"These are Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," Lee Jordan said, shaking his jar and holding it out to the trio. "They come in every flavor imaginable. Try one."
"Be careful with these," George warned. "When he says 'every flavor,' he means every flavor."
"Not just the usual chocolate, peppermint, and marmalade," Fred added, grabbing a bean and tossing it into his mouth. "You might get spinach, liver, or even tripe. Oh, and watch out for earwax flavor." He chewed thoughtfully. "This one's pumpkin."
"What's this one?" Albert asked, picking up a gray bean.
"Pepper. If I were you, I'd skip it," George advised kindly. "Mine tastes like chicken."
"And this?" Albert held up a piece of bubblegum.
"Bubblegum Super Bubble."
"I know this one—a Chocolate Frog. I had one last time," Albert said, pointing to the treat.
"Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands..." George began explaining the other peculiar sweets. Some changed the color of your tongue, others made strange noises when you ate them.
"Animal Transformation Sweets—they let you make animal sounds."
Albert unwrapped a candy, took one out, and asked, "What's this sound?"
"I don't know."
"How long does it last?"
"A few seconds, I think!"
Albert popped the candy into his mouth, opened his mouth, and suddenly let out a lion-like roar, making everyone burst into laughter.
"Want to try?"
George got the baboon candy, Fred got the cat, and Lee Jordan was unlucky enough to get the elephant. His cheeks flushed crimson, and two puffs of smoke shot from his ears, sending everyone into fits of laughter.
"Damn, I didn't buy enough," Albert muttered, finding the candies amusing. He went to another carriage to find the witch and bought another batch.
"For my sister," Albert explained with a smile, noticing the others' curious glances.
Of course, Albert had no intention of filling up on these candies. He pulled out the sandwich Daisy had packed for him and began eating it under the others' puzzled stares.
"You brought your own food. Why buy so much candy?" Lee Jordan asked, bewildered.
"Because it's novel! If I find anything interesting, I'll send some home to my family," Albert replied. He picked up a bottle of peach-flavored soda. "Want to try this?"
"What is it?"
"This drink, you probably haven't had before." Albert bought a cup of pumpkin juice, which had a peculiar taste, somewhat similar to soy milk.
"How do you open it?" The twins curiously examined the canned soda.
"There's a pull tab on top. Don't shake it, or the drink might spray out," Albert warned, but it was too late. Fred pulled the tab and was immediately sprayed in the face.
"I told you not to shake it," Albert said, barely suppressing a laugh as he casually took the half-empty peach-flavored soda from Fred's hand.
He pulled out his wand, cleaned the spills from the table and newspaper, and asked, "Want to try it?"
With a flick of his wand, he transformed a candy wrapper on the table into a plastic cup.
"Wow!" The twins exclaimed dramatically.
"What's wrong?" Albert asked, puzzled. He cast the Duplication Charm: "Gemino."
The single plastic cup multiplied into three.
"You just used magic, right?"
"Oh, just a little trick I learned from my spellbook. Quite useful," Albert said nonchalantly. "Is there a problem?"
"Is there a problem?" Lee Jordan said weakly. "Of course there's a problem! I thought you were a Muggle-born wizard."
"And then?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I dare say there isn't a single first-year who can use magic as skillfully as you."
"Aren't you exaggerating a bit?" Albert changed the subject. "Want a drink?" He poured a small amount into each of their glasses.
"It tastes a bit strange, but it's not bad."
"It's kind of like beer, but different."
"Have you ever had beer before?" Albert asked curiously.
"George stole some once."
"You stole some too."
"Well, you're not Muggles. It's normal for you not to be used to it," Albert said understandingly, thinking of his own aversion to pumpkin juice.
"That's not the point! How did you do it? I heard Transfiguration is incredibly difficult to learn," Lee Jordan exclaimed dramatically.
"Incredibly difficult?" Albert pondered. It didn't seem as hard as Lee Jordan made it out to be. He had asked Truman for the trick to turning matches into needles, practiced for a week to max out his first-level Transfiguration skill, and then found it easy to transform small objects.
"It was a bit tough at first. It took me half a day to turn a match into a needle. But once you get the hang of it, it's pretty straightforward."
"Half a day?" The three exchanged glances, suddenly feeling a bit withdrawn and unwilling to speak.
Showing off like that will lose you friends.
"Is it really that simple?"
"Um, how much magic have you mastered?" George asked timidly.
"I've tried all the spells in the textbooks... Didn't you guys experiment with magic during the summer?" Albert looked at them suspiciously.
"Our families wouldn't let us touch our wands."
"You could have tried secretly! And didn't you buy your wands?" Albert was speechless.
"Wait, you actually succeeded with all of them?" Fred asked weakly.
"Most of them. During the summer, I even met a Hogwarts student. We've been corresponding, and he's taught me a lot about magic..."
Boom! A thunderbolt struck from the sky, interrupting Albert's words. The rain outside the compartment grew heavier.
Is even the heavens fed up with this?
Lee Jordan got up and closed the window to keep the rain out.
"Hopefully the rain will stop by the time we reach Hogwarts," Albert said, tossing a Chocolate Frog into his mouth and slowly chewing.
The long train journey was starting to feel rather tedious.
"What's wrong with you all?" Albert asked, looking at the three silent figures with a puzzled expression.
"Nothing!" Fred managed to force out. "I just have a feeling you're going to become someone amazing someday."
"I think so too," Albert suddenly said, causing all three to choke on their words.
"Haha, just kidding! Who knows what the future holds?"
For the rest of the journey, they snacked and chatted about the magical world. The twins and Lee Jordan did most of the talking, while Albert listened intently.
When they got to Quidditch, Albert found it fascinating to hear the trio's enthusiastic explanations of the four balls and how the seven players on each team competed.
It was clear the twins dreamed of owning top-of-the-line flying broomsticks and playing in thrilling matches.
"I'd love to experience the feeling of soaring through the sky," Albert said. "Though riding a broomstick does seem a bit odd."
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T/N— You can read upto Chapter 50 and get two chapters a day at— Patreon.com/EtherealTL
Details about bonus chapters mentioned in Auxiliary, Chapter 0.