Chapter 6: First Attempt at Magic
Chapter 6: First Attempt at Magic
That evening, Albert showed his family his new Hogwarts school uniform—a plain, black work robe and a pointed hat, nothing special.
If he had to describe it, he'd say it looked rather silly, especially that blasted pointed hat. Wearing it out for a spin would definitely turn some heads, or so Albert thought.
Nia, on the other hand, was quite pleased with her gift. She draped the cloak, which was much larger than herself, over her shoulders and topped it off with the pointed hat. She struck poses in the living room while Herb snapped photos of the two of them.
Seated on the sofa, Daisy quietly flipped through Albert's 'A History of Magic', eager to learn more about the place her son was about to venture into.
"Mom, look! It's a live chocolate frog!" Nia exclaimed as she opened the chocolate frog packaging. She giggled as the chocolate frog leaped about.
Herb, now more experienced, quickly reached out and caught the frog that had jumped onto the table, handing it to Nia.
Then, he opened another package, and out jumped another chocolate frog. He swiftly captured it and presented it to Daisy, who was engrossed in her book.
"Can this thing really be eaten?" Daisy raised an eyebrow, eyeing the chocolate frog suspiciously as if it were a living creature.
"Mom, you can eat the chocolate frog, it tastes great!" Nia assured her, having already bitten off the frog's head and smearing melted chocolate on her face.
"Alright, wipe your face clean, you look like a little kitten!" Albert handed Nia his handkerchief, then turned to face Tom, who was staring down a snowy owl. He picked up the owl, set it down by the sofa, and stroked his chin as he instructed, "Tom, don't bully him."
Albert took out some owl treats from the package and poured a few into the plate in the owl's cage. He mused, "What should I name you?"
"Jerry."
Albert thought about it and decided on this name for the snowy owl.
Tom and Jerry.
Although this world didn't have the famous cat and mouse cartoon, Albert found the name combination amusing.
The snowy owl, perhaps sensing its owner's mischievous intent, remained unresponsive to the name Jerry.
"Albert, that name you picked is so ugly!" Nia reached out to pick up the owl and rubbed her face against it affectionately. "You should name him Sheila, that's a nice name."
"Why not Sherbet?" Albert thought with a wicked sense of humor.
"Albert, the person in the photo suddenly disappeared!" Herb exclaimed in surprise as he noticed the person on the chocolate frog card had vanished.
"Photo?" Albert turned to his father, who was holding a chocolate frog card.
"Maybe wizard photos are supposed to move? If chocolate frogs can move, why can't the people in the photos move too?"
"Oh, that's the old man who sent Albert the letter." Daisy took the chocolate frog card from her husband, curious to learn who had invited her son.
Unfortunately, the card was now blank.
Daisy turned the chocolate frog card back over and continued reading, "Dumbledore's well-known contributions include: defeating the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, discovering the twelve uses of dragon blood, and achieving remarkable results in alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and ten-pin bowling."
"Dragon blood?" Daisy widened her eyes in disbelief. "Are there still dragons in this world? And Nicolas Flamel, I remember him..."
"...He's a renowned 14th-century alchemist," Albert finished her sentence. "He created the legendary Philosopher's Stone, which is said to turn lead into gold and grant immortality. If he's still alive, it means the Philosopher's Stone has granted Flamel eternal life."
"Now, now, Daisy, cheer up." Herb put an arm around his wife and whispered comforting words. "It's not as bad as you think, especially since we don't understand the wizarding world yet. It's best not to jump to conclusions, and you should trust our son. He's a genius, and he'll make the most of wherever he goes."
"Right, Albert, can you use magic?" Nia pounced on Albert, grabbing his hand and shaking it gently with an expectant look on her face. "I want to see you do magic."
"Well... I need to study it first. I don't know how to use it yet," Albert said, ruffling Nia's hair with his hand.
"Mean!" Nia covered her head and ran to Daisy's side, sharing a pumpkin pie with her.
Albert began flipping through Miranda Goshawk's 'Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1' and then took out his wand, ready to attempt his first spell.
"No, Albert, don't try it here!" Herb's face twitched as he recalled the previous incident at the wand shop.
"You should have a little more confidence in your son!" Albert raised his wand and pointed it gently, whispering, "Lumos."
The tip of the wand flickered briefly before going out.
"Did the tip of that wand just flicker?" Daisy asked, unsure.
"Yes, it did! Just like that, my son the wizard!" Herb's face beamed with unmistakable pride, having witnessed Albert's instant ability to use magic.
"Albert, what was that?" Nia asked excitedly.
"Er, it's a Lumos spell, a relatively easy one to master, I think. Let me try again," Albert said, secretly checking his panel, where he indeed found Lumos in his skill list.
The spell was still at level 0, but he had gained 7 experience points.
