During the Easter holidays, some Hogwarts students chose to go home and celebrate with their families.
Albert didn't go home.
After all, the end of term was approaching, and the summer holidays were also just around the corner.
Furthermore, not many students went home for the Easter holidays, which was related to the heavy holiday homework assigned by the Professors before the break.
Whether they went home or not, they still had to do a pile of holiday homework, and… if they went home, they wouldn't be able to use the school's Library collection.
Although most of the holiday homework was probably specially prepared by the Professors to help students prepare well for exams.
Daisy was quite disappointed that Albert didn't go home for the holidays, but she still sent him some Eastereggs.
On Easter Day, Shera brought the Easter eggs to Albert, and the package also included a photo.
Albert picked up the photo and grinned.
In the photo, Tom was squatting in a basket filled with Easter eggs, incubating them.
For some reason, Albert always found this scene quite humorous.
Speaking of which, Tom seemed to have gotten fatter again.
Was it an illusion?
Shera, feeling neglected, hooted at Albert in dissatisfaction.
"Sorry." Albert immediately pulled out owl treats from his robe pocket and fed them to Shera, while he himself unwrapped the Easter egg, broke open the chocolate shell, and pinched a piece to put in his mouth.
As with previous Easters, Daisy would buy Easter eggs from a familiar candy store; their shells were made of chocolate, and inside were chocolate-flavored toffees that Albert liked to eat.
"Want a toffee?" Albert handed the half-egg filled with toffees to his roommate.
"You should try my Easter egg too." Lee Jordan had already pried open his ostrich-egg-sized Easter egg with his fingernail, and it was filled with fudge.
"It's actually fudge." Albert picked up a piece of fudge and popped it into his mouth, muttering, "I can't believe it."
"Otherwise, what did you think it would be?" Lee Jordancouldn't help but roll his eyes at Albert.
"bertie bott's every flavor beans!" the Twins said in unison.
"Damn it, who would put bertie bott's every flavor beans inside an Easter egg?" Lee Jordan couldn't help but grumble, "Do you guys want some fudge?"
"Of course." Fred ate a piece of fudge, then picked up a chocolate toffee and threw it into his mouth, mumbling, "George, do you think Mum remembered to send us Easter eggs?"
"Maybe she forgot," George said. "After all, she's too busy."
"Mum never forgets your Easter eggs." Percy walked over and handed the Easter eggs to Fred and George, then turned to Albert and said, "Professor Brood asked me to remind you to see him at six o'clock tonight. Don't forget the time."
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"Six o'clock tonight?" Lee Jordan repeated, puzzled.
"It's an invitation." Albert casually explained, "ProfessorBrood invited me to… actually, I don't know what Professor invited me to do, I think it might be afternoon tea."
"Who do you know drinks afternoon tea at six in the evening?" George couldn't help but roll his eyes. "At least have some limit to your nonsense."
"Speaking of which, you didn't even tell us about this." Fred's eyes widened, looking at Albert with disbelief. "I bet it's definitely a party or a banquet."
"I'm often invited to Professor Brood's office for tea, at most with some refreshments."
"Why does it sound so strange when you say it like that?" Lee Jordan mumbled.
"I'll tell you whether it's a banquet or a tea party when I get back." Albert didn't dwell on the matter.
He, of course, knew what he was invited to attend.
A so-called academic gathering.
"Speaking of which, isn't this a bludger?" Lee Jordanpointed to the bludger-like Easter egg in Fred's hand.
"Aren't you going to open it and see what's inside?" Albert reminded them.
"Charlie must have told the family that we're going to be Beaters." George opened the outer layer of the Easteregg, and a strong smell of milk wafted out.
Their bludger Easter eggs were filled with milk-flavored toffee, clearly homemade by Mrs. Weasley.
"Do you want to try some?" Fred threw one into his mouth, slowly chewing the toffee, and mumbled indistinctly, "It tastes pretty good."
Albert and Lee Jordan both took a toffee from the pile and put it in their mouths; after chewing, their mouths were filled with a rich milky scent.
It tasted pretty good, but you can't eat too much of this toffee stuff.
"Look over there…" George exclaimed, "What's wrong with Sanna?"
Albert looked up and saw Sanna being violently struck on the head by textbooks, schoolbags, and ink bottles, so he gently waved his wand, dispelling Madam Pince's spell.
"Are you alright?" Albert had already guessed what was going on.
"Just now in the Library…" Sanna said breathlessly, "I forgot, you can't eat in the Library."
As expected, she had been kicked out by Madam Pince.
"Thank you, Albert." After a moment, Sanna finally caught her breath. "That was tough. Want some fudge?"
Sanna's Easter egg contained various flavors of fudge; she had just been eating fudge in the Library when Madam Pince kicked her out.
The Easter egg was large and had a very clear commercial label, indicating that, like Albert's, it was purchased from a candy store.
