No one moved, frozen in place for what felt like half an hour... well, actually, it was probably only ten seconds.
Albert bent down and picked up the pale yellow envelope. It was an unstamped letter addressed in emerald green ink. He read it aloud softly:
19 Tiber Avenue, Front Door, For Mr. Albert Anderson.
As Albert spoke, he realized he had triggered a quest:
Path of the Wizard
You possess the potential to become a wizard, but you are not yet qualified. You have now been granted a precious opportunity to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a student.
Reward: 10,000 experience, 2 Skill Points, Wizard Bloodline +1.
Wizard Bloodline?
Albert froze.
What the hell is this?
The 2 Skill Points were tempting. After all, becoming a student at Eton College only granted 1 Skill Point, and Albert had accumulated just 3 over all these years, which he was reluctant to spend.
But the real kicker was that this was apparently a novel world.
The magical world from the Harry Potter books?
Albert flipped the envelope over and sure enough, there was the Hogwarts crest: a large "H" surrounded by a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.
"Mom, do zoos train owls to deliver mail now?" Nia asked, her eyes fixed on the owl perched nearby.
"Nia, I don't think anyone uses owls for mail delivery. At least, not normal people. Maybe it's just a prank," Daisy replied, glancing at her husband. Seeing Herb's tightly furrowed brow, she asked, "What's wrong, dear? Should we head out?"
"Nothing, Albert. Let me see the letter," Herb said quietly.
"Oh, here," Albert handed the envelope to his father.
"Dear!" Daisy exclaimed, a hint of displeasure in her voice.
Herb, oblivious to his wife's irritation, swiftly tore open the envelope. He pulled out the parchment, scanned it, and announced, "Kids, it looks like our plans will have to be postponed."
"Herb, what's going on? What does the letter say?" Daisy's tone sharpened, sensing her husband's unusual behavior.
"Dad, what does the letter say?" Nia pressed, while Albert, the recipient, remained strangely calm.
"We'll discuss it in the living room, Daisy," Herb said, slamming the car door shut and leading his family back inside.
After the front door closed, the owl that had delivered the letter remained perched outside.
"Herb, you'd better have a good explanation for this," Daisy said, her voice sharp with anger. She had been eagerly anticipating seeing her son in his Eton College uniform.
"Dad, what does the letter say? Read it aloud. I want to know who could possibly predict my whereabouts," Albert said, his expression calm. He already knew what the letter was about. If he hadn't experienced the transmigration and the system panel, he might have been shocked by the letter.
But after two previous shocks—discovering he lived in a novel's world—the idea didn't seem so strange. Besides, he had read the Harry Potter series and even written a fanfiction. He had researched the world extensively and understood its lore.
"Alright, I'll read it," Herb said, glancing at his son's unwavering composure. He unfolded the parchment and began:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (President of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizards' Council, First Class Member of the Order of Merlin)
"Hogwarts... a school!" Daisy's eyes widened in disbelief, already guessing what this was... an acceptance letter?
"Magic! Does magic really exist in this world?" Nia's face lit up with barely concealed excitement. "I want to learn magic too! I want to go to a magic school!"
"Albert, you're so annoying! Let go of me!" Nia glared at her brother, trying to lean closer to read the letter, but Albert held her back.
"Nia, let Dad finish reading the letter," Albert said, signaling to his father to continue while gently pulling his angry mother back into her seat.
"Son, I absolutely will not let you go to some Hogw—" Daisy began, her voice tight with anger. She suspected her husband might know something she didn't.
Herb cleared his throat and continued reading:
Dear Mr. Anderson,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment.
The term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by July 21st.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Herb finished reading the letter and handed it to his son, Albert.
Albert glanced at it and passed it to his younger sister, Nia, who was bursting with curiosity. Nia took the letter and ran to their mother, Daisy.
After carefully studying the letter sentence by sentence, Daisy said slowly, enunciating each word:
"I absolutely refuse to let Albert attend such a school. No, someone must be playing a prank on us. Perhaps we should call the police immediately and catch this annoying troublemaker."
"Mom, does the 'Awaiting your owl' at the end of the letter mean they want us to write back?" Nia suddenly asked.
Daisy didn't answer. Instead, she fixed her husband with an intense, demanding stare.
Albert turned to his father. "Dad, do you know anything about this?"
"Not exactly," Herb said, pressing his hand to his forehead as if lost in a brief memory. "When I was about your age, my father—your grandfather—was bitterly disappointed that I never received a letter from Hogwarts."
"I asked him what Hogwarts was, and he only said it was a school."
"Later, when he was drunk, I asked why he wanted me to go there."
"He only said he was a Squib, but I didn't know what that meant," Herb said in a low, somber tone. He still remembered the time his father had cried.
"I think I understand what Hogwarts is now. Father would be so happy to know his grandson received a letter from Hogwarts."
Albert certainly knew what a Squib was, but he'd never truly considered that he might have any connection to wizards.
After all, his skill panel didn't show any related abilities. If it had, he would have noticed long ago.
"Right, I should write him a letter—no, call him! He'd be thrilled!" Herb suddenly declared, as if about to reach for the phone to call his father.
"Herb Anderson!" Daisy shouted. "Albert should go to Eton College, where he'll achieve things we can't even imagine, not some school we've never even heard of! This is about his future! I absolutely won't allow you to..."
"Mom, we haven't even confirmed magic exists yet," Albert interrupted, gently restraining his mother, who was on the verge of exploding. "The letter said to await their owl, right? Maybe we should write back and ask Hogwarts to send someone to prove whether magic is real. If they can't, then it's a scam."
"Fine, son, I agree. Let that damn school prove this letter is real," Daisy said, clenching her fist and punching the air. "Just wait! I'll report those scammers to the police and make sure they rot in jail for years!"