Generation Gap

"This is Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans." Lee Jordan shook the box in his hand and held it out to the three of them. "It has every flavor imaginable. Give it a try."

"You need to be careful eating those," George warned. "When he says every flavor, you know, he means every flavor imaginable."

"Not only are there normal flavors like chocolate, mint, and marmalade, there are also spinach, liver, and tripe. Oh, and watch out for earwax flavor." Fred grabbed one and tossed it into his mouth. "This one's pumpkin-flavored."

"What flavor is this one?" Albert asked, picking up a gray bean.

"Pepper. If I were you, I wouldn't touch it," George kindly warned. "Like this one of mine—it's chicken-flavored."

"What about this?" Albert picked up something resembling bubble gum.

"That's Bubble-Blow Super Bubble Gum."

"I know this one. Chocolate Frog—I had one last time too." Albert pointed at the Chocolate Frog.

"Pumpkin Pie, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wand..." George began explaining the other strange foods. Some would turn your whole tongue a different color after you ate them, while others could make all kinds of sounds.

"Ventriloquist's Dummy. It can make the sounds of all kinds of animals."

Albert unwrapped it, took one out, and asked, "What sound does this make?"

"No idea."

"How long does it last?"

"A few seconds, probably!"

Albert tossed the candy into his mouth, opened his mouth, and suddenly let out a lion-like roar. The others couldn't help laughing.

"Want to try?"

George got a baboon, Fred got a cat, and Lee Jordan was comparatively unlucky—his was an elephant. His cheeks immediately flushed red, and two streams of vapor puffed from his ears, making everyone burst out laughing.

"Sigh, I didn't buy enough." Albert found the candy rather interesting, so he went to another compartment and bought another pack from the witch.

"It's for my sister." Noticing everyone's puzzled looks, Albert explained with a smile.

Of course, Albert had no intention of filling his stomach with these things. He also took out the sandwiches Daisy had prepared for him and began eating them under everyone's baffled gazes.

"You brought food too, so why did you buy so much?" Lee Jordan asked, completely confused.

"Because they're novel. If I come across anything interesting, I'll send some home to my family." Albert picked up a bottle of peach-flavored soda. "Want to try some?"

"What's that?"

"A drink. You probably haven't had it before." Albert had bought a cup of Pumpkin Juice. Its taste was a little unusual, somewhat like 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 inside might spray out," Albert warned, but it was already too late. When Fred pulled open the soda, it sprayed all over his face.

"I warned you not to shake it." Albert couldn't help laughing. He casually took the peach soda from the other's hand; only half of it remained.

He drew his wand, cleaned the water stains off the table and newspaper, then asked, "Want to try it?"

As he spoke, he lightly tapped the candy bag on the table with his wand, turning it into a plastic cup.

"Wow!" The twins immediately cried out in exaggerated voices.

"What is it?" Albert looked at them in confusion, then said again, "Gemino."

Using the Copy Charm, he turned the plastic cup into three.

"You just used magic, didn't you?"

"Oh, just a little trick I learned from the spellbook. It's quite useful." Albert spoke casually. "Is there a problem?"

"Is there a problem?" Lee Jordan said weakly. "Of course there is. I remember you're a Muggle-born wizard, right?"

"And?" Albert asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'd bet none of the new students can use magic as skillfully as you."

"Aren't you being a little dramatic?" Albert changed the subject. "Want some?" He poured each of them less than half a cup.

"It tastes a little strange, but it's not bad."

"It feels kind of like beer, but not quite."

"You've had beer?" Albert asked curiously.

"George sneaked some."

"You sneaked some too."

"Well, you're not Muggles, so it's normal that you're not used to it." Albert found it easy enough to understand, just as he himself wasn't used to Pumpkin Juice.

"That's not the point. How did you do that? I heard Transfiguration is incredibly difficult to learn," Lee Jordan said dramatically.

"Incredibly difficult?" Albert thought carefully. It didn't seem as hard as the other boy made it sound. He had asked Truman about the trick to turning a matchstick into a needle. After practicing for a week and maxing out Level 1 Transfiguration, he had been able to transform small objects with ease.

"It is a little difficult. It took me half a day to turn a matchstick into a needle, but once you get proficient, it's pretty simple."

"Half a day." The three looked at one another, suddenly feeling thoroughly discouraged and no longer wanting to talk to him.

You'll lose friends showing off like that.

"Is it really that simple?"

"Um... how much magic have you mastered?" George asked weakly.

"I've tried all the spells in the textbooks... Don't tell me you didn't try any magic during the summer holidays?" Albert looked at them suspiciously.

"Our families wouldn't let us touch our wands."

"You could have tried in secret, couldn't you? Besides, didn't you buy wands?" Albert was speechless.

"Don't tell me you succeeded at all of them?" Fred asked feebly.

"Most of them. During the summer holidays, I also met a Hogwarts student. We've kept in touch by letter, and he's given me quite a bit of help with magic..."

Boom! A clap of thunder split the sky, cutting Albert off. The rain outside the compartment grew heavier and heavier.

Was even the heavens sick of watching this?

Lee Jordan got up and shut the window to keep the rain from blowing in.

"I hope the rain stops by the time we get to school." Albert tossed a piece of chocolate into his mouth and slowly chewed it.

The long journey on the train was truly rather boring.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Albert asked in confusion as he looked at the three silent boys.

"Nothing!" Fred forced out the words. "I just feel like you'll become someone amazing someday."

"I think so too," Albert suddenly said, leaving all three of them speechless.

"Haha, just kidding. No one knows what the future will bring."

For the rest of the time, they ate snacks while chatting about the wizarding world. Most of the talking was done by the three of them, while Albert listened.

When they talked about Quidditch, Albert found it very interesting as he listened to the three of them do their best to explain how four balls and seven players played a match.

It was clear that both twins wanted a good flying broom so they could play a thrilling match.

"I'd like to try what it feels like to fly through the sky," Albert said. "Though riding a broom does seem a little strange."