Albert ate a piece of fudge; it was strawberry-filled.
"As long as Madam Pince doesn't see you, it's fine." Albert winked at Sanna. "I often sneak hard candies in the Library."
"That's a good idea." Sanna giggled.
"Ow, don't peck." Albert felt a pain in his elbow and immediately pulled his hand back.
"What's wrong with your owl?" Sanna looked at Sherain confusion.
"It's urging me to write a reply." Albert mumbled, taking out a quill from his schoolbag and starting to write a letter home, not forgetting to tell Nia not to feed Tomtoo much.
Watching the owl fly away, Albert refocused on his revision.
Recently, he had been concentrating on Ancient Runes, and he felt a bit lax on other subjects. He hadn't even replied to Mr. Fuskco's letter yet.
"What are you thinking about?" Sanna asked, raising an eyebrow, a little displeased that Albert was distracted while talking to her.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about how much homework I still haven't done," Albert said casually.
"You're the least qualified to say that," Fred said, full of resentment.
"We're leaving now, we have something to do later." George pulled Fred away.
"Recently, Fred and George have been very secretive, I don't know what they're up to." Albert withdrew his gaze and continued to discuss homework with Sanna.
The Professors had mentioned that those questions were very important and would definitely be on the exam, and Lee Jordan was always very interested in this, as it could greatly reduce the difficulty of his revision.
…
"Time's almost up, I'm leaving now."
Albert took out his pocket watch, glanced at the pointer, and stood up to speak to the people around him.
"Where is he going?" Sanna looked at Albert's receding back and asked, puzzled, "It's almost time for dinner."
"Professor Brood sent him an invitation." Lee Jordanorganized his class notes and casually explained, "Inviting Albert to eat together."
"Professor Brood?"
"Don't you know?" Lee Jordan said in a low voice, a little envious of Albert's treatment, "Albert is ProfessorBrood's most favored student, without a doubt."
"I thought it was Professor McGonagall," Sanna said, surprised.
"For a while, Albert would go to Professor Brood's office every week…" Lee Jordan began to reveal some trivial matters about Albert to Sanna.
"Has anyone seen Fred and George?" Angelina sat in Albert's empty seat, interrupting their conversation.
"You mean Fred and George…"
Albert didn't know what Lee Jordan and the others had been talking about. After returning to the dormitory and putting down his schoolbag, Albert tidied himself up slightly in front of the mirror, then went alone to Professor Brood's office.
Professor Brood seemed to be waiting for him; when Albert knocked on the door, the wooden door of the office opened quickly.
"You're always so punctual." Professor Brood said to Albert with a faint smile on his face, "Alright, we should go now, don't keep the others waiting too long."
"Where are we going?" Albert asked.
At MacDougall's house.
Professor Brood reached for a small box on the fireplace, handed it to Albert, and gestured for him to take it.
"This is?" Albert scrutinized the glistening powder in the small box, immediately guessing what it was.
"floo powder. Oh, I almost forgot, you haven't used floo powder before, have you?" Professor Brood suddenly remembered and began to explain, "Using floo powderis very simple. First, you walk to the fireplace, then throw the powder into the flames. Once the flames rise, step into them. At this point, you must clearly state your destination. The place we're going is called Lake House."
Albert pinched a handful of the glistening powder from the small box, walked to the fireplace, and threw the powder into the flames.
With a whoosh, the fire in the grate turned emerald green and rose higher than Albert.
Albert hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the fire and called out, "Lake House."
In the blink of an eye, Albert was swallowed by the flames and disappeared.
Traveling by floo powder was equally unpleasant. Albert felt his body spinning rapidly. He squinted his eyes, and a series of blurred fireplace openings flashed before him, allowing him to vaguely glimpse the rooms outside the fireplaces.
The swirling green flames made Albert dizzy, and the whistling wind in his ears made him feel as if he were moving at high speed.
In a blink, the spinning stopped, and the whistling sound also disappeared. Albert felt himself falling onto the cold ground.
"That was quite something."
Albert landed awkwardly on the floor, and someone seemed to help him up from beside him.
"Welcome, Mr. Anderson."
A sharp voice sounded in Albert's ear. Albert, who had just stood up and was about to brush the soot off his cloak, froze. He looked in the direction of the voice; it was a House-elf.
A few seconds later, Professor Brood also emerged from the fire, standing on the Great Hall rug, brushing soot from his robes.
"Gentlemen, please come this way. Dinner is ready," the House-elf said sharply.
"Dinner?" Albert looked at Professor Brood suspiciously.
"Of course, dinner. Come on, don't keep everyone waiting too long."
This house was very large, not small at all. To describe it as a Lake House was almost ridiculous.
Led by the House-elf, they left the Great Hall, passed through the Hallway and up the stairs, arriving at a sunroom with a carpeted floor and transparent walls.
