Chapter 807: A Few Happenings Before the Holidays
Chapter 807: A Few Happenings Before the Holidays
Gentle summer breezes brushed across the sparkling lake, carrying the carefree laughter of girls lounging on its banks.
Ever since the end-of-term exams had concluded, everyone had become listless, escaping the stifling castle to while away their last leisurely moments before the summer holidays.
In the shade of a beech tree by the lake, Albert and Isabelle sat whispering to each other.
"How does it feel to graduate?" Albert asked with a smile, nudging the slightly distracted girl beside him.
"A little sad and lost," Isabelle replied, tilting her head to look up at the tall boy. "And a bit reluctant, too."
"Because of me?" Albert prompted, though he already knew the answer.
"Well, not being able to graduate with you is a bit of a pity," Isabelle admitted, glancing at the group of girls nearby who had kicked off their shoes and socks, dipping their feet into the lake to cool off. "When we leave school and face the real world, a lot of people will change and become strangers, drifting away from who they used to be."
"I should be the worried one," Albert countered, tucking a strand of hair behind Isabelle's ear as he leaned in close. "Maybe after you go out and experience the glamorous world, you'll forget about me."
A flush crept across Isabelle's cheeks, and she rolled her eyes at Albert. "Why are you thinking about these things now?"
"I'm almost an adult," Albert said with a wink. "With enough money and no worries, a lot of things don't really matter, and you don't have to be constrained."
"No way," Isabelle shook her head firmly. "That's just ridiculous. Can't you be serious for once?"
"I'm not joking," Albert insisted. "As far as I know, the Potters got married right after graduating and had a child soon after. They weren't as mature mentally as we are."
Of course, he was just saying that. They were still too young and unprepared, and the timing wasn't right.
A barn owl soared through the azure sky, wings flapping as it flew toward the school. It carried a letter in its beak and dropped it into the shade of the beech tree as it glided over the lake, delivering the envelope to Albert.
"Thanks for your hard work," Albert said, offering the owl a treat of owl nuts.
"You're quite the busy bee," Isabelle teased. "I heard that the famous Professor Anderson receives a letter every other day, on average."
"It's all to earn money to support you," Albert said with a grin. "How are you going to repay me?"
"Aren't you going to see who it's from?"
"Old pal Tiberius Ogden," Albert noted the sender and guessed what was inside the envelope. He opened it to find a small stack of Quidditch World Cup tickets, the best seats in the house, which left him momentarily speechless.
"I bet these tickets weren't cheap," he remarked.
"Insider tickets?" Isabelle guessed the reason for their acquisition.
"Yeah," Albert nodded. "By the way, is Mrs. McDougall really not going to the Quidditch match? There are four tickets here."
"I don't know. My mom's always busy. I'll owl her and let you know later," Isabelle said.
"No rush. We still have over a month before the Quidditch World Cup," Albert assured her.
The days leading up to the holidays were the most relaxed for everyone. They had no classes to attend and no end-of-term exams to worry about.
Albert and Isabelle spent their time together planning for the summer. He had already arranged for them to meet at the house in Hogsmeade, which was almost finished. If Isabelle was interested, she could even work there, and they could also use the Vanishing Cabinet to meet up.
Yes, using the Vanishing Cabinet didn't count as using magic, just like riding a broom didn't invite warnings from the Ministry of Magic.
Albert had already decided to pack the Vanishing Cabinet from the Room of Requirement into a portable case and take it with him.
Exchanging letters with your girlfriend via owl was nothing compared to the joy of chatting through a two-way mirror, and chatting through a mirror was nothing compared to the thrill of an actual date.
After all, couples in the throes of young love wanted nothing more than to spend every waking moment together.
On the last evening of the term, students gathered in pairs and groups, making their way to the Great Hall for the end-of-year feast. The scarlet and gold decorations adorning the hall hinted at the winner of the House Cup—Gryffindor.
At the teachers' table, Professor McGonagall was shaking hands with a slightly uncomfortable-looking Professor Snape. The reason for this cordial interaction was the victory of Hogwarts in the Potions Championship, an achievement certainly worth celebrating.
Tonight, Gryffindor House was the star of the feast, their long table buzzing with excitement as each student celebrated their victory in the House Cup.
The next day, as Albert hauled his trunk onto the night carriage, he couldn't help but glance toward the lake. The seventh-year graduates had a tradition of departing the castle by boat, sailing across the lake in a poetic and symbolic farewell.
Students would once again board the magical boats that had brought them to the castle as first-years, this time leaving in a manner filled with nostalgia and anticipation.
"We've been lucky to get a few orders before the holidays," Fred and George shared their recent success as the night carriage rolled along. Although they hadn't been able to post their advertisement on the notice board because of Percy, the product demonstration in their final days at school had piqued the curiosity of many students. Combined with their affordable pricing, they had managed to secure a handful of sales.
Fred and George wore wide grins, thrilled by their small yet significant triumph. This was undoubtedly the first step toward their dream.
"By the way, are you guys planning to go to the Quidditch World Cup this summer?" Lee Jordan suddenly asked Albert. "If you can't get your hands on tickets, my dad might be able to pull some strings. He'd definitely welcome you."
