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Chapter 842: An Old Friend
Chapter 842: An Old Friend
As dusk approached, the atmosphere in the campground gradually came alive. Witches and wizards began to mill about, their voices carrying excitement as they eagerly discussed the upcoming Quidditch match. With the sun sinking below the horizon, the pretenses of subtlety were abandoned, and soon, tell-tale signs of magic began to emerge from all corners of the campsite.
After nightfall, Albert strolled through the bustling campground with Nia by his side. Every few steps, they encountered vendors peddling their wares, their carts brimming with all sorts of quirky souvenirs.
"Who do you think will win tonight?" Katherine asked, picking up a blue rose badge representing the USA as she browsed beside Albert.
"Krum will catch the Golden Snitch and bring victory to Bulgaria," Albert replied, donning a red hat on Nia's head and inspecting her with a satisfied nod before picking up a small red flag from the stall and giving it a gentle wave. The flag responded with a majestic lion's roar.
"Oh no, we bet on the USA winning," Valeria muttered softly.
"Then you're definitely going to lose money," Isabelle and Katrina chimed in, making their way over with a pair of binoculars in hand. They handed a pair to Albert and Nia.
"You should've told me earlier," Valeria grumbled, not one to take kindly to losing money. She relished the sense of security that winning brought. However, she suspected that even if Albert had mentioned it, Katherine would have still bet on the USA.
That woman could be so stubborn at times.
"It's fine, there will be other opportunities. Just remember to split the winnings with me next time," Albert teased.
"Deal," Katherine agreed.
The surrounding vendors looked on at the exchange, utterly bewildered.
Was this how he flirted?
"I want that," Nia whispered, tugging gently on Albert's arm as she pointed to a pliable model on the stall. She wanted him to buy her the model of a flying broomstick.
Albert promptly pulled out his money bag and paid without hesitation, continuing their leisurely stroll through the stalls, collecting souvenirs along the way.
During their walk, Albert encountered several familiar faces. The most entertaining of them all was Davies from Ravenclaw, who stared at the girls with a lovestruck expression, as if he had lost his soul. In his daze, he accidentally bumped into a strange wizard and, in his flustered apology, realized they didn't share a common language.
It wasn't just Davies; young witches and wizards from other countries shot curious glances their way as well. Their group was simply too eye-catching, and many of the young men were particularly interested in the beautiful girls accompanying Albert. One particularly bold individual, a vague acquaintance of Katherine's, even approached to strike up a conversation.
However, he was swiftly shot down by Katherine's blunt "Who are you?" leaving him embarrassed and retreating with his tail between his legs.
"Friend of yours?" Albert inquired.
"Don't know him," Katherine retorted. "You're bound to know a lot of people in school, but that doesn't mean you know every student, does it?"
"Fair point," Albert conceded, letting the matter drop as he continued browsing with Nia. He would occasionally stop to buy her a souvenir or pause to watch a performance.
Squinting, Albert studied the wizard before him, who had applied a bit of makeup and was skillfully juggling red balls that seemed to swim through the air like fish. Albert tentatively asked, "Danny?"
"Do I know you?" Danny asked, confusion clouding his features as he tried to place the face before him.
"Albert Anderson. We used to play Quidditch together," Albert reminded him with a smile. The lack of rebuttal confirmed it was indeed Danny, though it seemed their paths hadn't crossed in a long while, causing Albert to be forgotten.
"Oh, it's you!" Danny forced a smile, clearly not thrilled about being recognized by an acquaintance in this setting. His eyes drifted to the attractive girls standing behind Albert, and he teased, "You're quite the ladies' man, aren't you? Look at those gents over there—they're green with envy!"
"Whatever happened to Mario and Jack?" Albert steered the conversation in a different direction.
"Jack gave up, and Mario joined a circus troupe. He's currently traveling the world and performing," Danny shared, his expression softening as he spoke of his former companions. "To be honest, I gave up, too. I'm just here to pick up some odd jobs for a few Galleons. Enough about me, though—what about the rest of the gang?"
"Wood graduated last year and signed with Puddlemere United as a reserve player. Angelina is aiming to become a Quidditch player, and Fred and George are preparing to open a joke shop. They're still Beaters on the team, and I'm planning to publish a book soon," Albert filled him in.
"I've been seeing your name in the Prophet a lot lately. Congratulations on winning the International Alchemy Award," Danny said, giving Albert's shoulder a friendly nudge. "How's the Gryffindor team doing?"
"We won the Quidditch Cup last year, and Harry Potter is an exceptional Seeker," Albert replied.
"I thought you might've taken up the Seeker position," Danny said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. He had evidently hoped to hear that Albert had joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"Nah, I can't be bothered with all that rigorous training," Albert waved off the idea. "By the way, would you mind putting on a little show for my sister here?" he asked, gesturing to Nia.
"Your sister? You have a sister?" Danny was taken aback.
Albert pointed to Nia and discreetly slipped ten Galleons into Danny's hand. "I know it's a bit of an imposition, but please, consider it a payment for your troubles."
"Oh, of course, happy to help," Danny agreed, his expression conflicted, but he ultimately accepted Albert's offer.
He led them to his tent and retrieved some props, beginning with a simple yet captivating display of juggling the colorful balls. The red balls seemed to dance through the air like graceful fish, a testament to Danny's skill.
In addition to the ball-juggling, he performed a bubble-filled somersault in the sky, reminiscent of the Bubble-Head Charm. After completing a full circle, he landed gracefully, earning a round of enthusiastic applause.
Next was the fire-breathing act, where he appeared to ingest something that allowed him to spew a dazzling array of sparks from his mouth, akin to setting off fireworks.
The performance culminated with a singing shriek, and one could only wonder how Danny had managed to train the shrill, high-pitched birds to create such a rhythmic melody.
As Danny concluded his performance, the surrounding onlookers burst into enthusiastic applause.
"I think it's a shame you gave up on the circus," Albert remarked, affectionately ruffling Nia's hair as he turned to Danny with a smile. "Thank you so much for this."
"No, thank you," Danny replied with a warm smile, waving them goodbye.
"Your friend?" Katherine inquired.
"Something like that," Albert acknowledged.
"He's quite talented," Valeria remarked as they walked away from Danny's tent, her voice lowered. "But sometimes, people have to make compromises for practical reasons."
(End of Chapter)
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