Chapter 610: Casu Marzu Cheese
Chapter 610: Casu Marzu Cheese
The day before school started, the weather took a turn for the worse.
A blizzard blew through London, and it took the Anderson family a long time to get to King's Cross Station. The platform was deserted, as no one wanted to brave the cold. Albert hurried through Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and boarded the Hogwarts Express.
The train wasn't much better than the outdoors, as the old train provided no heat, leaving all the students huddled and shivering.
Albert dragged his suitcase down the corridor and found Lee Jordan warming himself by a fire in one of the compartments. When Albert opened the door, Lee was holding his hands over a glass bottle to warm them.
"What are you staring at?" Albert asked as he entered the compartment, closing the door behind him and pulling out his wand to conjure a cup for himself. He poured some milk tea and took a sip to warm up.
"Was Italy fun?" Lee asked, picking up the thermos that Albert had placed on the table and pouring himself a cup.
The blizzard outside was intensifying, and despite the fire they had conjured, they still had to wrap themselves tightly in their thick cloaks.
"Italy is warmer than here; it's a great place for a vacation," Albert said, hugging his cup and yawning lazily. He suddenly regretted not sharing a compartment with Isabelle.
"That's nice," Lee said, a bit jealous. "You seem different from before."
"How about the sweet rice wine?" Albert changed the subject.
Boys and men are different, he thought to himself.
"That stuff was amazing," Lee said. "I heated it up as you suggested, and it made my whole body feel warm. It's way better than butterbeer. You have to get me some more." Lee had been surprised when he received the sweet rice wine from Albert; he hadn't expected Albert to be a brewer.
Albert replied in a disgruntled tone, "I brewed it for my own consumption. I gave it all away, so I don't have any left."
"Are you planning to sell this wine in the future?"
"Not planning to, for now."
Albert used magic to create more blue fire basins to make the compartment cozier.
The journey was tough, especially the carriage ride back to Hogwarts Castle, which was a disaster.
Students hurried back to their common rooms, seeking a warm place to warm themselves by the fire.
The edge of the fireplace in Gryffindor Tower was soon packed with students jostling for the best spots. Albert looked at the enthusiastic Weasley twins, who greeted him, with a strange expression. "Get on with it. What do you want?"
"Do you have any more of that wine? Come on, give us a few more bottles," the twin brothers pleaded. They loved the sweet rice wine; it tasted sweet and unlike any wine they had ever had; it was more like a beverage.
"Forget about that," Lee said, interrupting the Weasley twins before they could ramble on. He was eager to see what souvenir Albert had brought them from Italy.
Lee had been asking about it on the train, but Albert had said he would only bring it out when all four of them were together.
"Alright, it's Casu Marzu cheese," Albert said with a smile.
"Cheese?" George was baffled, not expecting Albert to give them cheese.
"Is it tasty?"
That was their first reaction upon hearing that Albert had bought them Casu Marzu cheese, as they all knew Albert was a connoisseur of fine food.
"I don't know," Albert said as he took the gift he had purchased in Italy out of his parcel and placed it on the table. "I've heard it's a specialty there, so I thought it might, should, probably not be too bad, and that's why I bought it."
The three of them crowded around, and a game of rock-paper-scissors decided who would open Albert's package.
"Then I'll cut it open!"
Fred somehow produced a knife, fork, and plate and was ready to dig in.
"Go ahead," Albert said with a laugh as he educated them. "Casu Marzu cheese is typically eaten with Sardinian bread and Italian Cannonau red wine."
As Fred cut into the Casu Marzu cheese, the expressions on the three boys' faces froze.
There were maggots in the cheese, and there were a lot of them.
Fred felt his stomach churn, and he suddenly lost his appetite.
"Is this cheese spoiled?" George asked uncertainly, poking at the maggots with his fork. To his surprise, the maggots leaped to twice their body length.
