Chương 106: Chapter 106: Christmas Holiday
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Two weeks after the Daily Prophet announced that Cornelius Fudge would become the next Minister of Magic, the guess rewards from the Daily Prophet were delivered by owl post.
Snow was still falling outside, and the owl postmen entered the Great Hall as usual.
Among them, one owl threw a frost-covered envelope in front of Albert. Shortly after, another owl tossed a heavy-looking leather bag onto Albert's table, creating a dull metallic sound that immediately attracted the attention of those nearby.
Albert reached out and picked up the leather bag, weighing it in his hands. Judging from the crisp sound inside, he could guess what was inside the bag.
Instead of opening the bag right away, he put it into his backpack. Then, he took out his wand and used a drying charm to remove the frost from the envelope before opening it and reading its contents.
The letter said:
"Congratulations, Mr. Albert Anderson.
You have won a reward of 100 Galleons in the 'Next Minister of Magic' guessing activity. Please sign for it. - Barnabas Cuffe."
Note: Before signing, please do not open the leather bag. It has been enchanted to ensure that Albert personally receives this sum of Galleons.
Inside the envelope, there was another piece of parchment, a magical contract, to ensure that the money was received by Albert himself.
If anyone else attempted to take money that didn't belong to them from the leather bag, they would get into trouble. The letter didn't specify what kind of trouble it would be, but Albert guessed it might involve some sort of curse or tracking magic that would allow them to find the thief.
Albert wanted to keep this secret as low-key as possible, but secrets have a way of spreading.
Before long, all the teachers and students in the school knew that he had participated in the Daily Prophet's guessing activity and won a large sum of Galleons.
As for the exact amount of money?
No one knew the exact quantity. Some said 50 Galleons, others said 100 Galleons, and some even guessed 200 Galleons. In the end, it was George who couldn't resist revealing the truth, leaving a bunch of people envious.
Every time someone mentioned this matter, their tone was filled with sourness, as if it could corrode the ground into a big hole.
"Now, everyone calls you 'Lucky Albert,'" Shanna, sitting in front of Albert, turned around and asked, "What do you think about all this?"
"I quite like it. I enjoy the nickname, and I hope my luck continues. Who knows, maybe I'll win another big prize," Albert said with a smile.
"You can take a nap on the table now, and perhaps you'll dream about winning a big prize," Shanna couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"I've always been lucky," Albert said, pulling out his wand and waving it in front of the group. He continued to boast, "Mr. Ollivander told me that wands made of cedar wood can bring luck to the user, and my wand is made of cedar wood."
"Cedar wood can bring luck?" Angelina looked skeptical, clearly not believing his words.
"There is indeed such a belief. It is rumored that wands made of redwood can bring luck to the user, so this type of wand is highly sought after by wizards," Katrina said, giving Albert a strange look. "Of course, some people think it's just nonsense."
"It's true. I guessed correctly with the help of my wand," Albert said, with an expression that said, 'My wand really brings luck.'
Beside him, Lee Jordan's face twitched slightly. In their memory, that was exactly what happened. Albert had "placed the wand vertically on the table and let it tilt freely to one side," and then inexplicably decided to bet 25 Galleons on Cornelius Fudge.
When Fred described the situation to everyone, they were all dumbfounded, with an expression that said, 'Are you kidding me?'
What kind of trickery was this? Could this be the correct way to win a big prize?
However, this matter didn't occupy everyone's discussion for too long as the Christmas holiday was quietly approaching.
After packing his luggage, Albert boarded the school's Thestral-drawn carriage and arrived at the Hogsmeade Station along the snow-covered road.
"What are you doing?" George asked puzzledly when he saw Albert reaching out towards the front of the carriage.
"Aren't you curious about what's pulling the carriage?" Albert pointed to the footprints on the snow-covered path. "Can't you see the footprints on the snow?"
"Something is pulling the carriage?" All three of them looked shocked, but the footprints on the snow were the best evidence, indicating an invisible horse.
"Thestrals," Albert whispered. "It is said that only those who have seen death can see Thestrals."
"I've heard of these creatures, and they're very ominous," Lee Jordan tried to pull Albert away from the Thestrals, whispering, "I've heard that these creatures bring terrible misfortune to those who see them. It's a bad omen."
"You're overthinking it. Thestrals are a type of winged horse. Their bad reputation is related to death. Otherwise, do you think Hogwarts would use them to pull carriages?" Albert couldn't help but give Lee Jordan a disdainful look as he carried his luggage into the Hogwarts Express, ready to find an empty compartment to rest.
Looking at the leaping scenery outside the window, Albert was in a good mood. Along the way, the group snacked and chatted about what they planned to do during the Christmas holiday.
During their boredom, they even played Fred's suggested game of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans Dare. The game involved closing their eyes, randomly picking up a Bertie Bott's bean, and seeing who ended up with the unfortunate strange flavor.
Lee Jordan had the worst luck and ended up eating a bean that tasted like dirt. He once again proclaimed in front of everyone that he would never eat Bertie Bott's beans again, which made everyone burst into laughter.
As the train passed through Muggle towns, Albert took off his wizarding cloak and changed into Muggle attire. Fortunately, Daisy had thoughtfully prepared the jacket for him; otherwise, Albert might have forgotten about it.
In the afternoon, the train finally arrived at King's Cross Station.
Everyone prepared to leave Platform 9¾ but was stopped at the ticket barrier by a shriveled old guard who wouldn't allow too many people through at once.
A bunch of people emerged from the solid wall at the same time, attracting the attention of the Muggles.
However, it was still the Hogwarts students who caught the attention of the Muggles.
As Albert stepped out of the wall, he noticed a strangely dressed man standing nearby, with several Ministry of Magic officials around him.
Surprisingly, there was even someone who had used a Disillusionment Charm on themselves, but their skill in casting the charm was not particularly good, and Albert could vaguely detect their position.
Without knowledge of the Disillusionment Charm, Albert might not have noticed the person, but since he had some understanding of it, it wasn't too difficult to find the flaw.
"Goodbye, Albert!"
"See you later, Albert!"
Lee Jordan and Shanna waved goodbye to Albert.
"Goodbye," Albert waved back to them.
"He's over there, Mom, Albert is over there!" Nia waved and ran towards this direction. Albert waved happily to his family and then turned to Fred and George, saying, "Goodbye, I'm off!"
"Goodbye, our family is here too." Fred pointed to a nearby spot, and Albert saw the Weasley family with their red hair, as well as Fred's younger brother Ron and sister Ginny.
"What are you looking at?" Nia complained discontentedly.
"Okay, okay, I'll buy you snacks. But you have to wait until we're on the train to give them to you," Albert reached out and patted Nia's head, but the girl turned her head to avoid it.
"Don't randomly touch a lady's head, that's very impolite," Nia complained seriously.
Herbert couldn't help but laugh and reached out to take Albert's luggage, asking, "How's life at Hogwarts?"
"It's not bad. I've learned a lot of useful things," Albert replied without hesitation.
"Welcome home," Daisy smiled and handed Tom over to Albert.
"He's gained weight," Albert said, weighing Tom in his hands.
"A while ago, Tom stayed at my grandparents' house for a few days," Nia whispered. "You know how my grandmother is."
Albert looked at his chubby cat and sighed softly. Once he sat in the back seat of the car, he placed Tom on his lap, grooming him while murmuring, "It's time to go on a diet."
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Check out my Other Projects Too:-(Advanced chapter on P@treon)
=> Sailing with Whitebeard: Starting with a Question
=> Marvel: All the famous scenes were exposed by me
(End of this chapter)
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