That evening, Albert showed his family his new Hogwarts uniform: a plain, black work robe and a black pointed hat. There was nothing special about it.
If he had to describe it, he'd say it looked stupid. Especially the damned pointed hat. He was sure that if he wore it for a walk outside, he'd get a lot of stares.
Nia, on the other hand, was delighted with her gift. She paraded around the living room, drowning in the oversized cloak and hat, while Herb snapped photos of them.
Daisy sat on the sofa, quietly flipping through Albert's copy of A History of Magic. She wanted to understand more about the place her son was about to go.
"Mom, look! It's a living Chocolate Frog!" Nia shrieked with laughter as she opened the box and the frog leaped out.
Herb, now experienced, quickly snatched the frog off the table and handed it to Nia. He then opened another box, grabbed the second frog, and held it out to Daisy.
"Is this thing really edible?" Daisy raised an eyebrow, eyeing the lifelike chocolate creature with suspicion.
"It's fine, Mom! It's delicious!" Nia had already bitten the frog's head off and was eating happily, smears of melted chocolate on her face.
"Alright, wipe your face, you look like a little kitten," Albert said, handing Nia his handkerchief. He turned to his cat, Tom, who was having a tense staredown with the new owl. Albert picked Tom up, placed him on the sofa, and scratched his chin. "Tom, be nice."
Albert took some owl nuts from the package and poured them into the owl's food dish. "Now, what to call you...?"
"Jerry."
After a moment, he settled on the name for his new snowy owl.
Tom and Jerry.
Even if the Tom and Jerry cartoon didn't exist in this world, Albert found the combination amusing. The snowy owl, as if sensing its owner's wicked sense of humor, gave no reaction.
"Albert, that's a terrible name!" Nia said, scooping up the owl and nuzzling its feathers. "We should call her Shera. That's a good name."
Why not Celebi? Albert thought, amused.
"Albert, the person in the picture just disappeared!" Herb suddenly exclaimed, staring at the card that had come with the frog.
"The picture?" Albert looked at the Chocolate Frog Card in his father's hand. "Well, maybe wizard photos are supposed to move? If the chocolate frogs can move, why can't the pictures?"
"Good point!" Herb accepted this. He turned the card over and read the back. "Albus Dumbledore... Current Headmaster of Hogwarts. Widely considered the greatest wizard of modern times."
"Oh, so that's the old man who sent Albert the letter," Daisy said, taking the card from her husband. She wanted to see just who was responsible for the invitation.
Unfortunately, the portrait on the card was now empty.
Daisy flipped it back over and continued reading the text. "Dumbledore's notable achievements include: the defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel."
"Dragon's blood?" Daisy's eyes widened. "There are dragons? And Nicolas Flamel... I remember that name..."
"A famous 14th-century alchemist," Albert supplied. "He created the legendary Philosopher's Stone, which is said to turn any metal into gold and produce the Elixir of Life. If he's still alive, it means the stone worked."
"Alright, Daisy, cheer up," Herb said, putting his arm around his wife. "It's not as bad as you think. We shouldn't judge the magical world before we even understand it. Besides, you should trust our son. He's a genius. He'll excel no matter where he goes."
"Albert! Can you do magic?" Nia suddenly launched herself at him, grabbing his arm and shaking it. Her face was full of expectation. "I want to see you do magic!"
"Well... I have to study it first. I don't know how yet," Albert said, ruffling Nia's hair.
"Hey!" Nia ducked away, ran to Daisy's side, and offered her a bite of her Pumpkin Pasty.
Albert opened his new copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk. He then took his wand from its box, preparing for his first attempt.
"Don't! Albert, not in here!" Herb yelped, his face twitching as he remembered the explosion in Ollivanders.
"You should have more faith in your son," Albert said. He raised his wand, concentrated, and said the incantation clearly: "Lumos!"
The tip of the wand flickered... and then went out.
"It... it lit up for a second, right?" Daisy asked, unsure.
"Yes! It did! That's my son!" Herb was beaming, his face filled with unconcealed pride that Albert could already use magic.
"Albert, what was that?" Nia demanded excitedly.
"Er, the Wand-Lighting Charm. It's supposed to be one of the easier ones. Let me try again." Albert secretly checked his System panel. Sure enough, Lumos had appeared on his skill list. It was still Level 0, but he had gained 7 EXP.
He wouldn't truly master it until it hit Level 1, which required 100 EXP. But Albert had no intention of using his precious saved-up experience points, not even 100.
"I'll try again." Albert cleared his throat and repeated the spell. Once again, a pale light flared at the wand's tip.
It took five tries, but Albert finally got the hang of it. By focusing, he could make the light hold steady without disappearing.
Seeing this, the other three members of his family burst into applause. Even if it was just a simple light, to the Andersons, it was extraordinary.
"Albert! Albert! Let me try! I want to try!" Nia yelled, pouncing on her brother.
"No," Albert said, quickly pulling his wand back. "At least, not in the house. Do you know what happened last time I tried a wand? I nearly blew up the counter at the shop."
"Stingy."
"It's not about being stingy. The wand is dangerous, and I don't know what I'm doing yet. What if you get hurt?" Albert put on a stern face, using his trump card. "If Nia keeps being this reckless, I won't teach her any magic in the future."
"Albert's right," Herb added quickly. "You should wait until he's familiar with it before he teaches you."
"Fine!" Nia pouted, finally giving in. She looked a little dejected, clearly envious that Albert could already use magic.
"Your grandfather plans to come over in the next few days," Herb said, changing the subject. "But I think it might be better if we all go visit him instead. Save him the trip."
He set aside some of the magical sweets and gifts. He knew his father might not eat them, but he was sure he would be overjoyed just to see them.