Something Was Off

After boarding the train, Albert walked along the corridor, searching for an empty carriage. He didn't see his roommate from Hogwarts along the way.

"They probably haven't arrived yet," Albert thought, preparing to find an empty carriage.

Just as he opened the door and was about to enter the carriage, he heard someone calling his name from next door. Albert looked up and saw Lee Jordan waving at him.

"Albert, over here." Lee Jordan walked over, smiling and greeting Albert. "How was your summer vacation?"

"That's great. My family and I went on vacation to the France beach." Albert closed the carriage door again, grabbed his luggage, and followed Lee Jordan to his carriage.

"Who was that guy you were talking to just now?" Lee Jordan asked curiously as he opened the car door. He had obviously seen Albert confronting Hertok through the window.

"That man's name seems to be Hertok Dagworth." Albert briefly recounted his experiences in France and the warning letter he received from the Ministry of Magic after returning home.

"Has the Ministry of Magic made another mistake?"

Lee Jordan expressed sympathy for Albert's plight and concern and annoyance at the Ministry of Magic's unreliable Trace. His family also lived in the Muggle community, and who knew they might one day find themselves inexplicably scapegoated.

"That's just how the Ministry of Magic; I never expected it to be reliable." Albert's tone was full of contempt for the Ministry of Magic as he pushed his luggage into the carriage.

Lee Jordan offered to lend a hand and help Albert put his luggage on the luggage rack.

"No need, I can do it myself!" Albert took out his wand and waved it at his luggage. All the luggage floated up and was placed on the luggage rack above him.

"Impressive." Lee Jordan gave a thumbs up and continued, "Herto... he's asking you for something."

"Well, he came looking for the membership card I found," Albert said with a strange expression. "However, he doesn't seem to be planning to help me out."

"That guy's shameless," Lee Jordan said angrily. "You didn't give him the thing, did you?"

"No, I refused outright," Albert shook his head. "I just told him to go to the Ministry of Magic and help me resolve this matter, and then I'll return the item to him."

Did he agree?

"No, I was hoping to use magic to get it back," Albert couldn't help but sneer. "Unfortunately, that thing isn't on me right now."

"What a... bastard, an irresponsible bastard." Lee Jordan looked down on Hertok's behavior and asked Albert, "What are you going to do about it?"

"I think Dagworth will help me with this," Albert said confidently, waving his wand. "Going to France without my wand was a huge mistake, which is why I've run into this mess."

Lee Jordan forced a smile; he simply couldn't understand Albert's way of thinking. However, seeing that the other party was confident he could solve the problem, he was also happy for Albert.

The two spent the rest of the time chatting about what had happened during the summer vacation.

As the train's departure time drew closer, the smoke-filled platform became even more bustling, with students dragging heavy luggage and saying goodbye to their families everywhere.

Around 10:45, Fred, George, and his family finally appeared on the platform.

Albert and Lee Jordan saw through the train window that the two were saying their final goodbyes to their families.

"I'll go find them."

After popping a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans into his mouth, Lee Jordan opened the carriage door and got out to lead the way for the two men, saving them time from having to find their location.

A moment later, footsteps approached, Albert in the carriage vaguely heard Lee Jordan's exclamation.

Wow! You guys actually bought Flying Broom.

"It's Cleansweep Seven 5." Fred grinned broadly. "Charlie finally convinced his mother to buy us Flying Broom."

"Actually, we'd love to Cleansweep Seven 6. Unfortunately, the new brooms are quite expensive..." George was a little conflicted.

Buying two Flying Broom at once was quite a burden for the Weasley family.

Overall, George and Fred were very happy to get their own Flying Broom.

Albert opened the door and went out, looking at the Twins pushing their luggage towards him, and said, "Congratulations."

"Albert, what model of broom did you buy?" Fred asked curiously. He figured Albert would probably buy the best Flying Broom.

"I didn't buy Flying Broom," Albert's answer surprised everyone.

"Didn't buy it?" Fred paused, then repeated incredulously.

"Yes, I didn't buy it," Albert shrugged.

"What about the competition then?"

"I might not even be selected for the Gryffindor Team, and you know I'm very busy at the academy, so I might not have time to play ball."

