That evening, Albert showed his family his new Hogwarts uniform: a plain black work robe and a black pointed hat, nothing particularly special about them.
If anything, they looked rather silly, especially that damned pointed hat. Wearing it out for a stroll would definitely turn heads—at least that's what Albert thought.
Nia, however, was delighted with her gifts. She draped herself in a cloak much too large for her and wore the black pointed hat, striking poses in the living room while Herb snapped photos of them together.
Daisy sat on the sofa, quietly flipping through Albert's History of Magic textbook. She wanted to understand better where her son was about to go.
"Mom, look! It's a living Chocolate Frog!" Nia exclaimed, opening the box and giggling as the frog hopped away.
Herb, already experienced with this, quickly reached out and caught the frog as it landed on the table, handing it to Nia.
Then, Herb opened another box, which also contained a Chocolate Frog. He swiftly caught it and presented it to Daisy, who was engrossed in her book.
"Can you really eat this thing?" Daisy raised an eyebrow, eyeing the lifelike frog with suspicion. She doubted its safety for consumption.
"Mom, Chocolate Frogs are edible, and they taste great!" Nia had already bitten off the frog's head and was happily eating, with melted chocolate smeared across her face.
"Alright, wipe your face clean. You look like a little kitten!" Albert handed Nia his handkerchief, then turned to Tom, who was still facing off against the owl. He picked up the cat, placed it beside the sofa, and scratched under its chin, warning, "Tom, don't bully it."
Albert took out the owl treats from the package and poured some onto a plate inside the cage, muttering, "What should I name it?"
"Jerry."
Albert considered it for a moment and decided to name the Snowy Owl Jerry.
Tom and Jerry.
Though the world didn't have the animated cartoon, Albert found the name amusing.
The Snowy Owl seemed to sense its owner's malice and ignored Jerry.
"Albert, that's a terrible name!" Nia reached out to pick up the owl, nuzzling her cheek against it. "It should be called Sheila. That's a nice name."
"Why not Sheila-bi?" Albert thought mischievously.
"Albert, the person in the Chocolate Frog card just disappeared!" Herb exclaimed, noticing that the figure in the card had vanished.
"A photo?" Albert looked at his father, who was holding a Chocolate Frog card.
"Maybe wizard photos are supposed to move? If Chocolate Frogs can move, why can't the people in photos?"
"That makes sense!" Herb accepted this explanation. He flipped the card over and read the text on the back: "Albus Dumbledore... Current Headmaster of Hogwarts, widely recognized as the greatest wizard of our time."
"Oh, that's the old man who sent Albert the letter," Daisy said, taking the Chocolate Frog card from her husband to see who had sent her son the invitation.
Unfortunately, the card was blank.
Daisy flipped the Chocolate Frog card over and continued reading the rest: "Professor Dumbledore's notable achievements include: defeating the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, discovering the twelve uses of Dragon Blood, and his successful collaboration with Nicolas Flamel in Alchemy. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and Tenpin Bowling."
"Dragon Blood?" Daisy's eyes widened in disbelief. "Dragons still exist in this world? And Nicolas Flamel... I seem to remember him as..."
"A famous alchemist from the 14th century," Albert added. "He created the legendary Philosopher's Stone, which is said to turn lead into gold and grant immortality. If he's still alive, it means the Stone has made Nicolas Flamel immortal."
"Come on, Daisy, cheer up," Herb said, putting his arm around his wife and gently comforting her. "It's not as bad as you think. Especially since we still don't understand the magical world, it's best not to jump to conclusions. And you should trust our son. He's a genius. No matter where he goes, he'll find a way to shine."
"Oh, Albert, can you use magic?" Nia pounced on Albert, grabbing his hand and shaking it playfully. Her small face was filled with anticipation as she looked up at him. "I want to see you do magic!"
"Well... I need to study first. I don't know how to use it yet," Albert said, ruffling Nia's hair.
"Ugh, stop it," Nia said, covering her head and running to Daisy, where she shared her pumpkin pie.
Albert began flipping through Miranda Goshawk's Standard Spells, Grade 1, then took his wand from its box, preparing for his first attempt at casting a spell.
"No, Albert, don't try it here!" Herb's face twitched as he recalled what had happened in the Wand Shop earlier.
"You should have a little faith in your son!" Albert raised his wand and tapped it lightly, whispering, "Lumos."
The tip of the wand suddenly flashed, then went dark again.
"Did the tip of the wand just flash?" Daisy asked uncertainly.
"Yes, it did! Just like my son!" Herb's face lit up with undisguised pride as he realized Albert had already managed to cast a spell.
"Albert, what was that?" Nia asked excitedly.
"Uh, it was the Lumos spell. It's supposed to be one of the easier ones to learn. I'll try again," Albert replied, secretly checking his Panel. Sure enough, the Lumos spell had been added to his skill list.
The spell was still at level 0, but he had already gained 7 experience points.
Only by reaching level 1 could he truly be said to have mastered it. It would take just 100 experience points to level up from 0 to 1, but Albert had no intention of using his precious stored experience to level up Lumos. Even 100 experience points were incredibly valuable.
"Let me try again," Albert cleared his throat and recited the spell once more. The tip of his wand once again emitted a pale light.
It took Albert a total of five attempts to barely master the spell. Now, with just a little concentration, the light on his wand wouldn't fade so easily.
Seeing this, the other three couldn't help but applaud. Though it was just a simple Lumos spell, in the eyes of The Andersons, it was quite impressive.
"Albert, Albert, let me try! I want to try too!" Nia excitedly pounced on her brother.
"No," Albert quickly put away his wand. "At least, not here. You know what happened last time I tried my wand? I almost blew up the counter at the Wand Shop."
"You're being stingy!"
"It's not about being stingy. Wands are inherently dangerous, and I don't know anything about them. What if something goes wrong?" Albert immediately put on a stern face, pulling out his trump card. "If you keep being so stubborn, I won't teach you magic anymore."
"Albert's right," Herb quickly chimed in. "You should wait until he's more familiar with magic before he teaches you."
"Fine!" Nia pouted in dissatisfaction but ultimately relented. She looked a little disappointed, though. She envied Albert's ability to use magic.
"Your grandfather plans to visit in the next few days. But I think it would be best if we all went together to see them, so we don't have to make another trip later." Herb left behind some magical world candies and gifts. He knew his father might not eat them, but he would certainly be delighted to see them.