"No, it's not spoiled," Albert said matter-of-factly. "If the maggots aren't wriggling, it means the cheese is poisonous."
"You!"
At that moment, the three boys knew Albert had done this on purpose.
“No, why don't you try it first?” Fred asked in a huff.
"No, I'm planning to give it to someone else," Albert replied, waving his wand to restore the cheese to its original state.
"Who are you giving it to?" The three boys were intrigued.
"Snape or Lockhart," Albert answered without hesitation. "Valentine's Day is coming up. I could disguise it as a gift from a fan, no, a passionate Italian fan, to Lockhart."
"I'm kind of looking forward to seeing Lockhart's expression when he receives it." At that moment, the four of them wore mischievous expressions.
After dinner, Albert shook off his three roommates and made a solo trip to the Room of Requirement to check on the Horcrux.
Upon leaving the Room of Requirement, he began pondering how to deal with the Basilisk.
He had no choice; the current Albert was especially afraid of death, and he had just started to enjoy life. He didn't want to kick the bucket.
Within Hogwarts, aside from the Basilisk, there was nothing that posed a threat to his life.
As he walked and contemplated, Albert made his way towards the school hospital.
As expected, Hermione was hospitalized; what bad luck she had.
At the entrance of the hospital wing, Albert encountered a familiar figure and greeted him with a smile: "Good evening, Professor Lockhart. What brings you here?"
"Good evening, Mr. Anderson. I heard Miss Granger was hospitalized, so I came to visit her," Lockhart said with a smile. "You know, the attack incident has everyone on edge."
"Is she alright?" Albert asked.
"She's fine, just a bit of a complication," Lockhart said as he walked away.
Albert greeted Madam Pomfrey and made his way to the curtained-off area. He lowered his voice and asked, "I heard you've been unwell."
"It's terrible; we messed up," Hermione said dejectedly. Harry and Ron had told her about what had transpired in the Slytherin common room after they returned.
"Can I come in?" Albert asked.
"No," Hermione shook her head. She didn't want Albert to see her like this.
Madam Pomfrey had surrounded her bed with curtains to prevent others from seeing her furry face, lest she feel too embarrassed.
"I wouldn't laugh at you, and even if you didn't tell me, I already guessed," Albert said as he drew back the curtains and stepped in. Looking at Hermione's face, now covered in cat fur, he asked, "Do you want to become a cat? Do you have a cat tail? Oh, sorry, I'm just curious."
Hermione glared at Albert, looking aggrieved.
"I also brought you a gift," he said, taking out a parcel from his pocket and placing it on the table. "You'll like it."
Sure enough, Hermione's attention was diverted.
"What is this?" Albert caught a glimpse of a greeting card hidden under her pillow and gave a strange look. He already knew who it was from, and before Hermione could hide it again, he pulled it out and opened it, whispering, "To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery. From your concerned teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, five-time winner of the 'Most Charming Smile' award by the Wizarding World Weekly."
"A greeting card?" Albert whispered.
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Albert continued, "I understand. This kind of star-chasing behavior is also common in the Muggle world. After all, Professor Lockhart is handsome and writes well, so it's normal for him to have fans. Actually, I'm also a fan of Professor Lockhart."
"Really?" Hermione's eyes lit up.
"Yes," Albert nodded. Before Hermione could say anything, he continued, "By the way, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Do you admire me or like me?" Albert looked at the dumbfounded Hermione with satisfaction. "Is it because I'm not as handsome as Lockhart?"
"People don't like someone just because they're good-looking!" Hermione muttered, not even convincing herself.
"No, no, people just like my looks and fame," Albert said, sizing Hermione up and down with a smile. "Someone once said something similar to me."
"Your girlfriend?" Hermione asked tentatively.
Before Albert could answer, Madam Pomfrey brought in Hermione's evening medication, interrupting their conversation and indicating that visiting hours were over.
"It was my sister," Albert said with a smile as he walked away.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
