There Was a Generation Gap

There Was a Generation Gap

"These are Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans." Lee Jordan shook his box and held it out to the three of them. "They come in every kind of flavor. Give them a try."

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

"They don't just have ordinary flavors like chocolate, mint, and orange jam. There are also spinach, liver, and tripe flavors. Oh, and watch out for earwax." 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 flavor. If I were you, I wouldn't touch it," George kindly reminded him. "Like this one of mine—it's chicken flavor."

"What about this?" Albert picked up something that looked like bubble gum.

"That's Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum."

"I know this one. Chocolate Frogs—I had one last time too." Albert pointed at the Chocolate Frog. "Pumpkin Pie, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands..." 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 sorts of sounds.

"Animal Voice Changing Candy. It lets you make the sounds of different animals."

After opening the package, Albert took out one and asked, "What sound does this make?"

"No idea."

"How long does it last?"

"Probably a few seconds!"

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

"Want to try?"

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

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

"It's for my sister." Noticing their puzzled looks, Albert smiled and explained.

Of course, Albert had no intention of filling himself up on these snacks. He took out the Sandwiches Daisy had prepared for him and began eating one under everyone's baffled gazes.

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

"Because they're novel. If I find something 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. The 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 could barely hold back his laughter as he took the can of Peach Flavored Soda from Fred's hand. Only half remained.

He drew his wand, cleaned the spills from 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 another spell. "Geminio."

He used the Duplication Charm to turn the plastic cup into three.

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

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

"Is there a problem?" Lee Jordan said weakly. "Of course there is. I thought you were a Muggle-born wizard."

"And?" Albert raised an eyebrow.

"I'd bet there isn't a single first-year who can use magic as skillfully as you."

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

"The taste is a little strange, but it's not bad."

"It feels a bit like beer, but not quite."

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

"George sneaked some."

"Didn't you sneak some too?"

"Well, you aren't 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 it? I heard Transfiguration is incredibly hard to learn," Lee Jordan said dramatically.

"Incredibly hard?" Albert thought it over carefully. It didn't seem as difficult as Lee Jordan claimed. He had asked Truman about the trick to turning a match into a needle. After practicing for a week and maxing out Level 1 Transfiguration, he could easily transform small objects.

"It is a little difficult. Turning a match into a needle took me half a day, but once you get proficient, it becomes pretty easy."

"Half a day." The three looked at one another, suddenly feeling shut down. None of them wanted to speak to him anymore.

You'll lose friends showing off like that.

"Is it really that easy?"

"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 Summer vacation?" Albert looked at them suspiciously.

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

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

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

"I succeeded at most of them. During Summer vacation, I also met a Hogwarts student. We've kept in touch by letter, and he gave 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 unable to stand watching this? Lee Jordan got up and closed the window to keep the rain from blowing in.

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

The long journey on the train was really rather boring.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Albert asked, looking at the three silent boys in confusion.

"Nothing!" Fred forced out a reply. "I just feel like you'll become someone impressive 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 and talked about the wizarding world. Most of the talking was done by the three of them, while Albert listened.

When they got to Quidditch, Albert listened as the three of them did their best to explain how four balls and seven players made up a match. He found it quite interesting.

It was obvious that the Twins both wanted a good Flying Broom so they could play a spectacular match.

"I'd like to try flying through the sky," Albert said. "Though riding a broom is a little strange."