Bab 169: Chapter 169 - Adults Like to Act Like Children
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If it weren't for the unfortunate incident with the Ministry of Magic, this summer vacation would undoubtedly be perfect.
Even without the ability to use magic during the summer break, Albert still had plenty to do, such as catching up on books he hadn't had time to read before. Reading had always been one of Albert's interests, and besides, it was a great way to gain knowledge and experience. Why not indulge in it?
On the last night, Herbert took his family to an Italian restaurant to enjoy an authentic seafood pasta. The taste was really good.
After returning home, they all gathered on the couch, snacking and chatting while watching the latest comedy TV series.
Before ten o'clock, Daisy made hot cocoa for everyone, and after finishing it, they all went to bed.
The next morning, Tom once again woke Albert up by brushing him with his furry tail.
Albert, dressed neatly, walked to the desk and opened the drawer with a key, taking out the golden card from inside.
There was also a letter on the desk, a letter from Professor Brode. In addition to explaining some magical techniques, it vaguely mentioned something: Haddock had visited him.
Hmm, this sentence meant that Haddock knew the golden card was with Albert.
However, Albert didn't mind. He would put the golden card in a letter and give it to Sheila to deliver to Grandpa Luke. Then, Grandpa Luke would send it to Hogwarts by mail.
If Haddock wanted to retrieve the golden card through other means, there were no doors, let alone windows.
Albert had already decided that unless the matter was resolved, there was no way Haddock would get the golden card back from him.
After all, the request he made wasn't unreasonable.
Since you caused the trouble, you deal with it.
As for how to resolve the matter, it had nothing to do with Albert.
Breakfast was hearty, and Daisy made Albert's favorite food, as well as a ham sandwich.
At half-past eight, the family set off for King's Cross Station on time.
Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on their side today. They encountered a traffic jam halfway to London, and there seemed to be a traffic accident on the road ahead. By the time Albert arrived at the station, it was already a quarter past ten.
Herbert helped find a trolley for luggage and unloaded Albert's suitcase from the car.
"You won't take Tom with you, right?" Nia asked, holding Tom.
"No, Tom will stay at home with you," Albert patted his sister's head and said, "I believe you can take good care of yourself and Tom."
"Don't pat a lady's head," Nia pouted unhappily but didn't dodge, "Remember to write to me, and don't forget about the photos."
"I know, I won't forget," Albert reached out and touched Tom's head, cautioning, "Don't eat too much, or no one will be able to carry you, you big fat cat."
"Meow!" Tom meowed, whether in protest or something else, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
"If you need to buy a broomstick, use this Galleon," Herbert pushed the luggage to Albert and handed him a bag of Galleons, then hugged him and said with a smile, "I'm really looking forward to seeing you play Quidditch."
"If I can find a wizard who knows how to take pictures, you'll see the photos," Albert smiled and shook his head, reminding, "But don't have too high expectations."
"Merry Christmas!" Daisy hugged Albert, kissed him on the cheek, and instructed, "If you encounter any trouble, you can write to us for advice."
"I will," Albert looked at Nia, opening his arms.
Nia handed the cat to Daisy and gave Albert a big hug.
"Okay, see you during the holidays," Albert pushed the luggage cart and jogged towards the wall between platforms nine and ten.
Since there were no other people around at this time, Albert didn't bother to hide and simply walked through the wall into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
He looked up and saw the Hogwarts Express, and the slight sense of loss completely disappeared. Once he returned to the magical world, he would be able to use magic again.
The crimson steam engine belched smoke, and there were already wizards on the platform sending their children onto the train.
As Albert walked toward the train door, someone suddenly stood in front of him. He stopped and looked up at the middle-aged man in a suit and tie, squinting his eyes.
His memory was excellent, and he recognized who this person was at a glance.
Haddock.
He didn't expect to meet him here. Although it was indeed a bit unexpected, it was also within his expectations.
Albert's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He pretended not to recognize the person and prepared to pass by with his luggage.
However, Haddock spoke first.
"Albert Anderson!" There was a hint of excitement in Haddock's tone as he sized up the boy in front of him. He was certain that this was the guy who had found his golden membership card.
"Who are you?" Albert feigned confusion and asked.
"Haddock Dagworth," Haddock introduced himself.
"I don't know you," Albert replied bluntly. "Do you have something to do with me? If not, please don't block the way."
Haddock's face twitched. He had never encountered someone who showed him so little respect. In the wizarding world, Haddock was a well-known master of potions, and most people who knew him would treat him politely.
However, this boy in front of him was an exception.
But Haddock wasn't angry. According to the information he had gathered, Albert was a Muggle-born wizard planning to enter his second year at Hogwarts. It was normal for him not to recognize Haddock.
"We met once in France, at the opera," Haddock reminded him. "Romeo and Juliet."
"Oh, you were there too," Albert looked at Haddock and said, "And then? Do you have something to say? Don't waste everyone's time."
Haddock was a little stunned by Albert's directness. He suddenly had a bad feeling.
"I know you found a golden card, a card made of gold," Haddock said. The boy in front of him was quite different from the twelve-year-old boy he remembered. Well... it was hard to put it into words, but he was definitely different.
"Well, that's true," Albert admitted, surprising Haddock with his frankness.
"I hope you can return the golden membership card to me," Haddock paused and added, "Of course, as a thank you for helping me find it, I will give you a reward."
