Chapter 679: The Black Dog and Omen
Chapter 679: The Black Dog and Omen
"You first."
"No, you."
"Alright then, I think it's a bit silly for us to be following Katrina like this," Albert said as he walked alongside Isabelle, his eyes on the young girl standing in front of the Flourish and Blotts bookstore window a short distance away.
"I feel the same way," Isabelle replied, relieved to see that her sister was fine.
"Then... let's go over there," Albert said, starting to walk towards the bookstore.
"What are you two doing here?" Katrina turned at the sound of their voices, her expression becoming slightly uncomfortable as she saw Albert and Isabelle approaching.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I already have a copy of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'," Albert said, pointing to the large iron cage in the bookstore window that held about a hundred copies of the book. "Hagrid gave me one last semester."
The expression on the face of the bookstore manager, who was wearing thick gloves and holding two copies of the book, immediately changed. He had a hard time getting the books out of the cage because the books had been nipping at him.
"Give me the book," Albert said, taking the struggling book from the manager and gently running his finger along the spine. Instantly, the book became quiet.
The manager was stunned by this display, standing there dumbfounded as Albert handed the now docile book to Katrina and then gave the manager the school's book list.
"I'll take two more of these," Albert said, his voice ringing in the manager's ear.
"How did you...? These books have been causing nothing but trouble, and I've been bitten nine times just this morning!" the manager lamented.
"You should write to the professor who assigned this book to students for Care of Magical Creatures. He will definitely know how to handle these biting books and will be willing to tell you what to do," Albert replied, feeling a bit exasperated at the manager's cluelessness.
"Oh... I suppose you're right," the manager stammered, his expression turning embarrassed as he realized the sense in Albert's words.
"Just gently stroke the spine of the book with your finger, and it will calm down," Albert kindly advised. "Remember to tie it up with a rope first, though. It will return to its feisty state soon enough."
Not long after, the trio left the bookstore with grateful looks from the manager.
"I bet it's going to be a challenge to calm down all those books in the cage," Albert remarked as he glanced back at the large number of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' books still in the cage before leaving Flourish and Blotts.
"Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions seems to be having a sale. Does either of you need a new robe?" Isabelle asked, looking at Katrina.
"No, I'm going to get some more potions ingredients, and then I'll get some quills, ink, and parchment. I think I'm all set after that," Katrina replied, feeling a bit out of place with the other two.
"I need to get some nuts for my owl from Eeylops Owl Emporium," Albert said after a moment's thought. "But we can stop by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for some ice cream on the way. It's my treat."
As they approached, they saw Harry Potter talking to Florean, the owner of the ice cream shop. It seemed like the savior of the wizarding world often did his holiday homework there.
"What flavors would you like?" Florean asked gently.
"Chocolate," Katrina said, moving closer to the ice cream cabinet and choosing her favorite flavor.
"Me too," Isabelle piped up.
"Then we'll have three chocolate ice creams," Albert said, reaching into his pocket to pay. But before he could, he heard Harry Potter's voice.
"Albert."
In truth, Harry had hesitated for a long time after seeing the trio approach, but he eventually spoke up.
"Yes, Potter?" Albert asked, turning his head.
"Do you... know about omens?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"Omens? Do you mean the kind where you see your own death in a crystal ball?" Albert raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"No, I met a black dog," Harry explained.
"Oh, a black dog? That's definitely not an omen. You're just overthinking things," Albert replied dismissively.
Albert had a good idea of who the black dog was, and Black probably didn't expect to scare Harry.
"Of course, if you believe that's death and worry about it all day, maybe one day you'll really scare yourself to death." Seeing Harry's mouth drop open, Albert reminded him kindly, "The scariest thing is to scare yourself because you think it is, not because it is."
"I think Mr. Anderson makes a lot of sense."
Florian handed ice cream to the trio and said to Harry, "Most of the so-called fortune-tellers and prophets are actually frauds, as there are very few wizards who truly possess the ability to foretell the future."
As she ate her ice cream, Katrina seemed happy, and the way she looked at Albert seemed to say, "He's a fraud."
However, Albert didn't feel embarrassed at all. He wasn't a fraud, and he had thick enough skin to ignore Katrina's gaze.
He shrugged and bade Harry farewell before heading toward Eeylops Owl Emporium, a shop that sold owls. This was where Albert bought the owl nuts for Sheera.
Half an hour later, the trio had finished their shopping. Albert asked the two girls beside him, "Do you want to continue strolling through Diagon Alley?"
"What about you?"
Isabelle looked at her sister. If Katrina wanted to stay, she would keep her company and then head home together.
"Never mind, let's go home!"
Katrina clearly didn't want to linger in Diagon Alley. She knew that if she expressed her desire to stay, the other two would stay with her, and she had grown tired of the uncomfortable feeling of being sandwiched between them.
After sending the McDougall sisters home, Albert left the wizarding world through the Leaky Cauldron.
Standing alone on the bustling street, he always felt a strange sense of unreality.
Albert found a nearby coffee shop, ordered a cappuccino, and waited for Herb to pick him up.
Herb didn't keep him waiting long and soon appeared at the coffee shop entrance.
"How was France?"
"I learned a lot of useful things, and..." Albert gestured for Herb to look at the ring on his left finger.
"It's a bit plain," Herb wanted to tease about his son's taste.
"Mr. LeMey gave us the wedding rings. They're magical rings made by fairies and will never get dirty or rusty," Albert explained casually.
"That's it?" Herb tilted his head in query.
"Yep," Albert looked at Herb helplessly.
"I thought we could use some powerful magic with those rings." Herb looked a bit disappointed but he also understood the significance of the rings.
"By the way, this is for you." He tossed a package to Albert, which contained a mobile phone.
"This thing doesn't work on my end!" Albert looked at the old phone and asked curiously, "How much does one of these cost?"
"Not that expensive!" Herb asked in confusion, "Can't you use this on your side?"
"No, we can't use electronic devices. They interfere with each other, as far as I remember." Albert handed the phone back to Herb. "Give it to Nia."
"Oh, alright!"
Herb put away the phone, started the engine, and began driving while chatting with Albert.
"I've looked into what you asked about. The situation in the colonies is fine, and that country is quite 'poor' at the moment, but as you said, they do have a large population."
"This is a fast lane. If you want in, join us, and we won't have to worry about money in the future." Albert reminded him, "Money will only become less valuable over time. It's not like wizarding Galleons, which are made of precious metals and don't depreciate easily."
"Do you really intend to stay in the wizarding world?" Herb frowned deeply. "What will you do with these businesses then? I believe you might be able to fulfill your initial wish of building a commercial empire."
"There's still Nia," Albert said without hesitation. "And, you can always have another son. You two are still young."
"No, we're not that young anymore, and Nia doesn't have your talent." Herb shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the topic. He felt that Albert would find a way to resolve these issues.
Money, after all, was something one could never have too much of.
(End of Chapter)
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