No one knew how Luke had managed to soothe Nia and coax his temperamental granddaughter out of her sulk.
In the following days, Herb and Daisy returned to work, while Albert and Nia continued their summer vacation on Charles Street.
Albert shared passages from his History of Magic and other books with the elderly couple, demonstrating the spells he had mastered. He even spent a Galleon to order a Wizard's Chess set from Wiseacre's, and he and Nick began studying the game together.
At first, Nia was startled by the animated chess pieces, but she quickly grew fond of the game.
Of course, the result was that no one wanted to play with Albert anymore, as his chess skills had far surpassed everyone else's.
Wizard's Chess was similar to regular chess, but its pieces were alive. Players typically issued verbal commands to direct their pieces, making it feel more like commanding an army in battle.
If you tried to move a piece by hand, it would stab your fingers with its weapon.
While ordinary people could use Wizard's Chess, they struggled to control the pieces effectively. The sentient pieces would constantly squawk and complain, muttering things like, "Do you even know how to play? Don't send me there! Send the pawn—it doesn't matter if it gets sacrificed!"
Albert's learning progress was rapid. During this time, he also completed the "Luke's Regret" quest, earning 1,500 experience points.
His experience had accumulated to 30,000 again. While the experience pool seemed vast, it was surprisingly easy to deplete.
The higher a skill's level, the more difficult it became to improve. In later stages, he would only be able to upgrade skills by consuming experience from the pool or using Skill Points.
"Albert, are you sure this leaf is supposed to float?" Nia asked, her eyes fixed on the motionless leaf.
"I think I messed up the hand gesture," Albert said, a hint of frustration in his voice. When casting spells, wrist movements were just as crucial as incantations. A single incorrect motion or mispronounced word could cause the magic to fail—a common mistake for beginners.
Without a teacher, he had to learn through trial and error or use experience from the pool to instantly master the skill at level 1.
Albert preferred the former method, reserving the latter for when he was truly stuck. He wasn't particularly concerned about the Levitation Charm; mastering such a spell shouldn't be too difficult.
"So, magic really isn't as easy as it seems," Nia remarked, a hint of admiration in her voice for Albert's patience. She certainly didn't possess that kind of patience herself.
"Of course not. It's like learning math—you have to take it step by step," Albert said casually, pushing his sister on the swing. "Don't give up until the very end."
"Ugh, more of those cheesy pep talks. I'm tired of hearing them," Nia grumbled, but she couldn't hide her delight.
Truthfully, Nia suspected she might not have the talent to become a wizard. After her conversation with Grandfather, she no longer cared as much about it.
Once the park had emptied, Albert tried the Levitation Charm again. This time, he succeeded. After chanting "Wingardium Leviosa," a leaf floated into the air.
At that moment, Albert sensed someone watching him. He quickly put away his wand and followed his instincts, locking eyes with a slightly older boy who was staring at him.
"Something you need?" Albert raised an eyebrow, his gaze challenging. He wasn't afraid of a confrontation. His Karate had reached Level 2; even without his wand, he could easily take down an ordinary person.
Albert learned karate when he was eight years old, specifically to deal with troublemaking kids. After he made three children cry at school, everyone knew Albert Anderson knew karate and was very skilled at it.
Daisy was summoned to the school for a scolding, but she stood firmly by Albert's side and even called her husband to come. The couple, both lawyers, used their legal skills to silence everyone. After all, the three children Albert had beaten were older than him—how could they cry to the teachers after losing a fight?
In the end, the matter was dropped. It was then that Albert truly accepted this family as his own.
"You're a Hogwarts first-year, right? Don't try magic in public places—you'll be discovered. Muggles are terrified of magic's power." The boy stared in astonishment at the leaf floating in mid-air. He never expected to encounter a prospective student who had already successfully cast a Levitation Charm.
"Thank you, I'll be careful," Albert replied, sensing no malice. He thanked the boy and prepared to leave with his sister.
"I'm Gabriel, Gabriel Truman, a Hufflepuff student. I live nearby," Gabriel Truman said warmly, shaking Albert's hand. "You're a first-year, right? I hope you get sorted into Hufflepuff."
"Hufflepuff?" Albert asked, feigning ignorance.
"Oh, right, you probably don't know about the four houses and the Sorting Ceremony yet." Truman was about to explain when an owl swooped down and dropped a letter at his feet.
"Why would an owl be here now?" Truman muttered, picking up the letter. He tore it open in front of Albert, his expression freezing. His face paled, turning ashen.
Nia sensed the shift in atmosphere and quickly hid behind Albert.
"What's wrong?" Albert asked cautiously, feeling uneasy.
"I've been expelled. Why? Why?" Truman's face twisted with confusion and rage, as if he were on the verge of losing his mind. He couldn't understand why the Ministry of Magic would send a letter saying he was expelled for using the Levitation Charm in front of Muggles.
"That's it! It's you! It has to be you!" Truman exclaimed, recognizing Albert. He lunged furiously at the freshman, but suddenly felt the world spin. The younger boy had taken him down.
A sharp pain shot through Truman's wrist, and he couldn't help but scream in agony.
"Calm down. It's not as bad as you think," Albert said, having already guessed the reason from Truman's outburst: the poor guy had been expelled.
"I didn't even use the Levitation Charm!" Truman roared, his face contorted with fury. "I didn't even bring my wand!"
"I know. I cast the spell," Albert calmly reminded him. "Perhaps we should write to the school and explain. I'll testify for you if necessary. Don't worry, they won't expel you easily. We should write now—one letter each to the Headmaster, explaining what happened. Do you have an owl?"
"No," Truman muttered, frustrated to find himself less composed than the younger boy.
"Brother, it's Shera," Nia said, pointing to the owl flying toward them.
"It seems Shera knew we needed her. Owls truly are remarkable creatures," Albert mused.