Dinner was held in this spacious room. There were already three people in the room. Besides MacDougall, the other two looked quite old.
The oldest of them might have been over a hundred, and the other at least eighty. They were all looking at Albertwith curious eyes.
There was no malice, only curiosity and friendliness.
"Albert Anderson, the genius I told you about, specializing in Ancient Runes." MacDougall pointed to Albert and introduced him to the others, "Of course, also Transfiguration. I recently read Albert's article in Transfiguration Today. Professor Brood says Albert's skill in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms Class is also very high."
"I'm Albert, pleased to meet you all." Albert looked a little reserved, nodding slightly to the group.
"Tiberius Ogden, an expert in Charms and Runes." MacDougall pointed to the older man and introduced him to Albert, "The Magical Theory you use now actually owes a debt to Tiberius."
The old man reached out and lightly shook Albert's hand.
"Gerber Smith." MacDougall pointed to the eighty-something-year-old man, saying, "He specializes in Transfiguration, Divination, and Ancient Runes, and is also an expert in Alchemy."
After shaking hands with Mr. Smith, Albert felt a sense of incongruity.
But he couldn't pinpoint what was incongruous.
The dinner was lavish, but the food was relatively light. The five of them ate and chatted, still using Ancient Runes.
As MacDougall said, they were all experts in Ancient Runes, the very best kind. MacDougall had also received their help when writing his book on Ancient Runes.
Smith and Ogden were equally surprised that Albertcould use Ancient Runes so skillfully.
Indeed, seeing is believing.
Albert was very full. They sat in soft armchairs, discussing Ancient Runes.
Honestly, it felt very strange for a young child to be among a group of old people discussing academic theories.
But you had to admit, they were all very capable people, with rich knowledge in Runes, and they spoke Ancient Runes fluently.
If someone unaware of the situation came here, they might think they had accidentally traveled a thousand years into the past.
This friendly conversation continued until nightfall.
Albert also expressed his interest in Alchemy to Gerber Smith and inquired about how to apply Ancient Runes.
Gerber looked at Albert's wooden bracelet and said with a smile, "There's actually nothing wrong with the protective bracelet you made. The reason it failed is that you can't infuse power into the runic writing yet."
Albert was a bit bewildered.
"runic writing is a mysterious script; it contains mysterious magic. However, what you're doing now is merely carving it; it doesn't give the runic writingpower," Gerber Smith explained. "Concentrate and infuse your magical power into the runic writing you've carved. This is why runic writing is called a script with magic."
When Wizards use this magical script to cast spells, the spells used become more powerful. Only those proficient in Ancient Runes truly realize this.
Perhaps some Wizards vaguely realize something, but they don't understand exactly what's happening; they just skillfully use Ancient Runes and unconsciously master how to apply them.
Therefore, Wizards believe that ancient magic is generally more powerful, which is also true.
Unfortunately, the old man's energy was limited, and their conversation ended there.
However, Gerber Smith and Tiberius Ogden expressed that they could establish friendly contact with Albertthrough letters in the future.
The banquet ended after ten o'clock at night, and Albertreturned to school via floo powder.
Just as Albert stood up from his chair, he realized something was off.
He looked from his side to the right: MacDougall was forty or fifty, Professor Brood was sixty-something, Gerber Smith was eighty-something, Tiberius Ogdenwas ninety or even over a hundred, and what about himself?
Twelve years old!
Someone was missing.
A twenty or thirty-year-old Wizard was missing, someone to bridge the gap between himself and Mr. MacDougall. Perhaps there should have been another twenty or thirty-year-old genius.
That would make more sense.
"Am I overthinking this?" Albert murmured.
Before returning to school through the fireplace, Albertsuddenly asked, "Professor Brood, was someone missing today?"
"Why do you ask?" Professor Brood paused, asking in confusion.
"Nothing, I just feel like someone was missing from this banquet," Albert murmured.
"No one was missing." Professor Brood repeated in confusion, "No one was missing. I said last time that the discontinuity in Ancient Runes is quite severe. So, it's not that someone was missing, but that there's a discontinuity."
Albert felt that Professor Brood's words had another meaning. He slowly returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, which was still lively at that hour, with people not yet asleep.
Albert stifled a yawn and went straight back to his dormitory. His other roommates hadn't returned yet.
He held the wooden bracelet, lost in thought, pondering what Gerber Smith had said.
Close to half past eleven, Lee Jordan returned to the dormitory, seeming to have had a great time.
"Where are Fred and George? Weren't they with you?" Seeing Lee Jordan return to the dormitory alone, Albertfrowned slightly. Hogwarts had a curfew after eleven.
"No, I haven't seen Fred and George since earlier. I thought they went back to the dormitory to rest first," Lee Jordan said, also frowning slightly.
"Fred and George aren't in the Common Room?" Albertsuddenly had a bad feeling.