"
"Don't be silly, Albert will definitely get tickets. I remember that Black was planning to invite him to the game." Fred wasn't worried at all about Albert not being able to get tickets. That guy had too many connections; there was no need to worry about not being able to buy tickets.
"I got the tickets, they were a gift."
"From Black?"
"No, from an old friend."
"What about you guys?"
"My dad can always get tickets from his unit." George couldn't help but ask, "What have you been looking at since just now?"
"The lake-crossing ceremony for the seventh-year graduates." Albert retracted his gaze and said.
"When did you become interested in graduation ceremonies?" Fred asked in confusion. There was a lake-crossing ceremony at Hogwarts every year, but he had never seen Albert pay so much attention to it.
"Dumbass, Isabelle is graduating this year." George reminded him.
"Speaking of which, that idiot Percy really intends to apply for a job at the Ministry of Magic." Fred suddenly said, "Mom always hopes that we will work at the Ministry, but she doesn't know about Dad's reputation at all. Many pure-blooded wizards in the Ministry don't like him, and they even call us pure-blood traitors."
"Bill used to work as a Curse-Breaker in Egypt, and it's not just because he likes the thrill of it. He sees more clearly than anyone else that it's incredibly difficult to get promoted within the Ministry." George was very pessimistic about Percy's choice, "Bill secretly told us that it's extremely challenging for Muggle-born wizards to get promoted in the Ministry. They have to watch their every step and can't live their lives freely."
After boarding the train, Albert stayed with the trio instead of going off on his own as he usually did. Isabelle had left right after the lake-crossing ceremony, and her luggage had been packed and sent away by the house-elves.
The four of them played a few games, and when the trolley witch came by, they bought some lunch and chatted about some trivial matters regarding the summer holidays.
Fred and George also received a simple magical gadget manufacturing list from Albert, which included many interesting little gadgets.
"I think we can sell Invisibility Cloaks in the future." Fred mumbled softly, "The Headless Hats are only good for scaring people."
"The best you'll be able to make are third-rate Invisibility Cloaks. Hmm, they're just ordinary traveling cloaks enchanted with a Disillusionment Charm or a Bedazzling Hex. But with your abilities, the enchantment usually won't last long, and the cloak will become visible again soon enough. If you only sell them to students, I think that should be good enough. However, I suggest you start with the simplest ones first; you need to accumulate experience in everything."
In a few years, defensive magical items would become very popular, and Albert intended to help them make a fortune through this trend.
For this purpose, Albert had already prepared gift packages for both wizards in the Ministry and ordinary wizarding families, which could effectively help them defend against Dark Magic.
In that chaotic era, he believed that many wizards would be willing to spend money to buy peace of mind.
The product manufacturing would need to be entrusted to Fred and George, and Albert intended to bring Lupin in to help with the production as well.
After all, Lupin needed a job, and this was a meaningful one; Albert believed that he wouldn't refuse.
As the Hogwarts Express gradually slowed down, Albert followed the flow of students off the train and spotted a familiar figure on the platform.
"You're pretty quick to adapt to your new identity." Albert found that Isabelle had come to pick up Katrina.
"Since I've graduated, it's only natural for me to come and pick her up." Isabelle waved at someone in the distance, "Katrina, over here..."
"Where's Mom?" Katrina asked in confusion.
"From now on, I'll be the one picking you up." Isabelle said.
Katrina was a little taken aback and found it hard to accept this change.
"Alright, we should head home now. See you later."
Isabelle kissed Albert on the cheek, pulled Katrina's hand, and took the suitcase from her, disappearing with a pop.
"Sis-cons are truly formidable."
Albert dragged his luggage through the entrance alone and returned to the Muggle world.
After exiting King's Cross Station, Albert didn't see Herb's car and furrowed his brows slightly, thinking that they were late. But then he heard the sound of a car horn in the distance.
"Over here." Nia was standing next to a car, waving at him.
"What's going on?" Albert walked over with his luggage and found that it was Grandpa Luke who had come to pick him up.
"Herb and Daisy went to the Orient not long ago. You'll be staying with us during the summer break." Luke explained with a smile.
Nia put Tom's cage in the back seat.
Albert stuffed the remaining luggage into the back of the car and sat in the passenger seat, asking, "Why didn't they write to inform me about this?"
"I didn't let them. I wanted to give you a surprise." Luke winked, "Sansa should have already prepared all your favorite foods."
"It is a bit of a surprise." Albert said.
"He seems to have seen the money-making opportunity you mentioned over there." Nia, who had been playing with Tom's ears, said, "They've been studying the market over there, preparing for your prophecy."
"That's good. Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared."
Albert agreed with Herb's actions. As long as they seized the opportunity, they could make a fortune.
"I don't really like it over there." Nia scratched Tom's chin and said, "I can't speak the language, and I always feel that it's very chaotic."
"Didn't you learn their language?" Albert asked.
"I learned it, but I can't speak or understand it very well. Apparently, the dialect in the colonies is different." Nia complained, "Not everyone is like you."
"If you don't want to stay there, you can always come back after things settle down here." Albert consoled her, "Just treat this as a vacation abroad for now."
(End of Volume) (End of Chapter)
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