"A reward?" Albert looked interestedly at Haddock. "What kind of reward?"
"Twenty Galleons," Haddock said awkwardly. "I don't know what gift you would like, but I think this money should allow you to buy something you like. I hope you don't feel offended."
"No, I don't," Albert shook his head.
"In that case..." Haddock took out a money pouch he had prepared in advance, ready to hand it to Albert, but the latter didn't accept it.
"Actually, even if you don't give me a reward, I would still return the golden card to you," Albert smiled and added, "Of course, it would be nice if you were willing to give me some money. However..."
"However, what?" Haddock felt a twinge of anxiety, and his inner sense of foreboding grew stronger.
"When I just left the opera house, there were signs that the golden card was about to fly away," Albert said to Haddock. "You used a Levitation Charm on the card, didn't you?"
Haddock opened his mouth but didn't say anything, essentially admitting to it.
"Later, not long after I returned to my home country, the Ministry of Magic sent me this warning letter." Albert reached into his pocket, took out the warning letter the Ministry had sent him, and handed it to Haddock, continuing, "How should I put it? This matter has nothing to do with me. Considering that the Ministry had a similar blunder last year, I'm not surprised."
Haddock's sense of foreboding intensified.
"My request is simple. Since you caused this incident, it's only right for you to explain it to the Improper Use of Magic Office at the Ministry of Magic. I know they don't want to hear my explanation, but they will definitely listen to you," Albert said calmly. "Ask the director of the Improper Use of Magic Office to write me an apology letter for the blunder the Ministry caused. After all, it was their own mistake, so an apology is not too much to ask for. As soon as I receive that apology letter, I will send the golden card back to you. As for your Galleons, you don't need to give them to me. Returning lost property is a good quality, don't you think?"
"By the way, your name is Haddock Dagworth, right? I remember your name now," Albert said as he pushed his luggage away. Then he turned back to Haddock and said, "Make sure the director of the Ministry of Magic personally writes the letter. That's the only way it will be sincere. Otherwise, it won't count."
Haddock stood still, staring at Albert's retreating figure. The muscles on his face twitched, as if his entire face was cramping.
The truth was, Albert didn't make any unreasonable demands.
He had caused trouble for Haddock, and now he simply wanted Haddock to clarify the situation. It was only fair.
Made a mistake, a simple apology would have been enough to be forgiven, which shows that the other party was already sincere.
But... persuade the Ministry of Magic to apologize?
He looked down at the letter in his hand, and even without looking, he knew what it said.
In the end, Haddock decided to take a more assertive approach. Whether or not the other party accepted his gratitude was no longer his concern.
"The golden membership card, come to me." Haddock took out his wand and pointed it in Albert's direction, preparing to use the Summoning Charm.
He had made up his mind to leave as soon as he got the golden card and have his owl deliver the Galleons to Albert. Whether Albert accepted them or not was no longer Haddock's concern.
However, Haddock froze because nothing happened after he cast the spell.
The golden membership card didn't come, which meant Albert didn't have it on him.
"Don't bother trying. I know how adults like to play dirty tricks," Albert stood in front of the train compartment and turned around to face Haddock. "Do you think I wouldn't guess what you would do? Don't make meaningless attempts. The golden card is indeed in my possession. But I won't take the blame for it. Since you caused this trouble, it's up to you to resolve it."
"Oh, by the way, stop using these underhanded methods, or I won't mind melting the golden card back into gold and selling it at a Muggle gold shop," Albert said with a smile. "I can guarantee it'll be worth more than your twenty Galleons."
Whether it was valuable or not, Albert wasn't sure, but he was certain he wanted an apology from the Ministry of Magic... hmph.
It was probably difficult to achieve!
Haddock could do whatever he wanted. If the other party played dirty tricks, he had a hundred ways to deal with him. Ever since the battle with the spiders in the Forbidden Forest, Albert had changed a lot.
One notable change was that he was stronger than before, and with strength came courage.
As he watched Albert's back disappear into the train compartment, Haddock fell into a brief silence.
"The guy who impressed Blood, he's not that simple," Haddock smiled bitterly.
His relationship with Blood was indeed average, but he also knew that Blood had his own circle. Anyone who entered that circle was an elite in a certain field of the wizarding world.
Albert Anderson was obviously one of them.
In fact, Haddock didn't want to have a hostile relationship with him.
But there was no way around it. Albert was still too young, overly young. This meant that twenty years later, he would become an expert in a certain field. Moreover, he gave Haddock an inexplicable sense of stability.
Looking at the letter in his hand, Haddock suddenly realized a terrible fact.
The other party had known he would come looking for him. Was it all just an act?
Did Blood write to inform him?
However, he knew that Albert had no malicious intent. It was precisely because he had no ill intentions that it became the greatest malice.
Would the Ministry of Magic apologize for this matter?
Haddock felt they wouldn't, because there had never been any precedent for it.
Even if this incident was indeed a blunder caused by the Ministry, as Albert had said, he had sent a letter explaining the matter and it had been ignored. The letter might have been thrown straight into the trash.
Haddock didn't know if Albert Anderson was aware of this. If he was, then this person was truly terrifying.
No, perhaps he had already guessed?
Haddock's face grew dark, and he Disapparated.
Honestly, as a researcher of potions, Haddock didn't like dealing with Ministry officials. That's why the golden membership card, which served as a pass, was so important to him.
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