Not only Fred and George, but even Lee Jordan stared wide-eyed and opened his mouth. Everyone wants to join Gryffindor Team, but you, who can get on the team, don't want to.

Albert sighed and reminded him, "Most importantly, if we all join the team, it will make us too hated. If we lose a game, Charlie will immediately become the target of everyone's blame. I've mentioned this to you before."

All three of them fell silent.

Although reluctant to admit it, Albert's considerations were not without merit.

"Okay, stop crowding here." Albert gestured for them not to block the passage and prevent others from getting through.

"Charlie will definitely be disappointed," George muttered, dropping his luggage and walking away, presumably to find Charlie.

"Excuse me, just a moment," Albert said to the girl, waving his wand so that Fred and George's luggage flew into the carriage.

"Your magic is getting more and more powerful," Fred forced a smile. "This saves us some trouble with our luggage."

Shortly after the group entered the carriage, Charlie rushed over. He sat down next to George and asked, "Don't you want to join the team?"

"I'm not sure if I have the extra time to practice Quidditch," Albert explained casually. "As you know, I've Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Club. By the way, this Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor might also be someone I know..."

"Who? Who is this Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor?"

"Rowena Smith," Albert said, "Is a very powerful wizard. I've been keeping in touch with Rowena by letter all summer, and if possible, I'd like to take the opportunity to learn something from him."

Charlie remained silent for a long time. He knew this was an excuse Albert had made up for him, but he still said, "If the team can't find a suitable player, I hope you can join us."

"Okay, I'll try my best." Albert hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"But what about your broom?" Charlie frowned slightly.

"Don't worry, I have Galleon. If I really need one, I'll just order a Flying Broom from the Quality Quidditch Supplies," Albert reassured him.

However, why does this sentence sound so nouveau riche?

"Well, that's good." Charlie sighed and suggested, "You could consider the Cleansweep Seven series. It's very affordable. Right now, the mainstream version of this series is the Cleansweep No. 6, which is faster than No. 5 and is suitable for Seeker."

Charlie left after he finished speaking, looking somewhat depressed.

George had already told Albert what he had said.

The other party withdrew automatically because they didn't want to put too much pressure on him.

"What a good man!" George said to Albert, looking at the closing carriage door. "Charlie has big ambitions; he hopes to win another Quidditch Cup. As long as he wins, no one will dare to say anything."

"The team has added several new players this time, so the odds of winning are..." Before Albert could finish speaking, Fred pounced on him and covered his mouth.

"Shut up, you should say we're sure to win," George said sternly, a little afraid of Albert's foul mouth.

To prevent Albert from saying anything ominous, Fred changed the subject, "By the way, what exactly was the rubber duck you sent over the summer for?"

"Oh, that's a little toy we play with while taking a bath," Albert explained with a smile. "Muggle usually put it in the bathwater."

Fred and George stared at each other in disbelief, deciding it was best not to tell their father.

"What little yellow duck?" Lee Jordan asked curiously.

"It's a gift from Albert, he said it's a toy he bought abroad," Fred explained.

"Ahem." George coughed forcefully, abruptly changing the subject, "By the way, has your matter been resolved?"

"No, the Misuse of Magic Office the Ministry of Magic hasn't replied to me." Albert changed the subject cooperatively. "I guess they just threw it in the trash after receiving it."

"Probably not?" Fred and George said in unison.

"Why do you think they threw your letter in the trash?" Lee Jordan felt that Albert wouldn't make such a claim without reason; there must be some reason or evidence for him to say that.

Albert mentioned that Hertok intended to give him 20 Galleon as a thank you gift.

"You didn't tell me about this," Lee Jordan couldn't help but complain.

"I just briefly mentioned it, but I'll have to say it again anyway."

"You actually refused?" Fred and George were a little envious of Albert's luck. "That's twenty Galleon!"

"Why didn't you two think of that?" Albert looked at Fred and George, who were still heartbroken over the twenty Galleon, and couldn't help but remind them, "Why is the other party willing to spend twenty Galleon, but not willing to go to the Ministry of Magic to help me with that matter?"

"I think Albert is right. This shouldn't take much effort, but it's strange that they're willing to offer twenty Galleon to settle this." Lee Jordan thought about Albert's words and felt they made a lot of sense. "Twenty Galleon isn't a lot, but it's definitely not a small amount either!"