Daily Life at Hogwarts - Chapter 7

Late at night, at 19 Tibbett Avenue, a light still glows from a second-floor window.

Albert was swiftly skimming through his books. He had upgraded his rapid memorization skill to level 2, enhancing his memory significantly. Ordinary people don’t possess this ability. At least when it comes to memory, Albert was undoubtedly superior.

Just moments ago, Albert noticed an unfamiliar skill added to his repertoire: Wizarding Bloodline, level 0.

Regular experience couldn’t upgrade this skill. Only skill points could.

Albert had never seen such a situation before. After some hesitation, he decided to elevate the Wizarding Bloodline to level 1.

After the upgrade, Albert felt his efficiency in learning magic had increased. Or perhaps his magical power had grown stronger. With his mastery over the Lumos spell accelerating, he managed to elevate the skill to level 1 after just several minutes of practice.

Should he invest all his skill points into it?

Albert hesitated. Skill points were hard to come by, and he wanted to save some for himself. However, after much contemplation, when he tried to invest the remaining two skill points, he discovered he could only level it up by one.

What a rip-off!

After elevating the Wizarding Bloodline to level 2, Albert didn’t sense any significant changes.

Perhaps it’s a passive skill?

Albert was a bit frustrated. Stepping out of his room, he started trying the Alohomora charm.

Wand in one hand and “Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1” in the other, he followed the book’s prescribed wand movement – a sort of inverted S shape that felt rather awkward.

After a few attempts, Albert securely locked the door, and casted “Alohomora” on the doorknob.

He tried to turn the knob. Locked.

It was a failure.

Although the failure was expected, the good news was that his skill panel updated with the Alohomora spell. However, this time, there was no experience attached.

“Albert, what are you doing?” Nia’s voice echoed from behind. Dressed in her nightgown, she appeared at the end of the corridor.

Turning to face his younger sister, Albert felt as if he was caught red-handed, akin to a thief stealing sweets.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” Albert asked.

“I can’t sleep!” Nia complained. “Sneaky! You were secretly practicing magic.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Albert couldn’t deny the obvious. It felt as if he was caught sneaking… well, sneaking desserts.

“I want to try too!” Nia said, her eyes fixed on Albert’s wand.

“But this isn’t a toy,” Albert replied, shaking his head. He wouldn’t let his younger sister wield his wand.

Children, with their lack of restraint and impulsiveness, could easily get into trouble. And given that Albert himself is a wizard, the likelihood of Nia being one is quite high. So, he won’t allow Nia to haphazardly try the wand, at least not now.

“You are the sneaky one! Aren’t you playing with it yourself?” Nia protested, much like a child whose toy had been taken away.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Albert deflected.

“No, I can’t,” Nia responded stubbornly.

“Let me tell you a story then!” Albert said, pulling out his keys and reopening the door to his room.

“You’re so sneaky, Albert!” Nia murmured. Nevertheless, she followed him inside, carrying Tom with her.

As soon as Tom entered the room, he began sniffing around, seemingly searching for the owl, and appeared quite displeased with the birdcage by the window.

“It’s alright, Tom. Snowy’s gone out hunting,” Albert said, picking up the short-haired cat and stroking its belly. He didn’t forget to put his wand back into the drawer and lock it. He slipped the key into his pocket, treating it as if guarding against a thief. He was all too aware of his sister’s mischievous nature.

“Do you really have to be so paranoid?” Nia pouted in displeasure.

“Don’t I know you well?” Albert rolled his eyes at her, “What if you got your hands on my wand and accidentally blew up our house?”

“I wouldn’t do that!” Nia retorted defiantly.

“Who knows if you wouldn’t? Remember how you got that scratch on your arm?” Albert countered, not wanting to take any risks. “Don’t make any promises to me. I don’t want to wake up one day to find you missing an arm or worse.”

“I wouldn’t,” Nia said, sounding a bit guilty.

She recalled the incident. It was when Tom had just arrived at their home, and due to her rough handling of him, he scratched her. She remembered Albert being furious and giving her a good scolding.

It was the first time she had seen Albert truly angry.

“Remember the lesson,” Albert chided gently. “Now, do you still want to hear a story?”

“Alright!” Nia leaned back against the cushion, stroking Tom’s fur, ready to listen to Albert’s tale. He had become adept at storytelling, originally practicing it to hone his language skills and enhance his English proficiency. After all, despite living in the UK now, English wasn’t his mother tongue.

Interestingly, in the process, he also managed to learn French, elevating it to level 1 through experience. Albert being considered a genius wasn’t without reason.

“Albert, do you think I’ll be able to use magic in the future?” Nia suddenly asked.

“You probably can. If I can use magic, there’s a good chance you can too,” Albert comforted her.

“But that’s because you’re a genius. You learn everything so quickly.”

“That has nothing to do with being a genius!” Albert exclaimed exasperatedly. “We’re siblings. If I can, then you probably can too.”

“But Grandpa couldn’t, even though his family members could. He was the only exception,” Nia murmured. “And Dad can’t either.”

Their father, inadvertently becoming the target of the discussion.

“Even if you can’t use magic, there are plenty of other things you can do,” Albert reassured her.

“You’re so sly! You’re already capable of using magic and yet you’re trying to console others with such words. Tom, get him!” Nia playfully directed Tom’s paw towards Albert’s face.

As the night deepened, Nia soon drifted off to sleep.

The door creaked open, and Daisy and Herbert, dressed in their nightclothes, walked in, looking exasperatedly at their now sleeping daughter.

“Finally, she’s asleep,” Herbert said, gently lifting Nia to return her to her room.

“Goodnight, Albert. Don’t stay up too late. You can read your books tomorrow,” Daisy said, kissing Albert’s forehead gently. “Remember, your father and I will support your decisions.”

“Goodnight.” Albert stifled a yawn and pushed Tom aside, who lazily rolled over, seemingly not wanting to move.

“Fine, goodnight, Tom.” Albert adjusted his pillow, found a comfortable position, and prepared to sleep. He was exhausted.

But all things considered, magic truly is a fascinating thing.