Chapter 608: Vacation
Chapter 608: Vacation
"Tom, don't run off!" A young girl's voice rang out from the garden.
Albert blinked, stretched, and pulled the pristine white sheets off his body as he climbed out of bed.
"Haha!"
Covering a yawn and stretching lazily, Albert pushed aside the floor-length curtains and watched as Tom excitedly darted around the garden. He shook his head helplessly.
"You're up."
On the terrace, Isabelle, who was flipping through a book, greeted him without looking up.
The book she was reading was a gift from Miss Louise before they left France.
Of course, it was evident from the entirely French text that the sender had less than pure intentions.
While Isabelle couldn't understand a word of French, Albert, with his cheat-like abilities, could.
"I've noticed that you're becoming more and more beautiful, my dear."
Albert kissed the girl on the forehead and then looked out into the garden where Tom was dashing about, only to meet his sister's disdainful gaze.
"Your flattery skills need work," Nia couldn't help but tease. "The guy who was trying to pursue me was much better at it than you."
"Your boyfriend?" Albert narrowed his eyes. "Oh, so you turned him down!"
"You jerk."
Nia's expression darkened. She was annoyed that Albert had used his peculiar abilities to peek into her inner thoughts.
Sensing the girl's anger, Albert quickly tried to placate her. "Sorry, it won't happen again."
Isabelle also offered a faint smile.
Albert glanced at Isabelle, who was trying to hide a smirk, and pulled out a chair to sit beside her. Nia marched over with Tom in her arms, still looking grumpy.
"By the way, where are the others?"
"They found a foreign exchange student to translate for them and went shopping," Nia replied on Isabelle's behalf.
In truth, Albert could also speak Italian, but it wouldn't have been appropriate for him to act as their translator the entire time.
"Why didn't you go with them?"
"I'll go next time. We're staying here for a while anyway." Nia placed the energetic Tom on the table and began brushing his fur in an attempt to calm him down.
Unfortunately, Tom had been cooped up in his cat bed recently and was eager to move around. Before long, he slipped away again.
Tom stayed within everyone's line of sight as he frolicked about, daring not to stray too far. Albert had warned him that if he got lost in a foreign country, he would truly become a stray cat and would have to bid farewell to his beloved cat treats and kibble.
"Is it inappropriate?"
"Yes," Nia coldly replied. "They're only interested in playing their little dating games. It's annoying to watch."
"Well, that's good." Albert nodded. "If it's not a good match, dump them. When you're ready to look for a boyfriend, I can try to help with a divination."
"Only you would come up with such a method," Isabelle said, exasperated, as she looked at Albert.
Being able to perform divination really gave him free rein.
"Muggles like to use divination to peek into their romantic fortunes," Albert said dismissively. "Even though they know these divinations are fake, they still enjoy them."
Not wanting the conversation to revolve around her love life, Nia steered the topic elsewhere and asked Isabelle, "How's your French coming along?"
"I can barely make out some of the words," Isabelle said as she closed the book. She had been trying to self-study French, but her progress was slow. "I really don't know how you managed to learn so many languages in such a short time."
"It's not a big deal," Albert said as he took a sip of the hot drink Nia handed him. "Apparently, Dumbledore is fluent in many languages."
"He's lived for a century," Isabelle added.
"Let's go there someday!" Nia suggested, flipping through a Muggle magazine she had picked up at the Sicily airport. It had a Sicily vacation guide.
"Sure, we can go together," Albert said, leaning over to glance at the suggested itinerary in the magazine. He didn't pay it much mind as he readily agreed.
He knew that while the suggested route might not be the best or the most cost-effective, it would undoubtedly be the most expensive. Expensive options were usually of decent quality; otherwise, their reputation would suffer.
Albert had a generous budget.
Even in winter, Sicily boasted comfortable temperatures, making it an ideal place to spend the winter months. As the group lounged on the terrace, soaking in the sun and chatting casually, Isabelle found everything about this new environment fascinating.
The young girl had never left Britain and had mostly stayed in the same few places.
"I suddenly understand why so many wizards like to travel after graduation," Isabelle said to Albert.
If they didn't join the Ministry of Magic right after graduation, most wizards would embark on journeys to broaden their horizons.
It was worth mentioning that both of Albert's Defense Against the Dark Arts professors had rather unique travel experiences.
Quirinus Quirrell had gone off in search of Voldemort, ultimately leading to his own demise.
Gilderoy Lockhart, on the other hand, visited famous witches and wizards during his travels and secretly stole their achievements to claim as his own.
Neither of them had fared well.
"If you want to travel after graduation, I fully support it," Albert said after some thought. "But we can delay it for a while. We can go together when the time comes."
Nia pouted, regretting that she hadn't joined her parents on their trips abroad.
However, Nia's relief from the topic of her love life was short-lived as Albert and Isabelle turned their attention to their homework.
To be honest, it was uncomfortable to be on a vacation and still have to worry about homework.
But they couldn't afford to dedicate all their time to leisure.
If they crammed their homework into the end of the Christmas break, it would only make things more stressful.
It was already nearing evening when Herb and Daisy finally returned from their shopping spree, looking thoroughly pleased with themselves.
Daisy even presented Isabelle with an expensive Italian perfume as a Christmas gift, much to Nia's dismay. She felt left out as she hadn't gotten anything, and she now regretted not vehemently opposing Isabelle's inclusion in their vacation plans.
That evening, the Anderson family dined at a renowned Italian restaurant nearby.
Isabelle thoroughly enjoyed the Italian cuisine, and like Albert, she ordered a plate of Italian lobster pasta.
"Maybe we should buy a few cookbooks to take home," Isabelle suggested in a soft voice. "Then, we can have our house-elves prepare these dishes for us."
"That's a great idea," Albert agreed. House-elves generally had good learning abilities, and it would be fantastic if they could prepare cuisine from various countries.
Well, it certainly had nothing to do with his love for delicious food.
It would help elevate the status of house-elves.
"What's a house-elf?" Nia whispered.
"It's nothing."
Albert made a shushing gesture and continued eating, his head bowed.
Herb and Daisy exchanged glances, realizing that their son had kept quite a few things from them! They knew what a house-elf was.
Due to Albert, their precious son, Herb and Daisy had done their fair share of research into the wizarding world.
Most of the books Albert had purchased were still at home, and they also subscribed to the wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet.
(End of Chapter)
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