Chapter 12: Chapter 12
The summer holidays flew by swiftly, and it was almost the end of August—nearly the start of this academic year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Albert, when he first woke up in this world, did not expect to go to Hogwarts, but here he is, almost ready to say his goodbyes to his family until Christmas. During this time, he kept in contact with Gabriel, and within a few weeks, he emptied Gabriel's mind of all magical content. Gabriel never excelled in magic at Hogwarts, so it was easy for Albert to learn the basics from him. They corresponded through Owl every few days.
Gabriel believed they would sort Albert into Ravenclaw due to how academically inclined and book-smart he was. He saw Albert showing a keen interest in the theoretical aspects of magic. Gabriel wanted Albert to be sorted in Hufflepuff with him, but he doesn't mind if Albert goes anywhere, apart from Slytherin. After all, muggle-born wizards are not welcomed and are often discriminated against.
"Thank you, Snow. Take a nice long nap." Albert muttered while caressing the owl's head. It satisfied him that the owl was very self-sufficient and would always go out at night to hunt its own food. There is a reason owls are considered birds of prey. But he had to make sure Snow did not bring any dead prey into the house, as Daisy would get mad and give Albert a lecture. Snow let out a weary cry and entered her cage, ready to rest until called upon.
Making his way downstairs, Albert picked up Tom, taking him to the dining room where everybody else was having breakfast. Today, Herb took a day off from work. He is currently sitting with everybody else, but his crumpets are getting cold as he is preoccupied with the Daily Prophet in his hand. Daisy saw Albert and poured some soup into this bowl, ready for him to eat as soon as he sat down.
"Good morning. I made your favourite tomato soup for breakfast," Daisy said as she sat back down after finishing plating up the soup for her two children.
"Does that mean I don't need to drink fresh milk today?" Nina asked her mother, hoping that she would not need to taste that horrid liquid today.
"Of course. How else are you going to grow to be a big, strong girl?" Daisy said as she pointed to the glass of milk in front of her daughter.
"Albert! Have you learned any new spells yet?" Nina asked, hoping to divert attention away from the milk. She planned to quietly pour the milk into Tom's bowl and act as if she had finished her glass.
As Nina was pouring, her mother somehow appeared behind her and caught her red-handed. "Nina, what on God's green earth are you doing?" Daisy questioned.
"I'm making Tom's breakfast so he doesn't go hungry," Nina said.
Daisy got out another cup from the cabinet under the kitchen sink, washed it, and poured another serving for Nina. "You still have to have your daily milk."
"Mum. ugh. I hate having milk every single day." Nina complained.
"Don't 'ugh' me. Look at your brother. He's drinking his milk." Daisy said, trying to ease her daughter into drinking her milk.
"That's different. Albert likes everything. I've never seen him waste food. He even likes broccoli. What a freak!" Nina screamed back at her mother. Her family always compares her to her brother, and now she is fed up. "You can't compare me to him. He's special."
"I remember a time when your brother hated syrup," Herb butted in.
"That's a lie," Nina shouted back.
"No, it's true. When he was a little boy, he could not handle the taste of syrup. He said it was too gooey, too sweet, and too messy. Now look at him. He's drowned his pancakes in syrup and is going to it with his hands after he's finished his soup." Herb reminisced about simpler times when he only had one child to worry about.
"Picky eaters won't grow up strong and healthy." Albert chimed in with his childish remark. "or pretty. They'll stay uglier for the rest of their lives."
"Why do I want to be strong and healthy when I grow up?" Nina asked.
"Then you can look as beautiful as Mum when you're older. You won't look like a hag when you're in your thirties," Albert said.
"Mummy's boy," Nina said as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, be quiet, Nina. Don't be rude to your brother," Daisy said as she scuffed up Albert's hair while looking at him with a caring gaze.
Nina drank half of the cup and gave the other half to Albert under the premise that he needed it to grow tall too. Herb and Daisy are both tall and look very good for their age. They both pay close attention to their bodies and the clothes they wear. Originally, Herb planned to take the whole family to the zoo, as they will not be able to have this kind of experience when Albert goes to Hogwarts, but Albert wants to stay at home and spend time with the family. Nina said that she also didn't want to go, so Herb decided to give the ticket to the zoo to someone in their neighbourhood later.
Nina wanted to ride the broom that Albert got her as a present, but Herb and Daisy instantly refused, as she almost broke the television the last time she used it. The space in the living room is not quite adequate, and she can't ride a magical broom outside. As a result, they locked the broom inside the storage cupboard, never to see the light of day again. Albert also has a broom that hovers a few inches above the floor, but both he and Nina got bored with it quickly.
After watching TV for a few hours, Daisy got up and prepared lunch for the family. They then read 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard" and other wizarding children's stories. There were some stories from the muggle world, but they were more realistic and less romantic. When reading the 'Tales of Beedle the Bard', Nina asked if the story was true. Albert was quite confused about what he should say. He knows that the story is true but does not know how to explain it. In the end, he told Nina that it was a made-up story meant for children.
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