Only when it reached level 1 could he be considered to have truly mastered it. It would take 100 experience points to get from level 0 to level 1, but Albert didn't plan to use his precious stored experience to upgrade Lumos to level 1, as those 100 points were invaluable.
"Let me try again," Albert cleared his throat and recited the spell once more. The tip of the wand emitted a pale light again.
It took Albert five attempts to barely master the spell; he only needed to concentrate a little, and the light on the wand wouldn't go out easily.
Seeing this, the other three couldn't help but applaud, even though it was just a simple Lumos spell. To the Anderson family, it was quite an achievement.
"Albert, Albert, let me try, I want to try too!" Nia pounced on her brother excitedly.
"No." Albert quickly put away his wand. "At least, not here. You know what happened the last time I tried my wand. I almost blew up the counter in that wand shop."
"You're mean."
"This isn't about being mean. Wands are dangerous, and I don't know much about them yet. What if I encounter another dangerous situation?" Albert put on a stern face and played his trump card. "If Nia keeps acting like this, I won't teach you magic in the future."
"Albert is right." Herb quickly added, "You should wait until he's more familiar with magic before he teaches you."
"Fine!" Nia pouted, looking a little disappointed but eventually conceding. She envied Albert's ability to use magic.
"Your grandfather plans to visit in the next few days. However, I think it's best if we go and see them together, so we don't have to make another trip," Herb said, leaving some magical candies and gifts. He knew his father might not eat them, but he would surely be delighted to see these items from the wizarding world.
If he was still alive, it would mean the Philosopher's Stone had granted Nicolas Flamel immortality."
"Now, now, Daisy. Cheer up," Herbert said as he put his arm around his wife, offering comfort. "It's not as bad as you think. Especially since we don't understand the wizarding world yet, it's best not to jump to conclusions. Besides, you should have faith in our son. He's a genius, and he'll make something of himself wherever he goes."
"Right, Albert, can you use magic?" Nia rushed to Albert, grabbing his hand and shaking it gently in a playful manner. Her face was filled with anticipation as she said, "I want to see you perform magic."
"Well... I need to do some research first. I don't know how to use it yet," Albert replied, ruffling Nia's hair playfully.
"Ew, stop!" Nia covered her head and ran to Daisy's side, sharing a pumpkin pie with her.
Albert began flipping through Miranda Goshawk's "Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1," then took out his wand, ready for his first spell-casting attempt.
"No, Albert, not here!" Herbert's expression turned apprehensive as he recalled the previous incident at the wand shop.
"You should have a little more faith in your son!" Albert raised his wand and gently tapped it, whispering, "Lumos."
The tip of the wand flickered briefly before going dark again.
"Did the tip of the wand just flicker?" Daisy asked, unsure of what she had seen.
"Yes, it did! Just like that, my boy!" Herbert's face beamed with unmistakable pride as he realized Albert could use magic right away.
"Albert, what was that?" Nia asked eagerly.
"Erm, it's a Lumos spell. It's supposed to be one of the easier spells to master. I'll give it a try," Albert replied, secretly checking his status panel. Indeed, he found 'Lumos Spell' listed among his skills.
The spell was still at level 0, but he had already gained 7 experience points.
Only when it reached level 1 could he be considered to have truly mastered it. It would take just 100 experience points to get from level 0 to level 1, but Albert didn't plan to use his precious stored experience to level up the Lumos spell, as those 100 points were still extremely valuable.
"Let me try again," Albert cleared his throat and repeated the incantation. The wand tip emitted a pale light once more.
It took Albert a total of five attempts to barely grasp the spell. All it took was a slight concentration, and the light on the wand wouldn't fade away easily.
Witnessing this, the other three couldn't help but applaud. Although it was just a simple Lumos spell, it was still impressive to the Anderson family.
"Albert, Albert, let me try! I want to try, too!" Nia exclaimed excitedly, rushing towards her brother.
"No," Albert quickly retracted his wand. "At least, not here. Don't you remember? The last time I tried to use my wand, I almost blew up the counter in that wand shop."
"You're so stingy."
"This isn't about being stingy. Wands are dangerous, and I don't know enough about them yet. What if I encounter a dangerous situation?" Albert immediately put on a stern face and played his trump card. "If Nia keeps acting like this, I won't teach you magic in the future."
"Albert is right," Herbert quickly added. "You should wait until he's more familiar with magic before he teaches you."
"Fine!" Nia pouted, looking slightly dejected but ultimately conceding. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy that Albert could use magic.
"Your grandfather plans to visit in the next couple of days. However, I think it's best if we go and see them together, so we don't have to make another trip," Herbert said, leaving some magical world candies and gifts. He knew his father might not eat them, but he was sure he'd be delighted to see them.
(End of Chapter)
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