Chapter 530: The Troubles of Fame
Chapter 530: The Troubles of Fame
Outside King's Cross Station, the Anderson family bid their farewells as they prepared for their departure.
"You're still not planning to bring Tom to school, are you?" Daisy asked again, the third time she had brought it up in recent days.
Albert's decision puzzled his family. They knew he must have had a good reason for leaving his chubby cat, Tom, with his grandparents, but he didn't seem inclined to share the details with them.
Based on Daisy's understanding of her son, she guessed that Albert must have seen something in a prophecy that led to this decision.
"No, let Grandpa Luke help take care of Tom for a while," Albert replied with a smile. "They mentioned that the neighbors have a female cat, so perhaps Tom can have some company."
The elderly couple had grown fond of Tom, especially since he was such a cuddly and adorable chubby cat, and he was easy to care for, making him the perfect companion for them.
Albert reached out and playfully pulled at the fat on Tom's cheeks, admonishing him, "Behave yourself and don't cause any trouble, okay?"
"Meow!"
Tom let out an unhappy meow, seemingly protesting Albert's rough treatment, and retracted his head back into the car.
With the basilisk on the loose this term, Albert naturally didn't want to put his cat at risk by bringing him to school. If Tom were to wander off and encounter the basilisk, it would undoubtedly cause a whole new set of problems.
"Alright, if that's your decision," Daisy said, kissing Albert on the forehead. "See you during the Christmas holidays, and remember to take care of yourself."
"I will," Albert replied, giving Herb a hug before turning to Nia.
"Remember to write to me."
Nia kissed Albert's cheek and hugged him, reminding him, "Take care of yourself and don't be fooled by girls' sweet words. They're more interested in your fame than in you as a person."
"He must be hiding something from us," Nia murmured as she watched Albert walk away.
"It's normal, Albert's growing up, and he's bound to have his little secrets, just like you, Nia," Herb said, wrapping his arms around his wife's shoulders. "Let's head home."
"He used to tell me everything," Nia muttered. "I bet he's found himself a girlfriend at school."
"Albert's at the age where he'll be looking for a girlfriend," Daisy said with a smile. "Would you rather he be alone forever?"
"So, he does have a girlfriend! I knew it!" Nia said, her face darkening. "Lots of girls like to date famous boys because it makes them look good. Someone as naive as Albert could easily be deceived by those girls."
Daisy and Herb exchanged a glance, unable to deny that Nia's words made a lot of sense.
Albert, oblivious to the fact that his parents had spilled the beans about his love life to Nia, was now looking around, searching for the house-elf that had been hiding him.
The Malfoy family's house-elf must have been lying in wait at the station entrance to block Harry effectively, so it was likely already lurking there beforehand.
In fact, Albert's situation was quite coincidental, and it seemed that only in the plot of a novel would such a series of chance events be possible.
However, even as Albert pushed his luggage and walked through the wall separating platforms 9 and 10, arriving at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, he still hadn't spotted the hidden house-elf.
The scarlet steam engine puffed out smoke, and the platform was bustling with male and female witches seeing their children off.
As Albert navigated the platform with his luggage, he noticed something that didn't sit well with him.
Many witches and wizards on the platform turned their heads curiously to stare at him, and a few pointed and shouted things he couldn't quite make out, making him feel like an exotic panda on display.
The title of International Wizard Chess Champion brought more trouble than Albert had anticipated, and he finally understood what it was like to be Harry Potter.
Being in the glaring spotlight was truly an unpleasant feeling, Albert had to admit.
Unconsciously quickening his pace, Albert pushed his luggage and stepped into a carriage, but his situation did not improve. Many peeked out from their compartments, just to catch a glimpse of him, and quite a few loitered outside his carriage. There was even a bold young lady who tried to strike up a conversation with Albert, only to be politely rejected with the excuse that he was already expecting company.
"Sorry, but I already have a girlfriend!" Albert exclaimed, deploying his ultimate weapon to make the girls back off.
"Pardon me."
A familiar voice rang out from outside the compartment, and Lee Jordan, hat in hand, pushed through the crowd. He entered the compartment that the girls had been longing to get into, and with a bang, he closed the door.
"Congratulations on becoming our youngest International Wizard Chess Champion." Seeing the helpless expression on Albert's face, Lee Jordan couldn't help but chuckle, "Just now, I didn't even need to look, and I knew exactly where to find you."
"How was your summer break?" Albert steered the conversation in a different direction.
"Definitely not as exciting as yours. Fred and George told me you were going to the States, but then you ended up in France, becoming the International Wizard Chess Champion. Honestly, when I saw the news in the paper, I was truly surprised." Lee Jordan waved at the girls outside the window and asked with a smile, "So, how does it feel to be surrounded by a group of adoring girls?"
"Don't be ridiculous. They're only interested in me because of my fame," Albert said, unfazed by Lee Jordan's teasing.
"What's wrong with having a bit of fame? Being the International Wizard Chess Champion is something many people dream of, so stop complaining about it!" Lee Jordan's envious expression vanished, and he continued, "By the way, we could collaborate and sell your photos or autographs. I'm sure those girls would be willing to pay a pretty penny for them."
"If you dare to do that, I'll hang you from the top of the Hogwarts tower," Albert said with a mischievous smile.
"Alright, alright, I was just joking. No need to get angry." Lee Jordan coughed and quickly changed the subject, "By the way, where's your fat cat?"
"I didn't bring him." Albert lowered his voice, "There might be some unpleasant things happening this term, so I decided not to bring him to school."
"What kind of unpleasant things?"
"I don't know." Albert shook his head, "But I have a feeling it might have something to do with Potter."
"Why don't you say it's related to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Speaking of which, the textbook for this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts class is ridiculously expensive." Lee Jordan picked up the copy of 'Gadding with Ghouls' in front of Albert and complained, "I can't believe they're charging nearly forty galleons for it."
"That's exactly what they're thinking."
"You don't mean..." Lee Jordan immediately caught on to Albert's implication, "If that's the case, why would Dumbledore hire such a person to be our professor?"
"It's not easy to find a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, especially after what happened with Quirrell in the dungeons last year. I doubt anyone would be eager to take on that supposedly cursed position." Albert pointed out.
"Even if they couldn't find anyone, they shouldn't have done this!" Lee Jordan protested.
"Dumbledore probably has his reasons." Albert speculated.
"Poor Fred's family, then." Lee Jordan muttered, "Nearly one hundred and fifty galleons, and that's if they buy all second-hand books. It's still a small fortune, not to mention how hard it is to find second-hand copies of Lockhart's books."
"They also have a sister starting at Hogwarts this year." Albert corrected him.
"I wonder how Fred and George will treat Lockhart."
"They'll probably feel sorry for him."
"I think so, too." Lee Jordan sneaked a glance at Albert, suddenly feeling sorry for Lockhart.
(End of Chapter)
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