" Albert stroked his chin and muttered to himself.
As he spoke, he took out a piece of parchment paper from the drawer and began to write a letter to Hermione:
"This matter is quite suspicious. If Harry's description is correct, then it's very problematic. House-elves usually don't disobey their master's orders. If they do, it means that this incident is most likely genuine."
"Without their master's permission, house-elves generally can't use magic." Albert thought for a moment and continued writing, "He refused to tell Harry who was behind all this, probably because that person is the house-elf's master. It's normal for house-elves to protect their masters, so it's not surprising that it wouldn't reveal its name. With a little speculation, it's not difficult to guess who it is."
"From the house-elf's action of banging its head against the wall, I believe it wasn't lying to Harry, as that is a form of self-punishment for house-elves." Albert had specifically looked into information about house-elves.
Of course, much of what he wrote in the letter was his own random analysis, and while some of it might be far-fetched, Albert believed that Hermione would trust him to some extent, and it would at least make her more vigilant.
"So, it's best to tell Potter to be careful. I have a feeling that he's going to be quite unlucky this year." After finishing the letter, Albert noticed Sheerah's gaze and smiled as he tucked the letter into the drawer, stroking her head gently, "Don't worry, there's no rush to deliver the letter. While you're with me, you'll never have to worry about not having anything to do."
(End of Chapter)
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